Surviving according to what He treasures as our need

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever."
Philippians 4:19-20

People have told me, the human race needs three specific things, food, water and shelter to survive. Do they? What is surviving? No, food, water and shelter do not provide means of surviving. Yes, they physically maintain our flesh from day to day, but every moment that passes this flesh is decaying. Food, water and shelter are not the means of what will cause me to survive, nor those whom I know that have survived to live on. These so called needs could not offer any slight hope of true sustenance. Actually, I have yet to survive. Not until I meet my Makers face will I know full survival. His means of survival is for our souls for all eternity through the power of His Holy Spirit. He does not decay; therefore, we do not decay in Him but are renewed with steadfastness of His spirit whether we have these physical amenities or not. Know Him and know His hope, and survive for the eternity of your soul. As the scripture above tells us, God gives according to His riches and the greatest treasure is Christ and in perspective of eternity, there is nothing else that we need. He may chose to use what He pleases, whether taking or giving of any means to make this truth known to us. What He chooses to supply is for the sake of His glory and He has supplied infinite grace. "Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4, Deut.8:3

"Whatsoever is good for God's children they shall have it; for all is theirs to help them towards heaven; therefore if poverty be good they shall have it; if disgrace or crosses be good they shall have them; for all is ours to promote our greatest prosperity."
--Richard Sibbes


(Knowing these truths does not mean to withhold any gifts that are provided from those who are without them or to not use them ourselves. Rather it means to present them as a source of His goodness to proclaim the gospel and to take them as nourishment for our bodies as His word is for our souls. We should never forget this.)

Steady sovereignty of a good God

"I can hardly recollect a single plan of mine, of which I have not since seen reason to be satisfied, that had it taken place in season and circumstance just as I proposed, it would, humanly speaking, have proved my ruin; or at least it would have deprived me of the greater good the Lord had designed for me. We judge of things by their present appearances, but the Lord sees them in their consequences, if we could do so likewise we should be perfectly of His mind; but as we cannot, it is an unspeakable mercy that He will manage for us, whether we are pleased with His management or not; and it is spoken of as one of his heaviest judgments, when He gives any person or people up to the way of their own hearts, and to walk after their own counsels."
-- John Newton

"The world rings changes, it is never constant but in its disappointments. The world is but a great inn, where we are to stay a night or two, and be gone; what madness is it so to set our heart upon our inn, as to forget our home?"
-- Thomas Watson

"Nothing is more contrary to a heavenly hope than an earthly heart."
-- William Gurnall


To hope in the Lord's sovereignty, to seek release of earth, to be weary of sin, to long for Him.

Faith for All

I treasure divine appointments! They are so intricately designed, and when we follow the Holy Spirit (sometimes we just think it is our "gut") our lives become so meaningful!

Tonight I bumped into a friend at the grocery store and we took a few minutes to chat. They were asking how I have been and commented on how much they enjoyed my writings during Mom's illness. One of their comments was, "your faith is so strong." On my drive home I got to thinking about that...

Yes, my faith is a personal decision and I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes, I seek daily to submit my life to His will. But honestly there is nothing special about me that allows me this privilege. This faith is a gift and is it waiting for every single person, all you have to do is accept it!

If you think you are too good, you are wrong. If you think you are too bad, you are wrong. If you think it does not matter at all, you are wrong. You do not have to change a thing, I dare say it is impossible to change on your own anyway! Once you accept this gift, the Holy Spirit will begin to teach you God's will, and the more you submit to Him the more abundant your life will be.

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For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed."
Paul's letter to Rome, chapter 10, verses 9 to 11

The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.
Second Letter from Peter, chapter 3, verse 9

Let us rejoice :)

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 188:24

"For our heart rejoices in Him,Because we trust in His holy name."
Psalm 33:21

"your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you."
John 16:22

"And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord."
John 20:20

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"
Philippians 4:4


"and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,"
1 Peter 1:8

Breakfast

Last week, my dad and I were out having breakfast together. As an elderly couple was leaving the restaurant, the lady stopped at our table, rested her fragile hand on my arm and commented on what she had observed. Her words made me teary in the kindness that she spoke to a stranger, knowing that what she had seen and spoke of, I had not taught myself. Actually, myself by itself is corrupt and deceitful in sin, there is nothing about me to notice any good. I am unable to articulate to you what my heart carries in knowing grace through ransom from this deceitful corruption. Christ, He is good and through His ministry of reconciliation His Holy Spirit abides.

God created me in the womb of a God fearing women that was married to a man who would deeply love and provide for his family. As I grew under my mothers guidance, she joyfully proclaimed Truth to my sisters and me. We remember her sweet, gentle words. We remember her comforting care. We remember our dear mommy. She was the one that taught us at the breakfast table, so as this lady commented for my ears to hear, it was not me that she was speaking well of at all, it was my mother and God's grace.

Horseback children

I would like to share with you what this horse does! She carries little children on her back, some of whom are unable to use their legs, are non-verbal, or any number of disabilities(but I don't really like calling it disabilities because each individual was created with the perfect abilities that the Creator intended for them to have). This is one of many horses used for therapy to children who are struggling in various ways. I am astounded by the servant who started this ranch and the dreams that she has for it in the future...all attending to the "least of these" for God's glory.

Perfect loveliness

In the heavenly marriage, the bride to the Lamb of God will one day be perfected to perfect loveliness. Christ will return to be glorified in all the saints who have believed. The glory of God will be her(the bride's) brilliance. Those whose names are written in the Lambs book of life will partake in the marriage supper of the Lamb, on that glorious day when the old has passed away and the new has come.

I am disgusted by my sin and oh, how I wait for the day when it will be no more and all temptation lost with complete adoration and treasure of the holy One. Occurrences in my life have led me to become ardently interested in and delight in the thoughts of heaven, where believers glory in the presence of God, where no tears, no death, no mourning, no crying, no pain exists. All the things of earth have passed away for them, as it has for one most precious to me. I ponder the loveliness she has met and find myself in utter awe and desire of knowing this manifestation of perfect love with no hindrances.

"When all the common fruits of the Spirit cease with respect to particular persons at death, and with respect to the whole church at the end of the world, while charity shall still remain in heaven, and there the spirit of God shall be poured forth and manifested in perfect love in every heart to all eternity...the heavenly state of the church is distinguished from its earthly state, as it is that state which God has designed especially for such a communication of his Holy Spirit, and in which it shall be given perfectly, whereas, in the present state of the church, it is given with great imperfection. And it is also a state in which this holy love or charity shall be, as it were, the only gift or fruit of the spirit, as being the most perfect and glorious of all, and which, being brought to perfection, renders all other gifts that God was wont to bestow on his church on earth, needless...Heaven is a part of creation that God has built for this end, to be the place of his glorious presence, and it is his abode forever; and here will he dwell, and gloriously manifest himself to all eternity. And this renders heaven a world of love; for God is the fountain of love, as the sun is the fountain of light. And therefore the glorious presence of God in heaven fills heaven with love, as the sun, placed in the midst of the visible heavens in a clear day, fills the world with light. The apostle tells us that 'God is love'; and therefore, seeing he is an infinite being, it follows that he is an infinite fountain of love. Seeing he is an all-sufficient being, it follows that he is full and overflowing, an inexhaustible fountain of love. And in that he is an unchangeable and eternal being, he is an unchangeable and eternal fountain of love...There, in heaven, this infinite fountain of love - this eternal Three in One - is set open without any obstacle to hinder access to it, as it flows forever. There this glorious God is manifested, and shines forth, in full glory, in beams of love. And there this glorious fountain forever flows forth in streams, yea, in rivers of love and delight, and these rivers swell, as it were, to an ocean of love, in which the souls of the ransomed may bathe with the sweetest enjoyment, and their hearts, as it were, be deluged with love!"

---Jonathan Edwards

Marriage

I write this, not from experience but from keen observation. I write this knowing that I do not have wisdom on the basis and depths of these precepts, having not known them myself but only deeply affected by means of witnessing such things in the lives of those most dear to me. Things perceived when moments were most happy and when moments were deep with sorrow. I have observed marriage, a fervent love. From the mouths of those whom I speak of, it has been proclaimed that great joy is found in marriage. The source of joy in this relationship does not come from merely the two people, but the experiences that the Giver places upon them. Beloved soul, be careful not to seek supreme contentment in an earthen vessel, for in it sin is revealed and one day the outcome is loss. I must acknowledge that apart from Christ(where in Him no sin can be revealed and no loss of Him ever known) no joy exists but rather trapped desperation. This joy is not of ourselves, therefore, it cannot be found in another mortal being, so it must be shared by each other, not sought in one another. The joy that resounds in a believers marriage(those pursuing holiness) is beautiful to watch because it consists of sacrificial commitment, trusting in the Sovereign, hoping in grace, enduring pain and persisting through hurt. The commitment, trust, hope, endurance and persistence come from the same Giver that allowed the pain and hurt to occur. As a result of these moments, or months or years joy is granted in grace by the means of ordained grief. (It is not only in the contexts of marriage that this deep grief occurs, but that is the most intimate of human relationships created by God.) We see no greater picture of this than at the cross, where no greater sorrow and no greater joy can be found.

Now, I must tell you of a heavenly marriage that is bound by this act of the cross. This marriage is eternal, never ending by any cause. The bridegroom, the Lamb of God, Christ is the husband of His bride, the church, the body of believers. It is the result of sin that death parts an earthly marriage but it is because of our sin and His love that Christ came to conquer sin and death through the power of the cross and resurrection to grant an eternal marriage of which we are never parted. Sin separates us from God, Christ reconciles us by His perfect sacrifice. By this reconciliation, in grace, we are given an everlasting, loving marriage to the sweet Lamb of God. Praise be to Him who grants cleansing of sin, putting upon us the spotless robe of righteousness that we forever wear as God's bride. Here lies joy. This truth should cause us to mourn over our sin and to have a holy fear towards the Lord with thankful hearts, rejoicing in His works alone.

The Gospel Brings Tidings

The gospel brings tidings, glad tidings indeed,
To mourners in Zion, who want to be freed,
From sin and Satan, and Mount Sinai’s flame,
Good news of salvation, through Jesus the Lamb.

What sweet invitations, the gospel contains,
To men heavy laden, with bondage and chains;
It welcomes the weary, to come and be blessed,
With ease from their burdens, in Jesus to rest.

For every poor mourner, who thirsts for the Lord,
A fountain is opened, in Jesus the Word;
Their poor parched conscience, to cool and to wash,
From guilt and pollution, from dead works and dross.

A robe is provided, their shame now to hide,
In which none are clothed, but Jesus is bride;
Though it be costly, yet is the robe free,
And all Zion’s mourners, shall decked with it be.

---William Gadsby 1814

Unveiled faces beholding

"Here [in Christ] is the fairest representation that ever the world had or that could be had, of this most delectable object. The Divine holiness incarnate did never shine so bright. And we may easily apprehend the great advantage of having so lively and perfect a model set before us of what we are to design and aim at. Rules and precepts could never have afforded so full a description or have furnished us with so perfect an idea.
Look steadily to Jesus, “with open face” behold the gory of the Word, and be “changed from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18).
Truth is the means of holiness (John 17:17)… We have this practical truth not only exhibited in aphorisms and maxims in the Word, but we have it exemplified in the life of Christ. And when the great renovating work is to be done, the old man to be put off, the new man to be put on, the spirit of our mind to be renewed, our business is to learn Christ and the truth as it is in Jesus. (Eph. 4:20-24)"
—John Howe

Hark the Voice of Love and Mercy

Hark! the voice of love and mercy
Sounds aloud from Calvary;
See, it rends the rocks asunder,
Shakes the earth, and veils the sky:
“It is finished!” “It is finished!”
“It is finished!” Hear the dying Savior cry;
Hear the dying Savior cry.

“It is finished!” O what pleasure
Do these precious words afford;
Heav’nly blessings, without measure,
Flow to us from Christ the Lord:
“It is finished!” “It is finished!”
“It is finished!” Saints the dying words record;
Saints the dying words record.

Finished all the types and shadows
Of the ceremonial law;
Finished all that God had promised;
Death and hell no more shall awe:
“It is finished!” “It is finished!”
“It is finished!” Saints, from hence your comfort draw;
Saints, from hence your comfort draw.

Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs,
Join to sing the glorious theme;
All in earth, and all in heaven,
Join to praise Emmanuel’s Name;
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Glory to the bleeding Lamb!
Glory to the bleeding Lamb!

---hymn by Jon­a­than Eva­ns, Ben­ja­min Fran­cis 1787