My ruling desire! (James Smith, “Christ Exalted, Saints Comforted, and Sinners Directed” 1855) My ruling desire is to be wholly given up to the Lord and to His work, and to show forth His praises from day to day. But when I aim at this most — I am baffled, opposed, and always hindered! I […]
Our Best is Worthy of Death (1 Samuel 15:15) “And Saul said, … the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed … (1 Samuel 15:33) And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.” The […]
Absolutely Sovereign Clay Curtis Psalm 76:10: Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. If we deny the absolute sovereignty of God we do not deny it because we think it belittles God. Whether we know it or not we do it TO BELITTLE GOD AND EXALT SELF. […]
Cain, Esau, Saul, Ahab, Judas (J. C. Philpot) “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Cor. 7:10 These two kinds of repentance are to be carefully distinguished from each other; though they are often sadly confounded. Cain, Esau, Saul, Ahab, Judas, all repented. But […]
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (J. C. Philpot, “Strength Made Perfect in Weakness”) Not your strength, not your wisdom, not your prayers, not your experience; but “My grace”—My free, My matchless grace, independent of all works and efforts, independent of everything in […]
O LORD, Pardon Chris Cunningham For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. (Psalm 25:11) The fact that David’s sin was great might seem a strange argument to set forth to God as a reason for forgiving it. It might seem more properly a reason not to forgive it. Certainly […]
Forgiveness Works Clay Curtis If a man has ever truly heard the spirit of the law speak and beheld a glimpse of the depth of his sin, if he’s had fear strike his soul at the law’s condemning sentence, “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!” then heard the Lord Jesus Christ whisper, “Lo, this hath touched thy lips; […]
Growing worse? (John Angell James, “Christian Progress” 1853) One of the last lessons we effectually learn, is that true godliness is a constant conflict in a believer’s heart–between sin and holiness. Some sincere believers mistake a clearer view, and deeper sense of their depravity, for an actual increase of sin. The Christian seems sometimes to […]
FREE AT LAST Our freedom from slavery under sin is as sure as our justification from sin because it is by Christ Jesus and not us. Romans 6: 4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, […]
Smokin’,Drinkin’,and Cussin’ People love to be preached to about their sins and told to quit smoking, drinking, cussing, and to be kind to their neighbor, tithe, and go to church, etc. It’s because when they are able to manage these outward things, they can feel good about themselves. If I am only a sinner because […]