Humility (continued)
As Christ ceased not to be a King because He was like a servant, nor to be a lion because He was like a lamb, nor to be God because He was made man, nor to be a judge because He was judged; so a man doth not lose his honor by humility, but he shall be honored for his humility. (Henry Smith)
If you lay yourself at Christ's feet He will take you into His arms. (William Bridge)
A humble man hath this advantage of a proud man, for he cannot fall. (Edward Marbury)
A humble sinner is in a better condition than a proud angel. (Thomas Watson)
God's choice acquaintances are humble men (and women). (Robert Leighton)
Better is the sin which humbles me, than that duty which makes me proud. (Thomas Watson)
Hypocrites
Hypocrites are like pictures on canvas, they show farest at farthest. (Thomas Adams)
A hypocrite is like the Sicilian Etna, flaming at the mouth when it hath snow at the foot: their mouths talk hotly, but their feet walk coldly. (Thomas Adams)
They are set upon excess of ceremonies, because they are defective in the vital parts, and should have no religion if they had not this. All sober Christians are friends to outward decency and order; but it is the empty self-deceiver that is most for the unwarrantable inventions of man, and useth the worship of God but as a mask or puppet-play, where there is great doings] with little life, and to little purpose. The gaudiness of men's religion is not the best sign that it is sincere. Simplicity is the ordinary attendant of sincerity. (Richard Baxter)
It is fearful for a man to bind two sins together, when he is not able to bear the load of one. To act wickedness, and then to cloak it, is for the man to wound himself, and then go to the devil for a plaster. What man doth conceal, God will not cancel. (Thomas Adams)
The hypocrite, certainly, is a secret atheist; for if he did believe there was a God, he durst not be so bold as to deceive Him to His face. (Thomas Adams)
Take heed also of being hypocritical Christians. Take heed you do not receive the truth without receiving the truth in the love of that truth. It is just with God that they should fall into errors whose hearts did never love real truths. Better never to have received the truth, than to receive it, and not in the love of it. (Thomas Lye)
If thou hast an angel's tongue and a devil's heart, thou art no better than a post in the cross-way, that rots itself to direct others. (Thomas Adams)
The hypocrite desires holiness only as a bridge to heaven. (Joseph Alleine)
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
A Very Present Help
Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? (Psalms 10:1)
God is "a very present help in trouble." But He permits trouble to pursue us, as though He were indifferent to its overwhelming pressure, that we may be brought to the end of ourselves, and led to discover the treasure of darkness, the unmeasurable gains of tribulation.
We may be sure that He who permits the suffering is with us in it. It may be that we shall see Him only when the trial is passing; but we must dare to believe that He never leaves the crucible. Our eyes are holden; and we cannot behold Him whom our soul loveth. It is dark--the bandages blind us so that we cannot see the form of our High Priest; but He is there, deeply touched. Let us not rely on feeling, but on faith in His unswerving fidelity; and though we see Him not, let us talk to Him. Directly we begin to speak to Jesus, as being literally present, though His presence is veiled, there comes an answering voice which shows that He is in the shadow, keeping watch upon His own. Your Father is as near when you journey through the dark tunnel as when under the open heaven!
What though the path be all unknown?
What though the way be drear?
Its shades I traverse not alone
When steps of Thine are near.
What though the way be drear?
Its shades I traverse not alone
When steps of Thine are near.
~L. B. Cowman~
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Do We Really Need One Another?
Believers have two responsibilities. The first is to worship God and the second is to work for His kingdom. Where and how we serve is based upon our unique talents, skills, and calling. But the one place where we are all expected to give of ourselves is the local church.
When you were saved, the Lord baptized you by the Holy Spirit into His church—the body of believers who live all over the world but are united by trust in Jesus Christ. You then chose, according to the will of God, to become part of a local, autonomous group of believers. He placed you there because He knows that you are needed (1 Cor.12:18). You are significant to your home church.
The church is more than a community. It is an interdependent body with individual members who were created by God to function in communion with one another. We Christians, like the world at large, are a diverse group, and that means we often have to strive hard for unity. But our differences are actually something to be celebrated, because each person uniquely contributes to God’s purpose. A church that is truly operating as a unit—with all its varied gifts, talents, personalities, and intellects focused toward kingdom goals—must be a beautiful sight before the Lord.
Christianity isn’t a spectator religion. We all have jobs to do in God’s kingdom. The body of Christ functions best and most beautifully when all members resolve to serve God and each other to the best of their ability (v. 25). What are you doing for your church?
~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~
Monday, March 2, 2015
Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 44
Humility
Humility is the repentance of pride. (Nehemiah Rogers)
Humility is both a grace and a vessel to receive grace. (John Trapp)
Pride is a sinner's torment, but humility is a saint's ornament. (William Secker)
The best of God's people have abhorred themselves. Like the spire of a steeple, we are least at the highest. (Thomas Manton)
Many are humbled, but not humble, low, but not lowly. (John Trapp)
When the corn is nearly ripe it bows the head and stoops lower than when it was green. When the people of God are near ripe for heaven, they grow more humble and self-denying. Paul had one foot in heaven when he called himself the chiefest of sinners and last of saints. (John Flavel)
Humility is a necessary veil to all other graces. (William Gurnall)
By humility I mean not the abjectness of a base mind; but a prudent care not to over-value ourselves upon any account. (Obadiah Grew)
A sight of God's glory humbles. The stars vanish when the sun appears. (Thomas Watson)
Humility wrestleth with God, like Jacob, and wins by yielding. (Thomas Adams)
In spiritual graces let us study to be great, and not to know it. (Thomas Adams)
Four reasons written in the heart of an humble saint:
1. When he looks upon another that is a sinner, he considereth that he has been worse than he.
2. A humble heart thinks himself to be worse still.
3. It is God that hath made it and not anything in himself.
4. He considereth that the vilest sinner may be, in God's good time, better than he. (Walter Craddock)
Well, Christians, remember this, God hath two strings to His bow; if your hearts will not lie humble and low under the sense of sin and misery, He will make them lie low under the lack of some desired mercy. (Thomas Brooks)
Humility is a strange flower; it grows best in winter weather, and under storms of affliction. (Samuel Rutherford)
Humility is the repentance of pride. (Nehemiah Rogers)
Humility is both a grace and a vessel to receive grace. (John Trapp)
Pride is a sinner's torment, but humility is a saint's ornament. (William Secker)
The best of God's people have abhorred themselves. Like the spire of a steeple, we are least at the highest. (Thomas Manton)
Many are humbled, but not humble, low, but not lowly. (John Trapp)
When the corn is nearly ripe it bows the head and stoops lower than when it was green. When the people of God are near ripe for heaven, they grow more humble and self-denying. Paul had one foot in heaven when he called himself the chiefest of sinners and last of saints. (John Flavel)
Humility is a necessary veil to all other graces. (William Gurnall)
By humility I mean not the abjectness of a base mind; but a prudent care not to over-value ourselves upon any account. (Obadiah Grew)
A sight of God's glory humbles. The stars vanish when the sun appears. (Thomas Watson)
Humility wrestleth with God, like Jacob, and wins by yielding. (Thomas Adams)
In spiritual graces let us study to be great, and not to know it. (Thomas Adams)
Four reasons written in the heart of an humble saint:
1. When he looks upon another that is a sinner, he considereth that he has been worse than he.
2. A humble heart thinks himself to be worse still.
3. It is God that hath made it and not anything in himself.
4. He considereth that the vilest sinner may be, in God's good time, better than he. (Walter Craddock)
Well, Christians, remember this, God hath two strings to His bow; if your hearts will not lie humble and low under the sense of sin and misery, He will make them lie low under the lack of some desired mercy. (Thomas Brooks)
Humility is a strange flower; it grows best in winter weather, and under storms of affliction. (Samuel Rutherford)
He Withdrew To a Solitary Place
He withdrew... to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13).
There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music. In the melody of our life, the music is separated here and there by rests. During those rests, we foolishly believe we have come to the end of the song. God sends us time of forced leisure by allowing sickness, disappointed plans, and frustrated efforts. He brings a sudden pause in the choral hymns of our lives, and we lament that our voices must be silent. We grieve that our part is missing in the music that continually rises to the ear of our Creator. Yet how does a musician read the rest? He counts the break with unwavering precision and plays his next note with confidence, as if no pause were ever there.
God does not write the music of our lives without a plan. Our part is to learn the tune and not be discouraged during the rests. They are not to be slurred over or omitted, nor used to destroy the melody or to change the key. If we will only look up, God Himself will count the time for us. With our eyes on Him, our next note will be full and clear. If we sorrowfully say to ourselves, "There is no music in a rest," let us not forget that the rest is part of the making of the music. The process is often slow and painful in this life, yet how patiently God works to teach us! And how long He waits for us to learn the lesson!
--John Ruskin
--John Ruskin
Called aside--
From the glad working of your busy life,
From the world's ceaseless stir of care and strife,
Into the shade and stillness by your Heavenly Guide
For a brief time you have been called aside.
Called aside--
Perhaps into a desert garden dim;
And yet not alone, when you have been with Him,
And heard His voice in sweetest accents say:
"Child, will you not with Me this still hour stay?"
Called aside--
In hidden paths with Christ your Lord to tread,
Deeper to drink at the sweet Fountainhead,
Closer in fellowship with Him to roam,
Nearer, perhaps, to feel your Heavenly Home.
Called aside--
Oh, knowledge deeper grows with Him alone;
In secret oft His deeper love is shown,
And learned in many an hour of dark distress
Some rare, sweet lesson of His tenderness.
Called aside--
We thank You for the stillness and the shade;
We thank You for the hidden paths Your love has made,
And, so that we have wept and watched with Thee,
We thank You for our dark Gethsemane.
Called aside--
O restful thought - He doeth all things well;
O blessed sense, with Christ alone to dwell;
So in the shadow of Your cross to hide,
We thank You, Lord, to have been called aside.
From the glad working of your busy life,
From the world's ceaseless stir of care and strife,
Into the shade and stillness by your Heavenly Guide
For a brief time you have been called aside.
Called aside--
Perhaps into a desert garden dim;
And yet not alone, when you have been with Him,
And heard His voice in sweetest accents say:
"Child, will you not with Me this still hour stay?"
Called aside--
In hidden paths with Christ your Lord to tread,
Deeper to drink at the sweet Fountainhead,
Closer in fellowship with Him to roam,
Nearer, perhaps, to feel your Heavenly Home.
Called aside--
Oh, knowledge deeper grows with Him alone;
In secret oft His deeper love is shown,
And learned in many an hour of dark distress
Some rare, sweet lesson of His tenderness.
Called aside--
We thank You for the stillness and the shade;
We thank You for the hidden paths Your love has made,
And, so that we have wept and watched with Thee,
We thank You for our dark Gethsemane.
Called aside--
O restful thought - He doeth all things well;
O blessed sense, with Christ alone to dwell;
So in the shadow of Your cross to hide,
We thank You, Lord, to have been called aside.
~L. B. Cowman~
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 43
Hope
Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy an consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eyes, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called "the rejoicing of hope" (Hebrews 3:6) (William Gurnall)
Hope is never ill when faith is well. (John Bunyan)
Nothing more unbecomes an heavenly hope than an earthly heart. (William Gurnall)
Hospitality
Hospitality is threefold: for one's family, this of necessity; for strangers, this of courtesy; for the poor, this is charity. (Thomas Fuller)
Human Nature
Sometimes, indeed, there appears a scuffle between satan and a carnal heart; but it is a mere cheat, like the fighting of two fencers on a stage. You would think at first they were in earnest; but observing how wary they are where they hit one another, you may soon know they do not mean to kill: and that which puts all out of doubt when the guise is done, you shall see them making merry together with what they have got of their spectators, which was all they fought for. When a carnal heart makes the greatest bustle against sin, by complaining of it, or praying against it, follow him but off the stage of duty and you shall see them sit as friendly in a corner as ever. (William Gurnall)
The force of gunpowder is not known until some spark light on it; and oftentimes the stillest natures, if crossed, discover the deepest corruptions. (Richard Sibbes)
"What is man?" asks the prophet Isaiah, and he answers, man is "grass". Ask David, he answers, man is a "lie", not a liar only, or a deceiver, but "a lie" and a deceit. All the answers the Holy Spirit gives concerning man, are to humble man. The sinful nature of man is an enemy to the nature of God, and would pull God out of heaven; yet God even at that time is raising man to heaven; sin would lessen the great God, and yet God greatens sinful man. (Joseph Caryl)
"Lord, what is man?" Take him in his four elements, of earth, air, fire, and water. In the earth, he is as fleeting dust; in the air, he is as a disappearing vapor; in the water, he is as a breaking bubble; and in the fire, he is as consuming smoke. (William Secker)
Hope fills the afflicted soul with such inward joy an consolation, that it can laugh while tears are in the eyes, sigh and sing all in a breath; it is called "the rejoicing of hope" (Hebrews 3:6) (William Gurnall)
Hope is never ill when faith is well. (John Bunyan)
Nothing more unbecomes an heavenly hope than an earthly heart. (William Gurnall)
Hospitality
Hospitality is threefold: for one's family, this of necessity; for strangers, this of courtesy; for the poor, this is charity. (Thomas Fuller)
Human Nature
Sometimes, indeed, there appears a scuffle between satan and a carnal heart; but it is a mere cheat, like the fighting of two fencers on a stage. You would think at first they were in earnest; but observing how wary they are where they hit one another, you may soon know they do not mean to kill: and that which puts all out of doubt when the guise is done, you shall see them making merry together with what they have got of their spectators, which was all they fought for. When a carnal heart makes the greatest bustle against sin, by complaining of it, or praying against it, follow him but off the stage of duty and you shall see them sit as friendly in a corner as ever. (William Gurnall)
The force of gunpowder is not known until some spark light on it; and oftentimes the stillest natures, if crossed, discover the deepest corruptions. (Richard Sibbes)
"What is man?" asks the prophet Isaiah, and he answers, man is "grass". Ask David, he answers, man is a "lie", not a liar only, or a deceiver, but "a lie" and a deceit. All the answers the Holy Spirit gives concerning man, are to humble man. The sinful nature of man is an enemy to the nature of God, and would pull God out of heaven; yet God even at that time is raising man to heaven; sin would lessen the great God, and yet God greatens sinful man. (Joseph Caryl)
"Lord, what is man?" Take him in his four elements, of earth, air, fire, and water. In the earth, he is as fleeting dust; in the air, he is as a disappearing vapor; in the water, he is as a breaking bubble; and in the fire, he is as consuming smoke. (William Secker)
To Fear the Lord
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive… Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God that He provided households for them. - Exodus 1:17, 20-21
We all know what it means to have fear. We struggle with the fear of failure, the fear of being alone, and the fear of rejection. These fears bring insecurity and slant our judgment. How can we differentiate between the fears of this life and the fear of the Lord? What is the difference? The term to “fear the Lord” means to “revere or to stand in awe of.” We tend to fear the things that we see and touch, not a God who is invisible. So, we pay more respect to the things of this world than to the Lord who is in control of all these things in the first place. We have choices that we make every day. Are we trying to please people or are we trying to please the Lord?
From Exodus, we see how the midwives are excellent examples of making the right choice. They were given a direct order from their king, the ruler of all Egypt. These women should have had “the fear of the king” because on earth he was the position of authority. He could command whatever he wanted and had the power to kill those who were disobedient. However, these women chose to “fear the Lord” even though they knew they could be killed. They saw something in the Hebrew people that indicated the existence of a higher authority than Pharaoh. They realized that the Hebrew God is the one true God, in control of life and death. They chose to fear and honor the Lord, even if it meant their own death.
Sometimes we think that by trying to please people, we are pleasing the Lord.
As Christians, are we not suppose to lay down our rights and become servants to all? This is true only when we first lay down our rights to God. We can only begin to understand this concept as we learn what it means to fear the Lord. He has given us His word to teach us. You may be put in a difficult situation in your home, in your work, or at school. Maybe your husband, or boss or principal has made a decision that goes against your convictions. What are you going to do? Who are you going to live in fear of, man or God? The greatest thing about living in the fear of the Lord is that He will help you. It is not your responsibility to change their decisions but to express your convictions. By choosing to fear Him, He will lead you, guide you and love you through the fearful times. Depend on Him; fear Him. For when all of life is said and done, we all stand before God one day. And there is no doubt whose side we will choose then.
~Daily Disciples Devotional~
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