May 28, Evening
Lamentations 3:21
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Memory is frequently the bondslave of despondency. Despairing minds call to remembrance every dark foreboding in the past, and dilate upon every gloomy feature in the present; thus memory, clothed in sackcloth, presents to the mind a cup of mingled gall and wormwood. There is, however, no necessity for this. Wisdom can readily transform memory into an angel of comfort. That same recollection which in its left hand brings so many gloomy omens, may be trained to bear in its right a wealth of hopeful signs. She need not wear a crown of iron, she may encircle her brow with a fillet of gold, all spangled with stars. Thus it was in Jeremiah's experience: in the previous verse memory had brought him to deep humiliation of soul: "My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me"; and now this same memory restored him to life and comfort. "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Like a two-edged sword, his memory first killed his pride with one edge, and then slew his despair with the other. As a general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in our very darkest distress, strike a match which would instantaneously kindle the lamp of comfort. There is no need for God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers to joy; if they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of grace, their candle would soon shine as aforetime. Be it ours to remember the lovingkindness of the Lord, and to rehearse His deeds of grace. Let us open the volume of recollection which is so richly illuminated with memorials of mercy, and we shall soon be happy. Thus memory may be, as Coleridge calls it, "the bosom-spring of joy," and when the Divine Comforter bends it to His service, it may be chief among earthly comforters.
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Hendrickson Publishing, 1997.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Quiet Time : patience.teaching.idols
Isaiah 30:18 (KJV)
15For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
I love this passage, because it shows God's patience for His children. No matter how much we turn from Him, if He ordains it, we will REturn to Him. He is ETERNALLY patient! :) Just think about it, who is patient like that?!?
Isaiah 30:20-21 (KJV)
20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Ryrie note: teachers. Better, Teacher, referring to God. On God the teacher in the Millennium, see Isaiah 2:3.
15For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
I love this passage, because it shows God's patience for His children. No matter how much we turn from Him, if He ordains it, we will REturn to Him. He is ETERNALLY patient! :) Just think about it, who is patient like that?!?
Isaiah 30:20-21 (KJV)
20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Ryrie note: teachers. Better, Teacher, referring to God. On God the teacher in the Millennium, see Isaiah 2:3.
"On that day when freed from sinning" - His teaching of us will be uninterrupted by our sin.
Isaiah 31:7 (KJV)
For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.
Idols. Also, Isaiah 2:8, Isaiah 2:17-18, Isaiah 30:22. Thank GOODNESS for the day when we will be free from sin, and from the pesky idols that deceive our hearts!
+++++
Also, check out Stuff Christian's Like post for today, Wishing being a Christian meant a pain free life.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Quiet Time : "faithfulness and truth"
Isaiah 25:1 (KJV)
O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
Before The Throne Of God Above
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!
"The lyrics, by Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-1923), are a brilliant combination of Gospel-centered theology with personal application, set to a beautiful and timeless melody written by Vikki Cook." Click here to listen to and read about the song.
O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
Before The Throne Of God Above
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.
Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!
"The lyrics, by Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-1923), are a brilliant combination of Gospel-centered theology with personal application, set to a beautiful and timeless melody written by Vikki Cook." Click here to listen to and read about the song.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Quiet Time : "the whole earth is full of his glory"
Tuesday
Isaiah 3:12 (KJV)
12As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Me: this made me think of the fall (Gen. 3), and how God's natural order regarding gender was disrupted. This warns of the danger of twisting God's will.
Isaiah 3:16-26 (KJV)
16Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
18In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21The rings, and nose jewels,
22The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
Ryrie: The fashionable women, seeking to lure other women's husbands with their imported luxurious dress, would soon be destitute (cf. 1 Peter 3:3-4)
Me: Even if a man is single, he is PROBABLY going to marry, and that means that he is someone else's husband - he will be at some point - and that should be honored. I know I read that somewhere - to treat all men as someone else's husband (if they are single, and obviously if they are married)... Also, these verses really stood out to me a few days ago, and TODAY I read the following post from Girls Gone Wise blog: Too Sexy For My Love (hint, she talks about these verses).
Isaiah 4:1 (KJV)
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Ryrie: Wars will slaughter so many men that in that day (ultimately the tribulation days), women will be willing to be self-supporting if only they can be married and escape the reproach of being childless.
Me: nowadays there is no "reproach of being childless." Today's society has gone so far to the other extreme that it condones the murder of innocent, unborn children and labels it as "equal right," or "leveling the playing field" with men. The result - murder for the sake of "equality." Ugh. I don't want to be equal to a man. I don't have to be to have a sense of self-worth.
+++++
Wednesday
Isaiah 5:6 (KJV)
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Me: this is what happens with rebellion (read the prior verses!).
Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:30 (KJV)
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
Me: verses 20 and 30 show the difference between light and dark (good and evil), and the danger of mistaking one for another.
Isaiah 6:3 (KJV)
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Ryrie: Holy means separate from all that is sinful and immoral. The threefold repetition means tha God is uniquely holy.
Me: first of all, this made me think of Revelation 4:8! Also, THREEFOLD REPETITION - look back at the Song of Solomon posts... ;)
Isaiah 3:12 (KJV)
12As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Me: this made me think of the fall (Gen. 3), and how God's natural order regarding gender was disrupted. This warns of the danger of twisting God's will.
Isaiah 3:16-26 (KJV)
16Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
18In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21The rings, and nose jewels,
22The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
Ryrie: The fashionable women, seeking to lure other women's husbands with their imported luxurious dress, would soon be destitute (cf. 1 Peter 3:3-4)
Me: Even if a man is single, he is PROBABLY going to marry, and that means that he is someone else's husband - he will be at some point - and that should be honored. I know I read that somewhere - to treat all men as someone else's husband (if they are single, and obviously if they are married)... Also, these verses really stood out to me a few days ago, and TODAY I read the following post from Girls Gone Wise blog: Too Sexy For My Love (hint, she talks about these verses).
Isaiah 4:1 (KJV)
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Ryrie: Wars will slaughter so many men that in that day (ultimately the tribulation days), women will be willing to be self-supporting if only they can be married and escape the reproach of being childless.
Me: nowadays there is no "reproach of being childless." Today's society has gone so far to the other extreme that it condones the murder of innocent, unborn children and labels it as "equal right," or "leveling the playing field" with men. The result - murder for the sake of "equality." Ugh. I don't want to be equal to a man. I don't have to be to have a sense of self-worth.
+++++
Wednesday
Isaiah 5:6 (KJV)
And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Me: this is what happens with rebellion (read the prior verses!).
Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:30 (KJV)
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
Me: verses 20 and 30 show the difference between light and dark (good and evil), and the danger of mistaking one for another.
Isaiah 6:3 (KJV)
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Ryrie: Holy means separate from all that is sinful and immoral. The threefold repetition means tha God is uniquely holy.
Me: first of all, this made me think of Revelation 4:8! Also, THREEFOLD REPETITION - look back at the Song of Solomon posts... ;)
Quiet Time : Prophesy
I just want to start with - it is believed that Isaiah was martyred by being cut in half inside a hollow log. This is serious business, my friends. He was seen as a real threat.
My main thoughts about Isaiah so far (which I started reading Monday morning) are that God revealed things to Isaiah in a multi-layered way. He was predicting events that would occur in the near future (for him), the fall of Judah as a nation (because of it's sins against God). But also, more importantly, he was prophesizing about the Messiah to come, in the line of Judah; Jesus Christ. That is amazing.
Isaiah 1:18-20 (KJV)
18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Me: belief vs. unbelief. Striking.
Isaiah 2:2-3 (KJV) CSL
2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Me: this reminded me of the scene in The Great Divorce, when the narrator decides to go forward. (I'm being cryptic here, because I see that book as an excellent narrative on sin, but I don't believe it to be a true picture of what Heaven is like - and also, because I don't want to ruin it for you if you've never read it!).
Isaiah 2:8 (KJV)
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
Me: The sin of worshiping the created (idolatry), rather than the Creator of ALL things.
Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21 (KJV)
10Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
21To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Me: 3 verses on fearing God... and the glory of His majesty! (repeated phrases = important thought to get across!).
My main thoughts about Isaiah so far (which I started reading Monday morning) are that God revealed things to Isaiah in a multi-layered way. He was predicting events that would occur in the near future (for him), the fall of Judah as a nation (because of it's sins against God). But also, more importantly, he was prophesizing about the Messiah to come, in the line of Judah; Jesus Christ. That is amazing.
Isaiah 1:18-20 (KJV)
18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Me: belief vs. unbelief. Striking.
Isaiah 2:2-3 (KJV) CSL
2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Me: this reminded me of the scene in The Great Divorce, when the narrator decides to go forward. (I'm being cryptic here, because I see that book as an excellent narrative on sin, but I don't believe it to be a true picture of what Heaven is like - and also, because I don't want to ruin it for you if you've never read it!).
Isaiah 2:8 (KJV)
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
Me: The sin of worshiping the created (idolatry), rather than the Creator of ALL things.
Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21 (KJV)
10Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
21To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Me: 3 verses on fearing God... and the glory of His majesty! (repeated phrases = important thought to get across!).
Quiet Time : "set me as a seal"
I finished up Song of Solomon last Thursday...
Song of Solomon 7 (KJV)
Read the whole chapter. Solomon is enraptured by his wife physically, most notable to me is her prominent nose. Made me think about our culture's idea of beauty; that in marriage it shouldn't be that way. Beauty is unique.
Song of Solomon 8:4 (KJV)
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
Me: There it is, for the THIRD time! Yes, this is very important!!!!! Wait, be patient, TRUST IN THE LORD.
Song of Solomon 8:6 (KJV)
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Ryrie Study Bible note: as a seal. I.e., like a precious possession. See note on Gen. 38:18. She wants to be her husband's most treasured possession.
Me: this verse makes me sigh... Makes me want to study in the Bible anywhere there is a seal. Most importantly, that we are sealed by God. (II Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13, 4:30, Tim. 2:19, etc.). Also, wish I would have read that note on Gen 38 above - it's when Tamar tricked Judah by dressing like a harlot! When she asked him for symbols of his affection (i.e. proof of their union).
Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV)
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
Ryrie: True love cannot be quenched, nor bought. To attempt to buy it is to despise it.
Me: *sigh* again...
Song of Solomon 8:8-9 (KJV)
8We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
9If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
Ryrie: The Shulammite recalls her brothers' attitude toward her when she was young. If she would resist temptation (a wall) they would reward her (silver), but if she were loose (a door) they would be strict with her (inclose her with boards of cedar). She turned out virtuous (v. 10).
Song of Solomon 8:14 (KJV)
Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
Ryrie: As separated lovers long to be reunited, so the church longs to see her Bridegroom (Rev. 22:20). (4:7-no spot).
Me: Ephesians 5, and the mystery of Christ's relationship with the church paralleled with the relationship between husband and wife. How the longing for a spouse is like the longing for Heaven - when we will be reunited with Christ. This brings to mind Song of Solomon 4:7, the spotless bride. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, was the spotless lamb, without sin.
Song of Solomon 7 (KJV)
Read the whole chapter. Solomon is enraptured by his wife physically, most notable to me is her prominent nose. Made me think about our culture's idea of beauty; that in marriage it shouldn't be that way. Beauty is unique.
Song of Solomon 8:4 (KJV)
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
Me: There it is, for the THIRD time! Yes, this is very important!!!!! Wait, be patient, TRUST IN THE LORD.
Song of Solomon 8:6 (KJV)
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Ryrie Study Bible note: as a seal. I.e., like a precious possession. See note on Gen. 38:18. She wants to be her husband's most treasured possession.
Me: this verse makes me sigh... Makes me want to study in the Bible anywhere there is a seal. Most importantly, that we are sealed by God. (II Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13, 4:30, Tim. 2:19, etc.). Also, wish I would have read that note on Gen 38 above - it's when Tamar tricked Judah by dressing like a harlot! When she asked him for symbols of his affection (i.e. proof of their union).
Song of Solomon 8:7 (KJV)
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
Ryrie: True love cannot be quenched, nor bought. To attempt to buy it is to despise it.
Me: *sigh* again...
Song of Solomon 8:8-9 (KJV)
8We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
9If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.
Ryrie: The Shulammite recalls her brothers' attitude toward her when she was young. If she would resist temptation (a wall) they would reward her (silver), but if she were loose (a door) they would be strict with her (inclose her with boards of cedar). She turned out virtuous (v. 10).
Song of Solomon 8:14 (KJV)
Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
Ryrie: As separated lovers long to be reunited, so the church longs to see her Bridegroom (Rev. 22:20). (4:7-no spot).
Me: Ephesians 5, and the mystery of Christ's relationship with the church paralleled with the relationship between husband and wife. How the longing for a spouse is like the longing for Heaven - when we will be reunited with Christ. This brings to mind Song of Solomon 4:7, the spotless bride. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, was the spotless lamb, without sin.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Daily Dose of Spurgeon : "we commit two evils"
May 4, Morning
Jeremiah 16:20
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods.
One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan's star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when He sees us doting upon them above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones. It is truly said that "they are no gods," for the objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee."
Jeremiah 16:20
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods.
One great besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan's star shines no longer, and the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf, and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when He sees us doting upon them above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their dear ones. It is truly said that "they are no gods," for the objects of our foolish love are very doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then, are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this grievous iniquity!
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be;
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
