Moses Pointing to the Lord for Battle

Bob Hoekstra

Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies; do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.  (Deu_20:3-4)
Moses is another example of those who lived by grace in the Old Testament. He knew the necessity of relying upon the sufficiency of God, instead of upon the inadequate resources of man. One illustration of this is seen when he pointed Israel to the Lord for battle.
When the children of Israel would enter into the Promised Land, innumerable battles would lie before them. These battles were inevitable, since godless nations had entrenched themselves in the land: "because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you" (Deu_9:5). Thus, the history of Israel documents one battle after another.
Moses announced the truth that the people of the Lord need to hear as the battle draws near. "Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies; do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them." So often, when the warfare appears, the foe seems invincible. "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you" (Deu_20:1). The natural temptation is to "faint . . . be afraid . . . tremble or be terrified." Another temptation is to try to match the enemy horse for horse and chariot for chariot. The scriptures warn of the futility of turning to worldly resources. "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel" (Isa_31:1).
Moses knew that God's people need a reminder that the Lord wants to be our hope. When we must go into the battles of life, the Lord accompanies us. "For the LORD your God is He who goes with you." He is with us not only to comfort us, but also to battle on our behalf: "to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." The Lord can fight for His people in an unlimited variety of ways. He can change the hearts of those who oppose us. He can bring their plans to naught. He can trap them in their own evil plans. He can cause our enemies to turn and devour one another. He can effectively save us in any manner that He chooses.
O Lord, my defender, I face many battles that leave me intimidated and fearful. My hope is often placed in my own worldly strategies or the help that man can offer. Lord, I look to You afresh to fight for me to rescue me any way You chose, for Your glory and honor, Amen.

He asks for every niche and cranny of my soul!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you!" 1 Samuel 12:24

Here is a simple RULE: "Only fear the Lord."
It gathers in my wandering thoughts and desires. It reduces the thousand schemes and interests of my life, to singleness and unity. It writes the briefest and the most hallowing inscription over all my days and nights. It brings everything to one sure touchstone.

If I reverence and worship God,
if I love Christ Who first loved me,
if I cherish and obey His Holy Word--
then nothing more is demanded of me.

Here is a principle which will conduct me infallibly and securely through the difficulties and perplexities which now environ me--to the Celestial City!

Here is a penetrating TEST also: "And serve Him in truth with all your heart." Does it not probe deep? Does it not flash a searching light into the secret crevices of my heart? My Sovereign will not be satisfied with fair professions, and lovely words, and external obediences. He comes to reign within my heart. He puts my most hidden feelings, my secret purposes and intentions--into His unerring scales! He asks for every niche and cranny of my soul!

Here is an appropriate PLEA also: "Consider what great things He has done for you!"
There is nothing good in my daily life--but has come by His blessing and gift. There is no deliverance from danger, no sudden incoming of joy, no softening and mellowing and sanctifying through trial--which He did not devise and send. "Minutes come quick--but God's mercies are more fleet and free than they!"

And then the unmeasurable marvel of His best treasure--Christ and His wondrous salvation! The Son of God gave Himself for me! Jesus never fails me, and never forsakes me. He will perfect that which concerns me. Does not love so amazing deserve my all? Shall I not be a willing captive to a Lover so gracious, so patient, so persevering, so victorious?

Rule, and test, and plea--together they constitute the blessed life!

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Joshua and Caleb Entering the Promised Land

August 30

Bob Hoekstra

Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb . . . and Joshua . . . for they have wholly followed the LORD.  (Num_32:11-12)
Those who live by humble faith enter into the fullness of God's provisions of grace. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble . . . we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Jam_4:6 and Rom_5:2). Joshua and Caleb illustrated this truth by entering the Promised Land.
As we have seen, God's great salvation is both "from" and "unto." "We have passed from death to life" (1Jo_3:14). Also, this life we have been given is to be experienced in abundance. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (Joh_10:10). Israel's calling by the Lord from bondage in Egypt to fullness in the land pictures this truth. "So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exo_3:8).
Joshua and Caleb were the only adult Israelites in that first generation who went "into the fullness" of God's calling. They alone went into the land.  "Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land . . . because they have not wholly followed Me, except Caleb . . . and Joshua." Joshua would not only enter the land, he would lead Israel into God's victory. "Then Moses called Joshua and said to him . . . you must go with this people to the land . . . and you shall cause them to inherit it" (Deu_31:7). Caleb would not only enter the land, he would still be strengthened by faith even in his old age. "Here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war" (Jos_14:11).
Unlike Joshua and Caleb, the other Israelites followed the Lord's calling out from Egypt, but they did not follow Him into the land. Many Christians repeat this same error today. They have followed the Lord as He led them out of the spiritual death of sin and guilt. They are "out of Egypt." They are forgiven of their sins. They have new life in Christ. However, they do not follow the Lord on "into the land." They do not follow by faith into abundance of life. They do not follow the Lord in humble dependence for transformation, for fruitfulness, for a life of spiritual victory.
Dear God of Israel, Thank You for bringing me out of the Egypt of my own spiritual bondage. Now, as Joshua and Caleb did, I long to follow You wholly into the fullness that you desire me to walk in, in Jesus name, Amen.

His work is yet on the anvil!

   ~ ~ ~ ~


(Charles Spurgeon, "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden" 1883)

"God many times works contrary to outward likelihoods. When the toll of bricks was doubled for the Hebrew slaves--who would look for deliverance? As the sun going back ten degrees on the sundial was a sign of Hezekiah's recovery--so divine providence is to be read backward. Joseph was made a slave--that he might be made the deliverer of the Hebrew people."

Thus have we found sickness work for our spiritual health--and poverty promote our spiritual wealth. Our worst days, have turned out to be our best days; and our low estate has lifted us on high. When storms come we may welcome them, for they bring blessing on their wings. But when our calm is long and deep, we ought to be on our watch, lest stagnation and disease should come of it!

Our adorable Redeemer bends all things to His gracious purpose! To judge His wise proceedings, is folly and ingratitude. What can we know? Especially what can we know of His design and purpose--while His work is yet on the anvil? Our judgments at their best, are only moderated foolishness.

We are neither prophets nor sons of prophets; and if we were wise, we would no more speculate upon the results of His divine operations--but firmly believe and patiently wait until the providence comes to bloom, and God becomes His own interpreter!

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose!" Romans 8:28

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Spurgeon & Chambers Devotions August 28

Morning, August 28

“Oil for the light.”

Exodus 25:6

Charles Spurgeon
My soul, how much thou needest this, for thy lamp will not long continue to burn without it. Thy snuff will smoke and become an offence if light be gone, and gone it will be if oil be absent. Thou hast no oil well springing up in thy human nature, and therefore thou must go to them that sell and buy for thyself, or like the foolish virgins, thou wilt have to cry, “My lamp is gone out.” Even the consecrated lamps could not give light without oil; though they shone in the tabernacle they needed to be fed, though no rough winds blew upon them they required to be trimmed, and thy need is equally as great. Under the most happy circumstances thou canst not give light for another hour unless fresh oil of grace be given thee.

It was not every oil that might be used in the Lord’s service; neither the petroleum which exudes so plentifully from the earth, nor the produce of fishes, nor that extracted from nuts would be accepted; one oil only was selected, and that the best olive oil. Pretended grace from natural goodness, fancied grace from priestly hands, or imaginary grace from outward ceremonies will never serve the true saint of God; he knows that the Lord would not be pleased with rivers of such oil. He goes to the olive-press of Gethsemane, and draws his supplies from him who was crushed therein. The oil of gospel grace is pure and free from lees and dregs, and hence the light which is fed thereon is clear and bright. Our churches are the Saviour’s golden candelabra, and if they are to be lights in this dark world, they must have much holy oil. Let us pray for ourselves, our ministers, and our churches, that they may never lack oil for the light. Truth, holiness, joy, knowledge, love, these are all beams of the sacred light, but we cannot give them forth unless in private we receive oil from God the Holy Ghost.

My Utmost for His Highest

August 28th

What’s the good of prayer?

Lord, teach us to pray. Luke 11:1

Oswald Chambers
It is not part of the life of a natural man to pray. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished, not by food, but by prayer. When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
“Ask and ye shall receive.” We grouse before God, we are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things. Yet what a splendid audacity a childlike child has! Our Lord says—“Except ye become as little children.” Ask, and God will do. Give Jesus Christ a chance, give Him elbow room, and no man will ever do this unless he is at his wits’ end. When a man is at his wits’ end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get into touch with Reality. Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits’ end over. As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.
It is not so true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition.

Evening, August 28

“Sing, O barren.”

Isaiah 54:1

Charles Spurgeon
Though we have brought forth some fruit unto Christ, and have a joyful hope that we are “plants of his own right hand planting,” yet there are times when we feel very barren. Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is weak, each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and droops. We are like flowers in the hot sun, requiring the refreshing shower. In such a condition what are we to do? The text is addressed to us in just such a state. “Sing, O barren, break forth and cry aloud.” But what can I sing about? I cannot talk about the present, and even the past looks full of barrenness. Ah! I can sing of Jesus Christ. I can talk of visits which the Redeemer has aforetimes paid to me; or if not of these, I can magnify the great love wherewith he loved his people when he came from the heights of heaven for their redemption. I will go to the cross again. Come, my soul, heavy laden thou wast once, and thou didst lose thy burden there. Go to Calvary again. Perhaps that very cross which gave thee life may give thee fruitfulness. What is my barrenness? It is the platform for his fruit-creating power. What is my desolation? It is the black setting for the sapphire of his everlasting love. I will go in poverty, I will go in helplessness, I will go in all my shame and backsliding, I will tell him that I am still his child, and in confidence in his faithful heart, even I, the barren one, will sing and cry aloud.

Sing, believer, for it will cheer thine own heart, and the hearts of other desolate ones. Sing on, for now that thou art really ashamed of being barren, thou wilt be fruitful soon; now that God makes thee loath to be without fruit he will soon cover thee with clusters. The experience of our barrenness is painful, but the Lord’s visitations are delightful. A sense of our own poverty drives us to Christ, and that is where we need to be, for in him is our fruit found. 

Living by God's Grace in the Old Testament

August 29

Bob Hoekstra

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes . . . "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us . . . Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land . . . the LORD is with us."  (Num_14:6, Num_14:8-9)
Throughout the Old Testament, we can find examples of people living by the grace of God. They may not have been able to describe their experience in terms of grace. Yet, their reliance upon God to work on their behalf was just as valid as ours. Living by grace involves God at work in people's lives. Even though they may have been born under the law, they could not live by means of the law. The law supplied no resource for life. Without God at work, the only resource is from the flesh, from natural human sufficiency. This has always been inadequate for living as God intended. Joshua and Caleb were two men who realized that God's sufficiency (His grace) was the only reliable hope.
Twelve Israelites had just returned from spying out the Promised Land. Ten of them had a similar perspective. "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey . . . Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large . . . We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we" (Num_13:27-28, Num_13:31). Their bad report was based upon what they saw, measured against their own resources. By this evaluation, they concluded: "We are not able to go up against the people." They were comparing two sets of human resources. "They are stronger than we."
Joshua and Caleb were deeply distressed by this inappropriate evaluation. "And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes." They knew that this outlook ignored what God had promised and what God could do. "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us." They realized that this majority report, which was based on human sight and human capabilities, was actually a form of rebellion against the Lord. "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land." Their rebellion was in fearing man and not trusting God. All the children of Israel needed to do was remember the Lord was committed to them. "The LORD is with us." The Lord was willing and able to give them the land.
Lord God almighty, I am reminded that the majority report is so often based on human sight and earthly resources. Help me to be like Joshua and Caleb. I want a perspective that is based upon what You have promised and what You are able to do, Amen.

Seven Things God Hates

"There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers" (Prov. 6:16-19).

God is clear about the things that displease Him.

God hates sin in any form, but Proverbs 6:17-19 lists seven that are especially loathsome to Him. First is haughty eyes (v. 17), which pictures a proud and arrogant person with his nose in the air and his eyes uplifted. The pride in his heart is reflected in his mannerisms.
Pride is perhaps listed first because it is at the heart of all rebellion against God—beginning with Lucifer himself, who cried out against God, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High" (Isa. 14:13-14).
God also hates a lying tongue (v. 17). Men often toy with truth, denying or distorting it to gain some supposed advantage. But God can't tolerate deception of any kind. He expects us to live according to His truth.
Third, He hates murderous hands (v. 17). That speaks of people whose hatred and greed are so strong they will kill rather than be denied what they want. God created life and established its sanctity. That's why He ordained that murderers be put to death (Gen. 9:6).
God also hates a wicked heart and malevolent feet (v. 18). Sometimes people fall into sin inadvertently. But these people carefully plot their sinful activities, then hurry to execute their plans.
Finally, God hates a false witness and a divisive spirit (v. 19). Bearing false witness is telling lies about an innocent party. That can obstruct justice, destroy a reputation, and even destroy a life. A divisive spirit is one who creates divisions where there should be unity.
Those sins characterize unbelievers, but Christians aren't immune from them. So be on guard not to stray into attitudes and actions that God hates.
Suggestions for Prayer
If you are practicing any of those things, confess it and repent.
For Further Study
According to Philippians 2:1-5, how should Christians treat one another?


From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

It is time that I am done with all butterfly-hunting!

   ~ ~ ~ ~


(Charles Spurgeon, "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden" 1883)

"As children catch at butterflies, the gaudy wings melt away in their fingers, and there remains nothing but an ugly worm!"
Such is the end of all earthly ambitions! They cost us a weary pursuit, and if we gain our desire--it is destroyed in the grasping of it!

Alas, poor rich man, who has wealth--but has lost the power to enjoy it!

Alas, poor famous man, who in hunting for honor, has learned its emptiness!

Alas, poor beautiful woman, who in making a conquest of a false heart, has pierced her own with undying sorrow!

A butterfly-hunt takes a child into danger, wearies him, trips him down, and often ends in his missing the pretty insect. If, however, the boy is able to knock down his victim with his hat--he has crushed the beauty for which he undertook the chase, and his victory defeats him!

The parallel is clear to every eye. For my part, let me sooner be the schoolboy, dashing after the painted insect--than his father worrying and wearying to snatch at something more deceptive still.

It is time that I am done with all butterfly-hunting! My years are warning me that I may hope soon to be with Christ Himself, and see greater beauties than this whole creation can set before me! I am now bent on pursuing nothing but that which is eternal and infinite. Keep me to this resolve, I beseech you Lord.

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The Certainty of All the Promises of God

Bob Hoekstra

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us . . . was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.  (2Co_1:19-20)

As we have seen, some of the promises of God are "exceedingly great and precious." Others are very "unpopular." The former category of promises brings encouragement, strength, hope, comfort. For example, "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me" (Psa_138:8). The latter category warns, awakens, humbles, prepares. For example, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2Ti_3:12). Yet, whether we gladly embrace a "precious" promise or struggle with an "unpopular" promise, there is the absolute certainty of all the promises of God being fulfilled. Our present verses explain the basis of this certainty. The assurance is related to the very nature of Jesus Christ.  

When Paul and his missionary team preached about the Lord Jesus, it was not a "yes-and-no" message. "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us . . . was not Yes and No." The character and message of Jesus is not characterized by uncertainty. He is faithful and sure. The message concerning Him, as well as the messages He proclaimed, is "Yes." They are all guaranteed realities. It is not that Jesus could be the Son of God. He is certainly such. It is not that Jesus might save all who call upon Him. Such is totally assured. It is not that some of His promises could possibly be fulfilled. Rather, all of them will absolutely be fulfilled. Ezekiel declared this truth concerning all of the Godhead. "For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass . . . the word which I speak will be done" (Eze_12:25, Eze_12:28). Later, John added a particular word concerning our reliable Savior: "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness" (Rev_1:5). No wonder then that "all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us." Our God is going to faithfully do everything that He has ever stated in every one of His promises. The result will be great glory to Him, as He fulfills His promises in and through our lives.  

Day by day throughout the family of God, some Christians live in the blessed certainty of God's promises, while others do not. The determining difference is faith versus unbelief. Joshua and Caleb of old entered into the promised land. The rest of that generation "could not enter in because of unbelief" (Heb_3:19).

Dear Lord, I long to be a promise believer, living by faith in Your promises to me. Thank You for making it so simple and so available. You want to make promises to me, and You want me to count on You to fulfill them. I rejoice that all Your promises are Yes and Amen in Jesus Christ, my Lord!

Spurgeon & Chambers Devotions August 27th

Morning, August 27

How long will it be ere they believe me?

Numbers 14:11

Charles Spurgeon
Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonours Christ, that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we an never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, he may well cry out, “Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.” This is crowning his head with thorns of the sharpest kind. It is very cruel for a well-beloved wife to mistrust a kind and faithful husband. The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given the slightest ground for suspicion, and it is hard to be doubted by those to whom our conduct is uniformly affectionate and true. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unbounded wealth; it is shameful to doubt Omnipotence and distrust all-sufficiency. The cattle on a thousand hills will suffice for our most hungry feeding, and the granaries of heaven are not likely to be emptied by our eating. If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust his fulness, but who can drain a fountain? Myriads of spirits have drawn their supplies from him, and not one of them has murmured at the scantiness of his resources. Away, then, with this lying traitor unbelief, for his only errand is to cut the bonds of communion and make us mourn an absent Saviour. Bunyan tells us that unbelief has “as many lives as a cat:” if so, let us kill one life now, and continue the work till the whole nine are gone. Down with thee, thou traitor, my heart abhors thee.

My Utmost for His Highest

August 27th

Theology alive

Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. John 12:35

Oswald Chambers
Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mount with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” The second you waive the question of sanctification or any other thing upon which God gave you light, you begin to get dry rot in your spiritual life. Continually bring the truth out into actuality; work it out in every domain, or the very light you have will prove a curse.
The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the smug satisfaction of an experience to which he can refer back, but who is not working it out in practical life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it is shown in the life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent; it came from the pit, no matter how beautiful it sounds.
Theology must work itself out in the most practical relationships. “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, …” said Our Lord, i.e., you must be more moral than the most moral being you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you running it out into the practical issues of your life? Every bit of our life, physical, moral and spiritual, is to be judged by the standard of the Atonement.

Evening, August 27

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

Psalm 31:5

Charles Spurgeon
These words have been frequently used by holy men in their hour of departure. We may profitably consider them this evening. The object of the faithful man’s solicitude in life and death is not his body or his estate, but his spirit; this is his choice treasure—if this be safe, all is well. What is this mortal state compared with the soul? The believer commits his soul to the hand of his God; it came from him, it is his own, he has aforetime sustained it, he is able to keep it, and it is most fit that he should receive it. All things are safe in Jehovah’s hands; what we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening. It is peaceful living, and glorious dying, to repose in the care of heaven. At all times we should commit our all to Jesus’ faithful hand; then, though life may hang on a thread, and adversities may multiply as the sands of the sea, our soul shall dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting places.

“Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” Redemption is a solid basis for confidence. David had not known Calvary as we have done, but temporal redemption cheered him; and shall not eternal redemption yet more sweetly console us? Past deliverances are strong pleas for present assistance. What the Lord has done he will do again, for he changes not. He is faithful to his promises, and gracious to his saints; he will not turn away from his people.

“Though thou slay me I will trust,
Praise thee even from the dust,
Prove, and tell it as I prove,
Thine unutterable love.

Thou mayst chasten and correct,
But thou never canst neglect;
Since the ransom price is paid,



On thy love my hope is stay’d.”

The song of the Lamb!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"They sang the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb!" Revelation 15:3

Moses and Jesus join in teaching me the song of the redeemed children in God's family.

Moses cannot lead me so far as Jesus can. My Savior and Master gives breadth and length and depth and height to the melody. But the one song is the precursor of the other. Moses points me forward to the slain Lamb--and Christ acknowledges and honors the servant Moses; and I learn the doxologies both of the servant and of the Son.

The song of Mosesis the song of emancipation. Broken are the fetters of Egyptian bondage!

And it is the song of guidance. It celebrates the life of marching and encamping, over which the mercy and the wisdom and the omnipotence of the Lord preside.

And it is the song of inheritance. "Happy are you, O Israel!" the brave voice cried, on the borders of the land of brooks of water and wheat and barley and oil olive and honey.

The song of Moses is pregnant and rich for me. I hope I am learning more fully and perfectly, such chords and octaves as these. Do I commemorate the goodness of the God, Who discovered me in the prison of shame and fear and helplessness and despair--and Who brought me forth by the blood-shedding of His Son, and the mightiness of His Holy Spirit? Have I my testimony to bear to Him Who rules over all the wilderness experiences of my history? Can I speak of the treasures of His wealthy land?

The song of the Lamb has new elements of delightfulness and wonder!

It tells of the Crucified and slain Lamb. His cruel wounds are healed--but the scars are left as mementos of His anguish and shame!

It tells of the Royal Lamb in the midst of the throne--the sovereign Governor, Controller and Lord of all.

It tells of the Shepherd Lamb, feeding His flock and leading it to living fountains of waters.

It tells of the Conquering Lamb who shall overcome all the enemies of His redeemed people!

Is this Lamb the theme of the hymns which captivate and satisfy me most?

The Lamb assumed my sin and misery, and reaped the bitter harvest I had sown.

The Lamb governs His great world in my behalf--and directs and curbs the storms within my soul.

The Lamb conducts me by the best paths, and supplies my needs, and shelters me from every peril.

The Lamb is lionlike and courageous, and will finally slay my craftiest and strongest enemies, and will rid me of the besetting sins which torment me most!

I would complete the song of Moses the servant, with the song of Jesus the Lamb!

~ ~ ~ ~ 

An "Unpopular" Promise Regarding Persecution

Bob Hoekstra

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  (2Ti_3:12)
For a final visit, we return to the category of "unpopular" promises. This promise guarantees persecution for serious believers in Jesus Christ. In a church world where many treasure comfort and popularity, this promise is not well-received.
This promise is given to those who want to live a life of godliness: "who desire to live godly." Godliness is the will of the Lord for His people. "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness" (1Ti_6:11). Our Lord Himself declared that there is great blessing in having a passion for righteous living. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Mat_5:6). The blessing is God's pledge to satisfy that heart which yearns for righteousness. "For they shall be filled" (Mat_5:6).
Yet, we have seen that fullness of righteousness is not all that is promised to those who want to walk in godliness. Persecution is also promised. "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." Notice the comprehensive, inescapable dimension of this promise. "All who desire to live godly . . . will suffer persecution." There are no exceptions. There are no exemptions.
All who sincerely desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ will experience the consequences that He met, as He walked in righteousness. "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (Joh_15:20). Jesus was not universally hailed for His righteous path. He was opposed, mocked, conspired against, and betrayed. We need not be startled when measures of similar persecutions befall us.
Of course, this promise of persecution is not given to discourage us from pressing on down the path of godliness. Rather, it is offered to prepare us for the difficulties that are guaranteed as we seek to grow in Christlikeness. The Lord even adds gracious encouragements to righteousness, so we will be strengthened to pursue His holy will in this matter. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mat_5:10). Persecutions can remind us that we are headed for heaven. Persecutions can bring us heavenly measures of sustaining grace along the way.
O righteous Lord, I long to walk in Your paths of righteousness. Strengthen my heart with Your grace that I might press on in godliness. Help me to never shrink back, even though persecutions are guaranteed. Help me to stand true, even though persecutions may become severe. Lord, I count on Your promises to see me through the battles, in Jesus name, Amen.

The Triumph of Love

"[Love] endures all things" (1 Cor. 13:7).

Love triumphs over opposition.

Endurance is the final characteristic of love that Paul mentions in this passage. The Greek word translated "endures" in verse 7 is a military term that speaks of being positioned in the middle of a violent battle. It refers not to withstanding minor annoyances, but incredible opposition. Love does that without ceasing to love.
Stephen is a good example of enduring love. He preached God's message without compromise, but his enemies stoned him to death. His last act was to fall on his knees, crying out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:59). A lesser man might have hated his tormentors, but not Stephen. He forgave them and beseeched God to do likewise, following the example of his Lord, who on the cross prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). That's the endurance of godly love.
Love bears all hurts, sins, and disappointments. It never broadcasts them but makes every attempt to reconcile and restore sinners. Love believes the best about others and is never cynical or suspicious. Even when it's under severe attack, it forgives and clings to the hope of God's power and promises. That kind of love should characterize every believer.
Your love may not be perfect, but it should be obvious. If you're struggling with implementing love in some area of your life, remember these five keys:

• Acknowledge that love is a command (Rom. 13:8-10).
• Agree that you have the spiritual resources to love others as God loves you (Rom. 5:5).
• Understand that loving others is normal Christian behavior (1 John 4:7-10).
• Realize that love is the Spirit's work (Gal. 5:22).
• Be fervent in your love for others (1 Pet. 1:22; 4:8).

Godly love should be your highest purpose and greatest joy (Matt. 22:36-40). As you love others, you glorify Christ and make Him known to the world.
Suggestions for Prayer
Review the fifteen characteristics of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, asking God to increase each of them in your life.
For Further Study
Reread each reference in the five keys for implementing love in your life, and commit at least one to memory.


From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

Spurgeon & ***Chamber​s Devotions August 26th

Morning, August 26

“He hath commanded his covenant for ever.”

Psalms 111:9

Charles Spurgeon

The Lord’s people delight in the covenant itself. It is an unfailing source of consolation to them so often as the Holy Spirit leads them into its banqueting house and waves its banner of love. They delight to contemplate the antiquity of that covenant, remembering that before the day-star knew its place, or planets ran their round, the interests of the saints were made secure in Christ Jesus. It is peculiarly pleasing to them to remember the sureness of the covenant, while meditating upon “the sure mercies of David.” They delight to celebrate it as “signed, and sealed, and ratified, in all things ordered well.” It often makes their hearts dilate with joy to think of its immutability, as a covenant which neither time nor eternity, life nor death, shall ever be able to violate—a covenant as old as eternity and as everlasting as the Rock of ages. They rejoice also to feast upon the fulness of this covenant, for they see in it all things provided for them. God is their portion, Christ their companion, the Spirit their Comforter, earth their lodge, and heaven their home. They see in it an inheritance reserved and entailed to every soul possessing an interest in its ancient and eternal deed of gift. Their eyes sparkled when they saw it as a treasure-trove in the Bible; but oh! how their souls were gladdened when they saw in the last will and testament of their divine kinsman, that it was bequeathed to them! More especially it is the pleasure of God’s people to contemplate the graciousness of this covenant. They see that the law was made void because it was a covenant of works and depended upon merit, but this they perceive to be enduring because grace is the basis, grace the condition, grace the strain, grace the bulwark, grace the foundation, grace the topstone. The covenant is a treasury of wealth, a granary of food, a fountain of life, a store-house of salvation, a charter of peace, and a haven of joy.

My Utmost for His Highest

August 26th

Are you ever disturbed?

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. John 14:27

Oswald Chambers

There are times when our peace is based upon ignorance, but when we awaken to the facts of life, inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When Our Lord speaks peace, He makes peace, His words are ever “spirit and life.” Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “My peace I give unto you”—it is a peace which comes from looking into His face and realizing His undisturbedness.

Are you painfully disturbed just now, distracted by the waves and billows of God’s providential permission, and having, as it were, turned over the boulders of your belief, are you still finding no well of peace or joy or comfort; is all barren? Then look up and receive the undisturbedness of the Lord Jesus. Reflected peace is the proof that you are right with God because you are at liberty to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. If you allow anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you, you are either disturbed or you have a false security.

Are you looking unto Jesus now, in the immediate matter that is pressing, and receiving from Him peace? If so, He will be a gracious benediction of peace in and through you: But if you try to worry it out, you obliterate Him and deserve all you get. We get disturbed because we have not been considering Him. When one confers with Jesus Christ the perplexity goes, because He has no perplexity, and our only concern is to abide in Him. Lay it all out before Him and in the face of difficulty, bereavement and sorrow, hear Him say—“Let not your heart be troubled.”

Evening, August 26

“The people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed,

and running to him saluted him.”

Mark 9:15

Charles Spurgeon

How great the difference between Moses and Jesus! When the prophet of Horeb had been forty days upon the mountain, he underwent a kind of transfiguration, so that his countenance shone with exceeding brightness, and he put a veil over his face, for the people could not endure to look upon his glory. Not so our Saviour. He had been transfigured with a greater glory than that of Moses, and yet, it is not written that the people were blinded by the blaze of his countenance, but rather they were amazed, and running to him they saluted him. The glory of the law repels, but the greater glory of Jesus attracts. Though Jesus is holy and just, yet blended with his purity there is so much of truth and grace, that sinners run to him amazed at his goodness, fascinated by his love; they salute him, become his disciples, and take him to be their Lord and Master. Reader, it may be that just now you are blinded by the dazzling brightness of the law of God. You feel its claims on your conscience, but you cannot keep it in your life. Not that you find fault with the law, on the contrary, it commands your profoundest esteem, still you are in nowise drawn by it to God; you are rather hardened in heart, and are verging towards desperation. Ah, poor heart! turn thine eye from Moses, with all his repelling splendour, and look to Jesus, resplendent with milder glories. Behold his flowing wounds and thorn-crowned head! He is the Son of God, and therein he is greater than Moses, but he is the Lord of love, and therein more tender than the lawgiver. He bore the wrath of God, and in his death revealed more of God’s justice than Sinai on a blaze, but that justice is now vindicated, and henceforth it is the guardian of believers in Jesus. Look, sinner, to the bleeding Saviour, and as thou feelest the attraction of his love, fly to his arms, and thou shalt be saved. 

Robbers of God!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me!" Malachi 3:8

Other things I withhold from God, besides the tithes and offerings that are His due.

Do I not rob Him of my thoughts? He is a theme of study and meditation that need never become monotonous or wearisome--He has so many wondrous aspects to His nature and works. His self-existence, His holiness, His saving grace, His sympathy and friendship--here are worlds to roam over, which I cannot exhaust!

But it is only at rare intervals that I turn to Him, and then I am content with the briefest interview. I do not practice His presence in earnest thought.

Do I not rob Him of my reverence? Our age has to a great degree lost the reverence that marked former generations--and I am too entirely the child of our age. I have forgotten the humble habit of walking softly before the Lord. He has ceased to be so sacred, so awe-inspiring, so glorious in majesty--as He used to be to me. I seldom feel myself in a holy shrine where I must tread quietly, and must shut my lips, and must lay myself in the dust before Him. I am merry where I should be serious--and flippant when I should tremble. I do not reverence God as I should.

Do I not rob Him of my love? It matters to Him if I refuse Him . . .
the love of gratitude,
the love of trust,
the love of adoration,
the love of obedience,
the love of delight.
Have I considered the wrong I inflict on Him, when I do not love Him as He deserves?

Do I not rob Him of my speech? It is astonishing that what is every man's chief concern--should be no man's conversation. Amidst the crowding words that are continually crossing the threshold of my lips--how rarely do I interpose a sentence on behalf of God, or in praise of Him whom I call my Savior and my Master, or in commendation of His great salvation! It is most sinful to be so tongue-tied.

And do I not rob Him of my life?
He requires the prayers of my life.
He requires the endeavors of my life.
He requires the totality of my life!
But how little of my life is undeniably His!

What can I do, but claim the mercy which Christ gave to the robber on the tree?

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Hoping in God

"[Love] hopes all things" (1 Cor. 13:7).

Love refuses to take human failure as final.

Even when faith falters, hope comes to the rescue. It is that long rope that keeps us linked to the sovereignty and power of God.
The apostle Peter wrote to believers who were experiencing severe trials. To encourage them he began, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3).
Our hope is a living hope because our God is a living God. No matter how bleak your situation might seem, God is at work to accomplish His purposes. As Christ hung on the cross, it seemed as if sin had finally triumphed over righteousness. But sin's finest hour became its death knell when Christ arose from the grave as Lord of life and Redeemer of His people. Now "He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal [body] through His Spirit who indwells you" (Rom. 8:11). Trials and death have no power over you. They simply bring you closer to Christ.
When ministering to others, hope gives you confidence that as long as there is life, human failure is never final. God refused to accept Israel's failures; Jesus refused to accept Peter's; and Paul refused to accept that of the Corinthians. When your attempts to cover the sins of others have failed or your righteous expectations have been shattered, hope says, "Don't give up. God can still work this out for good."
Hope is illustrated in the true story of a dog who was abandoned at the airport of a large city. He stayed there for over five years, waiting for his master to return. People at the airport fed and cared for him, but he refused to leave the spot where he last saw his master. If a dog's love for his master can produce that kind of hope, how much more should your love for God produce abiding hope?
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for His sovereignty and power, and for the hope that is yours in Christ.
For Further Study
Read Psalm 42, noting how the psalmist related the distressing circumstances of his life to his hope in God.


From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

The fear of Hell whips him off some favorite vice!

   ~ ~ ~ ~


(Charles Spurgeon, "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden" 1883)

"A wolf may be scared from his prey--yet he keeps his ravenous nature."

He has not lost his taste for lambs--though he was obliged to drop the one which he had seized.

Just so, a sinner may be forced to forego his beloved lust--and yet remain as truly a sinner as before. He may give up his drinking, for fear of losing his job, or dying of disease--but he would be at his liquor again if he dared. The fear of Hell whips him off some favorite vice--and yet his heart pines for it, and in imagination he nourishes it.

In the sight of God, each man is as his heart is!
The muzzled wolf is still a wolf,
the silenced swearer is still profane in heart,
the lewd thinker is still immoral.

Something is done when a wolf is scared, or a transgressor driven out of his evil ways--yet nothing is done which will effectually change the wolf, or renew the ungodly heart. A frightened sinner--is a sinner still. Like the frightened dog, he will return to his vomit! And like the sow that was washed, he will wallow in the mire again as soon as opportunity offers!

"You must be born again!" This is the only effectual cure for sin! While the nature is unchanged--it is but the outside of the cup and platter which is washed.

"Truth in the inward parts" is what God desires, and until that is given, we remain under divine wrath.

Any thief will turn honest under the gallows--and yet if he were set free, he would rob the first house he came to! A scare is not a conversion. A sinner may be frightened into hypocrisy--but he must be wooed by God to repentance and faith. Divine love tames, and divine grace transforms. May the God of all grace deal thus with each of us!

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Covering Sin

"[Love] bears all things" (1 Cor. 13:7).

Love confronts sin but protects the sinner.

In 1 Corinthians 13:7 Paul mentions four qualities of love that are closely related: bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things. That might sound like love is indiscriminate and accepting of anything that comes along, but "all things" in that verse is qualified by the context. Love rejects jealousy, bragging, arrogance, and so on (vv. 4-6), but it bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things that are within the parameters of God's Word.
"Love bears all things" speaks of love's willingness to cover sins and protect sinners from further harm. That's opposite our tabloid-mentality society in which gossip is big business and people seemingly have an insatiable appetite for exposes and "true confessions."
Love seeks to protect, not expose. It confronts and disciplines sin but never broadcasts failures or wrongs. It feels the pain of those it loves and is willing to take that pain upon itself when necessary—as Christ did when He suffered for our sins.
In the Old Testament, the mercy seat was the place where the blood of atonement was sprinkled to cover the sins of the people (Lev. 16:14). That covering prefigured the perfect covering of sin that Christ brought through His death on the cross (Rom. 3:25-26). All who trust in Him are forever covered with the mantle of God's love.
You cannot cover sins in the redemptive sense, but you can help protect and restore its victims. Proverbs 10:12 says, "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions." First Peter 4:8 says, "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins."
When you hear of someone's sin, what is your first reaction? Do you think the worst of him or even gloat over his failures? Or do you expect the best and want to protect him from further exposure, ridicule, or harm? Are you willing to confront sin when necessary and even help bear the burden that person might be carrying? How you react indicates the quality of your love.
Suggestions for Prayer

• Thank God for covering your sins with Christ's blood.
• Commit yourself to loving others in a way that truly bears all things.

For Further Study
Read Isaiah 53:3-12.

• How is Christ pictured?
• What did He endure on your behalf?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

The Most Precious Promise of Shared Life

August 25

Bob Hoekstra

By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature . . . Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law . . . that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.  (2Pe_1:4 and Gal_3:13-14)
Here, we get at the heart of God's "exceedingly great and precious promises." By means of promise, the Lord has made it possible for us to share in His life: "that through these [God's promises] you may be partakers of the divine nature."
What a remarkable prospect this is — that man could participate in the divine nature. Yet, the promises of God make this available to man. Of course, this does not mean that man becomes divine (as many false religions and some aberrant theologies espouse). God alone is, and will ever be, divine. "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me" (Isaiah 46:9). Nonetheless, man can share in the life of God, even though he will never become "a god" himself. This is accomplished by Jesus Christ coming to dwell within the lives of those who believe in Him. The Lord Jesus died for us that He might give life to us. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life" (Joh_6:47). This life that Jesus wants to share with us is His own life.  "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life' . . . Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' " (Joh_11:25 and Joh_14:6).
The Apostle Paul taught this great truth extensively. "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus" (2Ti_1:1). He understood that his apostolic ministry was not only anchored in God's will, but it also depended upon the life that God promised. Thus, he confessed Christ as his very own life: "Christ who is our life" (Col_3:4). Paul was not the source of the daily Christian life that he lived. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal_2:20). The Lord Jesus was Paul's life source.
This is what the promise of the Spirit is about. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law . . . that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." At new birth, the Holy Spirit also comes to indwell those who believe. The Spirit reveals these truths to us through the word of God. Then, the Spirit pours forth the life of Christ through every humble, dependent child of God. "It is the Spirit who gives life" (Joh_6:63).
Lord Jesus, thank You for making Your life available to me. What a precious promise that is! Teach me to walk according to Your Spirit, that Your life might be expressed through my life day by day, Amen.

Let my life be filled, packed and crammed!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(Charles Spurgeon, "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden" 1883)

"When men have much to say in a letter, and perceive that they have little paper left, they write closely."

Looking at the shortness of life, and the much that has to be written upon life's tablets--it befits us also to do much in a short space, and so to write closely.

"No day without a line!" is a good motto for a Christian.

A thoroughly useful life is very short, for it is but a span--but how much may be crowded into it for God, our souls, the Church, our families, and our fellows!

We cannot afford wide blanks of idleness. We should not only live by the day, but by the 20 minutes, as Wesley did. He divided each hour into three parts.

So scanty is our life's space, that we must condense and leave out superfluous matter--giving room only to that which is weighty and of the first importance.

Lord, whether I live long or not, I leave to your discretion. But help me to live while I live, that I may live profitably. You can give life more abundantly. Let me receive it, and let my life be filled, packed and crammed, with holy thoughts and words and deeds to Your glory!

"But this I say, brethren, the time is short!" 1 Corinthians 7:29

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Two Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 August 24, 2014 Newsletter Number 479 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

Our Prayer Request: 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, Helen Maggard, Johnnie Stephens, Alecia Stephens, and children, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan & Claire Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, James & Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, James and Lynn Tomlin, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From Pastor Johnson: God’s Appointed Time. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 As we read the writings of “The Preacher” whom most believe to be Solomon the son of King David, we find a diamond in the scriptures. I personally love to study about our Sovereign Lord. The sovereignty of God makes me thrill to my bones and make my heart shout with joy. God is so wonderful and much more so when He declares His sovereignty. When the “preacher” penned the word “season” he was speaking of God doing all things according to the council of His own will or God’s Sovereign Will. Ephesians 1:11 "...being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" The word “seasons” here means – an appointed occasion – whether it be of time, an event, or a person, everything functions according to God’s purpose and will. In verses 2-8 we see the word “times” used 28 times. We see it used 14 times arranged in pairs of opposites, for example “A time to be born, and a time to die” Now let us look at this in a proper prospective; everything (without exception) has a purpose and a season or appointed time. Whether it is birth or death, to plant or to pluck up, a time to mourn and a time to dance, and etc, etc, etc. No matter what it is God has in a sovereign way created it, appointed a time for it, and a time when it is to began and end. God has set the bounds and nothing can pass God’s bounds. God has said of man “Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Job 14:5 Man fails to realize that his days are numbered by God and when that number is accomplished that person will expire. What the “preacher” told us in Ecclesiastes 3 has a deeper meaning than man likes to admit, it says God controls everything in existence. Let’s use a very controversial subject as an example, “Climate Change”. Whether it exist or not doesn’t even matter, why not, you may ask, because we cannot pass the will and plan of God. Is the earth heating up? Well maybe it is or maybe it isn’t we all know that one day God is going to melt the earth with “fervent heat” "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (12.) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” 2 Peter 3:10, 12 we often worry about things we cannot control. If we believe what the “preacher” wrote then we also see we cannot stop death. Death is appointed of God, he is the one who controls all life, He gave it and He can and will take it at His choosing. Why does God allow abortions? God has the power to stop abortions, He has the power to control the minds of those involved, but He allows it because He has a purpose in it, what it is; only God knows. God has the power to stop death, floods, natural disasters, and anything else but again He has a purpose in them all. While we look at it all as horrible, God sees it as beautiful because it is all done according to His blessed will and purpose. Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." We do not always see the blessedness of death, to us it us final and an end, but to God it is a beautiful thing. We do not know the mind of God nor do we know the plan of God, but be assured God knows because He is sovereign in all His ways. God hath appointed; not some events and things, but all events and things. Beloved when something happens it is better to recognize it as God’s blessed will and move on, but some have a problem with that, if so then maybe this scripture from the “preacher” will help. Ecclesiastes 3:14 "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him."

A Thought To Share With Others: The song of the glorified has three notes in it! "And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation! You have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth!" Revelation 5:9-10 The song of the glorified has three notes in it: 1. There is the note of Redemption. You purchased me with Your blood. Jesus ransomed me — the slave of sin, of frailty and futility, of dark despair! And not by a mere act of sovereignty and might. No — but by breaking the alabaster vase of His unblemished body for me, and by pouring forth the costly ointment of His blood. It will be the theme of my praise through the unending years of eternity! 2. There is the note of Royalty. "You have made us kings!" O wondrous thought to quicken the torpid pulses of my soul! I will sit down with Him on His own throne, and He will share His great empire with me! 3. There is the note of Consecration. "You have made us priests!" I am, through Jesus Christ my Lord, a white-robed, white-souled worshiper, thanking and adoring God, offering to Him the incense of prayer, presenting to Him continually the sacrifice of my praise, lifting up holy hands in ceaseless intercession! Taken from Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899

Church News: Let us all be in prayer for the upcoming Bible Conference. Friday night September 19th from 6:00 – 8:00 and Saturday September 20th from 9:00am – 4:00pm There will be a Friday night meal and a Saturday lunch both provided by our church at two local restaurants. Room will be provided by our church to our invited speakers at the Ramada Inn of Texarkana. If anyone would like a room in the same motel you may contact them at 1-903-792-3366. Come join us for some good old God fearing preaching and much praise and worship to God.

I was convinced of my own guilt—and Jesus is my 'Righteousness'. I saw my corruption—and Jesus is my 'Sanctification'. I felt my slavery to sin and Satan—and Jesus is my 'Redemption'. By Legh Richmond

My feeble hand lies in His; His omnipotent hand is clasped round mine!

   ~ ~ ~ ~

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven!" Matthew 18:3

One writes of Robert Louis Stevenson that, "it was part of his genius that he never seemed to grow old like the rest of us--but was a child, a boy, a young man, and an old man all at once."

Just so, Jesus bids me to keep the young lamb's tender heart amid the full-grown flocks.

I look into the face of the child. There are no hard and haughty lines of pride, there is no blatant self-importance in the features. Humility is written there.

Can I get back my vanished humility? I can. God the Spirit creates it when, in my conversion, He shows my sinfulness, and teaches me to abhor my vile self. And He fosters meekness more and more, as He confirms in me the conviction that not for a moment dare I dispense with my Savior and Keeper and Friend.

I survey the mind of the child. It is teachable. It is well aware of its ignorance--and it hungers and thirsts for knowledge of every description. And is there a mind anywhere, that God has touched, which does not feel itself in the presence of . . .
problems still to be disentangled,
mysteries waiting to be unfolded,
great tracts of truth of which it knows little?
I have parted with the delusion of my own wisdom. I sit as a child at the feet of my great Prophet, Christ.

I peer into the imagination of the child. It lives in a realm of marvels. But as I grow older, I pass out of the magical country. But when I experience the miracles of saving grace--they are more extraordinary than the marvels I have left behind in childhood. My sense of wonder and astonishment are reborn!

I remember the affections of the child. They are the shrine of love--unbounded and enthusiastic and outspoken love. But by and by, I am less frank and more reticent. Convention, if not cynicism, has frozen the love-look in the eyes, and the love-speech on the tongue. Is there anything that will break the ice? Yes, the sight of God's love and grace in Christ will! That brings me back to the spring. That makes my heart grateful, devoted, and affectionate.

I note the hand of the child. It is not tremulous and worried. It trusts. It lies in the father's hand, certain that the father will lead it aright.

Just so, to the same peace and unruffled faith, the new birth should conduct me. Confiding in my adorable Redeemer and Heavenly Father, I ought to have no gloomy fears, about either my temporal or my eternal well-being. My feeble hand lies in His; His omnipotent hand is clasped round mine!

All is well, because I "know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose!" Romans 8:28

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A Precious Promise of God's Perfecting Work

Bob Hoekstra

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me.  (Psa_138:8)
Again, we look at one of God's "precious promises." (2Pe_1:4). This one pertains to His perfecting work in the lives of those who know Him and humbly depend upon Him. This priceless promise is the Old Testament antecedent of the one we recently considered from Phi_1:6. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it."
Think of the astounding implications of our present promise. "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me." Our God has pledged to fully accomplish His will and His plan in every matter that pertains to our lives. Whether it is growth in biblical insight, development in godliness, progress in marriage, or whatever, "the LORD will perfect that which concerns [us] ."
If we have given even minimal attention to God's word, we know that He wants us to grow in sound biblical understanding. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food" (Heb_5:12). If we will humbly feed on God's word, seeking Him for spiritual insight, He "will perfect that which concerns [us] " in this area of life.
If we care about the will of God for our overall spiritual development, we know His word calls us to godliness. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age" (Tit_2:11-12). If we seek the Lord and trust in Him for ongoing growth in godliness, He "will perfect that which concerns [us] " in this area as well.
With respect to family life, the scriptures reveal God's will to be a household of mutually submissive servants, each serving the other out of reverence for the Lord: "submitting to one another in the fear of God" (Eph_5:21). The servant wife would follow the spiritual leadership of the husband. "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord" (Eph_5:22). The servant husband would love His wife with sacrificial Christ-like love. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it" (Eph_5:25). As each seeks the Lord for His transforming grace, He "will perfect that which concerns (us) " in this area of life also.
Dear Father, forgive me for attempting to perfect myself, when You have promised to attend to it. My vain efforts only quench the work of Your Spirit of grace. Lord, please carry out Your transforming work in my study of the word, my need to grow in godliness, my relationships at home, my testimony on the job, my service of You — my entire life, in Jesus name, Amen.