The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Warning shots (Part 1)
The warship fires its guns pointing its turrets to the sea. This signals that should the pursed ship or shore facility not respond immediately and adequately, the next shots will be on target.
The policeman fires his gun into the air warning the fleeing criminal that the next shots will wound or even be fatal should he not stop and surrender.
Have you noticed the warning shots lately? Forest fires across Europe and North America even lately Hawaii, the paradise island? Flooding here and there! Excessive heat, record-breaking in many places. All this is attributed in the media to climate change. This could very well be the means God is using but, make no mistake, He is behind these warning shots.
We need to stop and surrender to God. He is warning us of much more severe judgments now appearing clearly on the horizon. Do not be negligent of His patience. He is not willing that any should perish but some will and we pray you would not be part of those. (2 Peter 3:9)
The moral and political atmosphere of this world has never been more opposed to the God now revealed from heaven. Take notice of the warning shots; stop and listen to the instructions following these. God has manifested Himself in the blessed person of the Lord Jesus Christ Who came into the world to save sinners.
He saves them by paying for their sins on the cross by the sacrifice of Himself. This has been done, completed, accepted, never to be repeated, and has been preached all over the world. (1 Timothy 1:15). Michel for Vision 2020 in 2023
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Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and Thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31
Warning Shots - Part 2
You already have heard the message of God’s love? Or you may be hearing it for the first time? No matter!
He is calling you to repentance and acceptance of His undertaking for your salvation by delivering His own Son to the torments of the cross to spare you from His judgments: the soon coming ones and the eternal one. This earth is soon to experience the judgments described in the book of Revelation and elsewhere in the Bible.
And after God’s final plans for the earth come to pass, there will be eternal judgment for those who will not have believed in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).
Warning shots are loud. They are meant to be heard and affect those being warned; that is the intent.Are you listening? Have you heard them?
There have been many since the beginning of this new decade: a world wide pandemic, major catastrophes in many places, even reminding us again across the world of the sad fate of any pretension linked to the Titanic.
We pray you will have taken notice and act accordingly, that is, repent from your sins and accept the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life God graciously offers and gives to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”. (Acts 16:31). Jesus alone can deliver us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10) . Michel for Vision 2020 in 2023
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Peter said, “Man, I know not what though sayest.” And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, “Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.” and Peter went out, and wept bitterly. Luke 22:60-62
THE RESTORING LOOK OF CHRIST
What kind of a look do you think the Lord gave Peter? Was it a withering look of scorn and contempt? Did it say, “Evil doer, liar!” In its glance?Peter deserved that it should; but oh, no, it was a look of broken-hearted love, of love so tender and strong. A look that said, "I love you still, Peter; if you do not know Me, I know I love you." And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
I am not surprised that he wept bitterly. The grace of the heart that he had wounded broke him down. Then afterwards we are told of the Lord's meeting and restoring this backsliding one. He appeared to Peter after His resurrection. The fact is recorded, but did you ever wonder how He restored him? Did you ever wonder what passed between the Lord and Peter that day? He does not tell us. We only know the fact. The Lord does not tell out all that goes on between a soul and Himself.
He not only restores Peter, but He brings him to judge the thing that led him away, and them He trusts him again. The backslider never gets right with God till he has it all out with Him. When you get back and judge the point of departure, then He restores the soul.
The Lord does what we never do. We say, “I could never trust so-and-so again after what has happened.” The Lord shows out to all how He can trust Peter after He has made him to judge himself. W. T. P. Wolston
My soul He doth restore again: and me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness, e’en for His own Name’s sake. F. Rous
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Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
The whole business of Christian education is summed up in two brief sentences: Count on God for your children, and, Train your children for God. The first without the second is lawlessness; the second without the first is legality; to take both together is sound, practical Christianity.
It is the privilege of all Christin parents to count upon God for their children with all confidence. There is, however, in the government of God, an inseparable link connecting this privilege with solemn responsibility as to training.
For parents to speak of counting on God for the salvation of their children and for the moral integrity of their future career in this world while the duty of training is neglected is simply a miserable delusion.
We press this solemnly upon all Christian parents, especially upon those who have just entered upon the relationship. There is great danger of shirking our duty to our children, shifting it over upon others, or neglecting it altogether. We do not like the trouble of it; we shrink from the constant worry.
But we shall find that the trouble, worry, sorrow, and heart-scalding arising from the neglect of our duty will be a thousand times worse than all that can be involved in the discharge of it.
To every true lover of God there is a deep delight in treading the path of duty.Every step taken in that path we can always count upon the infinite resources that we have in God when we are keeping His commandments.
We have simply to take ourselves, morning by morning, hour by hour, to our Father's exhaustless treasury, and there get all we want in the way of grace and wisdom and moral power, to enable us to discharge aright the holy functions of our responsibilities as Christian parents. C. H Mackintosh
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My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5
For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:9
I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness. Psalm 17:15
Thou satisfying Portion, the object for our hearts,
To fill with joy and gladness, and peace, which faith imparts.
In Thee alone is comfort, in Thee is perfect rest,
Thy love soothes every sorrow, and calms the troubled breast.
The longing soul is nurtured, by Thy great grace supplied,
And with Thy love and goodness, is fully satisfied.
Beside the quiet waters, Thy hungry sheep are led,
With marrow and with fatness, are satisfied and fed.
With joyful lips we praise Thee, for all Thy mercies shown,
For all Thy loving kindness to us, made daily known.
And when we reach the Glory, and Thy blest face we see,
Awaking with Thy likeness, how satisfied we’ll be! Selected
“The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul.” — Isaiah 58:11
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And he (the priest) shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat-offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the Lord. (Leviticus 6:15)
Take note particularly that all the frankincense was consumed on the altar. And why was this? Because that frankincense typified the fragrance of Christ’s manhood as enjoyed exclusively by God Himself.
Every thought, every look, every word, every movement, every act of the man Christ Jesus emitted a fragrance which went up directly to the throne of God and refreshed the heart of Him who sat thereon.
This is a spring of joy and comfort to the spiritual. When we think of how the blessed Lord was depreciated in this world, of how the rarest and most exquisite touches of His perfect humanity were lost upon a rude and unbelieving world, and of how little even His own disciples understood or valued Him—what a comfort it is to remember that He was perfectly understood and appreciated by the Father in heaven.
The primary application of the incense is unquestionably to Christ; however, it has a secondary application to the believer. True Christianity is the outflow of the character of Christ in the believer’s practical ways—this is most precious to God. There is not an expression of the life of Christ in the believer, of what He is, of the smallest manifestation of His grace that we exhibit, that does not ascend, directly, as the odour of sweet incense to the throne of God.
May God lead us into the experimental understanding of these things and into producing a brighter and fuller manifestation of Christ to the glory of God the Father.C. H. Macintosh
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When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened (the way shall open up before thee). Proverbs 4:12
And the Lord shall guide thee continually. (Isaiah 58:11) .
A father and his son were camped in a wooded area a little ways from the nearest village. The father had a letter which needed mailing and asked his son to take it to the post office in the village. The father took his son to the edge of camp and showed him the trail which led to the village. “But father,“ said the little boy, “I don’t see how that path will ever reach town.”
The father took his hand in his and pointed explaining, “See down the trail to that big tree where the trail seems to come to an end?” “Oh, yes, I see that the path goes that far; but the village is not there!” “Well, when you get to that big tree, you will see further on around the bend and down the trail.
Just go to the tree and then follow the trail until you come to the next corner, then look ahead and follow it some more until you see some houses. When you come to the houses, you will see the post office. There you can mail my letter!”
I know not when or where I go from this familiar scene;
But He is here and He is there, and all the way between.
And when I pass from all I know, to that dim, vast unknown,
Though late I stay or soon I go, I shall not go alone.
The love of God quite as often withholds the view of the entire distance of the winding path through life. He reveals it to us step by step and from corner to corner. Hence it is necessary to trust Him to lead, for He can see around the bend in the road.
He knows what lies ahead, and whether we can cope with the situation now or later. He consults our wants, not our wishes, like a wise and loving Father. His corners are not the end of the way. Corners discipline faith, teach us patience to walk step by step, and fit us for blessing. Because our vision is limited, it causes us to continually seek His guidance. (Selected)
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And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves …and Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them…but they knew not him. Genesis 42:6-8
The brethren protest that it is their need that brings them into Egypt.
“We have come to buy food” (v.10). They have indeed, come to the right person, but they have come with a wrong plan and with a wrong plea. Their plan is to buy, and their plea “we are true men” (v.11). As yet they know neither the love of Joseph’s heart, nor the evil of their own hearts. They must learn that Joseph is too rich to sell to his own, and that they have nothing in themselves to plead. Their money shall not buy corn, and of merit they have none whereby to claim it.
They must learn that while Joseph is ready to bestow every blessing, he is one upon whom they have forfeited every claim. Love is a giver when worthlessness has nothing to plead. The love of Joseph’s heart will shut out all mere barter, and the evil of their hearts exclude all plea of merit. If they think they are true men then Joseph will put them to the test.
Moreover Joseph’s brethren must learn that all their blessing depends upon the man of whom they say “one is nought” (v.13).They say, as it were, “We have not seen him for twenty years; he has entirely passed out of our lives, as far as we are concerned “he is not.” (v.13)
”So, too, in a day to come the Jew will have to learn that all their blessing depends upon One that they have set at nought.”
“This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11,12). Joseph - Hamilton Smith
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WHERE NO ANXIETY EXISTS
Under His wings shall thou trust. Psalm 91:4
When the little eaglets, that have not yet a feather to fly with, are under the great wings of the parent eagle, how safe they are! Who would dare touch them? If a bold climber put his hand into the nest, then those powerful wings would beat him in a minute from his hold, and he would fall down the rocks and be dashed to pieces.
So safe shall you be under His wings, nothing shall by any means hurt you there. When the wild snow storms rage around the eyrie (nest) that is death to an unprotected sleeper, how warm the little eaglets are kept! Not an arrow of the keen blast reaches them, poor little featherless things, not a snowflake touches them.
So warm shall you be kept under His wings when any cold and dark day of trouble comes, or even any sudden little blast of unkindness or loneliness. “Under His wings shalt thou trust!” Not shalt thou see!”
If one of the eaglets wanted to see for itself what was going on, and thought it could take care of itself for a little while, and hopped from under the shadow of the wings, it would be neither safe nor warm. The sharp wind would chill it, and the cruel hand might seize it then.
So you are to trust, rest quietly and peacefully under His wings; stay there, not be peeping out and wondering whether God really is taking care of you! You may be always safe and happy there. Safe, for “in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge.” (Psalm 57:1). Happy, for “in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.” (Psalms 63:7).
Upon Thy word I rest, so strong, so sure; so full of comfort blest, so sweet, so pure.
The word that changeth not, that faileth never! My King! I rest upon Thy Word forever.
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal
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Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that beliveth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. John 11:25
Lightly tread, the day is breaking, dwell not on your sorrows now;
Soon shall cloudless morn awaking chase the sadness from your brow:
He is coming—heart and knee to Jesus bow!
Did not Mary lay her sorrow low before the Master’s feet?
Sore her wound, and dark her morrow, bereft on earth of love so sweet:
With her burden, thus she came her Lord to meet.
‘Tis the great I AM who standeth now beside that rocky tomb;
‘Tis His voice that loud commandeth Lazarus from the dead to come!
Thus His glory shines above the deepest gloom.
Precious Saviour! through Thy dying, vanquished are the foe’s dark powers;
And, Thy name still magnifying, grace brings forth exhaustless stores:
At Thy coming, life and incorruption ours.
Eyes to see Thee, ears to hear Thee, voices tuned to heavenly lays;
Thus to dwell forever near Thee, learning all Thy wondrous ways;
To Thee rendering, adoration, worship, praise!
Author Unknown
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My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:3
Experience shows that the best time for prayer is the early morning. The day-break blessing is the day-long gain. George Müller, who knew more about prayer than
most, says: “The morning is the gate of the day and should be well guarded by prayer. It is one end of the thread on which the days’s actions are strung, and should be well knotted with devotion.”
“If we felt more the majesty of life, we should be more careful of its mornings. He who rushes from his bed to his business and waits not to worship is as unwise as he who dashes into battle without armour.”
“Be it ours to bath in the softly flowing river of communion with God, before the heat of the wilderness and the burden of the way begin to oppress.”
Henry Durbanville - The Best Is Yet To Be
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41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43 And He called unto Him His disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
44 for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:41-44
What a contrast this charming sketch supplies to the picture of the Pharisees, which Jesus has just drawn!
In the eyes of the world the service of the poor widow was meager and worthless, and the gifts of the hypocrites were costly and great; but in the eyes of the Lord these offerings were comparatively worthless and she had given more than they all.
As a matter of fact she had given but two small coins, worth less than half a cent; but they were all she had and she gave them both.
With this scene in mind we should be careful not to call our offerings "mites," unless they are all that we possess; we should be encouraged, however, to know that our Lord looks upon the heart and estimates the gift by the motive and the love and the sacrifice involved; above all, we should be reminded that we can best measure our offerings not by what we give but by how much we keep. The influence of this woman is still moving multitudes toward the treasury of the Lord.
Gospel of Mark - Charles R. Erdman
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He, (Jesus) bearing His cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull…where they crucified Him. John 19:17-18
Matthew’s Gospel describes the Lord twice as One who “went out” (Matt.13:1;24:1). These instances were followed by His going out, carrying His own cross (Jn 19:17). Solemn event! On that cross, the sinless One was going to be made sin for us
(2 Cor. 5:21) during the three hours of darkness. The Lord went out Himself: although they took Him, He was in charge, as seen in His going out.
Before this world will be destroyed in the coming ultimate judgment ( 2 Pet 3), the sinless Sin-bearer took the judgment on Himself, vicariously (as a substitute), for all who would put their trust in Him. For those who reject Him, a terrible judgment remains. His going out was the consequence of the religious, political, and cultural world rejecting Him. Yet, in unfathomable grace, He took the consequences of this rejection upon Himself
-- that is, for those who would believe in Him.
The cross is the most awful form of execution: the Lord was willing to take that place in order to save us. In that path of rejection, He indicated and paved the way of salvation; He paid the needed price and through it all glorified God. Alfred E. Bouter
Alone He bore the cross, alone its grief sustained;
His was the shame and loss, and He the victory gained;
The mighty work was all His own,
Though we shall share His glorious throne. Joseph Swain
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Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
THINGS THAT MAKE PEOPLE ANXIOUS
Ill health is often another fruitful source of care.Your very success in life may depend upon good health, and that seems denied. Or you may have others depending upon you, and you are feeling less and less equal to the strain.
Perhaps few things are more trying than to feel unequal, physically and mentally, to the demands of your calling, and yet to be obliged to face them day after day.
Under such circumstances everything is apt to become draped in black. All we look at is in varying shade of India ink. Heavens blue is forgotten, and cold grey mist envelopes everything. The thistle-down, lighter than a feather seems to our distorted imagination a ton weight.
All this may be purely physical; and there is the physical side of getting free from care as well as the spiritual, for man is body as well as soul and spirit. To pay due attention to each is one of the great problems of life.
But the very remembrance that your feeling of depression has no real cause in circumstances, but only in some transitory condition of your body, will enable you to arise and shake yourself free from it. There is one text too, which has often been like a sheet-anchor under pressure of this kind.
"God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation (trial) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 Angels in White - Russell Elliott
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When thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light. Luke 11:34
We all know how easily our poor heart persuades itself of the rightness of any step which it desires to take, and how the devil furnishes plausible arguments to convince us of its rightness. He comes with arguments which the moral condition of the soul causes us to regard as clear, forcible and satisfactory.
The very fact of our thinking of such a thing proves our unfitness to weigh, with a well-balanced mind and spiritually adjusted conscience, the solemn consequences of such a step.
If the eye were single (that is, if we were governed by but one object, namely, the glory and honour of the Lord Jesus Christ), we should have no difficulty or perplexity about the matter.
A racer whose eye is resting on the crown will not be troubled with any perplexity as to whether he ought to stop and tie a hundred-pound weight around his neck. Such a thought would never cross his mind.
Whenever I am in perplexity as to my path, I have reason to suspect that my eye is not single, for, assuredly, perplexity is not compatible with a body “full of light.”
We frequently go to pray for guidance in matters with which, if the eye were single and the will subject, we would have nothing whatever to do, and hence we should have no need to pray about them. To pray about anything concerning which the Word of God is plain marks the activity of a rebellious will.
As a writer has well remarked, “We sometimes seek God’s will, desiring to know how to act in circumstances in which it is not His will that we should be found at all; if conscience were in real healthful activity, its first effect would be to make us quit them.
It is our will which sets us there, and we should like, nevertheless, to enjoy the consolation of God’s direction. Be assured that if we are near enough to God, we shall have no trouble to know His will.” The Lord is Near
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