Psalm 130:3-4 “If Thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.” ********** THINGS THAT PROMOTE PEACE “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” (Romans 14:19). 1. Be careful to LOVE one another with a true heart. “for charity (love) shall cover the multitude of sins.” 2. Avoid a spirit of ARGUMENT AND DEBATE. One may win an argument and lose a friend. 3. Beware of JEALOUSY. Jealousy destroys happiness and builds suspicion. 4. Beware of ENVY. Let us learn to rejoice in another’s gifts, blessings, and happiness. God gives as HE will! 5. Do not MEDDLE in the private lives and domestic affairs of others. 6. Guard against a TOUCHY TEMPER: “For every trifling thing to take offense shows either great pride or little sense.” 7. Learn to KEEP A CONFIDENCE. “He that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” 8. Strive to HEAL DIFFERENCES. “Blessed are the peacemakers.” 9. Be always ready to FORGIVE ANYTHING. “Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us.” --Henry Mahan ********** TAKE BOTH SORROW AND SIN TO THE SAME PLACE! “Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.” Psalm 25:18 It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins—when, being under God's hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain—but remember our offences against God. It is well, also, to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God that David carried his sorrow—it was to God that David confessed his sins. We must take our sorrows to God. Even your little sorrows you may roll upon God—for He counts the hairs of your head. You may also may commit your great sorrows to Him—for He holds the ocean in the hollow of His hand. Go to Him, whatever your present trouble may be—and you shall find Him both able and willing to support you. But we must also take our sins to God. We must carry them to the cross, that the blood may fall upon them to purge away their guilt, and to destroy their defiling power. The special lesson of the text is this—that we are to go to the Lord with sorrows and with sins in the right frame of heart. Note that all David asks concerning his sorrow is, “Look upon my affliction and my pain.” But the next petition is vastly more express, definite, decided, and plain, "Forgive all my sins!" Many sufferers would have put it, “Remove my affliction and my pain—and look at my sins.” But David does not say so. He cries, “Lord, as for my affliction and my pain, I will not dictate to Your wisdom. Lord, look at them—I will leave them to You to do as You think best. I would be glad to have my pain removed—but do as You will. But as for my sins, Lord, I must have them forgiven! I cannot endure to lie under their defiling power for a moment!” A Christian counts his sorrow lighter in the scale than his sin. He can bear that his troubles should continue, but he cannot support the burden of his transgressions. --Charles Spurgeon ********** POUR ALL YOUR SECRETS IN HIS EAR! “The throne of grace.” Hebrews 4:16 Do not forget, dear reader, it is the throne of grace, to which you come in prayer. It is a throne, because God is a Sovereign. He will ever have the suppliant recognize this perfection of His nature. He hears and answers as a Sovereign. He hears whom He will, and answers what and when He will. There must be no dictation to God, no refusing to bow to His sovereignty, no rebelling against His will. If the answer is delayed, or God should seem to withhold it altogether, remember that "He gives no account of any of His matters," and that He has a right to answer or not to answer, as seems good in His sight. Glorious perfection of God, beaming from the mercy seat! But it is also a throne of grace. And why? Because a God of grace sits upon it, and the scepter of grace is held out from it, and all the favors bestowed there are the blessings of grace. God has many thrones. There is the throne of creation, the throne of providence, the throne of justice, and the throne of redemption. But this is the throne of grace. This is just the throne we need! We are....the poor, the needy, the helpless, the vile, the sinful, the unworthy. We have nothing to bring but our deep wretchedness and poverty, nothing but our complaints, our miseries, our crosses, our groanings, our sighs, and tears. But it is the throne of grace. For just such is it erected! It is set up....in a world of woe; in the midst of the wilderness; in the very land of the enemy; in the valley of tears, because it is the throne of grace. It is a God of grace who sits upon it, and all the blessings He dispenses from it are the bestowments of grace. Pardon, justification, adoption, peace, comfort, light, direction; all, all is of grace. No worth or worthiness in the creature draws it forth; no price he may bring purchases it; no tears, or complainings, or misery moves the heart of God to compassion. All is of grace. God is so full of compassion, and love, and mercy, He does not need to be stimulated to pour it forth. It gushes from His heart as from a full and overflowing fountain, and flows into the bosom of....the poor, the lowly, the humble, and the contrite; enriching, comforting, and sanctifying their souls. Then, dear reader, whatever be your case, you may come! If it is a throne of grace, as it is, then why not you? Why stand afar off? If the poor, the penniless, the disconsolate, the guilty are welcome here; if this throne is crowded by such, why make yourself an exception? Why not come too? What is your case, what is your sorrow, what is your burden? Ah! perhaps you can disclose it to no earthly ear. You can tell it only to God. Then take it to Him. Let me tell you for your encouragement, God has His secret audience chamber, where He will meet you alone, and where no eye shall see you, and no ear shall hear you, but His; where you may open all your heart, and disclose your real case, and pour all your secrets into His ear! Precious encouragement! It comes from those lips into which grace was poured. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Upon this promise, go to the throne of grace. Whatever be the need, temporal or spiritual, take it there. God loves your secrets! --Octavius Winslow -*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-*- Reading schedule for this week: 17- 1 Chronicles 1-3 John 5:25-47 18- 1 Chronicles 4-6 John 6:1-21 19- 1 Chronicles 7-9 John 6:22-44 20- 1 Chronicles 10-12 John 6:45-71 21- 1 Chronicles 13-15 John 7:1-27 22- 1 Chronicles 16-18 John 7:28-53 23- 1 Chronicles 19-21 John 8:1-27
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