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

  Be still my soul, submit, rejoice, God governs everything; Bow down and worship at His feet, And praise the sovereign King.   Our Father’s will forever stands, And changed it cannot be; Jehovah reigns throughout the world, By absolute decree.   God is the Ruler over all, His will shall none frustrate; For who could challenge or defeat The mighty Potentate?   ‘Tis here that troubled saints shall find, Joy, comfort, peace and rest; In all things see the will of God, For what He does is best.   So let us lean upon the Lord, Trusting His tender care; Rejoicing in His perfect will, And never more despair.

"If thou art in Christ, thou art beheld righteous in His righteousness; and, as thy Surety, what He wrought, and what He suffered, was for thee. So that, in this sense, thou art, as Christ tells the church, all fair, and there is no spot in thee. So that, amidst all thy groans for the remains of indwelling sin, (and groan thou dost daily), and as thou sometimes art prompted to think, there is growing imperfection in thee; yet, in Jesus, as thou art found and beheld in Him, sin is pardoned, and thy person accepted, and thou art in a state of justification before God in the righteousness of God thy Saviour.  And, as this is so essential to be known and enjoyed, see to it, my soul, that thou livest upon it. Go in the strength of Christ's righteousness every day to the throne, pleading that righteousness, and that only. And, under a perfect conviction that not a single sin of thine was left out when Jesus bore the sins of His people on the tree, beg for grace to exercise faith, an

"Give us this day our daily bread." -Matthew 6:11 [KJV]    Happiness, that inestimable jewel, springs only from content. Christian content is founded in humility. The humble Christian lives upon the fulness of God. Thence he seeks all His supplies. Our Lord not only teaches His disciples the words of prayer, which any one may use, but also gives the Spirit of prayer, which is peculiar to disciples only. This consists, in knowing our wants. In seeking a supply of them from the Lord. Give us this day: just from hand to mouth: daily bread, all the blessings of providence and grace, needful for us, as men and Christians.  (1st.) Do we know our own wants? The sight and sense of these will make and keep us very low and humble in our own eyes; for we shall go out of ourselves, and live out of ourselves. Do we want daily bread to support our bodies? Have we no source of life in ourselves, but what must be fed and nourished from the food we receive from day to day? Just

Those who profess to believe on Christ but who do not seek to follow the Lord and seek to honor Him in their lives have an empty and worthless profession. Christ said, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” A sinner who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and brought to genuine faith in the Son of God will endeavor to “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10) .   Though we know we are sinful in ourselves, yet we do seek to glorify the Lord as we go about our daily activities. However, we must never look to our obedience (which is imperfect at best), in any measure, as the means of acceptance with God. Those who seek God’s approval by any other way than the blood and righteousness of Christ will someday learn they made a fatal mistake.    —preacher Jim Byrd

“I will hear what God the L ORD will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints: but let them not turn again to folly.” -Psalm 85:8 [KJV]  Our only hope for salvation is to “hear what God the L ORD will speak” from His Word as He leads us (sinners) to the Lord Jesus Christ for all salvation and all eternal blessedness. God “will speak peace unto HIS people, and to HIS saints.” This describes God’s people whom He chose to save in and by Christ before the foundation of the world. He sends forth the Holy Spirit to bring them to the true Gospel and reveals to and in them the only way of peace (reconciliation) with Him by the righteousness of Christ imputed to them (Romans 1:16-17; II Corinthians 5:19-21).  This peace is the assurance of salvation that can only be found in Christ – the glory of His Person as God manifest in the flesh, the spotless Lamb Who is Surety, Substitute, Redeemer, Preserver, and Protector of His people for whom He obeyed unto death and ro

" With clouds He covereth the light, and commandeth it not to shine, by the cloud that cometh betwixt." -Job 36:32 [KJV] The sun, from its first formation by its almighty Creator, shines at all times alike. There never was, is, or ever can be, any addition to, or diminution from, its light and heat. But we perceive a sensible difference. Even the intervention of a cloud coming between us and the sun, hides and obscures the glorious rays of light from us. There are fixed laws in creation. All nature acts under the direction of those laws, prescribed by our all-wise Lord.  As in nature, so in grace. As by the natural sun, so it is by the Sun of Righteousness : it shines with an equal degree of resplendent glory, of light, love, and grace at all times. But, we are not always alike sensible of it. Why not? As clouds and vapours arise from the earth, and interrupt the light of the natural sun, by coming between that and us; just so, the clouds of sin, the vapours of

"By the grace of God, I am what I am!" Oh, what was I, that God should set His love upon me before time; and in time to call me to the saving knowledge of His Son, Whom to know aright is life eternal? Why me, Lord?   And what am I even now, since I have felt something of the power of His precious Gospel? Why me, Lord? What was I, what am I that I should be eternally chosen and effectually called and perfectly accepted in the Beloved? Not unto me, in the least, not unto me, but unto Your sovereign grace be all the praise!  Oh, help me to ascribe to You the glory due to Your great name; for I am surrounded, I am loaded with Your benefits. All Your dealings with me show forth Your loving-kindness. In temporals, as well as spirituals, I am singularly favored. Oh, let me never be allowed to rob You of Your glory, but help me to give it all where it is due, in life and death and to all eternity to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. "By the grace of God, I am w

" We walk by faith, not by sight." -II Corinthians 5:7 [KJV] Thus we quit sense for faith. So we overcome the lust of the eyes. To gratify these, is contrary to the walk of faith. Then is it any marvel, that we lose the peace, comfort, and joy of faith? But this is not what is here meant by sight, as opposed to faith. Here is an infallible truth. Though a Christian, by the eye of sense, can neither see God, Christ, the things of the heavenly world, etc. yet he walks in the firm belief of what the word of God tells him of them: and hence, they have the supreme affection of the soul, from day to day.  Faith supplies the sight of them. They are as real to the mind, as though seen by the bodily eye. Thus, a lively hope of enjoying them, is kept up in the heart. “We are always confident,” we are sure of the existence of spiritual, heavenly, and invisible objects, as we are of our own being. O ye sons of carnal sight and sense! ye deride us: we pity you. Ye look only

The Loveliness of Jesus by D.G. Miles McKee See II Corinthians 5:21 Christ’s loveliness consists mainly in this …  He knew no sin! If He had had just one tiny sin of His own, He could not have suffered for ours. Remember, in Hebrews 7:26 we are told that our High Priest ( Jesus ) was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. We would think that such a person should be welcome in any community. But no! He got terrible treatment. The people despised, rejected and hated Him… But Jesus suffered this wretched behaviour on our behalf. That makes Him altogether lovely. Do any of us hate Him? Hate Him? Yes, hate Him.  Do any of us use His name as a common swear word? If we do, we are speaking as though we despise Him. If we are guilty of that crime, it doesn´t seem that He is lovely to us. Also, if we will not trust Him alone for our salvation is that not yet another way of despising Him! When you stand before God on Judgement Day, is there anything more that you woul

Jude 1:20-21 gives us a four-fold defense against error, indifference, and falling away. 1. " Building up yourselves on your most holy faith ." This growth, strength, and help comes through GOD'S WORD! Search it, study it; for in it is life.   2. " Praying in the Holy Ghost ." The spiritual man can no more live without prayer and fellowship with God than a natural man can live without breath­ing.   3. " Keeping yourselves in the love of God ." Do not allow any root of bitterness to spring up and take us from our FIRST LOVE--His love for us, our love for Him, and our love for one another.   4. " Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ ." Don't ever shift your gaze from Him to any­one nor anything. " Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith ."   - preacher Henry T. Mahan

" Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth." -Joshua 23:14 [KJV] Though fully assured of his near dissolution, yet with what calm composure doth Joshua utter these words! Though you are a sinner, and must fall under the sentence of death for sin, yet you need not be under bondage all your life time through fear of death. Why should you? Has not the sinner’s Friend gained a complete and everlasting victory over death, the sinner’s enemy?   Consider what Christ hath done for us sinners. For sinners we are, and shall be, though redeemed by the blood, and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. When the messenger of death kills the body, and calls the soul to glory, then honour thy Lord’s work by the faith of thy heart. So fear and terror shall flee thy soul. By His death, He has appeased divine Justice. As Jonah, His type, being cast into the sea, quelled the storm; so Christ, being cast into the furnace of divine wrath, quenched the flames. God is just, wh

The Gospel is not an offer.  An offer presupposes a man’s ability to accept or reject the offer.  To offer life to one who is dead in sins would be absurd and insincere.  God does not offer life.  He gives it!  “And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.”  Did Christ offer life to Lazarus?  Of course not!  “Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth.”    *****               We read in Scripture of believing in Christ and believing on Christ.  We believe in Christ when we believe His Is-ness.  We believe He is as the Bible says He is. We believe on Christ when we are relying on Him in His Is-ness to save us.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”   *****               Any objection to God’s sovereignty is in reality denying God’s goodness in the point of our objection.  When we bow to His sovereignty in all things we confess He is good all the time! 

" Let the weak say, I am strong." -Joel 3:10 [KJV] Where is the weak, doubting sinner? Stand forth, my soul, thy Lord arraigns thee; He judges and passes sentence of reproof upon thee. “O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt? ” (Matthew 14:31.) Your doubts come from your little faith: your doubts prevent the increase of faith. You can easily believe the Lord is displeased at your sins. What is sin, but disobeying His commands? But did you never consider it as a sin, a great sin, not to believe when He commands?  Not to be obedient to His word, when He requires you to be strong in faith— “Strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus?” (II Timothy 2:1.) “Strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10.) O you do not enough attend to this! But you say, “I am so weak in myself.” Who is not? He who thinks he is not, is the weakest of all in self-knowledge. The great, the strong, the inspired Paul, gives this challenge. “Who is weak

" Trust in the L ORD , and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the L ORD ; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD ; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the L ORD , and wait patiently for Him : fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass." -Psalm 37:3-7 [KJV]

It may be asked: when were the elect in Christ Jesus?  All the elect were in Him when they were chosen in Him.  As it is written: “Thine eyes did see My substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all My members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them”  (Psalm 139:16-17).   The substance of Christ mystical, (I Corinthians 12:12-27) that is, all His spiritual members were known and beloved in Christ when they had no being in themselves: yet they were the fullness of Him who filleth all in all.  As it is written: “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all”  (Ephesians 1:22-23).         The church being complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) is from everlasting united to Him: and it is written: “For we are members of His body, of Hi

" Put off the old man." -Ephesians 4:22 [KJV] People who love money better than a good conscience, make nothing of putting off base and counterfeit coin. Christian, you may safely imitate them, in putting off the base old man. The more the love of Christ is in you, the more will you do it.  What is meant by this old man? Corrupt nature, which was born with you, is part of you, lives in you, and will never be dead so long as your body lives. Though near six thousand years old, yet he is very strong and vigorous at times. Yea, though you are a child of God, and a member of Christ, he wants to have the mastery over you. You could never have conquered him, had not Christ crucified him. Though crucified, you can never subdue him, but by the strength of Christ.  Nor you cannot put him off but by the grace of Christ, for he clings and twines round you like a serpent; yet you are commanded to put him off. This is your duty from day to day. But it is not by your might,

"Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death." -Psalm 107:10 [KJV] God's people are here represented not as sitting in death; were they sitting there, they would be dead altogether; but they are sitting in the shadow of death. Observe, death has lost its reality to them; it now can only cast a shadow, often a gloomy shadow, over their souls; but there is no substance. The quickening of the Spirit of God in them has destroyed the substance of death spiritually; and the death and resurrection of Jesus have destroyed the substance of death naturally. Yet, though the gloomy monster, deadness of soul, and that ghastly king of terrors, the death of the body, have been disarmed and destroyed by "Immanuel, God with us;" yet each of them casts at times a gloomy, darkling shadow over the souls of those that fear God. Is not your soul, poor child of God, exercised from time to time with this inward death? Deadness in prayer, deadness in reading the

"...which things the angels desire to look into." -I Peter 1:12 [KJV] My soul, what an argument ariseth out of this view, of the angels of light being inquisitive about man's redemption, to stir thee up to the same most blessed contemplation! If in the apprehension of those intelligent and exalted beings of light, the subject is so glorious, what ought it to be to thee? If, as the words represent, they fix their closest attention, and are lost in admiration, wonder, love, and praise; how is it that thou, who art so deeply interested in the blissful theme, shouldest forget it, as thou dost for hours together, and, even when thou thinkest of it, contemplate it so very coolly? Oh for grace more and more to study Jesus and His love, Jesus and His grace, Jesus and His great salvation! But among the wonders of redemption, is there not one point (and as it concerns thee, my soul, a marvellous one indeed it is) which may well be supposed to call forth the greater