Except from Mutual Forbearance by J.R. Miller (1840-1912)
We need to guard against A CRITICAL SPIRIT. It is very easy to find fault with people. It is possible, even with ordinary glasses, to see many things in one another that are not what they ought to be. Then some people carry microscopes with which they can find countless blemishes in the character and conduct even of the most saintly dwellers on the earth. There are some who are always watching for slights and grievances. They are suspicious of the motives and intentions of others. This habit is directly at variance with the law of love, which thinks no evil.
We turn to our Pattern of Conduct, Jesus Christ. Does He look upon us sharply, critically, suspiciously? He sees every infirmity in us, but it is as though He did not see it. His love overlooks it. He throws a veil over our faults. He continues to pour His own love into us in spite of all our blemishes and our ill-treatment of Him. The duty of Christian forbearance requires the same in us. We must not keep our selfish suspicions ever on the watch-tower or at the windows, looking out for neglects, discourtesies, wrongs, or grievances of any kind. We must not be hasty to think evil of others. We had better be blind, not perceiving at all the seeming rudeness or insult. It is well not to hear all that is said, or, if we do hear we would do well to ignore it.
Many bitter quarrels have grown out of IMAGINED slights or misunderstandings. If a few moments had been taken to determine the truth, there wouldn’t have been any need for ill-feeling.
We should also seek to understand the MOTIVE which prompts the apparent grievance. In many cases, the cause of our grievance is utterly unintentional, chargeable to nothing worse than thoughtlessness—possibly meant even for kindness. It is never fair to judge men by every word they speak or everything they do amid the irritations of busy daily life. Many a gruff man carries a good heart and a sincere friendship under his coarse manner. The best does not always come to the surface. We should never, therefore, hastily imagine evil intention in others. Nor should we allow ourselves to be easily persuaded that our companions or friends meant to treat us unkindly. A disposition to look favorably upon the conduct of our fellow-men is a wonderful absorber of the frictions of life.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Blessing of Waiting long on the Lord
Excerpted from Waiting on God by Andrew Murray (1828–1917)
You say, I have waited for Him a very long time, yet He does not give the help I seek. There is a double answer. The one is this. God is a wise husbandman, who "waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience in waiting for it (James 5:7). He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessing, is as necessary. Be assured that if God waits longer than you would wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years, until the fullness of time, before He sent His Son. Our times are in His hands.
You say, I have waited for Him a very long time, yet He does not give the help I seek. There is a double answer. The one is this. God is a wise husbandman, who "waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience in waiting for it (James 5:7). He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessing, is as necessary. Be assured that if God waits longer than you would wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years, until the fullness of time, before He sent His Son. Our times are in His hands.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Giving Christ the Highest Place in our hearts
Excerpted from the Compleat Body of Divinity, Sermon 2, Man is to Glorify God, by Samuel Willard.
Samuel Willard (1640-1707) was pastor of the Old South Church in Boston, President of Harvard College, and some refer to him as the "Last of the Puritans." Next Sunday, if you like, you can attend the venerable Old South Church in Boston and take part in the oh-so-friendly and inclusive Old South Church Gay and Lesbian Christian Fellowship. Satan knows history, even if we don't, and gleefully attacks former Christian strongholds .
Samuel Willard (1640-1707) was pastor of the Old South Church in Boston, President of Harvard College, and some refer to him as the "Last of the Puritans." Next Sunday, if you like, you can attend the venerable Old South Church in Boston and take part in the oh-so-friendly and inclusive Old South Church Gay and Lesbian Christian Fellowship. Satan knows history, even if we don't, and gleefully attacks former Christian strongholds .
We are to glorify and magnify God in our hearts. We do this by entertaining esteemed thoughts about Him and fixing compelling ideas of His Being in our minds. When we employ our minds in developing attractive apprehensions of God, we honor Him in our hearts. And our love for Him causes us to give Him the highest place in our hearts.
We exalt Him by our vigorous adoration of the Goodness we have discovered in Him. We also greatly fear Him because we have grasped His relative Greatness and Power compared to all of Creation.
We glorify and magnify Him by learning to rest the whole weight of our souls on Him. We trust nothing else. The more fully, calmly, and resolvedly we can place our confidence in Him alone, the more we honor and thereby glorify Him.
Friday, March 09, 2007
He Pours out His Spirit on the Least of These
Excerpted from A Time of Refreshing by Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne (1813-1843)
GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF ALL WORKS OF GRACE? “I will pour,” He says.
It is God who begins a work of anxiety in dead souls. So it is in Zechariah 12:10: “I will pour out the Spirit of grace and supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and mourn.” And so the promise is in John 16:8,9: “When He is come, He will convince the world of sin, because they believe not on me.” If any of you have been awakened, it is God, and God alone, that has done it. It is God who originates the work in individuals and it is He who furthers and sustains the work.
It is God who empowers and enlarges His people for work in this world. [There is no need to wring our hands at the state of the 21st Century Church – when the Holy Spirit of God wills a powerful, unified, invisible Church, it will be so.] If ever we are to see the children of God, greatly enlarged, hearts filled with joy, lips filled with praises, if ever we are to see God's children thriving like willows beside broad streams, filled with all the fulness of God—God must pour down his Spirit. He must fulfil His Word for he is the Author and Finisher of all works of grace: “I will pour.”
Let us learn to look beyond our able pastors and preachers for powerful works of grace. God has given much honour to his ministers, but not the exclusive pouring out of the Spirit. This pouring is for all: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
“It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF ALL WORKS OF GRACE? “I will pour,” He says.
It is God who begins a work of anxiety in dead souls. So it is in Zechariah 12:10: “I will pour out the Spirit of grace and supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and mourn.” And so the promise is in John 16:8,9: “When He is come, He will convince the world of sin, because they believe not on me.” If any of you have been awakened, it is God, and God alone, that has done it. It is God who originates the work in individuals and it is He who furthers and sustains the work.
It is God who empowers and enlarges His people for work in this world. [There is no need to wring our hands at the state of the 21st Century Church – when the Holy Spirit of God wills a powerful, unified, invisible Church, it will be so.] If ever we are to see the children of God, greatly enlarged, hearts filled with joy, lips filled with praises, if ever we are to see God's children thriving like willows beside broad streams, filled with all the fulness of God—God must pour down his Spirit. He must fulfil His Word for he is the Author and Finisher of all works of grace: “I will pour.”
Let us learn to look beyond our able pastors and preachers for powerful works of grace. God has given much honour to his ministers, but not the exclusive pouring out of the Spirit. This pouring is for all: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, God says, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
“It is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Natural man and the Spiritual man
Excerpted from Jonathan Edward’s Miscellaneous Observations on Important Theological Subjects
The Bible calls men without saving grace and the Holy Spirit, natural men. We are instructed that these natural men cannot discern, or receive spiritual things (1COR. 2:14). The spiritual man is, in essence, the converted man, mysteriosly placed in union with Christ, who has the Spirit of Christ living inside him. [all of these modern people who declare that they are “spiritual,” but not religious are not spiritual at all unless they have the Spirit of Christ living inside them]. Although the natural man concerns himself with many difficulties inside himself and from outside himself, he does not even perceive a fundamental tragedy about himself: without the Spirit of Christ, even the words to describe the Glory or God or the joys of our riches in Christ are without meaning. Words and ideas from the Scripture are as colors to a blind man.
The godly man having the planting of the Holy Spirit to enliven him, can perceive spiritual reality and even relish it. Often, we who have been given this magnificent gift of the Spirit of Christ living inside us, should thank God profoundly.
The Bible calls men without saving grace and the Holy Spirit, natural men. We are instructed that these natural men cannot discern, or receive spiritual things (1COR. 2:14). The spiritual man is, in essence, the converted man, mysteriosly placed in union with Christ, who has the Spirit of Christ living inside him. [all of these modern people who declare that they are “spiritual,” but not religious are not spiritual at all unless they have the Spirit of Christ living inside them]. Although the natural man concerns himself with many difficulties inside himself and from outside himself, he does not even perceive a fundamental tragedy about himself: without the Spirit of Christ, even the words to describe the Glory or God or the joys of our riches in Christ are without meaning. Words and ideas from the Scripture are as colors to a blind man.
The godly man having the planting of the Holy Spirit to enliven him, can perceive spiritual reality and even relish it. Often, we who have been given this magnificent gift of the Spirit of Christ living inside us, should thank God profoundly.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
If we had been consulted
Excerpted from the sermon, God’s Ways above Mens’ by Edward Payson (published 1831)
One way in which God’s ways and His thoughts are shown to be far, far above ours is the way God has permitted the introduction of natural and moral evil and permits it to continue. Although He could have certainly established reality differently, and forbid the fall of angels first, and then men, His superior ways have allowed the rebellion of angels and men and the attendant suffering of both. Not only did He permit the introduction of natural and moral evil, He allows it to go on longer than many good men can bear. If we had been consulted, many would counsel Him not to allow the variable of sin to even enter the world, or if it must, then certainly it should be banished more quickly. [God’s Glory is best exalted by what is, and thank God, He consults no mere man or angel. His Son is glorified and exalted above everything and is all in all].
One way in which God’s ways and His thoughts are shown to be far, far above ours is the way God has permitted the introduction of natural and moral evil and permits it to continue. Although He could have certainly established reality differently, and forbid the fall of angels first, and then men, His superior ways have allowed the rebellion of angels and men and the attendant suffering of both. Not only did He permit the introduction of natural and moral evil, He allows it to go on longer than many good men can bear. If we had been consulted, many would counsel Him not to allow the variable of sin to even enter the world, or if it must, then certainly it should be banished more quickly. [God’s Glory is best exalted by what is, and thank God, He consults no mere man or angel. His Son is glorified and exalted above everything and is all in all].
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