Charles Spurgeon said...

My sweet Lord Jesus remembers well the garden of Gethsemane, and although he has left that garden, he now dwells in the garden of his church: there he unbosoms himself to those who keep his blessed company. That voice of love with which he speaks to his beloved is more musical than the harps of heaven. There is a depth of melodious love within it which leaves all human music far behind. Ten of thousands on earth, and millions above, are indulged with its harmonious accents. Some whom I well know, and whom I greatly envy, are at this moment hearkening to the beloved voice. O that I were a partaker of their joys! It is true some of these are poor, others bedridden, and some near the gates of death, but O my Lord, I would cheerfully starve with them, pine with them, or die with them, if I might but hear thy voice. Once I did hear it often, but I have grieved thy Spirit. Return unto me in compassion, and once again say unto me, I am thy salvation. No other voice can content me; I know thy voice, and cannot be deceived by another, let me hear it, I pray thee. I know not what thou wilt say, neither do I make any condition, O my Beloved, do but let me hear thee speak, and if it be a rebuke I will bless thee for it. Perhaps to cleanse my dull ear may need an operation very grievous to the flesh, but let it cost what it may I turn not from the one consuming desire, cause me to hear thy voice. Bore my ear afresh; pierce my ear with thy harshest notes, only do not permit me to continue deaf to thy calls. To-night, Lord, grant thine unworthy one his desire, for I am thine, and thou hast bought me with thy blood. Thou hast opened mine eye to see thee, and the sight has saved me. Lord, open thou mine ear. I have read thy heart, now let me hear thy lips.

Bible Contradictions?

Skeptics argue that these verses contradict Paul’s later statements that the Sabbath commandment was temporary and believers could decide for themselves regarding its observance (Rom. 14:5; Col. 2:14–16).

Scripture makes it clear that no one can be justified (made right with God) by keeping the Sabbath holy, or by keeping any other Commandment. All the Law does is bring the knowledge of sin to show us that we need a Savior. Jesus fulfilled the demands of the Law, which means we can be made right with God through faith in Him alone (see Eph. 2:8,9). Believers now serve in the spirit, not the letter of the law, and the principle behind the Sabbath is this: Just as God created for six days then rested on the seventh, man is to work for six days and rest on the seventh—to cease working. Those who trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross have ceased trying to be justified through their own efforts and instead find their rest in Him. (See Heb. 4:3,10.) That is why keeping the Sabbath is a non-issue for Christians when it co mes to eternal salvation. It is simply a matter of conscience. Christians have incredible liberty—no one can tell us what we must eat or drink, or what days we must observe.

“The spiritual rest which God especially intends in this commandment is that we not only cease from our labor and trade but much more—that we let God alone work in us, and that in all our powers we do noth- ing of our own.” Martin Luther

Not called to preach, witness, evangelize, or for missions

"'Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.” William Booth

If God does exist why doesn't He speak for Himself audibly

He did speak audibly to Israel when He gave them the Ten Commandments, and the Bible says that Israel was so fearful at what they saw and heard, they pleaded that He no longer speak to them (see Exod. 20:18,19; Heb. 12:19).

When He spoke on the Mount of Transfiguration, He terrified the disciples (see Matt. 17:5,6). When He once spoke audibly to Jesus, the people thought that they heard thunder (see John 12:28,29). So why didn’t God just whisper on these occasions? Perhaps He did.

However, God (in His infinite wisdom) has chosen what the Bible calls “the foolishness of the message preached” to bring the gospel to humanity (see 1 Cor. 1:21). He has condescended to use lowly man to deliver the message of everlasting life to dying humanity.

When it comes to God speaking to us, it is important to make sure that we don’t exaggerate our importance. We are but very tiny specks on a tiny speck of a planet, moving through the massive infinitude of space. If you want a special audience with the President, he likely will not come running to speak especially to you when, how, and where you want. Only a person with delusions of grandeur indeed would expect such treatment.

How much more so with the Creator of the universe? You are not going to get a special audience with God. So humble yourself, repent of your sins, and trust the Savior, then seek God through prayer and reading of His Word. Prayer is you speaking to God, and the Bible is God speaking to you. Make sure you listen carefully to what He says. Your eternity depends on it.

Cooling Their Flesh

 

There is an old story that tells about a pig. . . . The farmer brought the pig into the house. He gave him a bath, polished his hooves, put some Chanel No. 5 on him, put a ribbon around his neck, and put him in the living room. The pig looked fine. He made a nice and companionable pet for a few minutes. But as soon as the door was opened, the pig left the living room and jumped into the first mud ...puddle that he could find. Why? Because he was still a pig at heart. His nature had not been changed. He still desired the dirty mud to cool it's flesh. He had changed outwardly but not inwardly. . . .

You can take a man—dress him up, put him in the front row in church, place a Bible in his hand, and he almost looks like a saint. He may fool even his best friends for a while, but then put him in his office, or in the club on Saturday night, and you will see his true nature come out again. Why does he act that way? Because his nature has not been changed. He still desires the sinful nature of the world (mud) to satisfy his flesh. He has not been born again. There are true and false conversions. Jesus spoke of this several times. So how will you know those that are born again? The Bible makes this clear. You will know them by their fruits.

Moonlight

I moved outdoors from the bustle of a noisy restaurant to take a call on my cell phone. As I was about to return, I passed a gospel tract to a woman who sat alone at a table. She looked at the tract, then to my surprise jumped up and kissed me on the cheek. I was delighted--not with the kiss, but with the woman's reaction to the tract.
A few weeks earlier I'd received a different response. Kirk and I were standing in a hotel elevator in Florida when a gentleman (to whom I had given a gospel tract) cussed at me, chewed me out, and spat what was left in little pieces onto the ground. We were waiting to go up, but he sure put me down. I was devastated. I felt humiliated. I also felt as though I never wanted to give out another tract. Ever!
Rejection is a powerful blow to human pride. It cuts deep, like a burning arrow in the heart. It makes the most courageous of us want to withdraw in defeat. It is when that sharp arrow pierces the flesh that we need to think of the sinful woman of whom the Bible speaks in Luke 7:36-50.
She came into the house of a Pharisee, stood behind Jesus and began to wash His feet with her tears. Perhaps she quietly approached the Master as He lay at a table in typical Middle-Eastern fashion--on His side with His feet behind Him. As she listened to His gracious words, tears of contrition began to fall in great droplets onto His feet. We are told that (for some reason) the Pharisee didn't follow the custom of the day and wash the feet of the Savior as He entered His home. It is therefore likely that her tears mingled with (and darkened) the dust from the street that was on His feet. Perhaps it was then that she dropped to her knees and with tears in her eyes began to dry His feet with her hair. A woman's hair is her glory, but she so humbled herself that she forgot her natural vanity, and dried His dusty and wet feet with the locks of her hair.
Those who have heard His gracious words and have seen their own sinful condition, fall at the feet of Jesus and wash them in tears of contrition. They can be clothed with humility because they have been stripped of their pride and of this life's vanities. It is there that they understand that all that really matters is the approval of God. It is there that His will becomes their will…they too will want to have beautiful feet, shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace.
Then, when the world casts stones of rejection, we will look to the heavens and see Jesus standing at the right hand of God. When they nail our hands and feet to a cross of restraint, we still seek only the approval of God. When they offer the vinegar of bitter scorn so that fear causes our tongue to cleave to our jaws, we will still speak, because we seek only the smile of God.
The next time you gaze at moonlight, realize that it is actually the result of an explosion of a star so big that this earth fits into its volume a million times. The explosion sent light 93 million miles in a straight line traveling at 186,000 miles per second and hit dirt on the face of the moon. The light then reflected towards this earth and traveled another 250,000 miles at the same speed, so that you could have soft light in the darkness of the night.
We are surrounded by many such miracles, but we don't give them a second thought. If we did, we would begin to comprehend that God is the Maker of this incredible creation we so take for granted. It is when we see the unspeakable greatness of His power, that we will see how important it is to seek His approval rather than that of lowly dust that he shaped into man by His miracle-working hand.
The moonlight will also remind us of the fact that even though we are called "children of light," we don't have our own light. We merely reflect the Light that is unapproachable. One day it will reveal itself in flaming fire. The pain of our rejection by this world fades, compared to the unspeakable terror of the world's rejection by God.
The first time Jesus preached in his home town His hearers were so wrath-filled, they tried to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff (see Luke 4:29). But He didn't end His ministry simply because He was despised and rejected by men. Instead, He "committed Himself to Him that judges righteously." He looked to the smile of a holy God, rather than the frown of a sinful world.
So the next time you let your little light shine by preaching the gospel, or giving out a tract and a bucking bronco throws you for a loop, chews you up and spits you onto the soil, remember the moonlight. Remember how it just reflects the brilliance of the sun. Then get up and find another horse, and get back into the saddle…while there is still time. -Ray Comfort

Has God forsaken me?

Trials are not necessarily a sign that God has forsaken you. The Christian life is filled with lion’s dens and Red Seas. Trust God to shut the mouths of lions and open Red Seas. However, even if He doesn’t see fit to do the things for which you are hoping, joyfully trust Him anyway, because whatever you are going through will be worked out for your good (see Rom. 8:28). Follow the example of Shadrach and his friends, who would not bow to an idol. They told the king, “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:17,18, emphasis added).

Rebellion

 

Many people still cling to the notion that man is naturally good. We did not get this from the Greeks. Aristotle said, "There is no good in mankind." We did not get it from Judaism. Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

We did not get it from Christian teachings. The Apostle Paul said, "All have sinned, and come short ...of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We got this illusion, I believe, from the philosophers and psychologists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who taught the false doctrine that man is a helpless victim of his environment.

The Bible says that man is not naturally good. All human experience confirms it. Man is rebellious by nature. This first rebellion in history happened in the Garden of Eden, where the environment was perfect and there was no heredity on which to blame it!

Promises?

 

God never promised to remove temptation from us, for even Christ was subject to it. The Bible says that “He was tested in all things, like as we, yet without sin.” There is no good reason why you should seek to escape, for such times of testing have beneficial effects. There is a sense of achievement and assurance that results from victory over temptation that cannot come to us otherwise.

Tempta...tion shows what people really are. It does not make us Christian or un-Christian. It does make the Christian stronger and causes him to discover resources of power. You can benefit from what might be tragedy, if you will only discover that in just such a time of temptation, Christ can become more real to you than ever, and His salvation will become more meaningful.

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

Peace

Are you searching for peace? Are you longing for it? You thought you would find it if you made a lot of money, but you didn’t find it. You thought you would find it in getting and accumulating a lot of knowledge, so you got all the degrees you could, but you didn’t find it, this peace.

You’ve searched the religions of the world, but you haven’t found it. There are a thousand ways you’ve turned, trying to find peace, but you haven’t found it. When you come to Christ by an act of faith, He gives you the Holy Spirit who produces the fruit of the Spirit and gives you the peace that passes all understanding.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:
Your presence fills my mind with peace, Lord, bringing into perspective all that I need—You, my heavenly Father.

Come and Dine

Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
John 21:12

In these words the believer is invited to a holy nearness to Jesus. Come and dine, implies the same table, the same meat; aye, and sometimes it means to sit side by side, and lean our head upon the Saviour's bosom. It is being brought into the banqueting-house, where waves the banner of redeeming love. Come and dine, gives us a vision of union with Jesus, because the only food that we can feast upon when we dine with Jesus is himself. Oh, what union is this! It is a depth which reason cannot fathom, that we thus feed upon Jesus. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. It is also an invitation to enjoy fellowship with the saints. Christians may differ on a variety of points, but they have all one spiritual appetite; and if we cannot all feel alike, we can all feed alike on the bread of life sent down from heaven. At the table of fellowship with Jesus we are one bread and one cup. As the loving cup goes round we pledge one another heartily therein. Get nearer to Jesus, and you will find yourself linked more and more in spirit to all who are like yourself, supported by the same heavenly manna. If we were more near to Jesus we should be more near to one another. We likewise see in these words the source of strength for every Christian. To look at Christ is to live, but for strength to serve him you must come and dine. We labour under much unnecessary weakness on account of neglecting this percept of the Master. We none of us need to put ourselves on low diet; on the contrary, we should fatten on the marrow and fatness of the gospel that we may accumulate strength therein, and urge every power to its full tension in the Master's service. Thus, then, if you would realize nearness to Jesus, union with Jesus, love to his people and strength from Jesus, come and dine with him by faith.

Jehovah Witnesses Come Door Knocking

 

Had Jehova's witness knock on my door this morning. Nice guys, gave me some hand outs and began telling me how I can inherit the Kingdom of Jehova by praying and studying my bible. And how Jesus and the Angel 'Michael' was the same person. So I asked them 'I have a knife in my back and only three minutes to live. How do I get saved and go to Heaven?' They both look at each other for a moment and o...ne of them said, "well you study the word and apologize to lord Jehova". I replied by saying, "I don't have time to study the word I now have only two and a half minutes to live. And me just saying 'sorry' to the judge isn't going to dismiss my case." The second gentlemen decided to try to answer, but never once said anything about trusting in Jesus Christ, about how he died on the cross, but told me that Jehovah leaves a window of opportunity open to me shortly after I die to come to Jehovah. They also told me about how Satan rules the earth, but his time is limited because Jesus/Angel Michael, is coming again to get rid of Satan and rule this world with the select 144,000 to rule with him? I shared how I witness and they gave me some stuff to read, so in return I asked if i could give them both something (a gospel tract and a copy of 180 movie), but they both refused and said they will be back next week. What a divine encounter! Glory to God!! Way to start the day!!!

Would you?

It's 1943. A German officer has a gun pointed at you. He wants you to get into a bulldozer and drive it forward. In front of the bulldozer is a pit in which there are 300 Jews who have just been shot. Some of them are still alive. He wants you to bury them alive! If you don't do what he says, he is going to kill you and do it himself. Would you drive it forward? Probably not, because you value human life. How then do you feel about abortion? Perhaps you don't think it's a human being in the womb. Hitler said the Jews weren't human–so that he could justify killing them. And besides, you don't know when life begins, right?
God does, and He says, "You shall not kill." At just six weeks, the baby has hands, eyes, and a beating heart. So with these thoughts in mind, answer this question: "It's okay to kill a baby in the womb, when . . .?" Did you know that God considers hatred to be murder? (How much more will He condemn those who actually take the life of another). Here are some more questions: How many lies have you told in your life, have you ever stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer-at-heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. But God, who the Bible says is "rich in mercy," sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for guilty sinners. We broke God's Law, but Jesus paid our fine. That means He can legally dismiss our case. He can commute our death sentence and let us live: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today, and God will forgive your every sin and grant everlasting life to all who trust in Jesus. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.

Repentance

Godly sorrow worketh repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10

Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If thou hast one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. That which is born of the flesh is flesh.

True repentance has a distinct reference to the Saviour. When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and another upon the cross, or it will be better still if we fix both our eyes upon Christ and see our transgressions only, in the light of his love.

True sorrow for sin is eminently practical. No man may say he hates sin, if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory, but experimentally-as a burnt child dreads fire. We shall be as much afraid of it, as a man who has lately been stopped and robbed is afraid of the thief upon the highway; and we shall shun it-shun it in everything-not in great things only, but in little things, as men shun little vipers as well as great snakes. True mourning for sin will make us very jealous over our tongue, lest it should say a wrong word; we shall be very watchful over our daily actions, lest in anything we offend, and each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcoming, and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God would hold us up that we may not sin against him.

Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time, but this dear sorrow grows with our growth, and it is so sweet a bitter, that we thank God we are permitted to enjoy and to suffer it until we enter our eternal rest.

Do you feel forsaken by God?

Do you ever feel forsaken by God? Then don’t live by what you “feel.” Live by faith in the immutable promises of God. If you have been born again and your lifestyle reveals evidence of regeneration, then know for certain that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Believe that with all of your heart. He who promised is faithful (see Heb. 10:23).

Victim or Victor

Live as a victor not a victim. For those who are in Christ have victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Proclaim the victory you have through Him that loves us! How often do we know that God's grace has called us from out of the prison cell we are in and the blood of Jesus Christ was spilled for our freedom, but we praise God from within the prison cell and never bother to check the door to our prison cell to realize that we are captives no more. The door to our prison cell is unlock! His blood was shed for more than just forgiveness.  Forgiveness was just the avenue to which He could make the escape for us. So, we need to ask ourselves, are we going to step out and claim victory, liberty, and freedom that we now have in Jesus Christ? Or are we content with staying in that cell, like some kind of victim of circumstance and never fully experiencing all the love and freedom that God has given us? There is a line from the movie "The Scorpion King" in which two characters say to each other, "Live free, die well". If you are living like a free man in Christ, you know in all reality, you'll die well because the things you do to further the Kingdom will forever stand!

Stay of the Front Lines

Bible believing Christian, don't grow cold or lukewarm...
Revelation 2:4 "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."
I was told when I first got on fire for the Lord several things by Christians and non-Christians to dampen my zeal. I was told my every other word out of my mouth was "Lord" and "What has gotten into you?" One unbeliever said, "You just get back from Church Camp? It's just a phase..." One Christian said, "You're trying to cram the entire Bible into 24 hours and you need to slow down..." One older saint said, "You need to stop and smell the roses and stop all the spiritual, spiritual, spiritual and enjoy some pleasures..." I thought of Psalms 16:11 which says that at God's right hand are PLEASURES EVERMORE. Phase? It's been years!!! Be thou encouraged and STAY ON THE FRONT LINES!!! THIS IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE!!! IT'S A SPIRITUAL BATTLE WE ARE IN, GET EQUIPPED!!! STAY MINDFUL AND TRUST IN GOD!!!!

Tomorrow Might Be Too Late

"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." Isa. 55:6.

I have learned that when anyone becomes in earnest about his soul's salvation and he begins to seek God, it does not take long for an anxious sinner to meet an anxious Saviour. "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). Those who seek for Him with all their hearts, find Christ.

I am tired and sick of half-heartedness. I don't like a half-hearted man. I don't care for anyone to love me halfheartedly. And the Lord won't have it. If we are going to seek for Him and find Him, we must do it with all our hearts.

I believe the reason why so few find Christ is that they do not search for Him with all their hearts; they are not terribly in earnest about their souls' salvation.

Everything God has done proves that He is in earnest about the salvation of men's souls. He has proved it by giving His only Son to die for us. The Son of God was in earnest when He died. What is Calvary but a proof of that? And the Lord wants us to be in earnest when it comes to this great question of the soul's salvation. I never saw men seeking Him with all their hearts but they soon found Him.

It was quite refreshing one night to find in the inquiry room a young man who thought he was not worth saving, he was so vile and wicked. There was hope for him because he was so desperately in earnest about his soul. He thought he was worthless. He had a sight of himself in God's looking glass and had a very poor opinion of himself.

One can always tell when a man is a great way from God for he is always talking about himself, and how good he is. But the moment he sees God by the eye of faith, he is down on his knees, and, like Job, he cries, "Behold, I am vile." All his goodness flees away.

The Lord Is Near Us Now

When men earnestly seek the Lord and are in earnest about their salvation, they will soon find Christ. You do not need to go up to the heights to bring Him down, or down to the depths to bring Him up, or go off to some distant city to find Him. This day He is near to every one of us.

I once heard someone in the inquiry room telling a young person to go home and seek Christ in his closet. I would not dare tell anyone to do that. He might be dead before he got home.

If I read my Bible correctly, the man who preaches the Gospel will not tell me to seek Christ tomorrow or an hour hence, but now. He is near to every one of us this minute to save.

If the world would just come to God for salvation and be in earnest about it, all would find the Son of God right at the door of their hearts.

More Precious Than Precious Jewels

Suppose I should say I have lost a very valuable diamond here worth $100,000. I had it in my pocket when I came into the hall, and when I had done preaching, it was not in my pocket but in the hall somewhere.

Suppose I should say that anyone who finds it could have it.

How earnest you would all become! You would not get very much of my sermon for thinking of the diamond. I do not believe the police could get you out of this hall. The idea of finding a diamond worth $100,000! If I could only find it, it would lift me out of poverty at once, and I would be independent for the rest of my days! Oh, how soon everybody would become terribly in earnest!

I would to God I could get men to seek for Christ in the same way. I have something worth more than a diamond to offer you. Is not salvation eternal life worth more than all the diamonds in the world?

Hellfire Necessitates a Holy Fire

People seem to forget that there is no door out of Hell. If they enter there, they must remain there age after age. Millions on millions of years will roll on, but there is no door, no escape out of Hell.

May God wake you up and make you anxious about your soul. People talk about our being earnest and fanatical about our being on fire. Would to God the church were on fire! This world would soon shake to its foundation. May God wake up a slumbering church!

What we want you to do is not to shout "amen" and clap your hands. The deepest and quietest waters very often run swiftest. We want you to go right to work; there will be a chance for you to shout by and by. Go and speak to your neighbor and tell him of Christ and Heaven. You need not go far before you will find someone passing down to the darkness of eternal death. Haste to his rescue!

What we want to see is people really wishing to become Christians, those who are in dead earnest about it. The idea of hearing one say in answer to the question, "Do you want to become a Christian?" "Well, I would not mind"!

My friend, you will never get into the kingdom of God until you change your language. Men should be crying from the depths of their hearts, "I want to be saved!"

On the day of Pentecost the cry was, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" These people were in earnest, and three thousand found Christ when they sought with all their hearts.

When men seek Christ as they do wealth, they will soon find Him. To be sure, the world will raise a cry that they are excited. Let cotton go up ten or fifteen percent before tomorrow morning, and you will see how quickly the merchants will get excited! And the papers won't cry it down either. They say it is healthy excitement; commerce is getting on.

But when you begin to get excited about your soul and are in earnest, then they raise the cry, "Oh, they are getting excited; most unhealthy state of things." Yet they don't talk nor write about men hastening down to death by the thousands.

There is the poor drunkard look at him! Hear the piercing cry going up to Heaven? Yet the church of God slumbers and sleeps. Here and there is an inquirer, yet they go into the inquiry room as if they were half asleep. When will men seek for Christ as they seek for wealth, or as they seek for honor?

As I have said, if life is in danger, how terribly in earnest people become. That is right; there is no doubt about that. But why should not they be as much in earnest about their souls' salvation? Why should not every man and woman wake up and seek the Lord with all their hearts? Then, the Lord says, you shall find Him.

Seek Christ Earnestly

There is a story told of a vessel that was wrecked and was going down at sea. There were not enough lifeboats to take all on board. When the vessel went down, some of the lifeboats were near the vessel. A man swam from the wreck to one of the boats, but they had no room to take him on. When they refused, he seized hold of the boat with his right hand, but they took a sword and cut off his fingers. When he had lost the fingers of his right hand, the man was so earnest to save his life that he seized the boat with his left hand. They cut off the fingers of that hand too. Then the man swam up and seized the boat with his teeth. Now they had compassion on him and relented. They could not cut off his head, so they took him in, and the man's life was saved. Why? Because he was in earnest.

Why not seek your soul's salvation as that man sought to save his life?

Will there ever be a better time?

Will there ever be a better time for the old man whose locks are growing gray, whose eyes are growing dim, and who is hastening to the grave? Is not this the very best time for him? "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found."

There is a man in the middle of life. Is this not the best time for him to seek the kingdom of God? Will he ever have a better opportunity? Will Christ ever be more willing to save than now? He says, "Come; for all things are now ready" not "going to be," but "are now ready."

There is a young man. My friend, is it not the best time for you to seek the kingdom of God? Seek the Lord; you can find Him now. Can you say that you will find Him tomorrow? Young man, you know not what tomorrow may bring forth. Do you know that every time the clock ticks, a soul passes away? Is not this the best time for you to seek the kingdom of God? My boy, the Lord wants you. Seek first the kingdom of God, and seek Him while He may be found.

Multitudes Can Be Saved!

About thirty years ago a great revival swept over this land. A great many men stood and shook their heads; they could not believe it was a healthy state of things. The church was not in its normal state! The church from Maine to Minnesota and on to California was astir.

As you passed over this great republic, over its Western prairies and mountains, and through its valleys, as you went on by train, passing through its cities and villages, you could see the churches lit up. Men were flocking into the kingdom of God by hundreds.

In a year and a half or two years, more than half a million souls were brought in. Men said it was false excitement, wildfire, and it would pass away. But, my friend, it was grace preceding judgment.

Little did we know that our nation was soon to be baptized in blood, and that we would soon hear the tramp of a million men, that hundreds and thousands of our young men the flower of our nation would soon be lying in a soldier's grave. But, my friend, it was God calling His people in. He was preparing our nation for a terrible struggle.

Supposing you could win the world; what would you do with it? Would it be worth as much as Christ? Let everything else be laid aside, and make up your mind that you will not rest until you have sought and found the Lord Jesus. I never knew anyone to make up his mind to seek Him but that he soon found Him.

At Dublin a young man found Christ. He went home and lived so godly and so Christlike a life that two of his brothers could not understand what had wrought the change in him.

They left Dublin and followed us to Sheffield, and there found Christ. They were in earnest.

But, thanks be to God, Christ can be found now. I firmly believe every reader can find Christ now, if you will seek for Him with all your heart. He says, "Call upon me."

Christ Turns No One Away

Did you ever hear of anyone calling upon Christ with the whole heart, that Christ didn't answer? Look at that thief on the cross! It may have been that he had a praying mother, and that his mother taught him the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. He had heard Christ pray that wonderful prayer, "Father, forgive them." And as he was hanging on the cross, that text of Scripture came to his mind: "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."

The truth came flashing into his soul. He said, ïHe is near me now. I will call on Him. Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.' No sooner had he called than the Lord said, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." That was his seeking opportunity, his day.

This Is Your Opportunity Now

My friend, this is your day now. I believe that every man has his day. You have it just now; why not call upon Him just now? Say, as the poor thief did, "Lord, remember me." That was his golden opportunity, and the Lord heard and answered and saved him.

Did not Bartimaeus call on Him while He was near? Christ was passing by Jericho for the last time, and Bartimaeus cried out, "Thou son of David, have mercy on me." And did not the Lord hear his prayer and give him sight?

It was a good thing Zacchaeus called or rather the Lord called him; but when the Lord called, he came.

May the Lord call you, and may you respond: "Lord, here am I; You have called, and I come." Do you believe the Lord will call a poor sinner and then cast him out? No! His Word stands forever: "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

I was glad when that man I told you of said he felt as if he were too bad. Men are pretty near the kingdom of God when they do not see anything good in themselves.

At the Fulton Street prayer meeting a man came in, and this was his story. He had a mother who prayed for him he was a wild, reckless prodigal. Some time after his mother's death he began to be troubled. He thought he ought to get into new company and leave his old companions, so he said he would go and join a secret society.

He thought he would join the Odd Fellows. They made inquiry about him, and when they found he was a drunken sailor, they blackballed him. They would not have him.

He went to the Freemasons. He had nobody to recommend him. When they inquired and found there was no good in his character, they blackballed him. They didn't want him.

One day someone handed him a little notice in the street about the prayer meeting. He went. He heard that Christ had come to save sinners. He believed Him; he took Him at His word; and, in reporting the matter, he said he "came to Christ without a character, and Christ hadn't blackballed him."

My friend, that is Christ's way. Are you without a character, with nobody to say a good word for you? I bring you good news. Call on the Son of God, and He will hear you.

Let us be in earnest about the salvation of our children and friends. Warn that young lady. Yes, Mother, speak to that daughter. Father, speak to that child. Wife, speak to your unconverted husband. Husband, speak to your unconverted wife. Do not let anyone say, "Nobody cares for my soul." I never saw parents burdened for their children but that the children soon became anxious to be saved.

What Are You Going to Do?

Before I close, I want to ask you once more: What are you going to do? If the Lord is near, won't you call upon Him? Don't let some scoffer keep you out of the kingdom of God. There may be a scornful look upon his face. Perhaps he makes light of what I say. Don't mind him. Don't look to him, but look right up to God and ask Him to save you.

Every true friend, if you could get his advice, would tell you to be saved now.

Ask your minister, "Had I better seek the kingdom of God now?" What will he tell you? "By all means, don't put it off another minute."

Ask your godly, praying mother, "Is it best to seek the kingdom of God now?" Will she say, "Put it off one week, or a month"? There is not a Christian mother in this land who would say that. I doubt if there is even an unconverted mother whose advice would be to put off becoming a Christian.

Ask that praying sister of yours, that praying brother, any friend you have, whether it is not the very best thing you can do. And then cry to Heaven and ask Him who is sitting at the right hand of God, and who loves you more than your father or your mother or anyone on earth who loves you so much that He gave Himself for you ask Him what He will have you do, and hear His voice from the throne, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God."

And then shout down to the infernal regions, and ask those down there. What will they say? ïSend someone to my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place.'

Heaven, earth and Hell unite in this one thing: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." Don't put it off. Call upon Him while He is near. And if you call upon Him in earnest, He will hear that call.

You May Call Too Late

I have no doubt that those who would not pray when the ark was being built, prayed when the Flood came; but their prayer was not answered.

I have no doubt that when Lot went out of Sodom, Sodom cried to God; but it was too late, and God's judgment swept them from the earth.

My friend, it is not too late now, but it may be at twelve o'clock tonight. I cannot find any place in the Bible where it says you may call tomorrow. I am not justified in saying that. "Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation."

Those men of Jerusalem, what a golden opportunity they had with Christ in their midst! We see the Son of God weeping over Jerusalem, His heart bursting with grief for the city as He cried, 'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Thou that stonest the prophets, how often would I have gathered thee as a hen gathereth her brood, but ye would not.'

He could look down forty years and see Titus coming with his army and besieging that city. They called upon God then, but it was too late, and eleven hundred thousand people perished.

Now Is the Time to Be Saved

Now is a time of mercy. It may be I am talking to someone whose days of grace may be few, to someone who may be snatched away very soon, who may never hear another gospel sermon, who may be hearing the last call. My friend, be wise! Make up your mind that you will seek the kingdom of God now. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Christ is inviting you to come: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Oh, may we all find rest in Christ now! Do not let anything divert your mind, but make up your mind this hour that you will settle this great question of eternity.
-Moody

When I say 'I am a Christian'

When I say that 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living. I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say 'I am a Christian', I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I sa...y 'I am a Christian', I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not claiming to be perfect.My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.
When I say 'I am a Christian', I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJ

The Power of the Flame

The devil loves procrastinators, feeding them lies to fatten their complacency. He would have men and women believe that hell is tolerable, and it seems that some within the Church listen to him. But those who believe that hell exists should reveal it in their preaching. Consider Charles Spurgeon’s deep concern: “Oh, that you would trust in the Lord Jesus! Repose in him, and in his finished work, and all is well. Did I hear you say, ‘I will pray about it’? Better trust at once. Pray as much as you like after you have trusted, but what is the good of unbelieving prayers? ‘I will talk with a godly man after the service.’ I charge you first trust in Jesus. Go home alone, trusting in Jesus. ‘I should like to go into the enquiry-room.’ I dare say you would, but we are not willing to pander to popular superstition. We fear that in those rooms men are warmed into a fictitious confidence. Very few of the supposed converts of enquiry-rooms turn out well. Go to your God at once, even where you now are. Cast yourself on Christ, now, at once; ere you stir an inch! In God's name I charge you, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, for ‘he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.’"

Isaiah 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before!

The Storm

“Why are we afraid to declare that people in our churches must come to know God Himself? Why do we not tell them that they must get beyond the point of making God a lifeboat for their rescue or a ladder to get them out of a burning building? How can we help our people get over the idea that God exists just to help run their businesses or fly their airplanes?

“God is not a railway porter who carries your suitcase and serves you. God is God. He made heaven and earth. He holds the world in His hand. He measures the dust of the earth in the balance. He spreads the sky out like a mantle. He is the great God Almighty. He is not your servant.” A. W. Tozer

Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?

Respect for Authority

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
–Matthew 28:18

Have respect for authority. Jesus Christ was under the authority of His Father in heaven . . . He lived for one thing: to fulfill the will of the Father. Everyone is subject to some kind of authority. There is one chain of command and the ultimate authority at the top is God.

What is the authority in your life? Is it your selfishness? Your lust? Your greed? Or have you turned it all over to God and said, “Lord, You are going to be my authority?Chr(34) When you are under authority, you are then able to assume authority.

-Billy Graham

Walking with Christ

 

He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
–Philippians 1:6

Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion. It is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ. When you start out, you start out as a baby. You must be fed on the simple things of the Bible, and you learn to walk in your Christian life gradually. At first ...you will fall down and make many mistakes, but you are to continue growing. However, there are many people who have stopped growing. They remain spiritual babes all their lives. I am afraid that this experience is all too common today.

Do you remember the day when you gave your heart and life to Christ? You were sure of victory. How easy it seemed to be more than conqueror through Christ who loved you. Thousands of Christians have struggles with themselves. The great need in Christendom today is for Christians to learn the secret of daily victory over sin.

Father, I fall so many times but how lovingly You give me Your strength to endure.

Our Defeated Foe

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword . . .
–Hebrews 4:12

How do we overcome the devil in everyday life? First, we need to recognize that the devil is a defeated foe. The Son of God came to undo the work of the devil. The crucifixion of Christ, which looked like a mighty victory for Satan, turned out to be a great triumph for God, because it was on the cross that Jesus took your sins and my sins. God laid our sins on Christ, so that when our Lord bowed His head and said, “It is finished,” He was referring to the plan of redemption and salvation. Then . . . we are to resist the devil. If we resist him, Scripture says, he will flee from us. Jesus overcame the devil not by argument but simply by quoting Scripture. That is why it is so important to learn and memorize Scripture passages.