“Some will tell us that a man may receive spiritual life, and yet may die eternally.  That is to say, a man may be forgiven, and yet be punished afterwards.  He may be justified from all sin, and yet after that his transgression can be laid on his shoulders again.  A man may be born of God, and yet die.  A man may be loved of God, and yet God may hate him tomorrow. . . . As for me, I so deeply believe in the immutable love of Jesus that I suppose that if one believer were to be in hell, Christ himself would not long stay in heaven but would cry, ‘To the rescue!’”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Two Effects of the Gospel,” 27 May 1855.

The day had gone; alone and weak
I groped my way within a bleak
And sunless land.
The path that led into the light I could not find! In that dark night God took my hand.
He led me that I might not stray,
And brought me by a new, safe way I had not known.
By waters still, through pastures green I followed Him–the path was clean
Of briar and stone.
The heavy darkness lost its strength, My waiting eyes beheld at length
The streaking dawn.
On, safely on, through sunrise glow
I walked, my hand in His, and lo,
The night had gone.

-Annie Porter Johnson

From :The Letters of Ruth Bryan, 1805-1860

The Lord’s service perfect freedom

To Mrs. H., 1857.
My own dear Amelia,
It was sweet to meet in His name, whose love is our bond of union, and who is Himself the sweetness of our communion. How stately have been His steps towards each of us! how has He drawn us away from all others, to reveal Himself more fully and gloriously! But, oh, that He should have looked upon so vile a one as myself with love and favor! Oh, that He should have brought me “under the rod, into the bond of the new covenant;” this is a marvel in my eyes! How well do the provisions of that new covenant suit my soul: “I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me.” Blessed Redeemer, let me ever be set as a seal upon Your arm, as a seal upon Your heart, for love is strong as death, and jealousy is cruel as the grave; and be daily sealed anew in my warmest love, that our delights may be ever new and mutual.

I must now thank you for the precious epistle so full of heavenly teaching. You have indeed repaid my long silence with a rich outpouring, which must have cost much time; but I believe as it is refreshing and instructive in reading, so it would be also in writing, and that you would prove the Lord’s service perfect freedom. His reward is with Him whether in doing or suffering, according to His will. With me you have no doubt proved that it is better to labor and endure in His will, than to rest in our own, and thus I doubt not your long epistle was more enriching than exhausting. I rejoice in its Divine lessons, hoping to ponder them in my heart.

That the Lord sent you living truth through me, to nourish His own life in you, is a favor of which I am most unworthy: “Not unto us, not unto us—but unto Your name, give glory.” Where there is a pot of oil in the house, (2 Kings 4:2-4) it will be poured out into empty vessels at the command of our great prophet—but, like the poor widow’s cruse, there shall be no wasting by such using. (1 Kings 17:16)

I rejoice that you have been having communion with our Beloved, and feeding on the Tree of Life; nothing else can nourish the inner man or satisfy living faith. This is the true bread, of which if a man eats, he shall live forever. “He who comes to me shall never hunger; and he who believes on me shall never thirst.” I love to mark the present tense of Scripture which teaches the continuousness of a life of faith—it is not said, He that has come, and has believed—but comes, believes, etc., and even to the end “the just shall live by faith.”

Farewell, my beloved one—every blessing be with you, and the Lord lead you in a plain path because of your enemies.

With tender love, your ever-affectionate,
Ruth

Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Streams in the Desert

Acts 16:6-6

“They were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia” (Acts 16:6).

It is interesting to study the methods of His guidance as it was extended towards these early heralds of the Cross. It consisted largely in prohibitions, when they attempted to take another course than the right. When they would turn to the left, to Asia, He stayed them. When they sought to turn to the right, to Bithynia, again He stayed them. In after years Paul would do some of the greatest work of his life in that very
region; but just now the door was closed against him by the Holy Spirit. The time was not yet ripe for the attack on these apparently impregnable bastions of the kingdom of Satan. Apollos must come there for pioneer work. Paul and Barnabas are needed yet more urgently elsewhere, and must receive further training before undertaking this responsible task.

Beloved, whenever you are doubtful as to your course, submit your judgment absolutely to the Spirit of God, and ask Him to shut against you every door but the right one. Say,

“Blessed Spirit, I cast on Thee the entire responsibility of closing against my steps any and every course which is not of God. Let me hear Thy voice behind me whenever I turn to the right hand or the left.”

In the meanwhile, continue along the path which you have been already treading. Abide in the calling in which you are called, unless you are clearly told to do something else. The Spirit of Jesus waits to be to you, O pilgrim, what He was to Paul. Only be careful to obey His least prohibition; and where, after believing prayer, there are no apparent hindrances, go forward with enlarged heart. Do not be surprised if the answer comes in closed doors. But when doors are shut right and left, an open road is sure to lead to Troas. There Luke awaits, and visions will point the way, where vast opportunities stand open, and faithful friends are waiting. –Paul, by Meyer

Is there some problem in your life to solve, Some passage seeming full of mystery? God knows, who brings the hidden things to light. He keeps the key.

Is there some door closed by the Father’s hand Which widely opened you had hoped to see? Trust God and wait–for when He shuts the door He keeps the key.

Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet, Or answered NOT as you had thought ‘twould be? God will make clear His purpose by-and-by. He keeps the key.

Have patience with your God, your patient God, All wise, all knowing, no long tarrier He, And of the door of all thy future life He keeps the key.

Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest, To know of EVERY door He keeps the key. That He at last when just HE sees ’tis best, Will give it THEE. –Anonymous

(J. R. Miller, “Counsel and Help” 1907)

“Set your minds on things above–not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2

Over the doorway of a church is the inscription: “Only the eternal is important“.

There are a great many things which are not worth our while to do. Some of us spend our days in poor trivialities which bless no one, and which will add no luster to our crown.

Waste no opportunity.

Despise no privilege.

Squander no moment.

One hour lost will leave a flaw.

There is just enough time for you to live your life well–if you spend every moment of it in earnest, faithful duty. A life thus lived in unbroken diligence and faithfulness, will have no regrets when the end comes. Its work will be completed.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

Growing up I had a lot of problems in my relationship with my Mom.  It seems like over the years we fought more than we ever got along,  and for so long I was haunted by lost time.  Looking back it seems like all I ever wanted was her love, and it was daily fight and struggle trying to figure out how to go about that, and I never did get it right.  I became a Christian at 38 and I understood forgiveness, but having gone through so many painful struggles I still wanted someone, or something to “make everything better”. I thought if my relationship with my Mom, or friends or a spouse was working it was for me…it took me years to realize the kind of love that Jesus Christ requires of me is just the opposite but I was still so needy, so fractured and broken and like Humpty Dumpty thinking someone needed to put me back together again. Thank goodness a few years ago my Mom and I finally got that relationship I had been dreaming of.

It’s funny, all I had to do was stop expecting anything and just love her.

We talked every day and I was so happy that when I called her or went to see her she actually wanted to see me, she loved me and I loved her. Sadly several years later she got sick and ended up with dementia and our precious time together was cut short. It seemed like I was cheated in a way, we had only a few years but God is merciful and He allowed me to realize that those two brief years were precious. I was not owed any more and those few times are a gift.  I have had to learn to see my Mother as the same woman, but with a completely different personality and it’s been so difficult. That woman who was so strong she survived cancer 5 times now has no idea how to use a straw. It’s humbling and I depend on God’s grace to not break down into tears constantly, when I am weak….he’s like the Incredible Hulk. I could never do this without Him.

She is is very ill now,  89 and  her death hovers around me like a misty cloud. Some days I can only see the rain and winds but other days it’s like a veil, it shields me from the reality of pain and the fear of losing her. I am able to tune out the turbulent feelings and see her just as she is, a gift to me and I am so thankful. The simple act of feeding her or stroking her hair is a blessing. I enjoy her snoring, her rare smiles or kisses.  I was driving home today and I realized after 9 years of salvation I think I finally understand what liberation and freedom we have in Christ, even in ways we seldom think about. I am free from years of pain and trauma, I can love my Mother just to love her. I don’t need anyone to fix me, or even comfort me. Christ has done all that and continues to. Through Him I can just love people, no strings. And like Him, that’s more than enough for me.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

There are mornings when I wake up feeling fragile. Vulnerable. It’s often vague. No single threat. No one weakness. Just an amorphous sense that something is going to go wrong and I will be responsible. It’s usually after a lot of criticism. Lots of expectations that have deadlines and that seem too big and too many.

As I look back over about 50 years of such periodic mornings, I am amazed how the Lord Jesus has preserved my life. And my ministry. The temptation to run away from the stress has never won out — not yet anyway. This is amazing. I worship him for it.

How has he done this? By desperate prayer and particular promises. I agree with Spurgeon: I love the “I wills” and the “I shalls” of God.

Instead of letting me sink into a paralysis of fear, or run to a mirage of greener grass, he has awakened a cry for help and then answered with a concrete promise.

Here’s an example. This is recent. I woke up feeling emotionally fragile. Weak. Vulnerable. I prayed: “Lord help me. I’m not even sure how to pray.”

An hour later I was reading in Zechariah, seeking the help I had cried out for. It came. The prophet heard great news from an angel about Jerusalem:

Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it. And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst. (Zechariah 2:4–5)

There will be such prosperity and growth for the people of God that Jerusalem will not be able to be walled in any more. “The multitude of people and livestock” will be so many that Jerusalem will be like many villages spreading out across the land without walls.

But walls are necessary! They are the security against lawless hordes and enemy armies. Villages are fragile, weak, vulnerable. Prosperity is nice, but what about protection?

To which God says in Zechariah 2:5, “I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord.” Yes. That’s it. That is the promise. The “I will” of God. That is what I need. And if it is true for the vulnerable villages of Jerusalem, it is true for me a child of God. God will be a “wall of fire all around me.” Yes. He will. He has been. And he will be.

And it gets better. Inside that fiery wall of protection he says, “And I will be the glory in her midst.” God is never content to give us the protection of his fire; he will give us pleasure of his presence.

This was sweet to me. This carried me for days. I took this with me to the pulpit. I took it with me to family gatherings. I took it to staff meetings. I took it to phone calls and emails.

This has been my deliverance every time since I was first marking my King James Bible at age 15. God has rescued me with cries for help and concrete promises. This time he said: “I will be to her a wall of fire all around, and I will be the glory in her midst.”

Cry out to him. Then ransack the Bible for his appointed promise. We are fragile. But he is not.

Burdens now may crush me down
disappointments, they’re all around
troubles speak in mournful sigh
sorrow through a tear-stained eye
There is a world where pleasure reigns
no mourning soul shall roam its plains
and to that land of peace in glory
I’ve got to go someday

I do not know how long it will be
nor what the future holds for me
but this I know, this I know:
if Jesus leads me
I shall go home someday

(J.C. Ryle, “The Cost!“)

“Any of you who does not give up everything he has, cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33

What does it cost to be a Christian?

I grant freely that it costs little to be a mere outward Christian. A man has only got to attend a place of worship twice on Sunday, and to be tolerably moral during the week — and he has gone as far as thousands around him ever go in religion. All this is cheap and easy work — it entails no self-denial or self-sacrifice. If this is saving Christianity and will take us to Heaven when we die — we must alter the description of the way of life, and write, “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to Heaven!”

But it does cost something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are . . .
enemies to be overcome,
battles to be fought,
sacrifices to be made,
an Egypt to be forsaken,
a wilderness to be passed through,
a cross to be carried,
a race to be run.
Conversion is not putting a man in a soft armchair, and taking him pleasantly to Heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory. Hence arises the unspeakable importance of “counting the cost.”

True Christianity will cost a man . . .
his self-righteousness,
his sins,
his love of ease, and
the favor of the world.

A religion which costs nothing — is worth nothing!

A cheap, easy Christianity, without a cross — will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown!