Blind Man

John 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

 

I am so glad that day Jesus passed my way. I really was blind and could not see spiritual things. I had observed the natural world and many things in it, but, I was still blind. I did not see why Jesus died for the sin of the world. I did not see Jesus rising from the dead in a physical body, and finally, I did not see how Jesus and GOD the Father and the Holy Ghost could be one GOD of all.

Since Jesus saved me more than forty two years ago I now can see, not very good, and not very clear, but this one thing I do know; Jesus loves me. Jesus saved and keeps me.

NOW, if you dispute that salvation by grace, Please tell me what happened to me!!!

Christian friends, don’t try to argue with nonbelievers. Just tell them about your own personal salvation experience and let them try to explain that. Always give Jesus the honor and glory for everything and HE lift you up.

If you are saved, tell it.

 

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

THE GROUND OF FAITH

By JOHN McKAY, Pastor
 
Scripture Reading: Romans 10:17

Some think faith is a "blind leap in the dark" or believing something that is irrational. While Christians must admit that there are many things in faith and in science that can't be proven, the foundation of our faith is firm. It is based upon the written revelation of the Almighty God Who cannot lie.

Please notice that far from being a leap in the dark, our faith originates as the work of God. "This is the work of God, that ye BELIEVE on Him Whom He hath sent" (John 6:29). Our faith is "the faith of the operation of God" (Colossians 2:12). Human faith that originates in humans and terminates in human ideas of God the Father and the Son, will prove itself to be "vain" faith. Read I Corinthians 15:1-4. Perhaps more enslaving---although with the same outcome---is the satanic and demonic faith that brings another Jesus, another gospel, false apostles, angels of light, and ministers of righteousness to modern religious movements (II Corinthians 11:1-15). Many of these people have faith in faith itself and promote the kind of unhealthy super naturalism from below that produces signs and miracles which are inferior imitations of those produced for Israel's benefit by the Lord's true representatives (Acts 4:13-16, I Corinthians 13:8-10 and 14:22).

Our faith is not in faith. Our faith comes from the Lord and rests solidly upon the foundation of the Holy Bible. " .. .faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).

The beginning of our faith and the finishing of our faith has the Word of God as its foundation and the Lord Jesus as its worthy and glorious Crown.

Halloween Come Early

by Dr. James Emery White

I confess I have a love for horror movies, particularly the classics, such as Dracula, the Wolfman or The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Much of the horror on display reveals the fantastical side of men of science playing with God’s creation of human beings. The most famous was Frankenstein, where the attempt to reanimate dead tissue into human life is front and center. Perhaps more blatant was H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, where human-like hybrid beings were created from animals, courtesy of vivisection.

But while these on-screen thrillers might be considered plots of horror, it seems that when brought off the screen into everyday life, we no longer find similar notions quite so horrendous.

Just last month it was revealed that the National Institute of Health (NIH) plans to lift the ban on research funds for part-human, part-animal embryos.

No, you didn’t misread that.

The federal government plans to lift a moratorium on the funding of certain controversial experiments that use human stem cells to create animal embryos that are partly human.

As a National Public Radio report noted, the moratorium had been in place for “ethical” reasons. Namely, “that scientists might inadvertently create animals that have partly human brains, endowing them with some semblance of human consciousness or human thinking abilities. Another is that they could develop into animals with human sperm and eggs and breed, producing human embryos or fetuses inside animals or hybrid creatures.”

But all this was pushed aside for a reason so commonly produced that you would think it was the ultimate ethic: “The embryos provide invaluable tools for medical research.”

Then, just over a week ago, it was announced that a Swedish scientist is seeking to edit the DNA of healthy human embryos.

This, too, has long been considered taboo because of “ethical” concerns; namely, attempting to use genetically modified embryos to make babies, which could accidently introduce an error into the human gene pool. It could also open the door to so-called “designer babies” whose traits parents would be able to choose.

Think the movie Gattaca.

And again, it is being advocated in the name of treating various diseases.

I’m genuinely surprised this aspect of bioethics is being met with such a yawning silence by the Christian community. This is not about somatic cell therapy, which is when you do something to an individual body that stops with that person and that person alone. When used to apply medical healing to an individual, somatic cell therapy holds great promise.

This is germ-line therapy, which is radically different. Germ-line therapy is when you actually change the human stock. It plays with the very nature of our creation, impacting generations. It’s the changing of the human makeup, and it cannot be undone.

This kind of genetic work is not simply frightening, but totally at odds with the Bible.

It’s we-made vs. God-made.

It’s manufacturing vs. Creation.

It’s trying to make ourselves in our own image vs. being made in His image.

And it opens the door to nightmarish possibilities that are the stuff of horror films.

Like part-human, part-animal embryos.

Or the creation of a super race of people who can afford the best genetic enhancements over and against those who cannot.

Oh, sorry.

Those aren’t horror films.

Those are the latest news headlines.

James Emery White

"Our Father..."

by Ann Spangler

Over the years, I have engaged in various methods of prayer—Scripture meditation, silent contemplation, thanksgiving, intercessory prayer, and liturgical prayer—and while I’ve been enriched by each, my favorite way of praying continues to be praying the Lord’s Prayer. Far from becoming rote, praying the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples has become deeper with each repetition.
In his book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey tells of meeting a young Latvian woman after the fall of the Soviet Union. Knowing she had grown up under communism, he asked how she had come to faith. Had Christians in her family, perhaps an elderly grandmother, or members of an underground church, influenced her? The answer was an unqualified no. Everyone in her family had been atheists. How then had she come to know Christ? Here’s what she told him:

“At funerals we were allowed to recite the Lord’s Prayer. As a young child I heard those strange words and had no idea who we were talking to, what the words meant, where they came from or why we were reciting them. When freedom came at last, I had the opportunity to search for their meaning. When you are in total darkness, the tiniest point of light is very bright. For me the Lord’s Prayer was that point of light. By the time I found its meaning I was a Christian.”1

Perhaps you have prayed this prayer for many years or only rarely. Whatever your experience, I would encourage you to. From this small act of prayer, a tiny point of light will shine and spread, and the Father, who knows all secrets, will bless you with the peace that comes from belonging completely to him.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

***

1. Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2008), 91.

Life Can Be Tough

JOHN 16:33 ICB 33 "I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world!"
Jesus never promised us that everything would be perfect here on earth. He recognized that we would encounter trouble. But His instructions were to be of good cheer -- not to let it get us down.
As we encounter difficulties in life, it will help us to remember the big picture. First, God is our Father and has a wonderful eternal plan for us. We are His children and He loves us. Second, this time is but a training period for our future life with God. We are supposed to be learning to trust God and to obey Him.
So, every problem we ever face is an opportunity to walk in faith and please God. Every problem is an opportunity to overcome with God's help. How can we expect to receive the blessings promised to the overcomer if we never have anything to overcome?
What is the answer when we seem overwhelmed with trouble? Look to Jesus. He has already won the victory. He has overcome and defeated the world. In Him is victory.
You may ask how you can look to Jesus. It is mostly a matter of focus -- what you choose to think on. What God says in His Word will set you free and give you peace. What the circumstances say is not the final word.
So, go to God's Word. Cling to the promises. Speak them. Sing them. Shout them. Rejoice over them. And thank God for them.
Also, you need to develop a closer relationship with the Lord. That is His desire and it should be yours. All relationships are based on communication, so you must talk to the Lord to deepen your relationship with Him. Develop the habit of talking with Him about everything. You can speak freely to Him -- after all He knows what you are thinking anyway.
SAY THIS: No matter what I face, the Lord is with me, and I can overcome because Jesus already won the victory.

They Laughed Jesus To Scorn

MATTHEW 9:24 KJV 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Do others think you are crazy for being a follower of Jesus? Do they think you are too extreme for believing the Bible literally? Well, don't feel lonely. Jesus faced the same type of problems. As we see in Matthew 9:24, sometimes people derided Jesus. They did not just laugh at Him -- they laughed Him to scorn. They made a big deal out of it.
It is the same today. When we believe what Jesus said, there may be times when others think we are crazy. They may laugh at us. They may even mock us for believing God's Word. That is nothing new. But why should you let it affect you?
Often we are too concerned about what other people think. After all, they are not our Judge. Nor are they our Provider. But God is, and we should care what He thinks. That was the stance that Jesus took.
We must remember that we are not in a popularity contest. Yes, to some people the message we have to share will be received with gladness and thankfulness. I am sure the parents of the girl Jesus raised from the dead -- after He was laughed to scorn -- were glad. But to others we are often not understood.
That really is the root of the problem. People are in darkness. They do not understand what is really happening. They don't understand there is a spiritual side of life. They do not understand that the words we speak are important and carry authority. They do not understand that with faith in God, nothing is impossible. And people generally mistrust what they do not understand.
So we must walk in love and be patient with people, knowing that they are in darkness -- but someday they will see the light. If we continue to walk in the light ourselves, we can be the means of God's light beginning to shine into their lives and bring understanding.
SAY THIS: I choose to believe the Word of God regardless of what other people think. I am a believer, not a doubter.

God Has Already Forgiven You

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 AMPLIFIED 19 It was God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them]; and committing to us the message of reconciliation -- of the restoration to favor.
A popular idea is that God is really mad at people and can hardly wait to punish them for their sins.
The truth is that God has already forgiven people. Now you must accept His forgiveness to enjoy a restored relationship with Him.
What a shame it is that people are estranged from God and go without His help and blessing -- simply because they think God is against them and would have nothing to do with them.
1 JOHN 2:12 NKJ 12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
No matter what you have done -- God has already forgiven you! More than forgiven -- you are loved!
Forgiving you was God's idea -- you do not have to convince Him. You must believe God forgave you and thank Him.
Jesus Christ already paid the price for all your sins -- and God is no longer holding any sin against you! You have been forgiven.
SAY THIS: Thank You Father God for forgiving me! Thank You Jesus!

Are Christians Punished For Their Sins???

by Richard Spurlock

Too often I hear people say, "satan is trying to do this or satan did that"... I have even heard Christians say, "satan is trying to kill me!!", "satan made me sick"... PEOPLE, satan does not have that kind of power UNLESS GOD Allows It to Happen... satan's powers are limited to his lying to us, his tempting us, his misleading us, his distracting us and his turning others against us...

Look at the life of Job... Only when GOD gave satan to go ahead did bad things start to happen is Job's Life...

How often we give satan credit for things that go wrong and giving satan poweres that he does not have... In Matthew 5:45 JESUS said, "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust". In other words, Good things happen to GOD's Children and LOST PEOPLE of the World and BAD Things both to Good and Bad People...

I have been Blessed on days that I am not proud of and Disaster has fallen on my most perfect days as a Christian...

I find it hard to believe that GOD would punish HIS Children every time they did something wrong, and more so when they refuse to repent of their sins... HE may however make you wait for a blessing or two... And yet, Christians will testify that GOD is punishing them for their wrong doings or Others will ask, "What did you do wrong?", "Why are you being punished?"...

WHY Do You Even Listen To satan??? satan can only do to you what YOU Allow him to do... Without YOUR Participation, satan is POWERLESS!!!

GOD Punishment for sin - like during to Old Testament Days... I would imagine that few of us could even handle it...

GOD Punishment will come soon enough for the unjust, the unsaved, when it is too late to do anything about it...

As for the Children of GOD, JESUS PAID THE PRICE... Nuff Said...

God Loves You

ROMANS 8:39 NLT 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below -- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You may find it difficult to believe -- but it's true -- God loves you. His love for you is not based on your appearance or your performance -- but on the fact that you are His creation -- His child.
Just as a good parent loves their children, so God loves His children -- and even more so. You will not be able to make God stop loving you, no matter what you do or don't do. You can displease Him, you can disappoint Him, you can anger Him -- but you can't make Him stop loving you.
What are the practical consequences of God loving you? First, it means you can trust Him. No one who truly loves you will mistreat you. Second, it means God is doing all He can to help you and bless you.
"Then why am I not more blessed, if God wants to bless me?" Because you must cooperate with God to receive His blessing. That is why we need continuing instruction from the Bible -- so we can know how to receive all that God has for us.
The promise of Jesus is that if we continue in His Word it will reveal the truth to us and make us free. That is the blessing which God has provided for you through Christ because He loves you: true freedom! Freedom from fear, freedom from confusion, freedom from lack, freedom from sickness, freedom from strife, freedom from sin.
SAY THIS: God loves me and desires the very best for me. That is why He gave me His Word, so I could know the truth and be free.

What Does God Want From Me?

HEBREWS 11:6 NKJ 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
You may be working yourself to a frazzle trying to be perfect so you can please God.
You may have tried so hard and become so frustrated that you are about ready to give up. Well, maybe you should quit trying to be perfect on your own -- because none of us will ever be perfect through our own efforts, anyway.
God knows you are human. He does not expect perfection out of you. If you were perfect you would not even need a Saviour.
God loves you and accepts you because He made you. And He is able to make you into what He desires for you to be -- if you will trust Him and allow Him to work in you.
God wants you to trust Him. He wants your love and respect. He has certainly earned it and deserves it. Don't let the devil keep you from giving to God what He really desires: your love and faith.
What does God desire from you? Not perfect performance -- but total trust. God wants you to believe that He is good -- a rewarder!
SAY THIS: I trust You Lord God. Thank You for loving me. I will rest in your love, instead of worrying about my performance. Work your will in me.

Was God A Bad Guy?

JAMES 1:17 NKJ 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Some people have the idea that God was a mean bully -- a bad guy -- during the Old Testament, but has changed in the New Testament period to being a nice guy.
But Scripture reveals clearly that God never changes. What God was in the past, He is now, and He will be in the future.
MALACHI 3:6 NKJ 6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
HEBREWS 13:8 NKJ 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
"Then why are there verses in the Old Testament that seem to ascribe evil to God?"
This question is not easily or quickly answered. There are many reasons, and we can only touch on some briefly in this article. Here are a few key points.
The Bible is progressive revelation. We know more about God and His ways now than we did in the past.
JOHN 1:17 NKJ 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In the NT (New Testament) God is dealing with people differently than in the OT (Old Testament). We have a new covenant. Until the death and resurrection of Jesus the most important goal for God was to preserve the Jewish people and get Jesus here to be our Substitute. Some things had to be done to protect the people of God so that could happen. Compare it to a surgeon who amputates an arm or a leg so that the person's life may be spared. It is not an act of hatred, but of love. No one would condemn the surgeon as being guilty of anything bad.
Now under the new covenant, God is able to fully display His grace. Jesus has already arose victorious. The battle for man has been won, and Jesus is Lord!
Another problem is our Bible translations. None are perfect. Some verses are wrongly translated in a causative sense instead of the correct sense of allowing something to happen. The truth is that God did not cause bad things to happen. The people and the devil were responsible. But sometimes our translations make it sound like God was at fault, when He was only allowing it.
Also, the devil and demons are almost NEVER mentioned in the OT. Yet when Jesus began His ministry we see them everywhere. Did they just show up then? No! Demons were present in OT times also. It is just that God did not yet reveal all that was going on. Maybe the reason God did not reveal more was to prevent people from worshiping the devil. So God just kept quiet. (The one exception to this is the book of Job, which makes it clear that all the calamity was the result of the devil's actions, not God's actions.)
Another key point is that Jesus Christ perfectly revealed God to us. Look at His life. Jesus never harmed anyone.
ACTS 10:38 NKJ 38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
JOHN 1:18 NLT 18 No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.
COLOSSIANS 2:9 PHILLIPS 9 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete expression of himself in bodily form.
JOHN 12:45 NKJ 45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 NLT 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
SAY THIS: God never has been a bad guy.

---

No Poor Among You

DEUTERONOMY 15:4 NLT 4 "There should be no poor among you, for the LORD your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession.
The Word of God states there should be no poor among us.
"But wait preacher," someone might say, "that was written to the Jews under the Old Covenant."
Yes! And we have a better covenant!
HEBREWS 8:6 NLT 6 But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.
Some people seem determined to reject Good News from God, so they say, "Our covenant is only better because of spiritual blessings, not financial blessings, which were just for the Old Testament saints."
Really? Where does it say that in the Bible? I have never seen it.
No! The Bible is written to mankind -- in our language -- so we can understand God's message. When the Bible says we have a covenant that is far better, it has to include every blessing from the Old Covenant as well as additional blessings. And it does!
2 CORINTHIANS 1:20 NKJ 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
Every promise -- old or new testament -- is yes in Christ.
EPHESIANS 1:3 NJB 3 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
While God's blessing may be in spiritual form, as we appropriate it by faith it will be manifest physically on earth.
EPHESIANS 1:3 LAUBACH 3 I praise God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because He sent Christ to bless us. And Christ has blessed us with heaven's every blessing.
One translation of this verse says "has blessed us with every blessing that Heaven itself enjoys." The idea is that God gave His best -- without holding back any good thing from us.
ROMANS 8:32 NKJ 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
God gave His best when He gave us Jesus. What does God's best cover? Everything!
2 PETER 1:3 NLT 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
Do you realize what it means to live a godly life? A god-like life! Can a life marked by lack and poverty be described as god-like? Do you really think the Creator God lives in poverty and lack?
(Being rich certainly does not mean you are spiritual or godly in every way. I am simply saying that God is good and desires for all people to have their needs met abundantly.)
According to Scripture, God HAS already given us everything we need so we can live a godly life. Certainly, that cannot mean starve or be homeless.
Do you really believe it is God's will for any of His children who love Him to be poor and lack basic necessities? If you do, you don't know God very well.
Then why are so many believers struggling with so many unmet needs? There may be many reasons, but the primary one is not knowing the will of God in the matter.
If we don't know God's will, we can't have faith. Without faith, we will not receive God's blessing.
(If you are poor, be encouraged. God loves you and desires good for you. Begin to expect it and thank God for it.)
SAY THIS: God's plan and provision is that there be no poor among His children.

Resist The Devil By Faith

EPHESIANS 6:16 NKJ 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Isn't it good to know you can withstand whatever the devil throws at you? Although the devil may attack, your faith in God's Word will shield you from being harmed.
1 PETER 5:8-9 NKJ 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
How do we resist the devil?
We resist the devil by refusing to think, speak, or act in accordance with his suggestions and ideas. We choose rather to think, speak, and act in line with God's Word, the Bible.
Refusing to accept less than the perfect will of God is resisting the devil. Standing against sin, sickness, poverty, and fear is resisting the devil's plan, which is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10, Acts 10:38).
Humility is resisting the devil. Walking in love is resisting the devil. Spending time in prayer and fellowship with God is resisting the devil. Being thankful is resisting the devil. Praising God and talking of His goodness and faithfulness is resisting the devil.
The Greek word for resist literally means to stand against. It means to withstand and oppose.
The English word resist means to stand against; to strive against; to obstruct; to act in opposition to; to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat; to refuse to give in.
The opposite of resist is to agree with and to yield.
JAMES 4:7 NKJ 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
This verse is written to believers. It does not say the devil will flee from you whether you resist him, or not. So you must actively resist the devil if you don't want his plan in your life.
We are to yield to God in all things, but yield to the devil in none. How do we yield to God? We yield to what He says. How do we resist the devil? We do not yield to or accept what the devil says but rather stand against it.
God and the devil do not come to most of us in person. Rather they come to us by thoughts which originate from either God or the devil. We choose which one we yield to and which one we resist by how we respond to the thoughts and ideas that come our way.
JAMES 4:7 CJB 7 Therefore, submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, and he will flee from you
Take a stand against the devil! Refuse to give up or give in! The devil cannot overcome you if you continue to resist.
SAY THIS: In Jesus' Name I can and I will resist the devil and walk in victory.

God’s Powerful Word

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit. Hebrews 4:12, niv

One of the primary reasons we need to be in a disciplined study of the Scriptures is so we can saturate ourselves in the truth. When we know the truth and we are presented with that which is false, we will instinctively recognize it. Measuring philosophies or theologies or opinions or sermons or books or doctrines or counsel by the Word of God is like exposing the crookedness of a stick by placing a straight stick beside it. The ultimate compliment an audience can pay me is to bring their Bibles and follow along as I speak so they can double-check what I say against what God says. I am authentic as a Bible teacher only in proportion to my faithfulness to God’s Word. 22

And in order to give God’s Word out so that others can hear His voice in their ears, I must--it’s not an option--I must read it, study it, understand it, and live by it. And when I do, His Word makes a lasting impact and bears eternal fruit, because it’s powerful.

My Heart’s Cry

(c)2004 Anne Graham Lotz. All rights reserved.

Base Your Life on This

by John Piper

 

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4) 

Test yourself. What is your mindset? Do you begin with God and his rights and goals? Or do you begin with yourself and your rights and wishes?

And when you look at the death of Christ, what happens? Does your joy really come from translating this awesome divine work into a boost for self-esteem? Or are you drawn up out of yourself and filled with wonder and reverence and worship that here in the death of Jesus is the deepest, clearest declaration of the infinite esteem of God for his glory and for his Son?

Here is a great objective foundation for the full assurance of hope: the forgiveness of sins is grounded, finally, not in my finite worth or work, but in the infinite worth of the righteousness of God — God’s unswerving allegiance to uphold and vindicate the glory of his name.

I appeal to you with all my heart, take your stand on this. Base your life on this. Ground your hope in this. You will be free from the futile mindset of the world. And you will never fall.

When God’s exaltation of God in Christ is your joy, it can never fail.

Human Suffering

"Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress" (Ps. 4:1). 

This is one of the grandest testimonies ever given by man to the moral government of God. It is not a man's thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering. It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering: "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." He declares the sorrows of life to have been themselves the source of life's enlargement. 

And have not you and I a thousand times felt this to be true? It is written of Joseph in the dungeon that "the iron entered into his soul." We all feel that what Joseph needed for his soul was just the iron. He had seen only the glitter of the gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart. He who sheds tears over a romance will not be most apt to help reality; real sorrow will be too unpoetic for him. We need the iron to enlarge our nature. The gold is but a vision; the iron is an experience. The chain which unites me to humanity must be an iron chain. That touch of nature which makes the world akin is not joy, but sorrow; gold is partial, but iron is universal. 

My soul, if thou wouldst be enlarged into human sympathy, thou must be narrowed into limits of human suffering. Joseph's dungeon is the road to Joseph's throne. Thou canst not lift the iron load of thy brother if the iron hath not entered into thee. It is thy limit that is thine enlargement. It is the shadows of thy life that are the real fulfillment of thy dreams of glory. Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy dreams. Say not that the shades of the prison-house have fettered thee; thy fetters are wings -- wings of flight into the bosom of humanity. The door of thy prison-house is a door into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow's chain. --George Matheson 

 If Joseph had not been Egypt's prisoner, he had never been Egypt's governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck. --Selected

Our Needs

by Dr. Charles Stanley

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Jim saved for a long time to take an Alaskan cruise. At last he was on board with two carefully packed suitcases. The first evening, when he heard "Dinner is served" announced over the loudspeaker, he took peanut butter crackers from his suitcase and sat at the table in his small cabin. Every day at mealtime, he repeated the ritual. It wasn't that Jim didn't like the ship's tasty banquets. He simply didn't know that his meals were included in the price of the ticket. For two weeks he enjoyed beautiful scenery off the decks but ate dry, stale food in his cabin.

This sad story is a metaphor for how some believers live the Christian life. God has promised to meet every need of His children--His riches are included in the price Christ paid for their salvation (Eph. 1:18). Yet many folks are trying to live out of their own resources. They don't know that the wealth of God's love, power, and provision is on their menu.

A believer's relationship with the Lord is one of complete unity. Jesus is our life. His Spirit lives through us. Therefore, everything that is available to Him is also available to the brothers and sisters in Christ--all power, strength, and endurance, as well as whatever is required to fulfill physical and emotional needs.

Jim didn't know he had the right to satisfy his hunger in an extravagant way. Learn from this exaggerated example. Read your Bible to learn what riches you are entitled to through faith. God offers believers everything required for living well and wisely. Trust Him for all your needs.

QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE

By Miles Stanford

"In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15).

Time is a prime factor in one's assurance of the Father's leading. Rush and agitation are the prime factors in the Enemy's leading. God will give us time to watch and make sure; Satan demands action, right now!

"There is a way to distinguish between the Father's leading and Satan's 'angel of light' leadings. The Father's promptings never nag, or worry, or harass. Satan's do just that. If one has a seeming 'leading' to do something that in itself is good, yet with the impulse there is a sense of nagging disquiet, and being driven in a certain direction, that is the Enemy's trademark; and his false leading is to be immediately recognized and rejected. The Holy Spirit's leadings come with a sense of peace and quiet, even if they point in a really difficult direction which only the grace of the Father can enable one to follow." -C.G.T.

"Be careful who takes you up into the high mountain! When the devil takes you into the heights, he always shows you the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them; when the Lord Jesus takes you up, He is always transformed before you."

"It is because our life is hid with Christ in God that it is beyond the reach of Satan. The Enemy cannot touch our life in its source, for the Father is its Source and he cannot touch Him. He cannot touch our life in its channel, for the risen Lord Jesus is its channel, and he cannot touch Him. He cannot touch our life in its power, for the Holy Spirit is its power, and he cannot touch the Spirit. He cannot touch our life in its duration, for eternity is its duration, and he cannot touch eternity. The child of God is eternally safe." -J.E.C.


"The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (Isa. 32:17).

CALLED THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD

by Russel S. Miller


"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:15,16).

From the moment of his birth, Paul, like Jeremiah (1:5) of old, was selected by the Lord to "preach among the heathen" (Gal. 1:16). But unlike Jeremiah, Paul was not called to be a prophet. In Romans 11:13 he states the reason for which God had called him:

"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office" (Rom. 11:13).

In Ephesians 3:8, we read these words concerning his ministry:

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."

The Lord was in Paul’s life from his birth, working behind the scenes in his early training, his schooling, being also "brought up in [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers" (Acts 22:3). In other words God had Paul, and this dispensation of grace, in mind all the while and "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).

It was at Damascus -— upon the conversion of this Saul of Tarsus -— that Christ began to reveal Himself unto him! Acts 9 marks the beginning of "the revelation of Jesus Christ" in Paul’s life (Gal. 1:11,12; Acts 26:16-18; I Tim. 1:15-16).

"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 1:14).

Thus, we discover that both before and after Acts 28 the Apostle’s afflictions were on account of his God-given call to minister the gospel of the grace of God.

"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for His Body’s sake, which is the Church; WHEREOF I AM MADE A MINISTER, according to the dispensation of God WHICH IS GIVEN TO ME for you, to fulfill the Word of God; Even THE MYSTERY which has been HID FROM AGES AND FROM GENERATIONS, but has NOW been made manifest to His saints" (Col. 1:24-26).

It was concerning THIS call and ministry of grace that Paul wrote Timothy: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (II Tim. 4:7).

A Safe Path

And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: Exodus 14:15

God in His providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses before the sea, that He might manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved them in any other way, but He chose this method in order to test their faith and strengthen their trust in Him. The people were weary and terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God would never have opened the path for them. It was "by faith" that "they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land" (Heb. 11:29). In marching down to the very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet.

The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, "Go forward." We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, "Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly:" but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.

The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the Hebrews a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path.