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

" The L ORD ... be gracious unto thee." -Numbers 6:25 [KJV] How sweet the gospel is! But what makes the gospel sweet? That one word which sheds a perfume through the whole— grace . Take grace out of the gospel and you destroy the gospel; you nullify and overthrow it; it is the gospel no more. Grace pervades every part and every branch of the blessed gospel; it is the life of the gospel; in a word, it is the gospel itself. "Be gracious unto thee." In what, then, is God gracious? In a broken law? What does that know of grace? In resolutions of amendment, creature performances, and human righteousness? Can the Lord, will the Lord shew Himself gracious in these? I have read of a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers. We might as well expect to make sunbeams out of cucumbers as to make grace out of the law; it is cold as cucumbers; there is no sun in it. Grace, to be grace, must come out of the gospel. It is in the gospel, and out of the gospel...

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." - I Thess alonians 5:18 [KJV] As believers we have so much to be thankful for! Who can measure the abundance of God's grace and goodness showered so freely upon us ( Ps alm 40:5 & 130:7 )? Who among us can determine how many unseen dangers we have been delivered from by the hand of God's almighty power ( Dan iel 4:35 )? Who is able to sufficiently honor and praise God for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that freely, sovereignly and eternally justifies the ungodly from all sin ( Ps. 115:1 ; Rom. 3:24 ; 8:32 )? And yet we do give thanks to God for all things ( Rom ans 11:36 ). Not like we should, not like we will some day, but we are humbled and thankful unto our sovereign Lord for all blessings both physical and spiritual ( Eph. 5:20 ; 1 Cor. 1:30-31 ). How could we complain of anything, when we realize that we are an heir of all grace now...

“ Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” -Isaiah 59:1 [KJV] Let us learn never to despair of the salvation of anyone--as long as they live. Fathers ought never to despair of prodigal sons. Mothers ought never to despair of self-willed, headstrong daughters. Husbands should never despair of wives, nor wives of husbands. There is nothing impossible with God. The arm of grace is very long and can reach those who seem very far off. Let us pray on, and hope on, for others--however unlikely their salvation may appear to be at present. -copied