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

"The eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year." -Deuteronomy 11:12  [KJV] Oh for grace, to live always under an abiding sense of this most blessed truth. My soul, never forget it, if possible, but always possess in recollection an abiding apprehension of Jesus's gracious presence. And do Thou, dearest Lord, when Thou art coming forth in mercies, give me grace to. be going forth to meet Thee with praises: and while Thou art bartering Thy riches for my poverty, let all Thy bounties be doubly sweetened in coming from Thine own hand, and being sanctified by Thy blessing, that I may receive all to my soul's joy, and to the praise of the Father's grace in Christ Jesus. Amen.   -preacher Robert Hawker (1753-1827 A.D.) December 28th, THE POOR MAN'S MORNING PORTION      

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed: but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD, that hath mercy on thee."   -Isaiah 54:10  [KJV] What a rest is here for a poor redeemed sinner to stand firm upon, in time, and to all eternity! Well may we cry out concerning Jesus, and His great salvation in Him, "He is a rock, and His work is perfect." Yes, yes, Thou Lord God of my salvation: Thou art my dwelling-place in all generations. My soul, look all around Thee, look within Thee, look every where about Thee. Search, behold, examine diligently, what else will or can afford thee any security. And think what a dying world it is in which thou art dwelling, or rather travelling through. What friend, what brother, what child, what relation, can give thee help of soul, or even of body, when thou most shalt need it? Think what a day, a week, an hour, may bring forth! Amidst all these changes, is...

"Jesus Christ of the seed of David." -II Timothy 2:8  [KJV] Sweet thought! Jesus will have regard to both sexes in His incarnation. He will be of the seed of the woman. He will be also truly and properly man. As both the man and woman had sinned, so redemption shall be for both. But in the holy nature, in which as Redeemer He will come, He will partake of none of their sins. The man shall have no hand in His generation. And the womb of the woman shall be but the deposit of that holy thing so called (Luke 1:35), by the miraculous conception of the Holy Ghost.   So that the body which God the Father prepared Him, belonged to both, but was unconnected with either. He must be truly man; for the law had said, "Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy unto the Lord."  He must be a priest; and no woman could minister in that office. He must be a prophet; and no woman could exercise that province, for it is not permitted for a woman to speak in the church. He ...

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." -John 1:14  [KJV] Turn aside, my soul, this day, from every vain and worldly thought, as Moses did at the bush, and behold by faith the accomplishment of what he then saw in type and figure, of this great sight which the Lord hath made known unto thee. The Word, the uncreated Word, even the eternal Son of God, taking upon Him the nature of man, and uniting both in one Person, that by the union He might be a suitable Saviour for His people. As God, He was mighty to save, and fully competent to the wonderful act. As man; He was a suitable Saviour, for the right of redemption belonged to Him. And as both, He, and He alone, could become a proper Mediator, to reconcile and bring together God and man, which by sin were at variance.    This was the glorious news angels posted down from heaven to proclaim. This was the song of heaven, for which they sung "glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." ...

  Weekend Gospel message to follow for All Hands (24-26DEC21) Heads-Up --- Please find enclosed encouragement in  SO GREAT SALVATION  by the perfect and finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ in saving poor, needy and wretched sinners by His sovereign free grace - God's unmerited favor - from our sins and from Hell: "These things spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said ,  Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may also glorify Thee. As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL, that they might know Thee THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND JESUS CHRIST, whom Thou hast sent."  -John 17:1-3 [KJV] Let us look upon a crucified Christ, as the remedy of all our miseries. His cross has procured a crown —and His passion has expiated our transgressions. His death has disarmed the law —and His blood has washed a believer's soul. His death is the destruction of o...

"Lo, I come." -Psalm 40:7 [KJV] What a longing had old testament saints for the Lord Jesus's coming! And what an earnest wish and prayer it is among new testament believers, for Jesus's coming by the visits of His grace, and the sweet influences of His Holy Spirit, from day to day! My soul, methinks I would realize by faith this day, even this very day, these words of thy Redeemer, as if He were now standing at the door of thine heart, and asking for admission. And shall I not say, under this sweet impression, "Come in, Thou blessed of the Lord, wherefore standest Thou without?"    Oh blessed Jesus, when I consider the many precious instances of Thy coming, set up from everlasting in Thy goings forth for the salvation of Thy chosen, Thy anticipation, in Thy visits before the season of Thy tabernacling in our flesh; Thy visits to the patriarchs and prophets; Thy manifestation openly to the people; Thy secret, sweet, and inexpressibly gracious visits now, and...

"Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself." -Ephesians 1:9  [KJV] My soul, pause over these volumes of divine truth for they are not as so many simple words, but contain vast volumes indeed, and such as a whole eternity will not afford space to read over and finish. The first is a large one indeed—even the mystery of God's will namely, the mystery of redemption, originating in the divine mind, before all worlds. And this is not the smallest part of it, that it should be made known in any degree or measure to thee, my soul, a poor creature of a day, and that day, a day of nothing but sin.    The second volume in this vast subject is another precious part of the same glorious truth; namely, that this mercy of God in Christ is the sole result of God's good pleasure. No foresight, no merit, no pretensions of thine, my soul; no, nor the merits of archangels, becoming in the least the cause. For th...