Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
God shoots many kinds of arrows
"May your will be done" - Matthew 6:10
We pray here that we may have grace to submit to God's will patiently, in whatever He afflicts. Patient submission to God's will is a gracious frame of soul, whereby a Christian is content to be at God's disposal and acquiesces in His wisdom...'it is the Lord's will, let Him do what He thinks best'- 1 Samuel 3:18
Patient submission to the will of God lies in seeing His hand in the affliction--'affliction does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth' Job 5:6. Affliction does not come by chance! Job eyed God in all that befell him--'the Lord gave me everything that I have, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!'Job 1:21. Job looks beyond second causes, he sees God in the affliction. There can be no submission to God's will until there is an acknowledging of God's hand in the affliction.
While we live here in this valley of tears, patient submission to God's will is much needed. The Lord sometimes lays heavy afflictions upon us--'your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me!' Psalm 38:2. God sometimes lays many afflictions upon us; 'He multiplies my wounds'-Job 9:17. God shoots many kinds of arrows.
God sometimes afflicts with poverty---which is a great affliction. To have an estate almost reduced to nothing is hard on flesh and blood. "The Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty." -Ruth 1:20,21
God sometimes afflicts with reproach. Dirt may be cast upon a pearl, and those names may be blotted which are written in the book of life. Piety shields from hell, but not from slander.
God sometimes afflicts with death of loved ones. "Son of man, I am going to take away your dearest treasure. Suddenly she will die." Ezekiel 24:16
God sometimes afflicts with infirmity of body. Sickness takes away the comfort of life. Sometimes God lets the infirmity continue long. Some diseases are chronic, and linger and hang about the body for many years. The Lord is pleased to exercise many of His precious ones with chronic affliction.
God tries His people with various afflictions, so that they have need of patient submission to His will. Murmuring is NOT consistent with submission to God's will. Murmuring is the height of impatience, it is a kind of mutiny in the soul against God--'they began to murmur against God'--Numbers 21:15
When water is hot, then the scum boils up; when the heart is heated with anger against God, then murmuring boils up. Murmuring springs from pride. Men think they have deserved better at God's hand and when, they begin to swell with pride, they spit poison.
From Thomas Watson's 'The Lord's Prayer'
We pray here that we may have grace to submit to God's will patiently, in whatever He afflicts. Patient submission to God's will is a gracious frame of soul, whereby a Christian is content to be at God's disposal and acquiesces in His wisdom...'it is the Lord's will, let Him do what He thinks best'- 1 Samuel 3:18
Patient submission to the will of God lies in seeing His hand in the affliction--'affliction does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth' Job 5:6. Affliction does not come by chance! Job eyed God in all that befell him--'the Lord gave me everything that I have, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!'Job 1:21. Job looks beyond second causes, he sees God in the affliction. There can be no submission to God's will until there is an acknowledging of God's hand in the affliction.
While we live here in this valley of tears, patient submission to God's will is much needed. The Lord sometimes lays heavy afflictions upon us--'your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me!' Psalm 38:2. God sometimes lays many afflictions upon us; 'He multiplies my wounds'-Job 9:17. God shoots many kinds of arrows.
God sometimes afflicts with poverty---which is a great affliction. To have an estate almost reduced to nothing is hard on flesh and blood. "The Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty." -Ruth 1:20,21
God sometimes afflicts with reproach. Dirt may be cast upon a pearl, and those names may be blotted which are written in the book of life. Piety shields from hell, but not from slander.
God sometimes afflicts with death of loved ones. "Son of man, I am going to take away your dearest treasure. Suddenly she will die." Ezekiel 24:16
God sometimes afflicts with infirmity of body. Sickness takes away the comfort of life. Sometimes God lets the infirmity continue long. Some diseases are chronic, and linger and hang about the body for many years. The Lord is pleased to exercise many of His precious ones with chronic affliction.
God tries His people with various afflictions, so that they have need of patient submission to His will. Murmuring is NOT consistent with submission to God's will. Murmuring is the height of impatience, it is a kind of mutiny in the soul against God--'they began to murmur against God'--Numbers 21:15
When water is hot, then the scum boils up; when the heart is heated with anger against God, then murmuring boils up. Murmuring springs from pride. Men think they have deserved better at God's hand and when, they begin to swell with pride, they spit poison.
From Thomas Watson's 'The Lord's Prayer'
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Who do you exalt?
Here is a hard-hitting quote from A. W. Tozer...
“Our break with the world will be the direct outcome of our changed relation to God. For the world of fallen men does not honor God. Millions call themselves by His name, it is true, and pay some token respect to Him; but a simple test will show how little He is really honored among them. Let the average man be put to the proof on the question of who is above, and his true position will be exposed. Let him be forced into making a choice between God and money, between God and men, between God and personal ambition, God and self, God and human love…God will take second place every time. Those other things will be exalted above. However a man may protest, the proof is in the choices he makes day after day throughout his life.”
“Our break with the world will be the direct outcome of our changed relation to God. For the world of fallen men does not honor God. Millions call themselves by His name, it is true, and pay some token respect to Him; but a simple test will show how little He is really honored among them. Let the average man be put to the proof on the question of who is above, and his true position will be exposed. Let him be forced into making a choice between God and money, between God and men, between God and personal ambition, God and self, God and human love…God will take second place every time. Those other things will be exalted above. However a man may protest, the proof is in the choices he makes day after day throughout his life.”
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