Words for the Afflicted (The author of the great hymn, "Amazing Grace," wrote the following in a letter to a friend who had been sick a longtime.)
I trust you will find the name and grace of Jesus more and more precious to you: His promises more sweet, and your hope in them more abiding; your sense of your own weakness and unworthiness daily increasing; your persuasion of His all-sufficiency to guide, support and comfort you more confirmed. You owe your growth in these respects, in a great measure, to His blessing upon those afflictions which He has prepared for you and sanctified to you. May you praise Him for all that is past and trust Him for all that is to come. Your humble servant, John Newton, April 13, 1776 -***-
Hallelujah, What a Savior! Oh, to think that such an one as Jesus should be our Savior, that heaven’s Darling should condescend to assume our nature, and become bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, that He should live such a life and die such a death, that He should present to God a work so perfect, without flaw, without excess! Is there not reason for praise here? Now we are clean before the Lord, because we have been washed in Christ’s blood, yea, we are as pure as if we had never sinned, and standing arrayed in Christ’s righteousness, we are more righteous even than Adam before the fall, for he had only a human righteousness, but we have a righteousness divine. In Christ Jesus, the second Adam, we are nearer to God than if we had been born of Adam the first while untainted by sin. Now, there is a Man who is akin to God, even Jesus our brother, who is also very God of very God. Man is exalted to the highest conceivable degree in the person of Jesus Christ, and we have become heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ. As the seeking soul learns more and more of this, it praises God more and more. Is it not so? Does not your soul bless the Savior? Yea, and the longer we live, and the more we know about the Lord, the more we find causes for extolling Him; indeed, everything about us, without us, and above us seems to suggest a reason for blessing His name. - - C. H. Spurgeon -***-
How Can I Be Joyful? Avoid the "Self" Sins The "self" sins are self-righteousness, self-pity, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and I’m sure there are others. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our fallen sinful human nature to come to our attention till the light of God in Christ is focused on them. How can we avoid these sins? We cannot avoid them perfectly in this life, but by seeking and following the Lord Jesus Christ we do not allow these sins to overcome us unto condemnation. Sinners can only do this by the sovereign grace and power of God. By the power of God the Holy Spirit we are convicted of all sin so that we see no goodness in ourselves. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ so that we lose ourselves in Him. Christ, then, becomes ALL, and in ALL so that we can no longer glory in ourselves. We see Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). This is true self-denial. Christ said, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Mark 8:34). As believers, we fight these "self" sins by always keeping the glory of God in Christ and the good of others before our eyes. The "self" sins are the product of thinking only of ourselves. Let’s set our minds "on things above" (Christ) (Colossians 3:2), and not on ourselves. Let’s "think on the things of others" and not on ourselves (Philippians　2:4). Pastor Bill Parker -*/*-
"Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works! Through the greatness of Thy power shall Thine enemies submit themselves unto Thee. All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name. Selah" (Psalm 66:1-4) -***-
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