Peace, love, and faith

"Peace be to the brethren, and love and faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."—Eph. 4:23.

Peace, love, faith; these are the three things which the apostle desired for the brethren; remembering, no doubt, what had come to himself,—"the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 1:14) This threefold blessing comes directly from the Father and the Son, through the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.

"I need peace." Yes; and it is this that the Father gives. It is this that Jesus gives. Both Father and Son desire that you should have it. Allow them to give it.

"I need love." Yes ; and it is this which the Father and the Son bestow. They hold it out to you. They will not only teach you their own vast love, but also to love in return.

"I need faith." Yes, surely you do; and the whole Godhead presents it to you. "It is the gift of God." Lord, increase our faith! Lord, help our unbelief!

Go, then, trustingly to God; to the Father and the Son; that you may get at once the peace, the love, the faith which you need so much. Confide in the free love of the Godhead. You will find in this simple confidence the cure of all spiritual diseases, the channel of all health and blessing. Distrust will do nothing for you. It will only make you worse. Unreserved confidence will do everything for you. God asks this. Give Him his request.

He is our peace

" He is our peace."—Eph. 2:14.

It was peace that we needed; for sin had thrown us out of peace, by troubling the conscience, and coming in between us and God. It was peace that we needed; for without peace what is life?

It is peace that Christ has made. He has not left it for us to make. He has made it on the cross, leaving nothing that is needful for our peace undone. Faith simply apprehends what Christ has made. Unbelief tries to make peace; but faith takes it as already made, and rejoices in it. All that hindered our having peace has been taken away; and all that could cause trouble of conscience has been fully met by the work of the Great Substitute upon the cross.

The cross is the display of righteous love,—love coming to us from God in a righteous way. We lift up our eyes to the cross, and see the Son of God there bearing sin. Then does the love flow in to us. The more that we allow the thoughts of this free love to find their way into us, the deeper and more abiding will be our peace. We are like men placed in an atmosphere filled with fragrance and health. We have only to inhale it. The gospel has surrounded us with this atmosphere of free love. Let us open our mouths, and breathe this blessed air. It will at once revive and refresh us. We shall find what health and vigor it can impart to our Souls and Bodies.

Christ died for our sins

"Christ died for our sins."—I Cor. 15:3-8

If Christ, then, has died, why should we die? It was once needful that every sinner should die for his sins; but now it is no longer needful If the sinner now dies, it is because he is resolved to do so; because he will have nothing to do with the Substitute. That Substitute is the Son of God, who suffered for sin—the just for the unjust. He is not afar off, but at hand. He is a sufficient, a willing, a loving Substitute.

It is not our money nor our merits that He asks; it is simply our consent. He was willing to become the Sin bearer; are we willing that He should become our Sin-bearer? The Father consents; the Son consents; the Holy Spirit consents; do we consent? Then the great transaction is done; the great exchange is made. He gets our sins, we get His righteousness. He gets our death, we get His life. For what is faith but our consenting to have Him for our Surety and Substitute?

Here we rest. We hand over to Him all our sins and burdens. He takes them from us, and buries them out of sight in His own grave. No other, save the Divine Substitute can relieve us of our guilt. No other can remove our fears or give rest to our troubled conscience. He can and will do it all . For this He died and rose again. For this He ascended on high, and ever liveth to intercede.

Have peace in Jesus

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace"—John 16:3.

There is peace for us; yes, Peace even in a world of evil and unrest. Whatever shadows may fling themselves across our path or rest above our dwellings, there is peace. We do not need to be troubled or sad.

The Son of God makes known the awesome truth. He says "there is peace" and He tells us where it is found,—in Himself. "He is our peace," and the "peace which passeth all understanding" is in Him alone. "In me ye shall have peace." "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you."

Yet again, He tells us that it is through what He has spoken to us that we are to get this peace which is in Him. His words are the words of peace. They lead us to Himself. They make known the grace that is in Him. They tell us what He is as well as what He has done. To listen to the words which Christ has spoken, is to drink in the peace of which He is the fountain. In hearing Him, peace flows in upon us like a river. It is only by closing the ear against Him, and against His words, that we can shut out the blessed peace.

How little do men know how much they lose in not listening to His voice! and how much they would gain in listening!

l am among you as he that serveth

"l am among you as he that serveth."— Luke 22:27.

In the kingdom of Christ, the lowest place is the place of honor. It was this that He himself stooped to when He took upon Him the form of a servant.

It was in lowly love that He thus came to serve us; and what is there that He is not willing to stoop to in order that He may supply our need? He has already stooped to the cradle, and the cross, and the tomb; and what is there, after these, that He will shrink from or refuse, in the way of service for us?

He has taken on Him this special office, and will He not perform it well? What want is there, be it great or small, that He will not supply? In going to Him for this supply, we are not taxing His patience, we are not making undue demands upon Him, we are not making too free with His love or condescension. We are only employing Him in the very way in which He delights to be employed. We are only making that use of His condescension which the Father designed, when He filled Him with the Spirit without measure, and sent Him to us, that He might "supply all our need, according to His riches in glory." We cannot be too needy, or too empty. He is as unwearied in His service as in His love.

Ask, and it shall be given you

"Ask, and it shall be given you."—Matt. 7:7.

We sometimes feel our need of certain things, but are sad because we think them beyond our reach. Were they within sight, or within touch, like the grass under our feet, or like the river that flows by our dwelling, we should feel certain of getting them; but they seem to us far off, and we despair of having them.

This is unbelief. It is dealing with God as if He were not the God of all grace; it is using prayer as if it were not the means of obtaining what we need; and it is treating His promises as if they were not meant to be kept.

Now, the question with us should never  be, Is the thing that we desire out of sight, or far off, or difficult, or costly? but simply, Hasn't God told us come to Him for it? Whatever we are warranted to ask for, is as truly within our reach as is the flower at our side, which we have only to stoop down and pluck. Thus God has placed every spiritual blessing within our reach, because He has told us to pray for them. Is it His own Holy Spirit that we desire, or is it more faith, or a truer sense of sin, or warmer love, or a holier life? Let us never feel as if any of these things were far off, or hard to be gotten. They are at hand. They are within God's reach, and therefore they are within ours, because they are the things which He has taught us to ask for.

Ye shall know that I am the Lord.

"Ye shall know that I am the Lord."—Ezek, 20:44.

It is God's desire that He should be known; moreover, it is His purpose that He should be known. He compels even His enemies to know Him. If they will not know Him in His love, they shall know Him in His wrath. If they will not know Him in His pardons, they shall know Him in His judgments.

It is, however, a blessed thought for us that God wishes to be known. There is no hiding of Himself; no retiring out of view. He is not unwilling to shew Himself; no, His object in all that He says and does is so to reveal Himself that it shall be impossible for any one not to know Him. Considering what God has done to unfold His glorious character, we are led to wonder that He should be to so many still "the unknown God."

It is life to know Him. (John 17:3) It is peace to be acquainted with Him. (Job 22:21.) And if He is so willing to be known, why should any of us remain ignorant of Him? Shall we not go straight to Him, that He may teach us to know Himself? If He is so desirous that even those who are turning away from Him should know Him, will He hide His love or veil His glory from those that are seeking His face?

The knowledge of Jehovah! What is there of peace and light and joy that is not contained in that!

Who is among you that feareth the LORD?

"Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God."—Isa. 50:10.

Our way is often dark in this dark world. Evil and sorrow surround us like so many thick clouds that shut out the light What, then, shall we do, when we are thus on the point of losing our way? Take hold of God's hand, as the little child does of its father's in the dark night, and keep close to His side.

This is God's cure for darkness— simple confidence in Himself. The want of this confidence puts us all wrong. The possession of it keeps us all right.

But am I warranted in trusting God at all times, whatever may be the evil that I feel to be in me? Of course you are, just as you are bound to obey the command which says, "Thou shalt love Him with all thy heart." You would not say, "I am so bad that I am not warranted in loving God." That would be adding sin to sin. So you ought never to say, "I am so bad that I am not entitled to trust God." God commands you to trust Him; and not to do so would just be adding sin to sin. Trust Him at all times, for He is worthy to be trusted. Stay upon Him, for His arm is strong enough to bear the whole weight. Do not hesitate or delay. Trust Him at once, and as you are. Trust Him now.

I bring near My righteousness

"I bring near My righteousness."—Isa. 46:13

God is here speaking to those who are "far from righteousness;" and He proposes to remedy their evil, and to remove this distance, by bringing His righteousness near to them. They will not come near to His righteousness. They keep aloof from it. In great love, therefore, He resolves to bring it nigh them.

And He has brought it near! It is as near as it is possible for any thing to be to us,—as near as the words themselves which tell us of it. What can be nearer to us than words which not only float round us, but which, entering by the ear, go through our whole man? So near is this righteousness, as the apostle shows us, in the tenth of the Romans. We do not need to go up to heaven for it, nor to go down into the earth for it. We do not need to go one step nor to move one inch in order to reach it. It is so near as to be within the reach of every sinner to whom the good news is preached. We know that it is free; that it is precious; that it is sufficient; that it is suitable; but we also know that it is Near. Were it far off it would not do for us. But it is so near that we have nothing to do in order to get it, but merely to consent to let God put it upon us! This is faith. Oh, let us not thrust away the Hand that would clothe us with raiment so needful and so divine!

In the LORD have I righteousness and strength

"In the LORD have I righteousness and strength"—Isa. 45:24 

These are the two things we most needed—righteousness for our unrighteousness, and strength for our helplessness. "I am unrighteous," is our feeling every moment. To meet this, a divine righteousness is at hand. "I am without strength," is our feeling also. But it was because we were without strength that Christ died for us. And, besides, there is strength provided, divine strength; strength as free and perfect, and near as is the righteousness. This strength completely meets our complaint of inability. 

The truth is that we are far more helpless than we think ourselves. Yet that matters not. It is to them that have "no might" that He "increaseth strength." We ought, then, no more to be cast down by a sense of inability than by a sense of unworthiness. God has provided against both. There is enough of strength at our disposal not only to make our inability no real hindrance, but to make it the very thing which gives us hope, inasmuch as it draws out the strength which is in the Lord for us. It gives Him an opportunity for magnifying His strength in our weakness. Most gladly, then, let us "glory in our infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon us." (2 Cor. xii. 9.) It is thus that "out of weakness we are made strong."

I will pour water upon him that is thirsty

"I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground."—Isa. 44:3

Most tender are the compassion's of our God. Most affectionate is the interest which He takes in our welfare. His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace. He does not weary in well doing towards us, in spite of all our ill-doing towards Him.

He would gladly see us happy, and He gives us His promise that He will make us so. He does so in a way that shews us that nothing shall be able to hinder our being happy, if we will but allow Him to make us so. "Let Me make you happy; let Me fill you with My joy." Thus He speaks to us.

He knows what a thirsty land we dwell in, a desert where there are no springs of water and no shady palm trees. He sees how certain we are to be thirsty in such a world, and He provides for it. "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty;" nay, I will pour "floods upon the dry ground." These souls of ours are like the earth we dwell in—"dry ground." But here is the promise of the welcome shower. It comes from God himself. It is from His free love that the refreshing rain descends; no, it is that free love that is itself the reviving rain. Let us lay our parched and weary souls under it, that we may be made fresh and glad. These "showers," these "floods" from heaven can refresh the most withered and drooping.

Thy hands have made me

"Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments."—Ps. 119: 73.

It was in the same way that Peter wrote, ages after—"Commit the keeping of your souls to Him, as unto a faithful Creator." Both the Old and New Testament saints are looking at God, as the God that made them; not merely the God who clothes the lilies and feeds the ravens, but the God who made themselves. On this they build their trust. He made them, and He has not unmade them. Surely they may trust Him. They seem to say to God, "Thou hast made us: surely Thou wilt teach us; surely Thou wilt preserve and comfort us. The God who created us will not forsake the work of His own hands. He who gave us breath, will He not much more give us His Holy Spirit? He who cares for these vile bodies, will He not much more care for these souls?"

This is a peace-giving truth. It is a strong and blessed argument against all unbelief. We cannot deny that He made us; surely we cannot doubt that He will care for us, and keep us, and bless us. It is like Paul's argument in Romans 8:32, "He that spared not his own Son, will he not with him freely give us all things?" He who upholds us in being and keeps us out of hell, what will He not do for us ?— what will He not give us? Would He give us our daily life, with all its common mercies, if He were only seeking to destroy us?

For he satisfies the longing soul

"For he satisfies the longing soul"—Ps. 107: 9.

It is our poverty that fits us for the riches of God. This is our only qualification. It is with the poor that God deals. It is the empty that He fills.

When a soul comes to know that it is really poor and empty, then it stretches out its hands to Him who alone can satisfy. It is in this attitude that God meets us. "He satisfieth the longing soul." Shall we not come before Him ? He wants no merit, no claim on our part. All He desires is that we should be willing to be receivers. He asks no more. He loves to bless. "He gives to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." Let us go to Him. He sends none empty away. Each longing cry that goes up in His ears meets with a ready response. He is not slow to give. His love is not as our love; His thoughts are not as our thoughts; His ways are not as our ways. He gave His Son, and what will He not give? He has sent His Spirit, and what will not that Spirit bring to us? He has made known to us His "gospel," — His "good news;" and how much does that imply? How can we be poor, with such riches as His at our side?

Trust in Him at all times.

"Trust in Him at all times."—Ps. 62:8.

One of God's heaviest complaints against us is, that we will not trust Him. There is nothing that He desires so much as this; there is nothing that honours Him so much as this; there is nothing that would bring so many blessings to ourselves; yet we do not trust Him. We speak of Him, but we do not trust Him. We pray to Him, but we do not trust Him.

Have we any good reason for this distrust? Is God's character such as to repel our trust? Has He shewn us so much ill-will that we dare not trust Him? Surely there are no reasons in Him for distrust! His whole character and acts towards us are such as to draw out our most hearty trust. His love, His grace, His long-suffering,—all these revealed and pledged to us in the gift of His beloved Son,—shew us what a God we have to do with, and how entirely worthy of our trust He is.

Nor can anything in us, however evil, be a reason for not trusting Him. Our sins may be many, our hearts may be hard, our wills may be crooked, our ways very rebellious; but all these together are no reason for distrusting God. To distrust Him because of these, would be adding sin to sin. He is "rich in mercy;" He is the "God of all grace;" let us "trust in Him at all times." Simple trust in Him as the God of all grace would do for us what nothing else could do. We shall be no losers by our confidence.

Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.

"Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain thee."—Ps. 55:22

We do not need to bear our own burdens any more than we need to bear our own sins. God has provided for the bearing of both. He takes them upon Himself. The work of burden bearing is as completely His as is the work of sin-bearing. His love has removed all necessity for our attempting to bear either the one or the other.

Even if we could, then, why should we bear them? It is not wise ; nay, it is foolish beyond measure; and it is as useless as it is foolish.

But more than this, it is sinful. To try to be our own sin-bearers, is to make void the work of Christ as such; so to try to be our own burden-bearers is to make void His work as such. We see the sin of trying to bear our own guilt, let us learn to see as clearly the sin of seeking to bear our own burdens. Let us understand the sin of not casting our burden on the Lord.

What is there about these burdens that we should be so unwilling to part with them? Or what is there about God that should make us unwilling to cast them on Him? His love, and power, and faithfulness, all invite us to do this. Not to do it is to suspect and distrust Him. He delights to bear the whole undivided weight; shall we not, then, give up every burden to Him who wants us to be "without carefulness," because He careth for us! What sweet and holy lightness of spirit would then be ours! The burden is not lessened in itself, but it is borne by the Mighty God!

My times are in Thy hand

"My times are in Thy hand."—Ps. 31:15.

These are Christ's words, for the psalm is one of His utterances when bearing our sins. He is speaking as the "sent" one, the dependent, trusting Son of man.

We can also take up these words. We look up and remember Jehovah. What He is, even apart from what He is to us, is our joy. He is Jehovah; He is the disposer of times and events, the sovereign arranger of everything relating to us. He is so condescendingly mindful of us that He orders our whole life and lot. He in whose hand our times are is the God of love.

1. What solemnity, then, does this cast over life! A life thus wholly ordered in all its times by the infinite Jehovah must be a solemn thing.

2. What stability does it impart! Even in such an unstable world everything is under the regulation of an unchanging purpose.

3. What certainty does it give to all that passes! There can be no random, nay, no trivial events; nothing disjointed or loose.

4. What peace does it fill us with in this tempestuous age! Nations may rock to and fro, politicians stagger, confusion reign; we are at peace. All is well .

5. What consolation in sorrow! Our times are in hands divinely wise and powerful . All must work for good. There can be no real evil.

6. What hope for the future! We know that there is light beyond this gloom. The storm is for an hour, the calm that follows is eternal.

In His favor is life

"In His favor is life."—Ps. 30:5

Were the sun to be blotted out of the heavens, every leaf and flower would wither; life would cease. Without sunshine, earth would be a desert.

Jehovah is the sun of the soul Without His beams all is not only darkness, but death. His love is the sunlight that gladdens and revives us. Where that love is shed down, all is peace; where that love is withheld, all is sadness, and terror, and gloom. Life is not life when this love is hidden. In His favor is life. The favor of others may cheer us for an hour, and make us forget our weariness; but it leaves the soul as heavy and dark as before. It does not comfort, it does not quicken, it does not heal or refresh. Only of God's love can it be said that in it is life.

Yes, it contains life for us, the true life of the soul; and he who findeth this favor, findeth life. The possession of that favor is blessedness. Nor is this favor hard to find. It does not need to be bought. It is freely given. We have but to take it. Like the sunshine, it is around us, and we have but to give it entrance. God sends us the good news of it in the gospel of His grace; and he who simply receives that gospel, is at once put in possession of the Divine favour, the whole free love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hence the apostle says, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us." (1 John 4:16.)

Thou wilt save the afflicted people.

"Thou wilt save the afflicted people."—Ps. 18:27.

To be numbered among "the afflicted people," need not cast us down. We are not  made outcasts, as if God were shaking us off like withered leaves, to leave us to perish, and think on us no more. He will "save the afflicted people." This was the confidence which David knew to repose in Him when brought very low; and this was the confidence with which a Greater than David leaned upon Him when He was brought lower still.

It is salvation that the afflicted need. Their case is a much more desperate one than they imagine. It is not mere help, or comfort, or relief, that they need. It is salvation. Their saddest case needs no more, but their least affliction needs no less.

And in God there is salvation for them. He who afflicts is the same that delivers. The smiter is the Saviour. The wounder is the healer. Into His hands we commend ourselves, that He may undertake for us. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and this is enough both to assure us that the trial will not be too bitter, and that deliverance will come in due time. When it comes, it will be complete.

There is no real evil in affliction, except that which we put into it ourselves by our perversity. There is only good. Not to be afflicted, is the worst affliction that can come upon us.

Who is a rock, save our God?

"Who is a rock, save our God"—2 Sam. 22: 32.

Yes, who is a rock, except Him? Shelter, shadow, fortress, shield, hiding-place and refuge—all in Him! Jehovah, God of heaven and earth; the God who so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, He is our Rock!

What shall we then say? If God be for us, who can be against us? If He be our rock, who can harm us? What storm of the ocean can overthrow us when established on this Rock, or what sun of the desert can scorch us when seated under the shadow of the Great Rock in the weary land?

Let us trust and not be afraid. Let us be without carefulness. Let us not forecast evil, or trouble ourselves about the future. All is well. Who is a rock except our God? We may well be calm and peaceful. We have a good right to be steadfast and unmovable.

It is not we that have made the Rock, nor placed it where it is. It is Jehovah himself; and He has done it for us.

It is on this Rock that the Holy Spirit places us when He draws us out of the horrible pit. And He does so simply in enabling us to receive God's testimony concerning this wondrous Rock; concerning the free love of Him who is our rock and refuge.

"Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength;"—the Rock of Ages —(Isa. 26:4.)

The Lord is my refuge!

"And the Lord shut him in."—Gen. 6:18.

He who shut Noah in, did by that very act, shut out all evil . He shut out the flood, he shut out the storm, he shut out death. He gave a pledge to his faithful servant that all would be well.  Above, there was darkness; beneath, the tossing wave; around, the moaning wind; far off and near, the cries of dying multitudes; yet Noah was secure.  Jehovah had shut him in and Jehovah kept watch.

Then was he safe indeed.  No peril could reach him, no enemy could find access, no sudden mischance could surprise him.  He was as safe in the midst of the rolling waters as was Enoch in the presence of that Lord to whom he was caught up, that he might be taken away from the evil to come.

It is Jehovah who "shuts in" His Noahs, with their families, in the day of evil. He has His chambers provided for them; He leads them into these when danger threatens; He secures them against enemies; He himself stands sentinel at the gate.

In stormy times let us call to mind this security. The name of the Lord is our strong tower; let us run into it and be safe. He bids us enter; He shuts us in ; He keeps watch without. Though the whole world, like a mighty flood, rise against us, as if to overflow and overwhelm, He who shuts us in will keep us. We shall not be moved. Jesus is our ark, and He who shuts us in is the Father.

God is Good

"God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."—Gen. i. 81.

Such is the joy of God!  He "rejoices in His works."(Ps. 104:31.)  These were but "parts of His ways," (Job 26:14,) the first scene in the unfolding of His wondrous purpose; yet it is very glorious; and in it He is well pleased.  Each day's work was good; all things above and beneath; the heaven, with its stars; the earth with its flowers and gems, its hills, and seas, and streams; man, and beast, and fowl; all were good.

He takes deep interest in all that He has made!  Each atom is His own, and each atom comes under His eye.  It is not only the hairs of our head that are numbered, nor the sparrow that He notices, nor the lily of the field that He paints; but the very dust of the ground, the sand of the desert, the pebble on the ocean-beach; all these are owned and cared for by Him.

This is the God in whom "we live, and move, and have our being!" How deep His love! What will His love not do for us in all things great and small! He cares for our earth, and for us its inhabitants! His delight is to bless; and what amount of blessing will He count too great to bestow on those for whom He has already given His Son! Let us trust Him in everything. He will not fail us; He will do us good and not evil abundantly all the days of our lives.

Spiritual Peace

The birth of Christ was celebrated by a multitude of the heavenly host, whose song on that memorable occasion was, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” Luke 2:14. The interesting message which God has sent us by his commissioned servants the apostles, is justly termed the gospel of peace, Rom. 10:15.  Jesus Christ, whose authority and power in the church are absolute and unchangeable, is styled the Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6. And one effect, or fruit, of the Holy Spirit’s influence, is said to be peace.  Ever since the first entrance of sin, the world has exhibited a scene of disorder and confusion, a field of blood and carnage. But those who cordially receive the gospel, who become the subjects of the King of Zion, who are habitually led by the Spirit, are made partakers of true peace.

Spiritual peace consists in that sweet and calm serenity of conscience, which arises from a well-grounded persuasion of our reconciliation to God.

How awful is the condition of man in a state of depravity and guilt! “ Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them,” Gal.3:10. The law, insists upon obedience perfect in all its parts; perfect in every degree; and, in each of these respects, perpetual.  While, therefore, any one continues under the law, a stranger to himself, and an enemy to God by wicked works, he must be destitute of true peace.  The terrors of Divine justice are set in array against him, and a condemning sentence is prepared to fix his eternal doom. In this state, no creature can afford deliverance. But “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly,” Rom. 5: 6. 

We must look to Calvary for the first glimpse of hope.  There we see the moral law in the highest degree honored, and all its demands fully answered.  There we see the most striking display of inflexible justice and eternal mercy.  There we behold the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world! There our peace was made and ratified by the blood of the everlasting covenant.  Paul says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,” Gal. 3:13. “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself,” Col. 1:19, 20.  Peter declares, that “ Christ hath suffered, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,” 1 Pet. 3: 16. These, and many other Scriptures, clearly show the divinely appointed method of reconciliation for guilty, apostate man. Glorious, and ever to be admired, is the grand scheme of human redemption.

Love: A fruit of the Spirit

Is the mind of man naturally disposed to set its affections' on things above, rather than on things below? Is that love which is essential to real religion an innate principle, that grows spontaneously in the soil of the depraved heart? Far otherwise.

 Man, through sin, is naturally alienated and estranged from God. He has a revolting and a rebellious heart. How strongly, yet justly, is this expressed by the apostle Paul; “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be!” (Rom. 8:7). While men are in this unhappy state, they, in effect, say unto God, “ Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways,” Job. 21:4. The consequence is, that some are to be found as absolutely devoid of all religion, as if they were professed atheists; and others, who still wear a form of piety, adopt errors which rob God of his honor and praise, to offer a more costly sacrifice to the great idol, self. 

Divine love in us, is not therefore a native, but a heaven-implanted principle, the fruit of the Spirit. It is not a spark of our own kindling, but a flame brought from above. When the sword of the Spirit cuts away that thick veil which covers the carnal heart, love enters and dwells, where before enmity rankled. From the lips which once distilled the poison of asps, the milk of charity now flows. This representation agrees with the ancient promise, recorded in Deut. 30:6, “And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,'and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” That the above passage describes that inward, spiritual renovation which is the effect of free grace, is beyond a doubt. It is easy to see the precious truth, under every form of figurative words. As the uncircumcised ear cannot hear, so the uncircumcised heart cannot feel.

No sooner, however, does the hand of God remove all obstructions, than the ear receives the joyful sound of the gospel, and the heart melts by the touch of Divine love. “ I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee,” Jer. 31:3. To this sweet and gracious attraction the stubborn will bends, and the perverse, untoward passions yield. “Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us,” Rom. 5:5. This remarkable passage deserves particular attention. It is the sole prerogative of Him who hath the key of David to open the heart, as appears from what is spoken of Lydia, Acts 16:14. 

When he hath opened the heart, he empties and cleanses it, casting out the idols and abominations, as he once cast the buyers and sellers out of the temple, Matt. 21:12. And that grace may reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, he plentifully pours his love into the heart, where it is diffused, through the whole course and conduct of the saint.

Love the Lord God and serve Him only!

“ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” Matt. 22: 37-40.

God, as the source of all being, and the center of all perfection and excellency, claims the chief place in our affection. Now, to deny his claim, or prefer another, is to pervert the law of universal order, and to open a door for the entrance of confusion and every evil work. If a Being of infinite majesty, un spotted holiness, and unbounded goodness, is not to be devoutly adored and supremely beloved, there is not a single principle in religion or morals on which we can rely, but all is involved in darkness and uncertainty.

The footsteps of his wisdom and power, goodness and glory, may be traced in the works of creation. But though the earth is full of his riches, and the heavens sparkle with his glory, it is in the Scriptures chiefly that the Divine attributes appear in the most attractive and delightful manifestations. Here we have marvelous light, to give us those spiritual discoveries which are adapted to fill our hearts with s love. Here we behold God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Here "mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace embrace each other."(Psalm 85:10).  "In the only begotten Son, who is the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person," we find every thing great and good, to interest and engage the heart. (Heb. 1:3)

As God is the supreme object on which holy love fixes, so creatures ought to have a subordinate measure of love, according to the degree in which they bear his image.

 

More than Conquerors part II

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."—Rom. 8:37.

Beloved, are not some of you weakened by this indecisiveness in your views of truth, in your steps of faith, in your refusals of temptation, in your surrender to God, in your consecration to His service and your obedience to His special call? You have been just uncertain enough to keep the question open and tempt the adversary to renew the conflict evermore. We sometimes read in God's word after one of David's hardest conflicts, or one of Joshua's boldest triumphs, "the land had rest from war!" Thus we have rest by becoming "more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

It is to have such a victory as will effectually break the adversary's power and not only defend us from his attacks but effectually weaken and destroy his strength. This is one of the purposes of temptation, that we may be workers together with God in destroying evil. We read of Joshua's battles that "it was of the Lord that these kings should come against Joshua in battle for this very purpose, that they might be utterly destroyed." It was not enough for Israel to beat them off and be saved from their attacks, but God wanted them exterminated. And so when God allows the enemy to appear in our lives it is that we may do him irreparable and eternal injury, and thus glorify God and be workers with Christ in destroying the works of the devil.

The Spirit of Adoption

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; bit ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15

Sinful man has every natural reason to fear facing his Creator.  The awfulness of transgression should not be lost on us, and the hatred of God for the sins of man is terrible beyond description, but through Jesus Christ all of this is changed.  to the soul that accepts by faith the life of Christ as his own, the bondage of fear is immediately removed.  Was it not prophesied that he would set at liberty the captive?  This is true, gloriously true, and instead of the bondage of fear, we have the Spirit of adoption.  What a beautiful word!  It signifies that though of a different family by nature we are recipients of divine love and have been transplanted into the kingdom of heave by an act of free grace.  

An adopted one does not earn his way into the affection of his parents nor is there anything to recommend him as a member of the family by nature.  He was and is, according to Scripture, "an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, without God and without hope in the world."  His only hope is in divine favor unmerited and undeserved, and this is how it came; this is the Spirit of adoption, this is the Spirit of Christ!  What else could have made Him leave heave and all its glories to walk in the valley of the shadow of death for thirty-three years?  What else would make Him persevere to drink the cup when He could have shunned it and returned to His kingly throne?  It was the Spirit of adoption, Christ's love for man, that led Him all the way to the cross.

Understanding

"He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding." Proverbs 15:32

Compliments are easy to absorb, but criticism is much more difficult.  However, one's best friend will tell him the truth no matter what the consequences, and to reject constructive criticism is the height of folly.  Such an attitude bespeaks pride.  Some of the prophets of Israel suffered because the king wanted to hear only pleasing things.  Prophets who could outdo others in predicting rosy futures were promoted to positions of favor.  Conversely, those who told the truth, no matter how severe, were remanded to dungeons or exiled.  the king always suffered the consequences of his own folly.  By contrast there was King David, who when rebuked by faithful prophets of God, repented of his sins, put on sackcloth and ashes, ad literally groveled before the Lord.  This man loved his own soul.  This man got understanding.  

A good listener must have the spirit of meekness or he will never hear the voice of reproof without resentful reaction, and meekness is a very rare quality in our world.  Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (Matt. 5:5)  Meekness is a quality that has to be cultivated.  One must deliberately, by an act of the will, humble himself before God daily, acknowledging his sins.  Some of the prayers of David are beautifully interspersed with confessions of unworthiness.  Meekness is also often the product of suffering.

Peter in his earlier years was brash, impulsive, and quick tempered, but in that courtyard scene, when the rooster's voice three times signaled the folly of human resolutions unaided by divine power, and when the piercing eyes of the Son of God searched his soul, driving him to Gethsemane and to his knees, a different Peter emerged- a Peter meek and powerful.  To say it better:  His meekness was his power.

Most of the strife in our world may be traced to misunderstanding.  There a too few people with the gift of being able to sit down and analyze a situation without emotion.  The prayer of Solomon was for a wise and understanding heart.  His prayer was answered, and today, thousands, of years after his death, his wisdom is a legend.