The cross...I cannot comprehend. I am at a loss for words when I think about the cross, the more I seek to understand the depths of the riches of its mystery, the more profound it becomes and the more I must reach. In all of Scripture, every painting of this beautiful sacrifice, there is nothing that fully enables me to grasp the reality. Ancient hymns, sermons of old, present day authors, and amazing pastors today attempt to convey its meaning, its weight, its Truth, and yet I still thirst for more. The more I read, the more I want to know.
I have been reading Isaiah 53, Philippians 2, and Romans 3 and the common theme I find is LOVE, in the most perfect, pure and beautiful sense. There is a love displayed, shown, and bestowed upon the redeemed children of God that boggles the human finite mind. A love that is radical, undeserved, and magnificent found in the work of the cross. Sovereign Grace music has a song called, Jesus Thank You, that touches on how I am feeling as I seek to know the cross...
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend
The agonies of Calvary
You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son
Who drank the bitter cup reserved for me
Your blood has washed away my sin
Jesus, thank You
The Father’s wrath completely satisfied
Jesus, thank You
Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table
Jesus, thank You
By Your perfect sacrifice I’ve been brought near
Your enemy You’ve made Your friend
Pouring out the riches of Your glorious grace
Your mercy and Your kindness know no end
Lover of my soul
I want to live for You
I can't say it better than this song, it is exactly what I feel. I can't comprehend Calvary, and the more I seek to know the more amazed and humbled I will be. An enemy, that was me, an ENEMY of God, a hater of God, depraved, ugly, wicked, deserving of damnation for eternity and not anymore, because of the cross I am His friend?! And will one day be seated at His table at the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev. 19)?! Oh the riches of that grace, of that love, that would seek to save a sinner like me. I am amazed. He is the LOVER of my soul, oh that precious and incredible love. My response can and should be nothing less than wanting to live for Him, wholly.
"Thank you Jesus" doesn't sound appropriate for something as perfect as Calvary, but the gratitude I have cannot be expressed in the words I have. My prayer is that my life would show that gratitude, and that for eternity I will thank Him...even though that will never be enough. This love...oh this love, I stand amazed.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Beyond Thankful
I thought since it was Thanksgiving I should speak of exactly what I am thankful for this year. I truly stand amazed at the hand of God in my life over this past year. I have seen His goodness and His faithfulness so vividly it blows my mind. Although I am confident that His love and goodness have been consistently infinite, there are times we see it more clearly, and for these evidences of grace this year, I am thankful.
T-To the one and only God who has brought me out of eternal darkness into everlasting light. I am so thankful for the work of Christ on the cross, the grace and mercy poured out, and the redemption I received because of Him!
H-His consistent working in my life, sanctifying me into Christ-likeness.
A-An amazing fiance who is my best friend, the love of my life, and the man I am excited to call my husband soon.
N-Never ending love from the most wonderful parents I could ever imagine, for their example of Jesus and their encouragement I am forever grateful.
K-Kid brother, who has grown into a man I love and respect greatly because of His passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
S-Such an amazing grandmother who evidences the servant's heart of Christ in her consistent faithfulness to Him and to her family.
G-God glorifying friendships who I am privileged to have, girls who shine brightly for Christ and who will eternally be my bests.
I- Incredible churches (Compass and Kindred), that faithfully preach the Truth of Word of God and equip their sheep with the Word.
V-Very great classes that are preparing me for the call God has placed on my life to teach children. It is a privilege to be equipped for this.
I-Intimate details- God is interested in the intimate details of my life, from the smallest provision to the largest transition, His presence, peace, and love is consistently manifested.
N- New seasons. My life is entering a ton of new seasons and for this I am excited, thankful and eager to see how the Lord will equip where HE calls.
G-God's Word...I am so thankful for the Word which is truly a light unto my path.
This is no where near exhaustive, but just thinking about what I am thankful for has brought me to a realization of how GOOD God really is, how FAITHFUL, how LOVING, how PERFECT. My prayer is that my grateful heart would not only be seen during Thanksgiving, but with every breath I am given. I want to always be BEYOND Thankful!
"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name." -1 Chronicles 29:11-13
T-To the one and only God who has brought me out of eternal darkness into everlasting light. I am so thankful for the work of Christ on the cross, the grace and mercy poured out, and the redemption I received because of Him!
H-His consistent working in my life, sanctifying me into Christ-likeness.
A-An amazing fiance who is my best friend, the love of my life, and the man I am excited to call my husband soon.
N-Never ending love from the most wonderful parents I could ever imagine, for their example of Jesus and their encouragement I am forever grateful.
K-Kid brother, who has grown into a man I love and respect greatly because of His passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
S-Such an amazing grandmother who evidences the servant's heart of Christ in her consistent faithfulness to Him and to her family.
G-God glorifying friendships who I am privileged to have, girls who shine brightly for Christ and who will eternally be my bests.
I- Incredible churches (Compass and Kindred), that faithfully preach the Truth of Word of God and equip their sheep with the Word.
V-Very great classes that are preparing me for the call God has placed on my life to teach children. It is a privilege to be equipped for this.
I-Intimate details- God is interested in the intimate details of my life, from the smallest provision to the largest transition, His presence, peace, and love is consistently manifested.
N- New seasons. My life is entering a ton of new seasons and for this I am excited, thankful and eager to see how the Lord will equip where HE calls.
G-God's Word...I am so thankful for the Word which is truly a light unto my path.
This is no where near exhaustive, but just thinking about what I am thankful for has brought me to a realization of how GOOD God really is, how FAITHFUL, how LOVING, how PERFECT. My prayer is that my grateful heart would not only be seen during Thanksgiving, but with every breath I am given. I want to always be BEYOND Thankful!
"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name." -1 Chronicles 29:11-13
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
CHRISTIAN, Seek to KNOW the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Yesterday I had the privilege of listening to Paul Washer speak on something so simple, so basic, so common...or is it?! For Christians in evangelical America the cross seems to have become trite, the Gospel mundane, and the reality of it all, old-fashioned. We look back at preachers and saints of old and see an outrageous "fire" in their lives, in their messages, in their literature, in their ministries, that seems to be void in our churches, in our preachers, in our lives. I will be the first to admit that I don't think about the Gospel as often as I should, that I don't study the Gospel as often as I should, that I don't know the Gospel as I should. Washer explained that, "the key to Godliness is the Gospel of Jesus Christ". Could it be that simple and yet so complex? Could my pursuit of godliness really be wrapped up in the pursuit of the knowledge of the greatest act in all of history past, present and future? Is the cross more than just the power to save, but rather the power to sanctify and to glorify?! "Of course" you say, as would I, but the question is, do we live like it is?
Do you even understand the cross, the Gospel, what happened when Jesus took on the wrath of God for the penalty of YOUR sins and when in turn HIS righteousness was placed on you? Do you know the agony Jesus felt when he shed bullets of blood on his brow in the garden as he anticipated what was to transpire, the forsaking of HIS Father? Do you know the weight of the wrath of God that He endured on that cross? Do you see YOUR depravity for what it is; that you are wretched, filthy, utterly wicked? And do you see His perfection, His holiness, His absolute impeccable character? Do you understand the justice of God? Can you fathom HIS love for YOU? And now when you read a verse like this: "He made Him who knew NO sin to BE sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God IN Him" (2 Cor 5:21) do you marvel??
If you are anything like me your initial reaction to those questions is "yes", followed by a short pang of conviction as you realize how little you know, how often you forget, and how little you love. How often your pursuit of godliness is wrapped up in pride and selfishness.
If you KNOW Him, fully and completely, Him and Him alone, in the simplicity of the Gospel, you will be bound to Him in a way that will propel Godly living, that will spur a fire like preachers and saints of old. And it starts with the simplicity of the Gospel, which you soon realize is an eternal complexity. We will NEVER understand the Gospel, no matter how many hours, days, years, or eternities we put in it and yet we will grow in an understanding that will magnify His love, His person, HIM to us.
I want to encourage you, as I was encouraged to do yesterday, to study the cross, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pour your heart into KNOWING Him and the redemption of your soul. Seek to understand the power of the Gospel. Look to see yourself as who you were without Him and who you are because of Him, in Him. Look to see what He did, why He did it, how He did it and the implications therein. Desire to marvel continually, to be moved to an abounding flame of passion for Him...one that is unquenchable. If you are His, seek to know the GOSPEL my friends, and know it well, for it is by it that you have been SAVED!
Do you even understand the cross, the Gospel, what happened when Jesus took on the wrath of God for the penalty of YOUR sins and when in turn HIS righteousness was placed on you? Do you know the agony Jesus felt when he shed bullets of blood on his brow in the garden as he anticipated what was to transpire, the forsaking of HIS Father? Do you know the weight of the wrath of God that He endured on that cross? Do you see YOUR depravity for what it is; that you are wretched, filthy, utterly wicked? And do you see His perfection, His holiness, His absolute impeccable character? Do you understand the justice of God? Can you fathom HIS love for YOU? And now when you read a verse like this: "He made Him who knew NO sin to BE sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God IN Him" (2 Cor 5:21) do you marvel??
If you are anything like me your initial reaction to those questions is "yes", followed by a short pang of conviction as you realize how little you know, how often you forget, and how little you love. How often your pursuit of godliness is wrapped up in pride and selfishness.
If you KNOW Him, fully and completely, Him and Him alone, in the simplicity of the Gospel, you will be bound to Him in a way that will propel Godly living, that will spur a fire like preachers and saints of old. And it starts with the simplicity of the Gospel, which you soon realize is an eternal complexity. We will NEVER understand the Gospel, no matter how many hours, days, years, or eternities we put in it and yet we will grow in an understanding that will magnify His love, His person, HIM to us.
I want to encourage you, as I was encouraged to do yesterday, to study the cross, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pour your heart into KNOWING Him and the redemption of your soul. Seek to understand the power of the Gospel. Look to see yourself as who you were without Him and who you are because of Him, in Him. Look to see what He did, why He did it, how He did it and the implications therein. Desire to marvel continually, to be moved to an abounding flame of passion for Him...one that is unquenchable. If you are His, seek to know the GOSPEL my friends, and know it well, for it is by it that you have been SAVED!
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
FIGHT!
"Everything in the Christian life is a fight. I have to fight to read my Bible. I have to fight to pray. I have to fight to believe. I have to fight to love those I should love most. I have to fight for joy. It's the desperate person who fights because you have no other hope apart from Him. So fight!" -Paul Washer
I respect Paul Washer as a pastor, as a man, as a brother in the Lord. His words of wisdom, derived from Scripture, often sharply convict or pleasantly encourage my heart. This morning, I was encouraged, encouraged because I was reminded of the reality of the life we live in Christ.
As believers we have been called OUT of this world. We are no longer slaves to sin and we are merely sojourners walking through a land that is not our home. And yet we are not yet perfect, and will not be, until that day when we do go home and we are made like Christ. Therefore, we wage a war on a daily basis with a fleshly body that has yet to be redeemed (Romans 8:23) and with spiritual forces of darkness that are seeking to destroy (Ephesians 6:12). And quite often we have the tendency to get discouraged. We as children of God LONG for the day when our faith will be made sight, when we will be made whole and when sin will no longer be a reality. Our hearts desire has been changed, we long to glorify Him and to love Him, and to obey Him, and yet we fail miserably day after day to do that to the fullest capacity.
I have felt often times in my Christian life as if something was wrong when I "struggled" to find joy or when I "struggled" to read the Word, thinking that I was just not "spiritual" enough, after all I am His so I shouldn't be struggling with the simpliest of pursuits of Godliness. I looked at other believers, who from the outside seemed to have mastered their quiet times, were prayer warriors, or who somehow seemed to always be beaming with joy and wondered why I struggled at times. Was I the only one? I knew that struggle against sin was "normal" as we read in Hebrews 12, but was a struggle in Godly pursuits normal?
The reality I came to realize, well God taught me through His Word and through His Spirit, that YES, struggle is part of the Christian life. You are being pruned by the master gardner to bear much fruit as you become more like Christ. You are denying your flesh every moment of every day when you say yes to obedience in Christ and no to the temptation of the world. You are striving to stand for what is right and true in a world that condemns good and smiles on perversion. You are seeking to obey and have an army of demons who are seeking to make you fail. Your life has become a battlefield the moment you are redeemed. Your mind is a battlefield in which Truth fights to win over emotion, evil, and perversion. You are in an all out war for your effectiveness as a believer with the enemy. He wants nothing more than to destroy your pursuit of godliness and your usefulness for the kingdom. The struggles you face everyday will not get easier as you mature in the Lord, often times they will only get harder. Spurgeon once said that "Satan saves his fiercest arrows for God's most effective".
Look at the saints of old, the Davids, the Pauls, the Timothys, the Martin Luthers, the John Calvins, the Charles Spurgeons, the Puritans...were their lives easy? Far from it. They talk of struggles often in their works, and yet we look at them and marvel at their faithfulness to our Savior. You see satan is a skilled adversary. He has been doing this much longer than we have been alive. He knows the best tactics, the weaknesses of humanity and the greatest temptations he can offer. We must realize, with the saints before us, that WE ARE IN THE GREATEST BATTLE EVER FOUGHT. He has lost the battle for our souls because we have been found in Christ BUT that doesn't stop the deception and evil practices
There is HOPE in this struggle however, hope that promises VICTORY for all who are in Christ. Romans 8:37 promises, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." How amazing is that Truth?! We can say NO to sin, we can so NO to struggle and overcome ANYTHING through the one who has saved and redeemed us from the pit (Philippians 4:13), to be His forever!
So realize that the struggle will continue. Each and every day there will be a war to be fought, there will be a battle for our time, for our minds, for our affections, for our money, for our relationships, for our tongues, for our day...and yet we can FIGHT and WIN! We can fight by putting on His armor (Ephesians 6), by renewing our mind (Romans 12:2), and by keeping our eyes fixed on the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). So in our struggle, let us FIGHT, so that one day we will be able to say as Paul said..."I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." -1 Timothy 4:7
I respect Paul Washer as a pastor, as a man, as a brother in the Lord. His words of wisdom, derived from Scripture, often sharply convict or pleasantly encourage my heart. This morning, I was encouraged, encouraged because I was reminded of the reality of the life we live in Christ.
As believers we have been called OUT of this world. We are no longer slaves to sin and we are merely sojourners walking through a land that is not our home. And yet we are not yet perfect, and will not be, until that day when we do go home and we are made like Christ. Therefore, we wage a war on a daily basis with a fleshly body that has yet to be redeemed (Romans 8:23) and with spiritual forces of darkness that are seeking to destroy (Ephesians 6:12). And quite often we have the tendency to get discouraged. We as children of God LONG for the day when our faith will be made sight, when we will be made whole and when sin will no longer be a reality. Our hearts desire has been changed, we long to glorify Him and to love Him, and to obey Him, and yet we fail miserably day after day to do that to the fullest capacity.
I have felt often times in my Christian life as if something was wrong when I "struggled" to find joy or when I "struggled" to read the Word, thinking that I was just not "spiritual" enough, after all I am His so I shouldn't be struggling with the simpliest of pursuits of Godliness. I looked at other believers, who from the outside seemed to have mastered their quiet times, were prayer warriors, or who somehow seemed to always be beaming with joy and wondered why I struggled at times. Was I the only one? I knew that struggle against sin was "normal" as we read in Hebrews 12, but was a struggle in Godly pursuits normal?
The reality I came to realize, well God taught me through His Word and through His Spirit, that YES, struggle is part of the Christian life. You are being pruned by the master gardner to bear much fruit as you become more like Christ. You are denying your flesh every moment of every day when you say yes to obedience in Christ and no to the temptation of the world. You are striving to stand for what is right and true in a world that condemns good and smiles on perversion. You are seeking to obey and have an army of demons who are seeking to make you fail. Your life has become a battlefield the moment you are redeemed. Your mind is a battlefield in which Truth fights to win over emotion, evil, and perversion. You are in an all out war for your effectiveness as a believer with the enemy. He wants nothing more than to destroy your pursuit of godliness and your usefulness for the kingdom. The struggles you face everyday will not get easier as you mature in the Lord, often times they will only get harder. Spurgeon once said that "Satan saves his fiercest arrows for God's most effective".
Look at the saints of old, the Davids, the Pauls, the Timothys, the Martin Luthers, the John Calvins, the Charles Spurgeons, the Puritans...were their lives easy? Far from it. They talk of struggles often in their works, and yet we look at them and marvel at their faithfulness to our Savior. You see satan is a skilled adversary. He has been doing this much longer than we have been alive. He knows the best tactics, the weaknesses of humanity and the greatest temptations he can offer. We must realize, with the saints before us, that WE ARE IN THE GREATEST BATTLE EVER FOUGHT. He has lost the battle for our souls because we have been found in Christ BUT that doesn't stop the deception and evil practices
There is HOPE in this struggle however, hope that promises VICTORY for all who are in Christ. Romans 8:37 promises, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." How amazing is that Truth?! We can say NO to sin, we can so NO to struggle and overcome ANYTHING through the one who has saved and redeemed us from the pit (Philippians 4:13), to be His forever!
So realize that the struggle will continue. Each and every day there will be a war to be fought, there will be a battle for our time, for our minds, for our affections, for our money, for our relationships, for our tongues, for our day...and yet we can FIGHT and WIN! We can fight by putting on His armor (Ephesians 6), by renewing our mind (Romans 12:2), and by keeping our eyes fixed on the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). So in our struggle, let us FIGHT, so that one day we will be able to say as Paul said..."I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." -1 Timothy 4:7
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Jesus and the Sinner
I read the Puritans devotionals and came across these a few days ago and was so blessed by it I had to share:
JESUS and the Sinner
by James Smith "Rills from the Rock of Ages", 1860
All that Jesus does for lost sinners--He does freely, out of pure pity, kindness, and love.
Yet we are always looking for something in ourselves--to encourage us! On the other hand, we tend to look at some sin committed by us--which discourages us. Whereas we should look only to Jesus. I want now, for a few minutes, to fix the eye of your mind on what Jesus does for sinners--how He acts toward them at the present day.
Jesus calls the sinner. He says, "Come unto Me. Come, just as you are. Come, this moment. Come, for all that you need. Come, for all that you desire. Come, and be saved. Come, and I will satisfy you. Come, and commit all your concerns to Me, and I will make all things that occur, work together for your good."
Jesus receives the sinner when he comes. He receives every sinner, however base, vile, or unworthy he may be! He receives the sinner graciously--pardoning every sin, forgiving and forgetting all that he has done amiss, and treating him with the utmost kindness.
Jesus cleanses the sinner. In the fountain of His precious blood, and in the laver of His holy Word--He cleanses him from guilt and pollution--fitting him for holy service on earth, and for holier service in heaven. Nor is there any getting rid of guilt--but by His blood; nor of impurity--but by His Spirit working with His Word!
Jesus clothes the sinner. Cleansed from guilt and filth--we are clothed in His garments of salvation, and are covered with His robe of righteousness. All that is necessary for our honorable appearance in heaven among the glorified--He undertakes to provide.
Those who trust in Him, are completely nourished by Him. Jesus feeds the sinner. His flesh and blood becomes our daily food. We can no more live and be healthy, without nourishing food for the body--than we can live and be happy, without sweet and frequent nourishment from Christ. There is in the renewed soul--a craving for Christ, and it is never satisfied--but as it realizes His presence, meditates on His Word, or is solaced with His love!
Jesus employs the sinner. Having called, received, cleansed, clothed, and nourished him--He sets him to WORK. He gives him a cross to carry, and a plot in his vineyard to cultivate. He sends him to speak to others of His grace, and to manifest to others His temper and disposition. He sends him to the poor widow's cottage, to the sick man's chamber, and to the ignorant soul's home--and says, "Feed them for Me; comfort them for Me; and teach them for Me!"
Jesus comforts the sinner. Yes, when he is depressed and discouraged, when he is low and cast down. He consoles by some special providence, by some seasonable portion of His Word, by the counsel of some friend, or by the sweet whispers of His Spirit.
Jesus assures the sinner. Assures him of His love to him, of a saving interest in His finished work, and of a title to heavenly mansions! When Jesus assures us--our doubts and fears depart, our unbelief is destroyed, and our souls are filled with peace and joy.
Jesus visits the sinner. He says, "I will come unto him." And He does come, and brings with Him--pleasant light, precious fruits, and joy and peace. He says, "I will come and sup with him--and he with Me." And He draws him out into such sweet, near and dear communion with Himself--that no costly meal, no delightful company--can be compared to it.
Jesus restores the sinner. For as astonishing as it may appear, it is nevertheless true--that we are prone to wander!
We leave light--for darkness!
We leave plenty--for poverty!
We leave joy--for sorrow!
We leave a paradise--for a desert!
And having wandered, we would never find our way back--if He did not come after us! But, blessed be His holy name--He does! And then He restores our souls, and again feeds us in green pastures, causing us to lie down beside the still waters!
Jesus reproves the sinner. However He may spare our persons--He never spares our sins! He visits our transgressions with the rod, and our iniquities with stripes! His reproofs are often sharp. Cutting convictions, heavy losses, severe trials, perplexing troubles, bodily sickness, and painful bereavements--are some of the RODS which He employs. But however numerous and heavy His strokes--they are lighter than our guilt, and fewer than our sins! He deals with us as with sons. He chastens us for our profit--and to make us partakers of His holiness!
Jesus glorifies the sinner. Glorifies him with Himself--and confers on him an eternal weight of glory! What it is to be glorified--we do not fully know. At the least, it is to be freed from all that is sinful, painful, and degrading--and to be invested with all that is bright, beautiful, and blessed. It is to be made as like Jesus as possible, and to be with Him where he is forever!
O wondrous grace, of a wondrous Savior!
Believer, this precious Savior is yours!
Will you not love Him then?
Will you not bear witness to the power and sweetness of His love, to the joy and happiness that are found in His ways?
Will you not observe His statutes and keep His laws?
Will you not come out of the world, which is peopled by His enemies--and be separated to Him? Can you mingle with the carnal, and frequent places of worldly amusement? Must you go to the world to be gratified and amused?
Beware how you wound your precious Savior's loving heart!
JESUS and the Sinner
by James Smith "Rills from the Rock of Ages", 1860
All that Jesus does for lost sinners--He does freely, out of pure pity, kindness, and love.
Yet we are always looking for something in ourselves--to encourage us! On the other hand, we tend to look at some sin committed by us--which discourages us. Whereas we should look only to Jesus. I want now, for a few minutes, to fix the eye of your mind on what Jesus does for sinners--how He acts toward them at the present day.
Jesus calls the sinner. He says, "Come unto Me. Come, just as you are. Come, this moment. Come, for all that you need. Come, for all that you desire. Come, and be saved. Come, and I will satisfy you. Come, and commit all your concerns to Me, and I will make all things that occur, work together for your good."
Jesus receives the sinner when he comes. He receives every sinner, however base, vile, or unworthy he may be! He receives the sinner graciously--pardoning every sin, forgiving and forgetting all that he has done amiss, and treating him with the utmost kindness.
Jesus cleanses the sinner. In the fountain of His precious blood, and in the laver of His holy Word--He cleanses him from guilt and pollution--fitting him for holy service on earth, and for holier service in heaven. Nor is there any getting rid of guilt--but by His blood; nor of impurity--but by His Spirit working with His Word!
Jesus clothes the sinner. Cleansed from guilt and filth--we are clothed in His garments of salvation, and are covered with His robe of righteousness. All that is necessary for our honorable appearance in heaven among the glorified--He undertakes to provide.
Those who trust in Him, are completely nourished by Him. Jesus feeds the sinner. His flesh and blood becomes our daily food. We can no more live and be healthy, without nourishing food for the body--than we can live and be happy, without sweet and frequent nourishment from Christ. There is in the renewed soul--a craving for Christ, and it is never satisfied--but as it realizes His presence, meditates on His Word, or is solaced with His love!
Jesus employs the sinner. Having called, received, cleansed, clothed, and nourished him--He sets him to WORK. He gives him a cross to carry, and a plot in his vineyard to cultivate. He sends him to speak to others of His grace, and to manifest to others His temper and disposition. He sends him to the poor widow's cottage, to the sick man's chamber, and to the ignorant soul's home--and says, "Feed them for Me; comfort them for Me; and teach them for Me!"
Jesus comforts the sinner. Yes, when he is depressed and discouraged, when he is low and cast down. He consoles by some special providence, by some seasonable portion of His Word, by the counsel of some friend, or by the sweet whispers of His Spirit.
Jesus assures the sinner. Assures him of His love to him, of a saving interest in His finished work, and of a title to heavenly mansions! When Jesus assures us--our doubts and fears depart, our unbelief is destroyed, and our souls are filled with peace and joy.
Jesus visits the sinner. He says, "I will come unto him." And He does come, and brings with Him--pleasant light, precious fruits, and joy and peace. He says, "I will come and sup with him--and he with Me." And He draws him out into such sweet, near and dear communion with Himself--that no costly meal, no delightful company--can be compared to it.
Jesus restores the sinner. For as astonishing as it may appear, it is nevertheless true--that we are prone to wander!
We leave light--for darkness!
We leave plenty--for poverty!
We leave joy--for sorrow!
We leave a paradise--for a desert!
And having wandered, we would never find our way back--if He did not come after us! But, blessed be His holy name--He does! And then He restores our souls, and again feeds us in green pastures, causing us to lie down beside the still waters!
Jesus reproves the sinner. However He may spare our persons--He never spares our sins! He visits our transgressions with the rod, and our iniquities with stripes! His reproofs are often sharp. Cutting convictions, heavy losses, severe trials, perplexing troubles, bodily sickness, and painful bereavements--are some of the RODS which He employs. But however numerous and heavy His strokes--they are lighter than our guilt, and fewer than our sins! He deals with us as with sons. He chastens us for our profit--and to make us partakers of His holiness!
Jesus glorifies the sinner. Glorifies him with Himself--and confers on him an eternal weight of glory! What it is to be glorified--we do not fully know. At the least, it is to be freed from all that is sinful, painful, and degrading--and to be invested with all that is bright, beautiful, and blessed. It is to be made as like Jesus as possible, and to be with Him where he is forever!
O wondrous grace, of a wondrous Savior!
Believer, this precious Savior is yours!
Will you not love Him then?
Will you not bear witness to the power and sweetness of His love, to the joy and happiness that are found in His ways?
Will you not observe His statutes and keep His laws?
Will you not come out of the world, which is peopled by His enemies--and be separated to Him? Can you mingle with the carnal, and frequent places of worldly amusement? Must you go to the world to be gratified and amused?
Beware how you wound your precious Savior's loving heart!
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