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

  Jesus the Precious One : Part II     “ Unto you therefore which believe He is precious ”  (1 Peter 2:7).   Jesus is precious.  We especially see that His preciousness shone out in its brilliance from the darkness of Calvary. Watch it stand out in the placard of accusation Pilate attached to the cross, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." (Matthew 27: 37).   What stunningly instructive words are the first three words … "THIS IS JESUS.” They compel us to look at our God hanging on the cross with men hurling their fury at Him. ‘This is Jesus!’ But when we look again, we see that He is not a pathetic victim. He is the Lord Jesus, the Victorious King.  He’s the King of the Jews, yes, but He’s much more.    Consider how, at the Incarnation, we discovered that He was the Saviour King.  The angel said, "Thou shalt call His Name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Then, after His birth, Wise Men arrived inq...

"For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily, I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." -Mark 9:41 [KJV] How little is this attended to in the charities of life! I fear, that even the soul which loveth Jesus most, doth not regulate his alms, whether of this world's goods, or of prayer, or of good wishes, when he giveth them, by this blessed standard. Dost thou not, my soul, plead guilty to this charge? Heavenly Lord! enlighten mine eyes to see Thee in all Thy representatives. And when I have only the cup of cold water to bestow upon any poor needy creature, yet let me give that in Thy name!   'Do you belong to Christ?' should be the only question. This is a claim which carries every thing before it. Is it Jesus, Who, in the person of His poor members, asketh the alms? Doth the Lord of life and glory condescend to be beholden to the poor creatures of His bounty; and of His own absolutely receives as a...

"For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings." - Job 34:21 [KJV] The Christian has to prove that nothing escapes the eye of a just and holy God; that He lays bare every secret thought, searches every hidden purpose, and scrutinizes every desire and every movement of the mind. He thus discovers and brings to light all the secret sins of the heart. Men in general take no notice of heart sins; if they can keep from sins in life, from open acts of immorality, they are satisfied. What passes in the chambers of imagery they neither see nor feel. Not so with the child of grace; he knows the experience described in Psalm 139. He carries about with him the secret conviction that the eye of God reads every thought. Every inward movement of pride and self-righteousness, rebellion, discontent, peevishness, fretfulness, lust, and wantonness, he inwardly feels that the eye of God reads all, marks all, condemns by His righteous law all, and because He is so intrinsic...

"I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit." -I Samuel 1:15 [KJV] My soul, look at Hannah at the mercy-seat, and mark the sorrowful spirit with which she there appeared. Blushing and sorrow, at the feet of Jesus, are among the highest tokens of real heartfelt communion. Perhaps there never was a moment in the life of Hannah, in which faith was in more lively exercise, than in that memorable season. And, perhaps, never did she speed with more success than then; for it is said, that when she arose from before the throne, "she went her way, and her countenance was no more sad."   Now, my soul, take a precious instruction from her example. Do thou go to the throne, and present thyself at the feet of thy Jesus. Let grace have a full and lively exercise in thine heart. See that thy prayers be really and truly heart prayers, and not lip-service. Tell thy Lord how greatly thou needest His grace and mercy; and tell Him, also, how much thy Lord Jesus will get glory in being graciou...

"Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"   - Romans 7:24 [KJV] If the Lord the Spirit has implanted that piteous cry in our soul, "O wretched man that I am!" this will follow as a necessary consequence— "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"  Where shall I look for deliverance? From what quarter can it come? Shall I look to the law? O no! that curses and condemns me, because I am continually breaking it. Can I look to friends? They may pity and sympathise; but they cannot remove the body of sin and death; it is too fast linked on for them to remove. Shall I go to ministers of truth? I may hear what they say with approbation; but there is something more wanted to remove this chilling embrace of the body of sin and death. Shall I look to the Scriptures? They contain the remedy; but I want that remedy to be sweetly applied.  "Who then shall deliver me?"   What refuge can I look to? Whither can I go, or whither shall I turn? F...

"Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the L ORD their God, and David their king." -Hosea 3:5 [KJV] What a sweet scripture is this, and what abundant gospel contained in the bosom of it? "Afterward shall the children of Israel return." After having been long scattered on every high mountain, wandering over the face of the whole earth, the Lord will bring them back; "He that hath scattered Israel will gather him." There shall be abounding grace, for abounding transgression; and what sin hath ruined, grace shall restore. But to whom shall they return? To seek the Lord their God! Yes! This may be done, and this will be done, if the Lord incline their hearts; the same that gives the grace to seek, will give the mercy to find. "He hath never said to the praying seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain!" But it is said also, that they shall return to "David their king."   Alas! David king of Israel, bad been dead many a y...

"O wretched man that I am!" - Romans 7:24 [KJV] Now, these feelings which the Apostle groaned under are experienced by all the quickened family. Blessed then be the name of God most High, that He inspired him to trace out and leave upon record his experience, that we might derive comfort and relief from it. What should we otherwise have thought? We should have reasoned thus: 'Here is an apostle perfectly holy, perpetually heavenly-minded, having nothing but the image of Christ in him, continually living to the Lord's glory, and unceasingly enjoying communion with Him!' We should have viewed him as a perfect saint, if he had not told us what he was; and then, having viewed him as a perfect saint, we should have turned our desponding eyes into our own bosom, and seen such an awful contrast, that we should despair of ever being saved at all! But seeing the soul conflict which the Apostle passed through, and feeling a measure of the same in our own bosom, it encourag...