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

"Behold! He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him." —Revelation 1:7 [KJV] With what ardor of heart may every believer cry out, blessed be God, every hour brings nearer the solemn advent, the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus! "O Christians, now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed." Come, Thou once despised Nazarene, Thou once crucified Saviour: He shall come; He will come quickly, and be seen in human form. Shall we not see those wounds and scars in His body, the tokens of His inestimable love to and perfect victory of His cross for us poor sinners?  How joyful in the exercise of faith, the fervor of love, the expectation of hope, is this contemplation! This quells the fears of nature, mortifies its lusts, subdues its corruptions. To this end are we born again of the Spirit, that we should enjoy the visions of faith, see Jesus, live by faith upon Him, have fellowship with Him in the sufferings of His ...

" For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." —Philippians 1:21 [KJV] O happy, happy soul! who can thus say with Paul, "in life, in death, Christ is my gain!" Verily, if thou believest on the Son of God, thou mayest. Thou also hast the same right and the same reason as he had. Paul was a poor sinner, even as thou art; but Christ was all his gain: so He is to thee and every one who believes in Him. Come Christian, let us, like the wise trader, state our accounts of loss and gain and see the sum total this day.  In self-righteousness before God, peace with God, love to God, hope in God, power to please God, enjoyment of God, the life of our souls, yea, our souls themselves are ALL LOST. We are all a lump of sin, bankrupt sinners, insolvent debtors to law and justice, and are exposed to lie for ever in the prison of hell. Awful loss. What is our GAIN? Inestimable riches! nothing less than precious Christ, and a precious salvation! O, is His dear name ...

" The word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe." —I Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV] A proclamation of grace from an earthly king has reduced the most desperate and hardened rebels to lay down their arms and promise true allegiance. But though the word of God is a proclamation of free grace, glad tidings of full pardon; though replete with the most tender expostulations and the most endearing invitations, yet so abominable is our perverseness, so daring our obstinacy, that we should remain deaf to every call, and continue hardened in our rebellion against the most high God, till we fall victims to His justly deserved wrath.  For unbelief shuts up every avenue of the soul against the light, truth, peace, and love of the word of God. But, O amazing love! Lie in the dust, O my soul! adore the power of our all-conquering Saviour! The gracious Spirit makes gracious words effectual. Hence faith esteems every portion of the gospel as the food, the life, t...

" Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." —Hebrews 11:1 [KJV] Happiness, that inestimable jewel, every man is in search after. But to seek it from objects unseen and invisible to our natural senses, is a downright paradox, and will be ever condemned as the greatest absurdity in the judgment of depraved sense and carnal reason. In the knowledge, love, and enjoyment of God, true happiness alone consists. The only living and true God hath revealed himself in Christ Jesus. This is the Christian's God.  He knows no other. It is a blessed truth built upon and supported by the word of God. By faith this subsists in his mind, and is clear and evident to his newborn soul. From this inward believing, "That God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself," O what an extensive prospect for hope ariseth! God in Christ; the promises all in Christ; he that believeth is in Christ. Christ dwelleth in his heart by faith:...

" Can there be a time or season,  When our thanks must silent lie? Times when saints can find no reason,  To lift up their praise on high? No, there’s always blessing flowing,  Even when our tears flow too! For His mercy is ongoing,  Grace is given each day, anew. Oft, we find our tongue is ready,  To sing out our grateful song; When the pantry, filled with plenty,  Speaks of food for days to come. Then we must not trust the blessing,  For ‘tis but the Blesser’s store. Our dependence still confessing,  Let us thank Him all the more!   When the stall and store are empty,  And it seems there’ll be no more; When, with doubting, Satan tempts thee,  Loudly sounds His frightening roar, With still louder thanks and praises,  List those everlasting goods: He our sin fore’er erases,  Fills our souls with heav’nly food. Are we stunned with grief expressless,  For the Lord has taken away, One our heart held close and precious- O...

The Gospel and the Believer. Part 1 by D. G. Miles McKee   "Christian, should your eye ever be withdrawn from the cross, you will be sure to go backwards, to grow cold, and to forget that you were purged from your old sins (see II Peter 1:9) . That cross is life, health, holiness, consolation, strength, joy; let nothing come between it and you.” -preacher Horatius Bonar: ‘Follow The Lamb’ Paul knew that the knowledge of Christ crucified was the highest knowledge we could obtain.  Indeed, Christ, His person, work and offices, are the hub and center of all gospel truth.  We believers have the privilege, therefore, to ‘Look unto Jesus’ and to occupy ourselves with Him.   The message we are to share is about a Person … Jesus Christ. And yes of course we include His benefits but our message is to be centred on Him. Our message is about who the Lord Jesus is, His doing, dying, rising, ascension and session (sitting down) at the place of cosmic authority. No...

" Wait on the L ORD : be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the L ORD ." —Psalm 27:14 [KJV] "Be of good courage!" Alas, how can one be so, when all sense and feeling tend to dishearten the mind and deject the soul. Lively frames in duty, sweet enlargements of heart, heavenly transports of joy, delightful ecstasies of faith, ravishing tastes of love, all, all, like Noah's dove, have taken their flight; and I fear, says the drooping soul, never, never more to return.  Truly, like Hezekiah, "I mourn as a dove, mine eyes fail with looking upward, O L ORD I am oppressed, undertake for me." —Isaiah 38:14 . Still, saith the Comforter (the Holy Ghost) by His word, "Be of good courage." Remember thy calling: It is to live by faith, to honor thy Lord, and be obedient to His word. Thou hast the sentence of death in thyself, that thou shouldst not trust in thyself, lest thine heart depart from thy Lo...