"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

Christ Is All! by DG Miles McKee   Have you ever felt dissatisfied with your faith?  Have you ever thought that if only you had a better quality of faith, then you could be sure of your salvation? This is dangerous thinking for we are never called to have faith in faith.  Since when does the Bible say, "Being satisfied with our faith , we have peace with God”? (see Romans 5:1) . Satisfaction with Jesus, His person and work, is what Heaven is looking for. We are neither called to be satisfied nor even occupied with our faith.   We are called to be focused on Christ and His objective, outside of us, finished work! As believers we should be careful to avoid backsliding into subjectivism but backslide we will if we continually focus on our experiences and level of faith.   Gospel faith takes a hold of Christ and His accomplishments on our behalf and causes us to set our affection on things above where Christ is. (Colossians 3:2). Gospel faith takes us...

"Behold, the skin of the face of Moses shone, and they were afraid to come nigh unto him."  -Exodus 34:30 [KJV] Here see the glorious effects of being on the mount with God; of having free access to and holy converse with Him. When we draw nigh to God, and He draws nigh to us, our souls catch the splendour and glory of His grace. This revives our countenance, and makes our face to shine. Here is somewhat worthy our attention; for the holy inspirer calls upon us, behold. Lord! give us to behold this to our edification and comfort. (1st.) “When Moses came down from the mount his face shone, but he knew it not.”  O! it, is well for us, when we are so wholly taken up with the majesty and glory of our Lord, and see such splendour of grace and love shine on His countenance, as not to be looking at ourselves, and admiring our own gifts and graces. It is to imitate fops and fribbles in nature, to look in a glass to admire ourselves. To fall in love with our own beauty, i...

"Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."   -James 5:11 [KJV] There is something uncommonly soothing and consolatory in these words, concerning the Lord's grace, "that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."  Very pitiful! Sweet consideration to a child of God, under affliction! For it speaks in the tenderest and most endearing manner, upon all such occasions, that if afflictions abound, while the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy, there must be a needs be for them. My soul keep this thought always uppermost in thy remembrance; and carry it about with thee in thy bosom for constant use, to have recourse to, as occasion may require. And take another sweet lesson with thee, to help on thy mind to suitable exercises on this account. Hadst thou as much wisdom, and as much love for thyself, and what concerns thy most material interests, as Jesus hath, a...

"And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD." -Isaiah 54:13 [KJV] The teaching of God can only be known and realised by those who have seen an end of all creature perfection, and who are completely and experimentally destitute of all wisdom in the flesh. And God's teaching does not leave a man where it found him, dead, stupefied, worldly, unfeeling, and carnal. If he is in distress, it does not leave him in distress; if he feels guilty, it does not leave him guilty; if he is in darkness, it does not leave him in darkness; but it lifts him out of these evils. Thus God's people are continually led to come unto Him for His instruction, because they feel that without His special teaching they can know nothing as they ought to know. Nay, the more they have, the more they want to have; for no sooner is the light withdrawn, than the darkness is more sensibly felt. If any text of Scripture has been opened up to them, it makes them want to have others made k...

Does the LORD God allow events, good or bad, to happen with His permissive will…or is He the first cause of every event, good or bad, according to His eternal purpose and will?  And just to be clear, we may experience the events as good or bad, but in reality, they are all good, for our God is good, and can only do good!   And as always, we must go to Scripture for the truth concerning any matter, and not to our own thoughts, ideas, or opinions – “Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4) .  The following verses plainly and clearly declare that our Sovereign God is the first cause of all events in this world and the universe, heaven and hell included. “Then will I cause to cease….”   –Jeremiah 7:34 “I also will do this unto…and cause sorrow of heart…” -Leviticus 26:16 “He will cause him to come near unto him…” –Numbers 16:5 “The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten…” –Deuteronomy 28:25 “The King hearkened not unto the people  for ...

How little we understand of God’s dealings with us!  If we suffer the slightest set-back in this world’s goods or pleasures, we take it as a sign of God’s judgment and disfavor.  If we prosper in this world, we believe that it is evidence of God’s pleasure with us. But, it is likely the opposite.   When God would visit a man with judgment aimed at his destruction, He withholds not the worldly goods, but the spiritual ones; and the one He truly loves is often deprived of worldly goods so that he will more readily seek spiritual goods . Which would you rather suffer, blindness of eyes or blindness of heart? Which would you rather have, riches in gold or riches in grace?  Then, let each of us learn to not judge God’s ETERNAL dealings with us by His TEMPORAL dealings with us. I know that this is hard to do; but it is the essence of living faith to judge, not by what is seen, but by what is not seen, to live by faith in God’s promises, not by sight. ...