I remember that Mr. Matthew Wilkes once preached from the text, "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,...written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." He compared the preacher to a pen, and said that some pens needed mending now and then, and that all pens, however good they were, must be dipped in the ink if they were to do any writing at all; and he added, "You ought to pray all the more for your preacher when he does not write well, 'Lord, dip him in the ink; give him more of the unction of the Holy Spirit, and then his word will have power over the heart's of men!"
- C. H. Spurgeon
How to Treat Your Dearest Treasures
I Corinthians 7:29-31
Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church. Still, a married believer should be, in some respects, as if he were unmarried. "Honor thy father and thy mother." You cannot be too kind or too gentle to the parents whom God hath given you, yet be as though you had none. Parents, love your children, yet feel that the time is short. They are only a loan from the Lord. Be not surprised if He takes His own. Esteem your minister highly in love for his work's sake, yet be as if you had no pastor. Build your nest upon NO TREE in this world, for God has already given this forest to death; and every tree whereon we would rest our hope and confidence is ready to be cut down. We must flee from the uneasy and frail objects in order to build on the rock, Christ Jesus. Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley – He changes not! Live nearer to Christ than to any person on this earth; so that when they are taken, you may have Him to love and lean upon. - Robert Murray M'Cheyne
BELIEVER’S PEACE
“By him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39
Where does a believer find real and genuine peace? On what foundation can we rest and say in truth, “It is well with my soul?” I’ll tell you; it lies in this – that we are justified by faith and not by works. Christ Jesus stood in my stead before God. I was guilty with nothing to pay, doomed to hell; and Christ took my place! He died for me! How can I perish? How can I be punished for sins which have already been laid on Christ and for which He has suffered? God demands of me that I keep His holy law perfectly. I cannot do it. But Christ has kept it for me. He kept it, magnified it, and made it honorable in my flesh.
What more can God demand of me? I am washed in the blood of Christ Jesus; I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus; I am risen and seated at His right hand in Christ Jesus. You may ask, “How is all this yours?” I reply, “By the grace of God, through the merits of Christ, revealed by the Spirit of God THROUGH FAITH!” God said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” I do believe, I sincerely believe in Christ, therefore, I have eternal life. - Henry Mahan
I have heard preachers say that, "He who once believes shall finally be saved." I do not deny the truth of the statement, but it is an unguarded statement and does not correctly state the Scriptural position. I would prefer to say, "He who truly believes shall, by the Grace of God, CONTINUE TO BELIEVE and shall be saved." If a man believes and becomes an unbeliever, he shall perish. If a man once believes and loses interest in spiritual things, he shall perish. If a man once believes and later denies the Gospel, he shall perish. If a man once walked with those who went to worship but now finds his delight among the enemies of the cross, he shall perish. Where there is no hunger and thirst for righteousness, there is no life.
- C.H. Spurgeon
~~~ O ~~~
THE ONLY THING THAT WILL LAST
While driving through town the other day, I saw a church sign that read, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." You and I have heard this Saying for years. And it seems like a good saying. But is it really? No! It's true, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past." Our days are a shadow, a vapor that appears for a moment, and then is gone. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel prayed that the Lord would make him to number his days and to know his end. But it is not "only what's done for Christ will last." No, my friends! When we get to the end of our lives, or as we get to the end of a particular day, and we look back over it, we will not gloat, or feel good about what we have "done for Christ." God's Word teaches us that it's only what Christ has done for us that will last!