May 18
21
O, Lamb of God, still keep me near to Thy wounded side
Tis only there in safety and peace I can abide.
What foes and snares surround me, what lusts and fears within!
The grace that sought and found me alone can keep me clean.
‘Tis only in Thee hiding I know my life secure
Only in Thee abiding I steadfast shall endure.
Thine arm the victory gaineth O’er every hurtful foe
The love my heart sustaineth in all its care and woe.
Soon shall my eyes behold Thee with rapture, face to face
The half hath not been told me of all Thy power and grace.
Thy beauty, Lord, and glory the wonders of Thy love
Shall be the endless story of all Thy saints above.
(Tune: “The Church’s One Foundation” p. 186)
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? Luke 15:4
The one lost sheep in this parable, one in a hundred, pictures the elect of God…the remnant according to the election of grace. There was said to be a hundred sheep belonging to the Shepherd but only one of them was lost. The ninety and nine were types of the Pharisees of our Lord’s day…false religionist who thought themselves to be blameless before God and without need of repentance…without need of the work of God’s Spirit to grant that which they could never produce for themselves…repentance and life in Christ. Therefore, because they saw no need of the Shepherd, he did that which he promised he would never do to His people…they were left in the wilderness of despair and unbelief. But the Good Shepherd, Who would never leave nor forsake His own, went after that one lost sheep which was His in covenant love and grace…and found it, as He always does…laid it on His shoulders of omnipotent mercy and grace and brought it home rejoicing…O that He might be pleased to manifest His good pleasure to call out His own today. MS
God has none above Him or below Him who can control Him or resist Him. If God, by His supreme authority, saves us by the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus…who can reverse it? If everybody in the world would forgive us and God withheld forgiveness, what would it profit us? Pastor Scott Richardson
Who Maketh Thee To Differ?
As I was reading this portion of scripture recently Genesis 4: 1-8, my first thought was, “who maketh thee to differ?” (1 Cor. 4:7). Cain and Abel were brothers, they had the same parents. Both were born with the same nature. Raised in the same house, heard the same message of grace. So, what was the difference between them? Why did Abel believe God and Cain remain a rebel, though very religious? Only one answer- GRACE. Grace is always the difference between lost and saved, between faith and unbelief. The difference between Noah and the rest of his wicked generation was- GRACE. In every case where a sinner is saved it is always GRACE. Pastor John Chapman
BE KIND
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians. 4:32)
I used to work with a lady who would always remind people to be sweet. That was good advice. Seek every opportunity to have the attitude of Christ our Savior in all things. The world is full of enough mean spirited people. Be kind to others, considering how kind God has been to you in Christ. The world is full of enough hard hearted, uncaring people. Be tenderhearted, considering how compassionate God has been with you. The world is already full of enough unforgiving people who put up walls and divide people. Be forgiving, considering the miracle of God’s grace: God has forgiven His people through the sacrifice and death of His Son as their Substitute. Nothing can be a greater motivation to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving than looking to Christ our Savior! Pastor Frank Tate
~~~~~~~O~~~~~~~
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1-2
SATAN’S MASTER PLAN
“But I fear; lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”(2 Cor. 11:3).
Satan is the most subtle creature in the world; he has had 6000 years of experience in deceiving, beguiling, and destroying men’s souls. Only God knows more about man than Satan, and no man can stand toe to toe with the devil and win. Satan’s master plan is to make men religious, without knowing and being united to Christ by faith. If he does not succeed in getting a man religious without Christ, he will try to draw him away from the simplicity, which is in Christ, and Him crucified. He has also succeeded if he can get our minds off Christ and on faults and failures of those in the church, and causes these things to hinder us in such a way that we leave off Christ and turn from Him and his church because all we can see is the blemishes of those we worship with. How happy Satan is when lie turns one from the simplicity, which is in Christ. Pastor Don Bell