The Incomparable Christ

Almost two thousand years ago there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life.

This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity.

He did not travel extensively.

Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His childhood exile.

He possessed neither wealth nor influence.

His relatives were inconspicuous and He had neither training nor formal education.

In infancy, He startled a king;

In childhood, He puzzled doctors;

In manhood, He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the billows as if pavement, and hushed the sea to
sleep.

He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.

He never wrote a book, and yet all the libraries of the country could not

hold the books that have been written about Him.

He never wrote a song and yet He has furnished the theme for more than all the songwriters combined.

He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.

He never practiced medicine, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.

Every seventh day the wheels of commerce cease their turning and multitudes

wind their way to worshiping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.

The names of the past proud statesman of Greece and Rome have come and

gone.

The names of past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone;

But the name of this Man abounds more and more.

Though time has spread two thousand years between the people of this generation and

the scene of His crucifixion, yet He still lives.

Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.


He stands in Heavenly Glory,

Proclaimed of God,

As the living, personal Christ, our Lord and Saviour.



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Trials and Pain: Happiness is Not the Goal by A.W. Tozer

 

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.—2 Timothy 2:3-4
That we are born to be happy is scarcely questioned by anyone. No one bothers to prove that fallen men have any moral right to happiness, or that they are in the long run any better off happy. The only question before the house is how to get the most happiness out of life. Almost all popular books and plays assume that personal happiness is the legitimate end of the dramatic human struggle.
Now I submit that the whole hectic scramble after happiness is an evil as certainly as is the scramble after money or fame or success....
How far wrong all this is will be discovered easily by the simple act of reading the New Testament through once with meditation. There the emphasis is not upon happiness but upon holiness. God is more concerned with the state of people's hearts than with the state of their feelings. Undoubtedly the will of God brings final happiness to those who obey, but the most important matter is not how happy we are but how holy. The soldier does not seek to be happy in the field; he seeks rather to get the fighting over with, to win the war and get back home to his loved ones. There he may enjoy himself to the full; but while the war is on his most pressing job is to be a good soldier, to acquit himself like a man, regardless of how he feels. Of God and Men, pp. 48-49
"Oh Lord, redirect my focus. Help me today to be a 'good soldier of Jesus Christ.' Amen."

Lessons in evangelism. We can only evangelise right with God's help!

We really do need God's help. This is an important lesson to learn  before we try to witness to anyone. It is true that if we realise that we have not the natural power, not the gift or the boldness to serve God in this area, we are more likely to succeed in the long run. Spurgeon rightly  said ' God has only one worker: the Holy Spirit'. However God does want to use us and wants to work through us. Satan on the other hand wants to stop us from this important work and will do all he can to make us give up declaring: 'I can't do this , I haven't got the gift'. The truth is we can't do it,  but God wants to, and will work through us, if we don't give up and will put our trust in him to help us. We need the Spirit's help here of course, as Jesus himself said: 'When the Holy Spirit comes upon you you will be my witnesses'.We therefore need to look to God for help and ask him to fill us with his Holy Spirit today and every other day. AK

Trials and Pain: Criticism and Abuse

 

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.—1 Thessalonians 2:4

"Let not thy peace depend on the tongues of men," said the wise old Christian mystic, Thomas a Kempis; "for whether they judge well or ill, thou art not on that account other than thyself."

One of the first things a Christian should get used to is abuse....

To do nothing is to get abused for laziness, and to do anything is to get abused for not doing something else.

Was it not Voltaire who said that some people were like insects, they would never be noticed except that they sting? A traveler must make up his mind to go on regardless of the insects that make his trip miserable....

One thing is certain, a Christian's standing before God does not depend upon his standing before men. A high reputation does not make a man dearer to God, nor does the tongue of the slanderer influence God's attitude toward His people in any way. He knows us each one, and we stand or fall in the light of His perfect knowledge. The Next Chapter After the Last, pp. 94-95

"Lord, I know this truth, but it's so hard to 'let not thy peace depend on the tongues of men.' The stinging insects are so annoying! Give me peace in Your approval today. Amen."
A.W. Tozer

Come Sinners to the Gospel feast. Let every one be Jesu's guest.