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

" In whomsoever the old man is not crucified with Christ, let him think what he will of himself, he is a servant of sin.  If he have not received virtue from the death of Christ, if he be not wrought unto a conformity to Him therein, whatever else he may do or attain, however he may in any thing , in many things, change his course and reform his life, he serves sin, and not God ... If we expect to be freed from the service of sin by its own giving over to press its dominion upon us [*in other words, if we think for a moment that sin is going to surrender its reign in our members] , or by any composition with it, or any other way but by being always killing or destroying of it, we do but deceive our own souls. -preacher John Owen

Storms, Sinking Ships and the Sleeping Saviour , Part II   by D.G. Miles McKee   Just to recap on our story, the disciples have followed Jesus straight into a storm and has gone to sleep (see Mark 4). The disciples start to panic and they waken Jesus with the cruelest of words, “Don’t you care that we are about to perish?” Then, in one of the great biblical scenes, the creator of the universe arises from His sleep, stretches Himself to His full height and rebukes the storm by calling out “Peace be still” or in one word “HUSH!”  Suddenly, the wind got quiet, the waves got quiet and even big Peter got quiet.  The disciples knew they were in the presence of majesty.  It’s no wonder they asked, “Behold what manner of man is this that even the winds and the waves obey Him?”   It’s no wonder they were amazed; Jesus had just given them a revelation of His deity! There are so many applications that can be made from this passage of scripture but for our purposes we must confine o

" And because ye are sons, GOD hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father ." -Galatians 4:6 [KJV] It is the peculiar glory of gospel grace, that sinners are made sons of God. Here is the joyful knowledge of it, by the Spirit. Here is the precious boldness of children to God, my Father. The glory of the whole Trinity is in this verse, Lord help us to consider—the Spirit—His cry—and where He cries.  (1st.) The Spirit. Mind, He is called the Spirit of Christ, the Son of God. For He comes to us from Christ, His office is to testify of Christ, to glorify Him; for He takes of the things of Christ, and shews them to us (John 16:14.) He convinces us of sin: our want of righteousness: gives us a right judgment of Christ, and His work for our salvation: leads us to Christ, begets us to a lively hope in Him, and becomes to our souls, a spirit of adoption, because we are the sons of God, by faith in Christ.  Then, (2d.) He gives us a cry. He