Weekday Devotions June 30th

 

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

BACK THEN FORWARD

 

"Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant" Ezekiel 16:60

 

Notwithstanding our sins the Lord is still faithful in His love to us. He looks back. See how He remembers those early days of ours when He took us into covenant with Himself, and we gave ourselves over to Him. Happy days those! The Lord does not twit us with them, and charge us with being insincere. No, He looks rather to His covenant with us than to our covenant with Him. There was no hypocrisy in that sacred compact, on His part, at any rate. How gracious is the Lord thus to look back in love!

 

He looks forward also. He is resolved that the covenant shall not fail. If we do not stand to it, He does. He solemnly declares, "I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant." He has no mind to draw back from His promises. Blessed be His name, He sees the sacred seal, "the blood of the everlasting covenant," and He remembers our Surety, in whom He ratified that covenant, even His own dear Son; and therefore He rests in His covenant engagements. "He abideth faithful; he cannot deny himself."

 

O Lord, lay this precious word upon my heart, and help me to feed upon it all this day!

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Let us not sleep, as do others

1 Thess. 5:6

There are many ways of promoting Christian wakefulness. Among the rest, let me strongly advise Christians to converse together concerning the ways of the Lord. Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed toward the Celestial City, said to themselves:

“To prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good discourse.”

Christians who isolate themselves and walk alone are very liable to grow drowsy. Hold Christian company, and you will be kept wakeful by it, and refreshed and encouraged to make quicker progress in the road to Heaven.

Spurgeon

 

Evangelicalism has been smothered to death by extra-Scriptural rubbish!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      [Editor's note: "extra-Scriptural" simply means "outside of Scripture"]

(A.W. Tozer, 1897-1963)

Those Christians who belong to the Evangelical wing of the Church have over the last half-century shown an increasing impatience with invisible and eternal things--and have demanded and gotten a host of visible and temporal things to satisfy their fleshly appetites.

The temptation to introduce "new" things into the work of God, has always been too strong for some people to resist. The Church has suffered untold injury at the hands of well-intentioned but misguided persons, who have felt that they know more about running God's work, than Christ and His apostles did! A solid train of boxcars would not suffice to haul away the religious gimmicks which has been brought into the service of the Church with the hope of improving on the original pattern. These things have been, one and all, great hindrances to the progress of the Truth, and have so altered the divinely planned structure that the apostles, were they to return to earth today, would scarcely recognize the misshapen thing which has resulted!

Every generation is sure to have its ambitious amateur to come up with some shiny gadget which he proceeds to urge upon the church. That the Scriptures do not justify its existence--does not seem to bother him at all. It is brought in anyway and presented in the very name of orthodoxy. Soon it is identified in the minds of the Christian public, with all that is good and holy. Then, of course, to attack the gadget is to attack the Truth itself. This is an old familiar technique so often and so long practiced by the devotees of error, that I marvel how the children of God can be taken in by it!

We of the evangelical faith are in the rather awkward position of criticizing Roman Catholicism for its weight of unscriptural impediments--and at the same time tolerating in our own churches a world of religious fribble as bad as holy water or the adored host. Heresy of method may be as deadly as heresy of message! Evangelicalism has been smothered to death by extra-Scriptural rubbish! Unless we in gospel churches wake up soon, we shall most surely die by the same means!

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Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 30, 2016

As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

My prayer: Father, I stand in complete amazement of Your unrelenting love for Your children. Thank You for the blood of Your Son and the eternal grace that You pour out upon us. It seems so unbelievable that You choose to remove and forget our many transgressions against you. Yet You do just that! Make us worthy of Your remarkable mercy and grace.

Daily Devotions June 29th

Faith’s Check Book

 

INVITATION TO PRAY

 

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" Jeremiah 33:3

 

God encourages us to pray. They tell us that prayer is a pious exercise which has no influence except upon the mind engaged in it. We know better. Our experience gives the lie a thousand times over to this infidel assertion. Here Jehovah, the living God, distinctly promises to answer the prayer of His servant. Let us call upon Him again, and admit no doubt upon the question of His hearing us and answering us. He that made the ear, shall He not hear? He that gave parents a love to their children, will He not listen to the cries of His own sons and daughters?

 

God will answer His pleading people in their anguish. He has wonders in store for them. What they have never seen, heard of, or dreamed of, He will do for them. He will invent new blessings if needful. He will ransack sea and land to feed them: He will send every angel out of Heaven to succor them, if their distress requires it. He will astound us with His grace, and make us feel that it was never before done in this fashion. All He asks of us is that we will call upon Him. He cannot ask less of us. Let us cheerfully render Him our prayers at once.

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Sleep on now, and take your rest

Mark 14:41

Never did that sacred opportunity to watch with Christ return to His disciples. Lost then, it was lost forever. And now when Jesus is still beholding the travail of His soul in the redemption of the world, if you fail to be with Him watching for souls as they that must give account, remember that the opportunity will never return. “Watch, therefore,” says your Lord, “lest coming suddenly, he may find you sleeping.”

A. J. Gordon

He cannot err--and He cannot be unkind!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      (William Purton, "Lessons of Peace in the School of Affliction" 1868)

"Tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope." Romans 5:4

When great sorrows came upon righteous Job, he did not complain. There was no word of rebellion against God, when messenger after messenger brought tidings of evil. All his property lost, his servants slain, his sons dead! Yet the good man did not sin, nor charge God foolishly. Dark and mysterious was the painful visitation. Why sore distress came to his house, and grievous sickness to himself--he could not understand. But, out of the depths arose the word of trust; in the midst of his woe, and pain, and loneliness--the bereaved and sorely-stricken soul felt that affliction was the Divine messenger. Job received his burdens from the hand of God. "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

We, for whose comfort Job's experience was written, know how it was that the patriarch was afflicted. There was a purpose to be fulfilled--an end to be brought about. We learn that however mysterious our sufferings may be--they are not sent without a wise and loving purpose. Afflictions may be mysterious--but never purposeless.

Oh, for faith to realize that all my troubles come to me in mercy! He cannot err--and He cannot be unkind!

And as I read the Holy Scriptures, may I see how true this verse is, "All whom the Lord loves, He chastens." So may I learn to take up my cross--and to endure the trials of my lot. And if I am to be an example of suffering affliction--then may God's will be done--in His way--and in His time!

From restlessness, and impatience, and doubts, and selfishness--good Lord, deliver me!

"Loving Father, show me the mercy of afflictions. Cleanse me from earthly and sensual desires--and strengthen me with trust and heavenly rest. Graciously accept my prayers, O heavenly Father, and help me with true thankfulness to praise You. For Your dear Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen."

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Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 29, 2016

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

Praise the Almighty King! May all glory be given to the Father who is conforming us to His righteousness. In spite of our wicked sin nature, God takes great joy to mold our hearts into His beautiful uprightness. For we are also promised that every good work in us comes from Him for the purpose of His honour (Hebrews 13:21).

Daily Devotions June 28th

 

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

ONE LOOK FROM THE LORD

 

"And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?" Judges 6:14

 

What a look was that which the Lord gave to Gideon! He looked him out of his discouragements into a holy bravery. If our look to the Lord saves us, what will not His look at us do? Lord, look on me this day, and nerve me for its duties and conflicts.

 

What a word was this which Jehovah spoke to Gideon! "Go." He must not hesitate. He might have answered, "What, go in all this weakness!" But the Lord put that word out of court by saying, "Go in this thy might." The Lord had looked might into him, and he had now nothing to do but to use it, and save Israel by smiting the Midianites. It may be that the Lord has more to do by me than I ever dreamed of. If He has looked upon me He has made me strong. Let me by faith exercise the power with which He has entrusted me. He never bids me "idle away my time in this my might." Far from it. I must "go," because He strengthens me.

 

What a question is that which the Lord puts to me even as He put it to Gideon! "Have not I sent thee?" Yes, Lord, thou hast sent me, and I will go in thy strength. At thy command I go, and, going, I am assured that thou wilt conquer by me.

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect

Matt 5:48

Seeking the aid of the Holy Spirit, let us aim at perfection. Let every day see some sin crucified, some battle fought, some good done, some victory won; let every fall be followed by a rise, and every step gained become, not a resting-place, but a new starting-point for further and higher progress.

Guthrie

The half-converted cowboy!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      (A.W. Tozer)

There is grief in my spirit when I go into the average church, for we have become a generation rapidly losing all sense of divine sacredness and reverence in our worship. God has been abridged, reduced, modified, edited, changed and amended--until He is no longer the God whom Isaiah saw, high and lifted up!

We've reduced the God of Abraham and Jacob, to a "stuffed God" that can be appealed to by anybody at any time. The religious clown on the radio can break into his fun and say, "Now we will have a minute of prayer." In the religious concert, the half-converted cowboy dressed like an idiot will say after he's twanged out some catchy numbers, "Now I'll do a holy number for you."

The God of today's Christianity is a weakling--a little cheap, palsy God that you can pal around with. He's "the man upstairs." He's the fellow that can help you when you're in difficulty--and not bother you too much when you're not.

It is a major tragedy in the life of any man, to live in a church from childhood to old age with nothing more than some synthetic God compounded of sentimentality and logic--but having no eyes to see, no ears to hear and no heart to love the holy God of Scripture!

In the majority of our church meetings, there is scarcely a trace of reverent thought, little sense of the divine Presence, no moment of stillness, no solemnity, no wonder, no holy fear. But so often there is a dull or a breezy song leader full of awkward jokes, in an effort to make everything hold together.

The most pressing need just now is that we who call ourselves Christians should frankly acknowledge to each other and to God that we are gone far astray. We should confess . . .
  that we are worldly,
  that our moral standards are low,
  and that we are spiritually cold and lethargic.

We need to cease our multitude of unscriptural activities, and cease trying to sanctify carnal and worldly projects by promoting them "in the name of the Lord" and "for the glory of God."

We need to return to the message, methods and objectives of the New Testament!

We need boldly and indignantly to cleanse the temple of all who sell cattle in the holy place, and overthrow the tables of the money-changers! This must be done in our own lives first--and then in the churches of whom we are a part!

We need men and women who love the Savior, until adoration becomes the music of their soul--until they don't have to be fooled with  entertainment and amusement!

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Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 28, 2016

For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:4-5)

All things created by God are good beyond questioning and He gives to us out of His bountiful mercy! Let us receive His gifts gladly with thanksgiving and consecrate them through prayer.

When He has tried me--I shall come forth as gold!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

      (William Purton, "Lessons of Peace in the School of Affliction" 1868)

"Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have purified you in the furnace of affliction!" Isaiah 48:10

To purify gold or silver, the refiner puts it into a furnace. Great heat separates the dross from the precious metal. Out of the fire, comes forth the precious substance clean and pure.

So likewise with the child of God. The character may be true gold--yet not pure gold. And so the Lord's mercy says, "I will turn my hand upon you, and purely purge away your dross. I will purify you in the furnace of affliction!" Yes, even as in great heat gold is tried--so in the sharpness of pain and sorrow, does God test and purify His redeemed children.

Let me, then, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is afflicting me. This testing of my faith is the gracious dealing of the Refiner, who seeks to cleanse me. In the furnace of affliction, God's mercy wills to purify me. May I strive to say, as righteous Job said: "When He has tried me--I shall come forth as gold!"

The pain of passing through the fire is keen. The fiery test is not easily endured. Such is our nature, that we all shrink from the furnace of affliction. Indeed, it is very hard to bear the of pain of bodily weakness.
But the Refiner's love chooses the trial!
His wisdom limits it!
His power strengthens us to bear it!

O Lord God, sanctify this trial according to Your wisdom. From pride and self-will; from earthliness of temper; from carnal lusts and sensual imaginations--purify my soul. Make me humble, trustful, gentle, heavenly-minded. In suffering, may I know that You are blessing me. Free my soul from earthly baseness, and beautify it with holiness. Make me, O Lord, like unto pure gold--a vessel fit for Your use and bright with Your glory!

Almighty God, You sent this affliction--You measured it. O bless it, for Christ's sake. Amen.

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Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 27, 2016

The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand. I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. [He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed. (Psalm 37:23-26)

Never shall the Lord forsake the righteous. Never shall the bride of Christ want for any good thing. The Lord is kind and merciful and will always see fit to bless His people whom He loves so dearly. Rejoice in and give thanks for the Lord's constancy! He shall never fail and we shall never be ashamed.

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Four Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 June 26, 2016            Newsletter Number 572 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor                   Brother Ronnie Henderson Sr., Song Leader Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com                       Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com “A Church Believing And Standing On The Truth, As The Holy Spirit Has Taught It.”

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,  Johnnie Stephens, Alecia Stephens, and children, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette and Her Family, Ted O'Bonion, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family,  Wendell Henderson, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, Cindy Lane, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Vickie Adkins, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Donna Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Linda Hughes, Rosie Tomlin, James and Lynn Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Brandy Sullivan, Gina, Tammy Hairston and family, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Manual Seymour, Sr, Dewayne Sewell, The Harris Family, Teresa Bookout, Little Titan Thomas (Trent and Tiffane Thomas child), James – Diane and Brooke Thomas, Jace Fails, Steve Sparks, Brother Harold & Ann McSwain, 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 our Pastor:   Lord, Mercy Please.  “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” Psalms 33:22   The prayer of the Psalmist here is for mercy. The word “mercy” here means – kindness – therefore the Psalmist is asking God for kindness, which neither the Psalmist nor we deserve. The Psalmist understood that it was God who delivered us from the eternal fires of hell and it is He whom we trust to be able to provide us with mercy. “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.” V. 20 God is our help because without His loving gift of mercy, He never would have ever helped us in any area. God owes us nothing, people believe God functions at their command, but God is a Sovereign Being and reacts as He chooses. He owes us nothing, therefore He owes us no blessings or mercies. So we see the Psalmist clarified his request in verse 21 “For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” It is in Him that we have found blessings, the blessing of salvation, the blessing of love, the blessing of protection and all other blessings. Therefore, it is Him that we very often call upon for the continued blessings in our lives, called mercy. When we ask God for mercy we are asking for His kindness toward us in the daily happenings of life. As Christians in the Twenty- First Century we need to group together and request of the Lord for mercy because of the world we live in. We live on the edge, we live in uncertain times, we live in very troubled time. We live in times that Christians have not seen since the “dark ages” when Christians were being murdered by the millions, just because they would not recant Jesus Christ or follow another religion. While the Lord promised more than we know, it is Him that our full trust and faith must be in. No one else can help us; no one wants to help us. We are totally going to make it because of Gods mercy. With that being said, that’s what I do, I ask the Lord for mercy in uncertain times. Christian friends, I plead with you to join me to ask God for much mercy, because anything can happen at any time in these uncertain times. However, I have faith, I have pleasure in the God that I serve and will trust Him with my entire being that He has us in His blessed hands and nothing can harm us unless He allows it. The Psalmist also reminds us “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee...For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." Psalms 5:11 - 12 Christians we have much to rejoice in because our entire existence is in the power of the Most High God. Therefore, let us be joyful because it is He who “dedendest” us. Boy, if that is not shouting ground I will never find it. This last part I really love “…wilt thou compass him as with a shield." The word “compass” means - to encircle – which means to form a full circle around us to make sure we are fully protected by our Saviour Jesus Christ, and since He has all power that is wonderful protection. Therefore, beloved, lets rejoice in this wonderful blessing, but also let us continually request mercy from the Lord in these most uncertain times. "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about...Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." Psalms 32:10 – 11 Amen!

MARY'S SAVIOR:By Brother Curtis Pugh   Probably most of the things believed about Mary the mother of Jesus are based upon imagination rather than upon the Bible. Let us consider one thing about her that is clearly taught by the Bible: once Mary was a lost sinner, but the Lord saved her. We know this because Mary said so herself. She said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour,” (Luke 1:46-47). It is obvious, is it not? If a person has a savior they must have at one time or another been saved. For instance, if a man falls overboard and is about to drown and another person pulls him back into the boat, the one man was saved from drowning and the other person is his savior.   Mary was the natural child of her parents. Her genealogy is presented through her husband and her father. It goes all the way back to Adam proving that she was a human being and thus as a descendant of that first man was a sinner. She needed a Savior as do all lost sinners.   Every true child of God, that is, every lost sinner who has been born again by the Holy Spirit experiences the same thing that Mary experienced. She and all who know the salvation of the Lord have experienced the rejoicing of the inner man that comes with being born from above. They can all say with Mary, “my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Those who do not experience this joy have never been born again!   Every child of God ought to say with Mary, “my soul doth magnify the Lord.” But, alas, there are some who will only share a part of the credit for their salvation with God. They magnify themselves by claiming that they initiated their own salvation. They are like the man overboard who, once rescued, says I sure am glad that I held on tight to you and pulled myself back into the boat with your help – when in reality they were helpless and were pulled in by the other person.   “I came to Christ,” they say, thinking they did it themselves. While Christ said,  “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,” (John 6:44). They refuse to “magnify the Lord,” but rather attribute at least a part of their salvation to themselves. They did not need to be saved. They only needed a little help. They helped save themselves and so they are a co-savior with Christ, only sharing a part of the glory for their salvation with Him. Their attitude is “we did it.”   There was none of that in Mary's confession! She said, “my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”! What do you say? “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8).

Noteworthy: Happy Birthday Pastor Randy Johnson Monday June 27th

1 Corinthians 2:10 – 11 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God...For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”

In that time before all time!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

    (Charles Spurgeon, 1864)

Meditate, dear friends, upon the whole range of God's works in Creation and Providence. There was a period when God dwelt alone--and creatures were not. In that time before all time, when there was no day but "The Ancient of Days," when matter and created mind were alike unborn, and even space was not--God, the great I AM, was as perfect, glorious, and as blessed as He is now.

There was no sun--and yet Jehovah dwelt in ineffable light.
There was no earth--and yet His throne stood fast and firm.
There were no heavens--and yet His glory was unbounded.

God inhabited eternity in the infinite majesty and happiness of His self-contained greatness. If the Lord, thus abiding in solemn solitude, should choose to create anything--the first thought and idea must come from Him, for there was no other to think or suggest. All things must be of Him in design. With whom can He take counsel? Who shall instruct Him? There existed no other to come into His council-chamber, even if such an assistance could be supposable with the Most High.

In the beginning of His way, before His works of old, eternal wisdom brought forth from its own mind the perfect plan of future creations, and every line and mark therein must clearly have been of the Lord alone.

He ordained the pathway of every planet--and fixed the abode of every star. He poured forth the sweet influences of the Pleiades, and girt Orion with its bands. He appointed the bounds of the sea, and settled the course of the winds. As to the earth, the Lord alone planned its foundations, and stretched His line upon it.

He formed in His own mind, the mold of all His creatures, and found for them a dwelling and a service. He appointed the degree of strength with which He would endow each creature, settled its months of life, its hour of death, its coming and its going.

Divine wisdom mapped this earth--its flowing rivers and foaming seas, the towering mountains, and the laughing valleys. The divine Architect fixed the gates of the morning--and the doors of the shadow of death.

Nothing could have been suggested by any other, for there was no other to suggest. It was in His power to have made a universe very different from this--if He had so pleased. That He has made it what it is, must have been merely because in His wisdom and prudence, He saw fit to do so.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power--for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being!" Revelation 4:11

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Day By Day By Grace

Bob Hoekstra
June 25, 2016

Our God of Promises

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15)

Although the Scriptures do not command us to make promises to God, we who believe in the Lord have the liberty to make various kinds of promises. It is permissible to express our devotion to God through promises, if they are in dependence upon His character and capacities. "I will love You, O LORD, my strength" (Psalm 18:1). It is also acceptable to make godly confessions through promises that are based on His promises to us. "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Hebrews 13:5-6a). We are even allowed to make predictive promises concerning the details of our lives, if they are subject to God's will. "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" (James 4:15). Still, the work of God in our lives hinges upon His promises to us. In fact, our God is characteristically a God of promises.
The fact that our God typically works through promises is seen as early as the third chapter of the Bible. There, God made a very strategic set of promises. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." These prophetic promises were addressed to Satan, but they were given in the hearing of Adam and Eve. Of course, they were recorded in the Scriptures for everyone else to consider thereafter.
These promises revealed some of the consequences of spiritual rebellion, as well as announcing God's remedy for the sin of man. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed." These words declare the inevitability of spiritual warfare, as well as the certainty of the cross of Christ.
Spiritual warfare is a major theme in Scripture. This warfare is documented throughout the word of God. "Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel…Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?…So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" (1 Chronicles 21:1; Acts 5:3; and Revelation 12:9). Nevertheless, the cross of Christ would provide a victory over the enemy and an escape from this sinful world for all who would embrace it. "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age" (Galatians 1:3-4).

Dear God of promises, may my promises be a peripheral issue in my thinking and living. Conversely, may Your promises be central and foundational—especially, those promises related to the cross of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 25, 2016   

He giveth to the beast his food, [and] to the young ravens which cry. (Psalm 147:9)

Our Prayer: O Lord, we praise you that we can rely on Your providence which feeds not only us, but supplies bountifully the wild animals in their mountain homes. We shall ever answer You with grateful praise for Your goodness!

 

 

Weekday Devotions June 24th

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

THE LORD'S "MUCH MORE"

 

"And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this" 2Chronicles 25:9

 

If you have made a mistake, bear the loss of it; but do not act contrary to the will of the Lord. The Lord can give you much more than you are likely to lose; and if He does not, will you begin bargaining and chaffering with God? The king of Judah has hired an army from idolatrous Israel, and he was commanded to send home the fighting men because the Lord was not with them. He was willing to send away the host, only he grudged paying the hundred talents for nothing. Oh for shame! If the Lord will give the victory without the hirelings, surely it was a good bargain to pay their wages and to be rid of them.

 

Be willing to lose money for conscience’ sake, for peace’s sake, for Christ’s sake. Rest assured that losses for the Lord are not losses. Even in this life they are more than recompensed: in some cases the Lord prevents any loss from happening. As to our immortal life, what we lose for Jesus is invested in Heaven. Fret not at apparent disaster but listen to the whisper, "The Lord is able to give thee much more than this."

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

Thy heart is not right in the sight of God

Acts 8:21

The worst of all mockeries is a religion that leaves the heart unchanged: a religion that has everything but the love of Christ enshrined in the soul.

F. Whitfield

The first lesson in the school of tribulation!

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    (Walter Purton, "Lessons of Peace in the School of Affliction" 1868)

"Affliction does not come forth from the dust--neither does trouble spring out of the ground." Job 5:6

Why has this trial come? How ought I to regard affliction? These questions are natural in seasons of suffering. Pain and sorrow make us ask in earnest, the why and the wherefore of what befalls us. And so the soul finds a time of trial, to be a time of education.

The first lesson in the school of tribulation, is that affliction is the visitation of God. "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Nothing in any man's life comes to him by "chance." All things, both small and great, are under the control of God. He foresees, and limits, and disposes. What is sometimes called "good fortune"--comes not by accident; neither does trouble spring out of the ground.

Am I healthy and prosperous? It is the will of God.
Am I suffering in body or in mind? It is the Lord--let Him do what seems good unto Him. This is the only answer that can be given to the weak and sorely tempted ones, whom one trial after another afflict with increasing sorrows, "So it pleases God! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right!"

To the believer, Providence is not merely general and universal, but particular and personal. "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered!" Matthew 10:30. The believer looks to his own particular afflictions, as the dispensations of Divine Providence. To myself, affliction comes as the special visitation of God; and, looking above second causes, the word of trust from my soul should go forth, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

Affliction must not therefore be received as a burden, laid on by a blind and cruel fate--it is given by my wise and loving Father! Nor must I regard it as a "misfortune"--as an unmixed evil, which comes by chance, and is to be received with unconcern. Affliction does not come forth from the dust--it is from God. It is sent in mercy and wisdom--yes, and in power. "For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole." Job 5:18. His visitation is rich in lessons of comfort, of strength and of peace--for all things work together for good to His obedient children. Yes, ALL things!

"O Lord my God, bless this trial which You have sent. Teach me to feel that Your hand is laid upon me. Help me to know that You are speaking unto my soul. May I look on affliction as Your Fatherly visitation--a token of Your love, and wisdom, and power.

"Almighty Father, You have told me that all things are under Your control--not a sparrow falls to the ground unnoticed. Lord, teach me to believe in Your love for me. Oh, help me to feel Your wise guidance and control! Aid me to see that this affliction is sent for my good. O my God, increase my faith. Remove from me doubts and carnal-mindedness. May Your Spirit cleanse and sanctify my soul. Teach me to humbly submit to Your will. By patience and faith may I please You, submitting to sufferings because You send them for my good.

"Teach me that pain and sorrow are Your heavenly messengers. Enlighten my eyes, that so I may say of affliction--it is Your doing. To me, have You sent this. Not by chance, but in wisdom, and with loving purpose it has come. Oh, Lord, do with me what seems good to You. Help me to feel that my lot is wisely ordained. If it is in accordance with Your holy and blessed will--then remove this trial. But if You see fit still to afflict me--then teach me truly to pray, "May Your will be done!" Hear me, O God, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen."

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Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 24, 2016

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)

After the Lord has finally swallowed up the power of death, we, His people, shall rejoice with Him evermore! Be glad in your salvation, O people of God, for as the Lord will cast off death forever, so shall He also grant life to His servants!

Weekday Devotion June 23rd

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

THE ENEMY FIRSTHAND

 

"Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it" 2Kings 19:32

 

Neither did Sennacherib molest the city. He had boasted loudly, but he could not carry out his threats. The Lord is able to stop the enemies of His people in the very act. When the lion has the lamb between his jaws, the great Shepherd of the sheep can rob him of his prey. Our extremity only provides an opportunity for a grander display of divine power and wisdom.

 

In the case before us, the terrible foe did not put in an appearance before the city which he thirsted to destroy. No annoying arrow could he shoot over the walls, and no besieging engines could he put to work to batter down the castles, and no banks could he cast up to shut in the inhabitants. Perhaps in our case also the Lord will prevent our adversaries from doing us the least harm. Certainly He can alter their intentions, or render their designs so abortive that they will gladly forego them. Let us trust in the Lord and keep His way, and He will take care of us. Yea, He will fill us with wondering praise as we see the perfection of His deliverance.

 

Let us not fear the enemy till he actually come, and then let us trust in the Lord.

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

As thy days, so shall thy strength be.… I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

Deut. 33:25; Phil. 4:13

He will not impose upon you one needless burden. He will not exact more than He knows your strength will bear. He will ask no Peter to come to Him on the water, unless He impart at the same time strength and support on the unstable waves. He will not ask you to draw water if the well is too deep, or to withdraw the stone if too heavy. But neither at the same time will He admit as an impossibility that which, as a free and responsible agent, it is in your power to avert. He will not regard as your misfortune what is your crime.

Macduff

The Bible!

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(Thomas Guthrie)

"Oh, how I love Your Law! I meditate on it all day long!" Psalm 119:97

The Bible is . . .
  an armory of heavenly weapons,
  a pharmacy of infallible medicines,
  a mine of exhaustless wealth,
  a guidebook for every road,
  a chart for every sea,
  a medicine for every malady, and
  a balm for every wound!
Rob us of our Bible, and our sky has lost its sun!

"This is my comfort in my affliction--that Your Word has revived me!" Psalm 119:50

"Your Words were found, and I ate them--and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!" Jeremiah 15:16

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Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 23, 2016

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen. (Romans 16:20)

Soon. Soon the end of the age. Soon the victory shall be won. Our great foe shall meet his end—this is assured! Nevermore shall we be assailed. We shall at last be at rest. It is promised. Alleluia!

Weekday Devotions June 22nd

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

HE WITH US: WE WITH HIM

 

"The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened" Proverbs 10:27

 

There is no doubt about it. The fear of the Lord leads to virtuous habits, and these prevent that waste of life which comes of sin and vice. The holy rest which springs out of faith in the Lord Jesus also greatly helps a man when he is ill. Every physician rejoices to have a patient whose mind is fully at ease. Worry kills, but confidence in God is like healing medicine.

 

We have therefore all the arrangements for long life, and if it be really for our good, we shall see a good old age, and come to our graves as shocks of corn in their season. Let us not be overcome with sudden expectation of death the moment we have a finger-ache, but let us rather expect that we may have to work on through a considerable length of days.

 

And what if we should soon be called to the higher sphere? Certainly there would be nothing to deplore in such a summons, but everything to rejoice in. Living or dying we are the Lord’s. If we live, Jesus will be with us; if we die, we shall be with Jesus.

 

The truest lengthening of life is to live while we live, wasting no time, but using every hour for the highest ends. So be it this day.

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter

John 13:7

God keeps a school for His children here on earth and one of His best teachers is Disappointment. My friend, when you and I reach our Father’s house, we shall look back and see that the sharp-voiced, rough-visaged teacher, Disappointment, was one of the best guides to train us for it. He gave us hard lessons; he often used the rod; he often led us into thorny paths; he sometimes stripped off a load of luxuries; but that only made us travel the freer and the faster on our heavenward way. He sometimes led us down into the valley of the death-shadow; but never did the promises read so sweetly as when spelled out by the eye of faith in that very valley. Nowhere did he lead us so often, or teach us such sacred lessons, as at the cross of Christ. Dear, old, rough-handed teacher! We will build a monument to thee yet, and crown it with garlands, and inscribe on it: Blessed be the memory of Disappointment!

Theodore Cuyler

Daily Promises

Blue Letter Bible
June 22, 2016

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14)

Take heart in the evident promise of your salvation: that always and forever shall your soul be filled to overflowing with abundant and eternal life! Never shall you thirst. Never shall you dry up. Never shall your soul be parched. Rather take joy in this: unto everlasting shall your heart's thirst be quenched as rivers of God's living water pour down from heaven as you bask in the glory of God's own Son: Christ Jesus.

Weekday Devotions June 21th

Faith’s Check Book

By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

A WOMAN'S WAR

 

"The Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman" Judges 4:9

 

Rather an unusual text, but there may be souls in the world that may have faith enough to grasp it. Barak, the man, though called to the war, had little stomach for the fight unless Deborah would go with him, and so the Lord determined to make it a woman’s war. By this means He rebuked the slackness of the man, and gained for Himself the more renown, and cast the more shame upon the enemies of His people.

 

The Lord can still use feeble instrumentalities. Why not me? He may use persons who are not commonly called to great public engagements. Why not you? The woman who slew the enemy of Israel was no Amazon, but a wife who tarried in her tent. She was no orator, but a woman who milked the cows and made butter. May not the Lord use any one of us to accomplish His purpose? Somebody may come to the house today, even as Sisera came to Jael’s tent. Be it ours, not to slay him, but to save him. Let us receive him with great kindness, and then bring forth the blessed truth of salvation by the Lord Jesus, our great Substitute, and press home the command, "Believe and live." Who knoweth but some stouthearted sinner may be slain by the gospel today?

 

 

Thought’s for the Quiet Hour

These … have turned the world upside down

Acts 17:6

The serene beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world next to the might of God.

Pascal

Care of our feet!

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    (Charles Spurgeon)
 
"He will keep the feet of His saints!" 1 Samuel 2:9

The way is slippery, and our feet are feeble--but the Lord will keep our feet. If we give ourselves up by obedient faith to be His holy ones--He will Himself be our guardian. Not only will He charge His angels to keep us--but He Himself will preserve our goings!

He will keep our feet from falling, so that we do not . . .
  defile our garments,
  wound our souls, and
  cause the enemy to blaspheme.

He will keep our feet from wandering--so that we do not go into paths of error, or ways of folly, or courses of the world's custom.

He will keep our feet from swelling and blistering because of the roughness and length of the way.

He will keep our feet from being wounded. Our shoes shall be iron and brass, so that even though we tread on the edge of the sword, or on deadly serpents, we shall not bleed, or be poisoned.

He will also pluck our feet out of the net. We shall not be entangled by the deceit of our malicious and crafty foes.

With such a promise as this, let us run without weariness, and walk without fear. He who keeps our feet, will do it effectually!

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