Month: November 2022

“A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”

Song of Solomon 4:12

In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer, we have very plainly the idea of secrecy.

It is a spring shut up: just as there were springs in the East, over which an edifice was built,

so that none could reach them save those who knew the secret entrance;

so is the heart of a believer when it is renewed by grace:

there is a mysterious life within which no human skill can touch.

It is a secret which no other man knoweth;

nay,

which the very man who is the possessor of it cannot tell to his neighbour.

The text includes not only secrecy, but separation.

It is not the common spring, of which every passer-by may drink,

it is one kept and preserved from all others;

it is a fountain bearing a particular mark—a king’s royal seal,

so that all can perceive that it is not a common fountain,

but a fountain owned by a proprietor, and placed specially by itself alone.

So is it with the spiritual life.

The chosen of God were separated in the eternal decree;

they were separated by God in the day of redemption;

and they are separated by the possession of a life which others have not;

and it is impossible for them to feel at home with the world,

or to delight in its pleasures.

There is also the idea of sacredness.

The spring shut up is preserved for the use of some special person:

and such is the Christian’s heart.

It is a spring kept for Jesus.

Every Christian should feel that he has God’s seal upon him—and he should be able to say with

Paul, “From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.”

Another idea is prominent—it is that of security.

Oh! how sure and safe is the inner life of the believer!

If all the powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal principle must still exist,

for he who gave it pledged his life for its preservation.

And who “is he that shall harm you,” when God is your protector?

A Prayer to Love Our Enemies By Lynette Kittle

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” – Matthew 5:44

Have you ever been hated? If so, you’re in good company because Jesus was perfect, yet He had those who hated Him to the extent of wanting Him dead. More concern should be if the world loves us because it’s a sign we most likely aren’t living our lives for God. As John 15:19 explains, it’s better to be hated by the world than loved. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

Most often enemies come not by our choice and usually there isn’t anything we can do to change their attitude towards us. It’s birthed within their hearts and has to be extracted from the inside out. Sadly, it’s sometimes come from within our own families who hate us because of our faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:36).

In these situations, how do we forgive those who hate us, much less love them? Often we say we forgive yet we don’t feel it and we certainly don’t feel love for them. So what do we do in these circumstances? How do we get past unforgiving and loveless feelings?

It seems the call to love our enemies is misunderstood because the secular world has reduced love down to a feeling. But real love goes much deeper and often isn’t a warm, fuzzy feeling. Real love is expressed through actions, which really are louder than words. Genuine love bypasses emotions and chooses to pray, do good, give, and even sacrifice for those who hate us. So if void of forgiving and loving feelings, how do we love our enemies with actions? Following are four ways to begin.

1. Pray for our enemies. As Matthew 5:44 urges, loving our enemies begins with prayer.

2. Do good for our enemies. Good may just start by not talking badly about them to others, along with making no effort to harm them in return. Like Luke 6:27 encourages, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” 

3. Give to our enemies. Although they may not want us to give to them, even so, our responsibility is only to give. If they refuse or discard what we offer, we’ve have fulfilled our part. Proverbs 25:21 urges, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”

4. Sacrifice for our enemies. Being kind and generous to someone who hates us is living sacrificially, it’s risky knowing if we receive anything in return it most likely will be more rejection and disdain from them.

Yet Luke 6:35, encourages, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

“The Lord’s portion is his people.”

Deuteronomy 32:9

How are they his?

By his own sovereign choice.

He chose them, and set his love upon them.

This he did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which he foresaw in them.

He had mercy on whom he would have mercy,

and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life;

thus, therefore, are they his by his unconstrained election.

They are not only his by choice, but by purchase.

He has bought and paid for them to the utmost farthing,

hence about his title there can be no dispute.

Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold,

but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the Lord’s portion has been fully redeemed.

There is no mortgage on his estate;

no suits can be raised by opposing claimants,

the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord’s freehold forever.

See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for “the Lord knoweth them that are his”;

he forgetteth none of those whom he has redeemed from among men;

he counts the sheep for whom he laid down his life,

and remembers well the Church for which he gave himself.

They are also his by conquest.

What a battle he had in us before we would be won!

How long he laid siege to our hearts!

How often he sent us terms of capitulation!

but we barred our gates,

and fenced our walls against him.

Do we not remember that glorious hour when he carried our hearts by storm?

When he placed his cross against the wall,

and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of his omnipotent mercy?

Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of his omnipotent love.

Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable:

we rejoice that we never can be our own;

and we desire, day by day, to do his will, and to show forth his glory.

Borrowed

This writing is borrowed from someone else

Man to man, it’s going to cost you.

“Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.

But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” Luke 9:23-24, NLT.

Man to man, it will cost you everything to follow Jesus.

He will say stand for Me.

Love those that purposely hurt you.

Forgive when you don’t feel like it.

Humble yourself to His timing and surrender to His will.

It will cost you when this company wants you to work for them, but God tells you to work for another.

It will cost you when you see this vocation pays so much better, but God says, do what I called you to do where there appears to be no money.

She may be beautiful, but God says to look at the heart and not the outward appearance only–not her.

There is no telling where Jesus will tell you to follow him to.

You may give up everything, but like Jesus, that’s not your end.

Yes, Jesus died, but He rose. Jesus died, but He lives and reigns.

You will live and reign also.

You may give up what you like, but you will end up with what you love.

You may give up your way, but you’ll find God’s way to be much better, for Jesus says His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

You may let her go, but He blesses you with a godly woman fit for you—beautiful inside and outside.

The reward is what the devil doesn’t want you to consider.

Consider the cost and always pursue to remember the reward that will come from it.

Prayer: Father, I praise You. You are a good God! Thank you for challenging me to follow you, Jesus, no matter the cost.

I don’t want it just to sound good, but that I walk in it.

May I always consider the reward and keep it before me.

No matter what I give up, You will always cause me to receive far greater than I can imagine in my life.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This is borrowed from someone else!

“Underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Deuteronomy 33:27

God—the eternal God—is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble.

There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation.

Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray,

because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless.

Well, child of God, remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest, yet “underneath” thee “are everlasting arms.”

Sin may drag thee ever so low, but Christ’s great atonement is still under all.

You may have descended into the deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as “the uttermost;” and to the uttermost he saves.

Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without.

Every earthly prop is cut away.

What then?

Still underneath him are “the everlasting arms.”

He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him.

The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict,

but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the “everlasting arms”—they are underneath him;

and, while thus sustained, all Satan’s efforts to harm him avail nothing.

This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God.

It implies a promise of strength for each day,

grace for each need,

and power for each duty.

And, further, when death comes, the promise shall still hold good.

When we stand in the midst of Jordan, we shall be able to say with David,

“I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.”

We shall descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower,

for the eternal arms prevent our further fall.

All through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the “everlasting arms”—arms that neither flag nor lose their strength, for “the everlasting God fainteth not, neither is weary.”