Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
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“Be Not Dismayed; For I Am Thy God.” Isaiah 41:10 Author: William Gadsby Tune: Just as I am (William Bradbury) 1. Poor fearful saint, be not dismayed, Nor dread the dangers of the night; Thy God will ever be thy aid, And put the hosts of hell to flight. * 2. Nor sin, nor Satan, can o'ercome The arm that vindicates thy cause; God, thy own God, will lead you home, In spite of all that may oppose. * 3. In every sore and deep distress, “I am thy God” shall be thy stay; Thy God shall all thy woes redress, And drive thy guilty fears away. * 4. This soul-supporting truth contains All blessings that our God can give; In sorrows, sicknesses, or pains, Thy God will every need relieve.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Behold His Precious Gift Transfixed to it! “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32 Look at the cross! Behold His precious Gift transfixed to it, and that by His own hand, and for your sins. Then look at your present circumstances, survey . . .your needs, your trials, your chastisements, your bereavements, your heart sickening, heartbreaking tribulations, and know that God still is love. If He had love strong enough, deep enough, to give you Jesus; to tear Him, as it were, from His bosom, and to transfix Him on yonder accursed tree for your iniquities; has He not love enough to bow His ear to your cry, and His heart to your sorrow? Will He not . . . rescue you from this difficulty, deliver you out of this trouble, shield you in this temptation, supply this need, support and comfort you in this grief? Oh yes, He will! doubt it not! The cross of Calvary is a standing pledge; standing until sin and guilt, need and woe, shall be known no more; that God, who “spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, will with Him also freely give us all things” necessary to our good, and promotive of His glory. --Octavius Winslow ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Short Quotes by Octavius Winslow So completely was Jesus bent upon saving sinners by the sacrifice of Himself that: He created the tree upon which He was to die; and nurtured from infancy the wicked men who were to nail Him to the accursed wood! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seasons vary, circumstances change, feelings fluctuate, friendships cool, friends die – but Christ is ever the same! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beloved of God, Christ took your cup of grief, your cup of the curse, pressed it to His lips, drank it to its dregs then filled it with His sweet, pardoning, sympathizing love, and gave it back for you to drink, and to drink forever! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Human Advice No person can adjust and draw the line exactly for another. There are so many particulars in every situation, of which a stranger cannot be a competent judge, and the best human advice is mixed with such defects that it is not right to expect others to be absolutely guided by our rules; nor is it safe for us implicitly to adopt the decisions or practices of others. But the Scripture undoubtedly furnishes sufficient and infallible rules for every person, for whatever the circumstances; and the throne of grace is appointed for us to wait upon the Lord for the best exposition of His precepts. Thus David often prays to be led in the right way, “Shew me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day” Psalm 25:4-5. By frequent prayer, and close acquaintance with the Scripture, and a habitual attention to the frame of our hearts, there is a certain delicacy of spiritual taste and discernment to be acquired, which renders a proper judgment concerning the nature and limits of questionable things. Love to Christ is the clearest and most persuasive factor; and when our love to Jesus is in lively exercise, and the rule of His Word is in our eye, we seldom make great mistakes! The believer should also avoid and forbear whatever has a tendency to dampen and indispose his spiritual mindedness. For such things, if they are not condemned as downright sinful; if they are not absolutely unlawful; yes though they are, when duly regulated, lawful and right (for often our chief snares are entwined with our blessings); yet if they have a repeated and evident tendency to deaden our hearts to Divine things, (of which each person’s experience must determine,) there must be something in them which is wrong to us! And let them promise what they will, they do but rob us of our gold to pay us with pebbles! For the light of God’s countenance and an open cheerfulness of spirit in walking with Him in private, is our chief joy; and we must be already greatly hurt, if anything can be pursued, allowed, or rested in as a tolerable substitute for it. --John Newton
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Daily Readings February 23-28 23 - Numbers 5-6; Mark 4:1-20 24 - Numbers 7-8; Mark 4:21-41 25 - Numbers 9-11; Mark 5:1-20 26 - Numbers 12-14; Mark 5:21-43 27 - Numbers 15-16; Mark 6:1-29 28 - Numbers 17-19; Mark 6:30-56 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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