Psalm 68:18-20

Learning our Littleness

Samson boasted, “With the jawbone of an ass I have slain a thousand men” (Judges 15:15-18). Then he thought that he would die for want of a drink of water. The mighty man whom God used so greatly is helpless for LACK OF A LITTLE WATER!

God has ways of teaching us our littleness, our nothingness, and our dependence on Him. We forget the crown on our heads when we have a splinter in our finger. God is reconciled to us in Christ and loves us (Rom. 5:6-9) but we are depressed because some earthly fool is out of sorts with us.

Pastor Henry T. Mahan (bulletin 1986)

OUR GOD IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING

Dear soul, think about it: if there is one germ somewhere out there in the universe that is not under His control, then my health, my life, is just a matter of chance or fortune – good or bad! If there is one demon spirit out there some place that is not under God’s control, then my hope of salvation would dry up like Jonah’s gourd. I would have no assurance at all, for I have no confidence in me (Phil. 3:3).

I am so thankful that when the religious heathen asks me about my God, I can answer with the psalmist, “Our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:2, 3). It hath pleased Him to save His people (Matt. 1:21); and He shall not fail (Isa. 42:4). “Salvation” in its entirety, “is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9; Phil. 1:6). The God of the Bible “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” and makes “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28).

I hold onto the Lord as tightly as I can, But my assurance is that I am in His hand!

Maurice Montgomery (1939-2015)

“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Rom. 13:1).

How settling it is to the regenerate to remember that the things of this world are not being run by the fickle whelms of feeble men but by the powerful and wise hand of God Almighty. He has been pleased to establish authorities in every place for the good of His sheep, and their submission to the powers that dictate lawful commands that do not contradict the word of God, is the right thing for them to do. Let us ever remember that there is no authority except it be by God’s permission and with that truth being clearly set forth in God’s word, we are to be in subjection.

Pastor Marvin Stalnaker

“We Love Him, Because He First Loved Us.” 1 John 4:19

Here is an unquestionable fact – “We love him.” All true believers love the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. We do not love him as we should. We do not love him as we desire. And we do not love him as we shall. But we do love him. If a person is truly born again, he loves Christ sincerely and supremely.

But the cause of our love for Christ is not in us. Our love is created and sustained in our hearts by his love. “We love him, because he first loved us.” There would never have been any love in our hearts for the Son of God had he not created that love in us. In the time of his love, he revealed himself to us. And our hearts were conquered by his irresistible love for us. We could not resist the love of our merciful Redeemer!

Here is another sweet truth – “We love him, because he first loved us.” The love of God for us precedes our love for God. From all eternity, God loved his people in Christ. There is no beginning and there is no end to his love for us. In love he chose us. In love he redeemed us. In love he preserved us. In love he called us. And in love he keeps us. Pastor Don Fortner (1950-2020)

What A Saviour