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Thoughts and MeditationsPersonal comments made by David F. Reagan unless otherwise stated
July 31, 2006 God Must be All-Powerful – Stephen Charnock, in The Existence and Attributes of God: Volume 2 (p.15), speaks of the necessity of the absolute power of God. “It contributes life and activity to all the other perfections of his nature. How vain would be his eternal counsels, if power did not step in to execute them! His mercy would be a feeble pity, if he were destitute of power to relieve; and his justice a slighted scarecrow, without power to punish; his promises an empty sound, without power to accomplish them. As holiness is the beauty, so power is the life of all his attributes in their exercise; and as holiness, so power, is an adjunct belonging to all, a term that may be given to all. God hath a powerful wisdom to attain his ends without interruption: he hath a powerful mercy to remove our misery; a powerful justice to lay all misery upon offenders: he hath a powerful truth to perform his promises; an infinite power to bestow rewards, and inflict penalties.” Lukewarm Christians – “Of all spiritual states, lukewarmness is most abhorrent to God, and grieving to the Holy Spirit. ‘I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” [Revelation 3:15-16]. Thus has God declared his utter detestation of this state. And yet, who contemplates it in this awful light; who pauses to examine himself, to ascertain what real progress his soul is making—what grace is enfeebled—what part of the Spirit’s work is decayed—what spot of his soul is barren and unfruitful, and how far he is secretly and effectually grieving the Holy Spirit, by a known, allowed, and cherished state of spiritual declension? “If, after all his skill, it must be affecting to the architect to witness the decay of his building; if so to the parent, after his costly expenditure of means in education, to witness the fond hopes he cherished of his child blasted, how infinitely more is the Spirit affected and grieved to behold the temple he has erected at such a cost, falling to decay; the soul he had taught with such care and solicitude, receding into a state of coldness and formality in its spiritual duties and affections!” –from Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul by Octavius Winslow (p.131-132).Have I? – In the months after his conversion in 1735, George Whitefield kept a Diary to help him grow in his Christian life. “The Diary begins with a list of criteria which he used each night as a basis of judging himself on his actions during the day. The list is, Have I:
“Each day’s entry in the Diary is in two parts, a page to a part. On one page he lists the specific activities of each hour of the day and makes a self-examination, on the basis of the criteria, of the merits or demerits of each hour. On the second page he records any unusual activity throughout the day, but above all, gives expression to his inner self. The longings of his soul, a searching of his motives, severe self-reproach for the slightest wrong and bursts of praise to God, are all recorded without inhibition.” –from George Whitefield: Volume 1 by Arnold Dallimore (p.80-81).
July 28, 2006 Protected by the Great Spirit – In “1742, Count von Zinzendorf, the famous Moravian leader, made a trip to the American colonies and became interested in spreading the gospel among the Shawnee, about whom he had heard so much. The Shawnee in turn resented his intrusion and conspired to kill him. One September evening, when Zinzendorf was busily attending his journal, a rattlesnake that slithered into his warm tent passed undetected over one of the man’s legs: “ ‘At this moment, the Indians softly approached the door of his tent, and slightly removing the curtain, contemplated the venerable man, too deeply engaged in the subject of his thoughts, to notice either their approach, or the snake which lay before him. At a sight like this, even the heart of the savages shrunk from the idea of committing so horrid an act; and, quitting the spot, they hastily returned to the town, and informed their companions, that the great spirit protected the white man, for they had found him with no door but a blanket, and had seen a large rattlesnake crawl over his legs without attempting to injure him.’ ” –from Faithful Volunteers: The History of Religion in Tennessee by Stephen Mansfield and George Grant (p.14-15); second paragraph quote from Life of Tecumseh by Benjamin Drake. Recreating God – “Those who turn from God have nothing but gods of their own making, and these false gods inevitably take concrete form in human life [Romans 1:23]. Idolatry externalizes a false image of the divine. Even as Moses was on the mountain receiving these commandments, the people turned from God. They lost patience. Where was the One who had led them into such a godforsaken wilderness? They wanted a god who would stay put, a god who would be useful as they journeyed toward whatever the future held. “So they imagined a different deity, and making their imagination concrete, they fashioned a golden calf [Exodus 32:4]. They did not think they had abandoned the God who had saved them (“These be thy gods, O Israel,” Aaron said, “which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt”). But they refashioned God to fit their expectations and to service their desires. They reduced God to a more manageable deity; they exchanged the saving God for a trivial god.” –from The Trivialization of God by Donald W. McCullough (p.15).
July 24, 2006 Nominal Christians – Operation World by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk (p.13-14) points out the worldwide problem of those who are Christians by name only: “Nominalism has become a major issue. In many countries the ‘Christians’ themselves need to be evangelized. Their spiritual needs cannot be ignored. Living in the after-glow of a Christian heritage does not confer eternal life. Many traditionally Christian populations know nothing of a personal faith, true repentance from sin and a trust in the finished work of Christ for their salvation. It is estimated that 1.2 billion (60%) are nominal and non-practicing ‘Christians.’ Many millions more trust more in their good deeds than in God’s grace for salvation. Many areas of Europe, Latin America and parts of Africa and Asia are Christianized but unconverted. Occultism and sin reign unchallenged. Pray for renewal, re-evangelization and new growth in such areas.” See 2Timothy 3:5. Law of Conservation of Information – The “Law of Conservation of Information, which runs as follows: No process of logical reasoning—no mere act of mind or computer-programmable operation—can enlarge the information content of the axioms and premises or observation statements from which it proceeds… deduction merely makes explicit information that is already there. It is not a procedure by which new information can be brought into being… “The Law of Conservation of Information makes it clear that from observation statements or descriptive laws having only empirical furniture there is no process of reasoning by which we may derive theorems having to do with first and last things… I [personal comment by Medawar] do not believe that revelation is a source of information, though I acknowledge that it is widely believed to be so—and that Coleridge judged theology Queen of the Pure Sciences for that very reason.” –from The Limits of Science by P. B. Medawar (p.79-82). See Deuteronomy 29:29; Job 11:7; Romans 11:33.
July 21, 2006 Prayer is No Unusual Noise – “Stonewall Jackson, the great general, received a complaint one night from a subordinate officer. The officer read to the General the articles of war which demand punishment upon those who make unusual noise in the tents of soldiers during the night season. General Jackson asked the subordinate officer, ‘What sort of noise is being made by the soldiers in the night season?’ He replied, ‘It’s what they call praying.’ General Jackson said, ‘God forbid that praying should ever become an unusual noise in the Army that I command!’ I fear praying in the night season is becoming unusual among soldiers of the cross.” –from Prayer, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living by William McComas (p.15). See Psalm 42:8; Luke 6:12; Acts 16:25. Encouraged by his own Sermon – The sermons of Charles Spurgeon went all over the world and were often preached by other preachers. “One of the most beautiful and positive incidents of the plagiarism of Spurgeon occurred in Charles’ own experience. As has been noted, Spurgeon at times fell into despondency and depression. His depression would even run so deep on occasion that he would begin to question his own relationship to God, and if he truly had been saved. Once, in such a state, he walked into a small chapel to spend an hour in worship with the people, unknown to the congregation and to the preacher as well. In the grace of God, the pastor preached one of Spurgeon’s sermons on the assurance of faith. Spurgeon, deeply and profoundly touched, said that he ‘made my handkerchief wet with my tears’ as God spoke to him through the message and gave him the full assurance of faith. “When the service concluded, Charles went to the pastor and expressed how profoundly grateful he was for the message and how it had touched his life. The pastor asked who he might be. One can imagine the embarrassment when he found out that Charles Haddon Spurgeon was the visitor. As Charles expressed it, the pastor ‘turned all manner of colors.’ The good preacher said, very sheepishly, ‘Oh, Mr. Spurgeon, that was your sermon.’ Spurgeon in his typical gracious and Christlike demeanor replied, ‘Yes, I know, but wasn’t it gracious of the Lord to feed me with the food that I had prepared for others.’ –from Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Lewis Drummond (p.327-328). See Proverbs 25:13.
July 20, 2006 Koran Promises Hell to Those Who Run from Enemies in Battle – “O believers, when you meet unbelievers on the field of battle, do not turn your backs to them. For any one who turns his back on that day, except to maneuver or rally to his side, will bring the wrath of God on himself, and have Hell as abode; and what an evil destination! It was not you who killed them, but God did so.” –from Al-Quran translated by Ahmed Ali (8:15-17). Power of the Word to Convict the Sinner – John Bunyan describes the power of the word to convict the sinner: “Then the word works effectually to this purpose, when it findeth out the sinner and his sin, and shall convince him that it has found him out. Thus it was with our first father: when he had sinned, he sought to hide himself from God; he gets among the trees of the garden, and there he shrouds himself; but yet not thinking himself secure, he covers himself with fig-leaves, and now he lieth quiet; now God shall not find me, thinks he, nor know what I have done; but lo! By and by, he hears the ‘voice of the LORD God walking in the garden;’ [Genesis 3:8] and now, Adam, what do you mean to do? Why, as yet, he skulketh, and hides his head, and seeks yet to lie undiscovered; but, behold, the Voice cries out, ‘Adam!’ And now he begins to tremble. ‘Adam, where art thou!’ says God; and now Adam is made to answer. But the voice of the Lord God doth not leave him here; no, it now begins to search and to inquire after his doings, and to unravel what he had wrapt together and covered, until it made him bare and naked in his own sight before the face of God (Genesis 3:7-11). “Thus therefore doth the word, when managed by the arm of God; it findeth out, it singleth out the sinner, the sinner finds it so; it finds out the sins of the sinner, it unravels his whole life, it strips him, and lays him naked in his own sight, before the face of God; neither can the sinner nor his wickedness be longer hid and covered; and now begins the sinner to see what he never saw before.” –from The Acceptable Sacrifice: The Excellency of a Broken Heart by John Bunyan (p.19).
July 19, 2006 Church Purchased with His Blood –“The highest expression of the will of God in this age is the church which He purchased with His own blood [Acts 20:28]. To be scripturally valid any religious activity must be part of the church. Let it be clearly stated that there can be no service acceptable to God in this age that does not center in and spring out of the church. Bible schools, tract societies, Christian business men’s committees, seminaries, and the many independent groups working at one or another phase of religion need to check themselves reverently and courageously, for they have not true spiritual significance outside of or apart from the church. “According to the Scriptures the church is the habitation of God through the Spirit [Ephesians 2:22], and as such is the most important organism beneath the sun. She is not one more good institution along with the home, the state, and the school; she is the most vital of all institutions.” –from God Tells the Man Who Cares by A. W. Tozer (p.26). God Must be Just in His Pardon of Sins – “For over a century the Edinburgh Review has had on its cover the Latin epigram, ‘Judex damnatur cum nocens absolvitur’—‘The judge is condemned when the guilty is freed.’ If God is to forgive man, He must forgive him like a God. If He is to justify, He must still remain just. God has devised means. None but God could have provided such a plan. By giving His only Begotten Son to die for the sins of the world, God judges sin and yet forgives the sinner. He remains just, and yet the justifier of them that believe in Jesus. Christ, by the blood of His Cross, has made peace.” –from The Parables of the Old Testament by Clarence Macartney (p.46-47). See Romans 3:24-26.
July 18, 2006 God Desires our Love – “It is obvious that God desires our love. We cannot have intimate fellowship with one we do not love, and we cannot love one we do not know; therefore, we must pass on to know Him. The level of love for Him is directly related to our desire to seek Him. The word love is the pivotal word in the Bible. Whatever or whomever we love will motivate us. The greater our knowledge of God, the greater will be our love for Him, and likewise the greater our love for God, the greater our motivation. If we do not seek and find our love in God Himself, we will seek it elsewhere.” –from The God You Can Know by Dan DeHaan (p.14). See Matthew 10:37; Mark 12:30. Young Preachers on Fire for God – Jeremiah Jeter (1802-1880), a prominent Baptist pastor in nineteenth century Virginia, told of the young Baptist preachers he saw in the revival times of his youth: “In almost every neighborhood where it prevailed young men were called into the ministry. They were very imperfectly equipped for their work, but they labored among a plain people, whose spirit was not critical. If these young evangelists could not present a logical argument for the truth of the gospel, they believed it with all their hearts, and preached because they did believe. They were unacquainted with many scriptural doctrines, and especially with the proofs of their divinity, but they understood the way of salvation. If they could not contend with astute skeptics, they could guide the honest, earnest inquirer to life eternal. Their sermons were not impressive, rather instructive, and were noted not for the variety, but for the importance of the truths they conveyed. They had learned the corruption of their own hearts and the fearfulness of their own guilt, and could testify from sweet experience the power and freeness of redeeming grace. “They went forth to their work plainly clad, without conveyances [means of transportation], and some of them without a pocket Bible or a hymn-book, but with glowing zeal for the salvation of souls. Whether they had been called to the ministry, or were in the apostolic succession, were questions which did not occupy their minds. The people desired to hear something about Christ, and what these young brethren knew concerning him they were willing to tell in such language as their hearers could understand. The desire to listen to their ministrations was general and intense, and due, doubtless, in part to the prevalence of the revival, and in part to their juvenility and the freshness of their preaching. Everywhere their visits were received with pleasure, their congregations were large, and their labors were crowned with success.” –from Recollections of a Long Life by Jeremiah Jeter (p.40-41). See Acts 5:42; 8:4.
July 17, 2006 Better Than a Whiskey Bottle – Ira Sankey, long-time song leader for D. L. Moody, gave this account from his young adulthood: “When about twenty years of age I went to Farmington, Ohio, to attend a musical convention, conducted by Mr. Bradbury [William Bradbury; 1816-1868]. On my return home, my father said to mother: ‘I am afraid that boy will never amount to anything; all he does is to run about the country with a hymn-book under his arm.’ Mother replied that she would rather see me with a hymn-book under my arm than with a whisky bottle in my pocket.” –from My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns by Ira Sankey. See Ephesians 5:19. Uncertainty of Scientific Laws – William Shedd published his three-volume Dogmatic Theology from 1888 to 1894. He had some interesting comments on scientific laws: “The material universe is too vast for all of it to come under the notice of men’s senses. Though perhaps improbable, yet it is possible that some established and accepted generalizations, in the existing physics, may be overthrown by future observations and new phenomena. The following facts illustrate the uncertainty of which we are speaking. Water in cooling contracts down to forty degrees of Fahrenheit; then if it continues to cool it begins to expand, and at thirty-two degrees freezes, which very great expansion. Nature here reverses herself, and contradicts herself. “The first part of her process would yield the generalization, that cold contracts substances; the second, that cold expands substances. He who should have observed only the phenomena above forty degrees, would have deduced the general law, that water invariably contracts in cooling; and were he of a certain school of physicists, he would add to this, that it necessarily contracts. If upon this planet there were no natural or artificial temperature below forty degrees, the law that cold uniformly contracts substances would be regarded as well established and indisputable as the law of gravitation.” –from Dogmatic Theology: Volume One (p.38). See 1Timothy 6:20.
July 14, 2006 Twofold Sense of God’s Holiness – “God is holy. This expresses the highest idea we can form of ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. It includes both a negative and positive sense. It denotes the absence of whatever is weak, selfish, sinful, and polluted; and the presence of essential purity, goodness, love, and every excellency. God is holy. ‘He CANNOT be tempted with evil; NEITHER tempteth he any man,’ James 1:13.” –from Christ on the Cross: Psalm 22 by John Stevenson (p.71). Importance of Knowing God – “Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.” –from Knowing God by J. I. Packer (p.14-15). See Proverbs 9:10; Jeremiah 9:23-24.
July 13, 2006 Universality of Sacrifice for Sins – “Dr. Trumball, in that masterful study of ancient sacrifices, Blood-Covenant, points out that all the peoples of antiquity, of whatever race, or country, practiced in one form or another, sacrifices, either of animal, or of human beings. He wisely gathers from a study which took him to the sacrificial altars of countless aborigines, that an instinct so universal and so deep-seated reveals the fact that man in his blind gropings after God, moved by the deepest intuitions of the race, never has attempted to establish harmonious relations with the Divine, without it be upon the basis of death.” –from Bone of His Bone by F. J. Huegel (p.47-48). See Hebrews 9:22. Wrong Emphasis on Suffering of Christ – “Jesus Christ never went to His disciples and said, ‘Now look, I died for you. Won’t you remember My sufferings and My tears, and My groans and My blood?’ Never! He said, ‘Mary,’ and Mary turned and said ‘Rabboni’ (John 20:16). He never said, ‘I died for you.’ He simply said, ‘Mary.’ That’s the difference between the New Testament and a lot of religious books. Religious books are often unhealthy, and in an effort to become spiritual they become more unhealthy still. “I want to be a healthy Christian. I believe it is the will of God that we should be healthy minded. The healthiest man was Jesus Christ and the healthiest disciple was Paul. We ought to be healthy men and women. That’s why I don’t go in much for Good Friday services where they sit around moaning and groaning, trying to follow Jesus through the stations of the cross. It is like trying to follow one’s mother through the long hours of labor. It’s enough to say, ‘Thank you, Mother, I’m here!’ ” –from The Attributes of God: Volume Two by A. W. Tozer (p.188). See Romans 8:2.
July 12, 2006 Passing Time on a Temporary Stage – John Newton, writer of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” gave this illustration: “I sometimes compare this earth to a temporary gallery or stage, erected for all the heirs of glory to pass over, that they may join in the coronation of the Great King; a solemnity in which they shall not be mere spectators, but deeply interested parties; for he is their husband, their Lord; they bear his name, and shall share in all his honours. Righteous Abel led the van;--the procession has been sometimes broader; sometimes narrowed to almost a single person, as in the days of Noah. After many generations had successively entered and disappeared, the King himself passed on in person, preceded by one chosen harbinger: he received many insults on his passage; but he bore all for the sake of those he loved, and entered triumphant into his glory. “He was followed by twelve faithful servants, and after them the procession became wider than ever. There are many yet unborn who must (as we do now) tread in the steps of those gone before; and when the whole company is arrived, the stage shall be taken down and burnt. Then all the chosen race shall meet before the throne, Shall bless the conduct of his grace, and make his wonders known.” --from The Works of John Newton: Volume 1 (p. 318). See Psalm 90:9. No Cause for Pride in the Wisdom of Man – “Let none of us be proud of, or trust in our own wisdom… Those that have been heightened with a conceit of their own cunning, have at last proved the greatest fools. God delights to make ‘foolish the wisdom of this world’ (1Corinthians 1:20). Thus God writ folly upon the crafty brains of Ahithophel, and simplicity upon the subtle projects of Herod against our Saviour; and the devil, the prince of carnal wisdom, was befooled into a furthering our redemption by his own projects to hinder it.” –from The Existence and Attributes of God: Volume 1 by Stephen Charnock (p. 600).
July 11, 2006 How to Behold the Glory of Christ – If “we would behold the glory of Christ, the present direction is, that on all occasions, and frequently when there are no occasions for it by the performance of other duties, we would abound in thoughts of him and his glory. I intend not at present fixed and stated meditations, which were spoken unto before; but such thoughts as are more transient, according as our opportunities are. And a great rebuke it ought to be unto us, when Christ hath at any time in a day been long out of our minds. The spouse affirms, that ‘ere she was aware, her soul made her as the chariots of Aminadab’ (Song of Solomon 7:12). It so fell out, that when she had no thoughts, no design or purpose for attendance on communion with Christ, that she was surprised into a readiness and willingness unto it. So it will be with them that love him in sincerity. Their own souls, without previous designs or outward occasions, will frequently engage them in holy thoughts of him, which is the most eminent character of a truly spiritual Christian.” –from The Glory of Christ by John Owen (p. 81). Praying for Crop Failure – “Too many believers are sowing wild oats through the week and then going to church on Sunday and praying for a crop failure. But it will not happen, for God will not be mocked by man—any man [Galatians 6:7]. Even though we may scheme and connive and try to get around reaping the consequences of our actions, our puny efforts are like trying to stop a forest fire with a toy water pistol or a plague of locusts with an aerosol bomb of bug spray. It shall not be done. The laws of the harvest abide.” –from The Seven Laws of the Harvest by John W. Lawrence (p. 47).
July 10, 2006 Baptist Heritage and Covenant Theology – In Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom (p. 16-17), Samuel Fisk refers to The Biblical Faith of Baptists, Messages at the Fundamental Baptist Congress of North America, Volume I. “The final message was given by Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters. The last page in this volume cites the position of Baptists: ‘To summarize the distinctions that the Baptist heritage, coming from the Ana-Baptists, has left throughout the ages we would say that they differ greatly and grossly with Covenant and/or Reformed Theology in their Biblical patterns and teachings on God’s Decrees and Limited Atonement’ (v.224).” Mother Hen Teaches Us to Wait on God – A. W. Tozer told this story from his youth: “I’ve often wondered how a hen must feel about sitting for three weeks on an egg. My mother always put thirteen eggs under a hen and the old girl would sit right there. She might take a little coffee break once in awhile, but back she’d come again to the nest. For the first week, it was a novelty. Two weeks of it she might endure, but that last week must have been torture—just sitting there with nothing happening. “Then about noon of the twenty-first day, the first little experimental peep is heard under her wings. And she smiles as only a hen can smile and says, ‘Thank God, they’re here.’ After that it is just a question of time. One after the other, the chicks peck themselves out of their shells. I used to get down on my hands and knees as a boy and watch them pecking themselves out. They’re messy when they first appear, but give them about ten minutes in the sunshine and they’re as fluffy as can be, and lovely to look at. But they only come after twenty-one long days of waiting. “God sometimes makes us wait. He made the disciples wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4) and He may make you wait. But remember, God is faithful who called you, and He also will do it [1Thessalonians 5:24].” –from The Attributes of God: Volume Two by A. W. Tozer (p. 178-179).
July 7, 2006 Prayer: the Test of Spiritual Maturity – “When a man is speaking to God, he is at his very acme. It is the highest activity of the human soul, and therefore it is at the same time the ultimate test of a man’s true spiritual condition. There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life. Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer.” –quote of Martyn Lloyd-Jones in The Sacred Anointing by Tony Sargent (p. 136). See Luke 11:1. Jesus Supports the Old Testament – “It is an undeniable fact that Christ distinctly acknowledged those portions of the Old Testament which are most challenged, as, for example, the literal historicity of Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:8), the actual occurrence of the Flood (Matthew 24:37-38), and the miraculous experience of the prophet Jonah (Matthew 12:39-40). Most striking is His acknowledgement of the book of Daniel; for from this very book, today so much attacked by unbelief, He took the chief designation of His own person (‘Son of man,’ Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 26:64). Indeed, it was with this book that He linked Himself by the only oath He ever took (Matthew 26:63-64; and compare Mathew 24:15). And as regards the future, He expected His own personal return in glory (Matthew 24:27-31) and the literal establishment of the kingdom of Messiah as foretold by the prophets (Matthew 19:28; 25:31ff; Acts 1:67).” –from The Dawn of World Redemption by Erich Sauer (p. 11).
July 6, 2006 You Can Only Kill Me – “Jesse Boardman Hartwell worked for many years as a Baptist missionary in China from 1860 until his death in 1912. “One of the first fruits of Mr. Hartwell’s early ministry was a young man of the Tsung Family Village. So persistent was he in presenting the claims of Christianity to his unbelieving relatives and friends, that his clansmen felt disgraced at harboring so outspoken a follower of the foreign devils. He was untrue to the ancestors whom he no longer worshipped, and to his nation, for he was paying tribute to a foreign God. They took him to a cliff overhanging the sea and told him that unless he gave up the Jesus religion he would be thrown over and drowned. With a smile he said, ‘You can kill me but you can’t harm me. You will only be sending me home to my Father’s house.’ They decided to let him live a while longer since he was so happy despite their direst threats. He lived to a blessed old age and saw a handsome church building in his own village and many members of his family active in the service of the Lord.” –from Up From Zero in North China by Anna Seward Pruitt (p. 27-28). See Acts 5:41. Waiting on the Revealed Will of God – In 1915, J. O. Fraser, the English missionary to the Lisu people in China, wrote: “How often Christian leaders make their own plans, work hard at them, and then earnestly ask God’s blessings on them. How much better, as Hudson Taylor felt, to wait on God to know His plans before commencing! Much Christian work seems to have the stamp of the carnal upon it. It may be ‘good,’ it may be successful outwardly—but the Shekinah Glory is not there.” –from Behind the Ranges by Mrs. Howard Taylor (p. 111). See Psalm 27:14.
July 5, 2006 What Level of Love do you have for the World? – According to D. M. Panton, “one pulse by which we can measure the real spirituality of an epoch, or of a soul, or of a group of souls, is the measure of horror they find in the word ‘world’ ” –quoted in Born Crucified by L. E. Maxwell (p. 32). See 1John 2:15. Abiding Principles of the Law Adapted by Grace – “Thus it may be concluded that the written law of Moses is not intended to be the rule of the believer’s life under grace. Yet, on the other hand, the abiding principles of the law which are adaptable to grace, are carried forward and restated under the teachings of grace; not as law, but reformed to the mold of infinite grace. This great fact is aptly illustrated by the experience of an American citizen who was in Germany at the breaking out of the recent war. Fleeing through Holland, he reached England with his pocket filled with German gold coin. This coin, bearing the German stamp, was of no value as currency in England; but, when melted and restamped in the mints of England, it bore all the value of coin in that realm. Thus the intrinsic value of the gold of the law is preserved and reappears bearing the stamp of the new teachings of grace.” –from Grace: the Glorious Theme by Lewis Sperry Chafer (p. 230-231). See Romans 8:4.
July 4, 2006 God’s Counsel, Will, and Work are One – “God’s power of acting is not really distinct from his will; it is sufficient to the existence of a thing that God wills it to exist; he can act what he will only by his will, without any instruments…In us there are three orders—of understanding, will, power; and, accordingly, three acts, counsel, resolution, execution; which though they are distinct in us, are not really distinct in God. In our conceptions, the apprehension of a thing belongs to the understanding of God; determination, to the will of God; direction, to the wisdom of God; execution, to the power of God… His will as the spring, and his power as the worker, are expressed (Psalm 115:3): “he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” He “commanded, and they were created” (Psalm 148:5); and all three expressed (Ephesians 1:11): “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will;” so that the power of God is a perfection, as it were, subordinate to his understanding and will, to execute the results of his wisdom, and the orders of his will.” –from The Existence and Attributes of God: Volume 2 by Stephen Charnock (p. 14). Children Ask the Questions Science Cannot Answer – “That there is indeed a limit upon science is made very likely by the existence of questions that science cannot answer and that no conceivable advance of science would empower it to answer. These are the questions that children ask—the ‘ultimate questions’ of Karl Popper. I have in mind such questions as:
--from The Limits of Science by P. B. Medawar (p. 66). See Ecclesiastes 3:11; 1Timothy 6:20.
July 3, 2006 Church Discipline: Old Testament Pattern - We learn from Leviticus 22:1-7 “that ‘leprosy’ or ‘the running issue’ excluded even a son of Aaron from the camp; the period of his exclusion depending on the time during which the disease was manifest. ‘Leprosy’ and ‘the running issue’ were both breakings out of the flesh, breakings out which were manifest to others, though manifested differently. They typify those outbreaks of the flesh in the Christian, which are too flagrant to be hid from others. The appointed discipline for these, now as of old, is temporary exclusion from the camp (1Corinthians 5:13)” –from The Law of the Offerings by Andrew Jukes (p. 125). Praying to Keep a Tight Mainspring - “A man once owned an expensive Swiss watch. He discovered that it lost a few seconds every twenty-four hours. He took it to the watchmaker and explained the problem. The watchmaker said, ‘Do you wind the watch regularly?’ The man exclaimed, ‘Why, sir, I wind it the last thing every night, before I retire.’ The watchmaker said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with winding the watch at night but make sure you wind it in the morning. With a tight mainspring it will be able to stand the shocks, bumps, and jarring it’s exposed to during the day’s activities.’ Christians need to pray frequently. They need to have a tight mainspring wound by prayer that will protect them from the shocks, bumps and bruises of everyday life.” –from Prayer, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living by William K. McComas (p. 14-15).
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© 2006 Antioch Baptist Church Knoxville Tennessee