We did have a father--it was the devil!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(James Smith, "Comfort for the Christian")

"Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things!" Matthew 6:32

The Lord Jesus, as the great teacher, is instructing His disciples in the doctrine of divine providence, and teaching them to exercise faith in God. He tells them that God feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies--and therefore, He will not neglect, or refuse to feed and clothe His redeemed children!

He would have us act like His children!
As children who view the Most High God as their Father!
As children who are absolutely dependent upon Him!
As children who look to Him for all; and expect Him to supply them with all.

God is our FATHER. He has adopted us by His grace. We were by nature fatherless, so far as spiritual relationship is concerned. Or, to be more correct--we did have a father--it was the devil! Said Jesus, "You belong to your father--the devil!" John 8:44. We were in an abject and dreadful condition!

But in His infinite mercy, and for the glory of His own free grace--God adopted us, and placed us among His children!

We still have a heavenly Father who cares for us! And as the heaven is high above the earth--so far does God's relationship exceed all human relationships. To have God for our Father--is the height of blessedness, it is the crowning privilege!

Nothing can exceed this, for His love is infinite--and embraces all His children. His love cannot change--for that would imply a change in His nature. But He says, "I am Jehovah--I do not change!" Everything outside of the Divine nature will change. But Jehovah himself loves His people--and as His nature cannot change--neither can His love!

His resources are boundless--and He supplies all of His children. They are never sent to any other quarter for supply--but always bidden to come to their Father for all that they need.

His pity is exquisite--and He sympathizes with all of His children. "Like as a father pities his children--so the Lord pities all who fear Him. He knows our frame--He remembers that we are but dust."

His knowledge is perfect, therefore He is fully acquainted with them all. "All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." He knows exactly where each one is--and each of their wants, woes, and wishes! For "the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on the behalf of all those who hearts are sincere towards Him."

His strength is omnipotent--and protects them all. He says, "No one is able to pluck you out of my hand! I will strengthen you! I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness."

His nature is unchangeable--and His covenant is sure; therefore He will be to us, and do for us--all that He has promised to us!

Scripture history unfolds God's love to, and the method of his dealing with His children. He is "the same yesterday, today--and forever!"

What a mercy--to have a Father--and such a Father!

What an astounding blessing--to have God for our Father in a world like this, and in times like these!

What a comfort--to look up to the High and Lofty one who inhabits eternity--and rejoice that He has a father's heart--and that His heart beats with unutterable love to me!

What an encouragement--to be able in the midst of trials, troubles, temptations, losses, crosses, disappointments, and vexations--to look up to my heavenly Father and say, "I will cry unto God most high, unto God who performs all things for me!"

"Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

God takes away the creature!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Thomas Brooks, "A Believer's Last Day, His Best Day")

Diogenes noted the folly of the men of his time--that they undervalued the best things--but overvalued the worst things. Ah, that this were not the sin and shame of professors in these days!

God sometimes strips His people of their nearest and dearest earthly mercies--that they may the more prize, and the better taste--of spiritual and heavenly mercies!

God takes away uncertain riches--that His people may the more prize certain riches!

God takes away natural strength--that His people may the more prize spiritual strength!

God takes away the creature--that His people may more prize their Savior.

Spiritual and heavenly things can alone satisfy the soul. The language of a godly man is this, "Ah, Lord! the good earthly things which I have from You, though they may refresh me--yet they cannot satisfy me without Yourself!"

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail--but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:25-26

Scorn for the Scornful, Grace for the Humble

Day By Day By Grace
Bob Hoekstra
October 1, 2010

Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34)

The Scriptures emphasize the Lord's commitment to pour out grace upon those who walk in humility, while opposing the path of those who walk in pride. "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble'…Be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble'… Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar" (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; and Psalm 138:6). In our present verse we have another pointed example. "Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble."

It is an absolute certainty that the Lord will scorn the scornful. "Surely He scorns the scornful." The scornful person shows arrogant disregard for the Lord and His righteous ways. He is a mocker of godliness and a boaster in wickedness. The Lord will assuredly scorn such people. He will treat them with a holy disdain. He will reject their path with holy contempt.

For so many of us who have a heart for the Lord, walking scornfully before the Lord is not a likely attitude. However, somewhat related attitudes may become a part of our walk (even inadvertently). Pride and haughtiness are two of the most common, and most deadly. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). These companion evils could both be summarized as self-exaltation. Such an approach to life always results in devastating downfalls. These attitudes and their consequences are most fully illustrated by the history of the devil himself. Before he became the ultimate rebel against God, he was a magnificent, privileged angelic being. "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God …You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you" (Ezekiel 28:14-15). This iniquity that developed was self-exaltation. "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!…For you have said in your heart:…I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:12-14). This haughty exalting of self brought a disastrous fall, which will end up forever in hell itself.

May we choose daily to walk with God's humble saints, refusing to join the ranks of the proud, with their self-advancing schemes. "Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs 16:19)..

Lord God Most High, I repent of the times that I have exalted myself in word or deed or attitude. I renounce the prideful path of self-advancing humanity. I want to identify with Your humble saints, looking to You to shape and use our lives through Your abounding grace, Amen.

Morning and Evening

Charles H. Spurgeon
October 1, 2010

Morning Reading

Pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

—Song 7:13

The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has "all manner of pleasant fruits," both "old and new," and they are laid up for our Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts. But we have some old fruits too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Jesus delights in it. There is our first faith: that simple faith by which, having nothing, we became possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we knew the Lord: let us revive it.. We have our old remembrances of the promises. How faithful has God been! In sickness, how softly did He make our bed! In deep waters, how placidly did He buoy us up! In the flaming furnace, how graciously did He deliver us. Old fruits, indeed! We have many of them, for His mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances which He has given us, by which we have wept our way to the cross, and learned the merit of His blood. We have fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point—they are all laid up for Jesus. Truly, those are the best and most acceptable services in which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and His glory, without any admixture whatever, the end of all our efforts. Let our many fruits be laid up only for our Beloved; let us display them when He is with us, and not hold them up before the gaze of men. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden door, and none shall enter to rob Thee of one good fruit from the soil which Thou hast watered with Thy bloody sweat. Our all shall be Thine, Thine only, O Jesus, our Beloved!

Evening Reading

He will give grace and glory.

—Psalm 84:11

Bounteous is Jehovah in His nature; to give is His delight.. His gifts are beyond measure precious, and are as freely given as the light of the sun. He gives grace to His elect because He wills it, to His redeemed because of His covenant, to the called because of His promise, to believers because they seek it, to sinners because they need it. He gives grace abundantly, seasonably, constantly, readily, sovereignly; doubly enhancing the value of the boon by the manner of its bestowal. Grace in all its forms He freely renders to His people: comforting, preserving, sanctifying, directing, instructing, assisting grace, He generously pours into their souls without ceasing, and He always will do so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord will give grace; poverty may happen to us, but grace will surely be afforded; death must cone but grace will light a candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it is as years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy such an unfading promise as this, "The Lord will give grace."

The little conjunction "and" in this verse is a diamond rivet binding the present with the future: grace and glory always go together. God has married them, and none can divorce them. The Lord will never deny a soul glory to whom He has freely given to live upon His grace; indeed, glory is nothing more than grace in its Sabbath dress, grace in full bloom, grace like autumn fruit, mellow and perfected. How soon we may have glory none can tell! It may be before this month of October has run out we shall see the Holy City; but be the interval longer or shorter, we shall be glorified ere long. Glory, the glory of heaven, the glory of eternity, the glory of Jesus, the glory of the Father, the Lord will surely give to His chosen. Oh, rare promise of a faithful God!

Two golden links of one celestial chain:
Who owneth grace shall surely glory gain.

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible
October 1, 2010

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)

God is the one who chose us from the foundation of the world. He chose us as the foolish things of the world so that, in Christ, His wisdom would be declared. Christ has become our divine wisdom, which is our righteousness, holiness, and our redemption. Though we might be of little value in the world's eyes, we are of the vastest worth in God's eyes—for it was Christ Himself who gave His life to redeem us.