Wisdom Of Life

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."   [James 5:16] As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now puts into the golden censer, there is not a single grain for himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of all supplications—and the more like our prayer is to Christ's, the sweeter it will be; thus while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of Jesus, the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the very fat of our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought!...

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints "   Ephesians 6:18  What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin . He heard us. But when he had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more prayers for ourselves. We h ave had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace ; we have been led to crave for a fresh assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and for succour in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything. Bear witness, children of God, you have never been able to get anything for your souls elsewhere. All the bread your...

" At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." [ Matthew 11:25 ] This is a singular way in which to commence a verse—“At that time Jesus answered.” If we will look at the context, we will not perceive that any person had asked him a question, or that he was in conversation with any human being. Yet it is written, “Jesus answered and said, I thank you, Father.” When a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him. Who, then, had spoken to Christ? his Father. Yet there is no record of it; and this should teach us that Jesus had constant fellowship with his Father, and that God spoke into his heart so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance singular enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of Jesus to talk with God. Even as Jesus was, in this world, so are we; let us therefore learn the l...

" And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. " 1 John 4:14 It is a sweet thought that Jesus Christ did not come forth without his Father’s permission, authority, consent, and assistance. He was sent of the Father, that he might be the Saviour of men. We are too apt to forget that, while there are distinctions as to the persons in the Trinity, but there are no distinctions of honour. We too frequently ascribe the honour of our salvation, or at least the depths of its benevolence, more to Jesus Christ than we do the Father. This is a very great mistake. What if Jesus came? Did not his Father send him? If he spoke wondrously, did not his Father pour grace into his lips, that he might be an able minister of the new covenant? He who knows the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit as he should know them, never sets one before another in his love; he sees them at Bethlehem, at Gethsemane, and on Calvary, all equally engaged in t...

.... just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."   Hosea 3:1 Believer, look back through all our experience, and think of the way whereby the Lord our God has led us in the wilderness, and how he has fed and clothed us every day—how he has borne with our ill manners—how he has put up with all our murmurings, and all our longings after the flesh-pots of Egypt—how he has opened the rock to supply us, and fed us with manna that came down from heaven. Think of how his grace has been sufficient for us in all our troubles—how his blood has been a pardon to us in all our sins—how his rod and his staff have comforted us. When we have thus looked back upon the love of the Lord, then let faith survey his love in the future, for remember that Christ’s covenant and blood have something more in them than the past. He who has loved us and pardoned us, shall never cease to lov...

"Tell me ... where you feed your flock, where you make it rest at noon."   [Song of Solomon 1:7 ] These words express the desire of the believer after Christ, and his longing for present communion with him. Where do you feed your flock? In your house? I will go, if I may find you there. In private prayer? Then I will pray without ceasing. In the Word? Then I will read it diligently. In your ordinances? Then I will walk in them with all my heart. Tell me where you feed your flock, for wherever you stand as the Shepherd, there will I lie down as a sheep; for none but yourself can supply my need. I cannot be satisfied to be apart from you. My soul hungers and thirsts for the refreshment of your presence. “Where do you make your flock to rest at noon?” for whether at dawn or at noon, my only rest must be where you are and your beloved flock. My soul’s rest must be a grace-given rest, and can only be found in you. Where is the shadow of that rock? Why should I no...

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."   [Hebrews 9:22] This is the voice of unalterable truth. In none of the Jewish ceremonies were sins, even typically, removed without blood-shedding. In no case, by no means can sin be pardoned without atonement. It is clear, then, that there is no hope for me out of Christ; for there is no other blood-shedding which is worth a thought as an atonement for sin. Am I, then, believing in him? Is the blood of his atonement truly applied to my soul? All men are on a level as to their need of him. If we be never so moral, generous, amiable, or patriotic, the rule will not be altered to make an exception for us. Sin will yield to nothing less potent than the blood of him whom God has set forth as a propitiation. What a blessing that there is the one way of pardon! Why should we seek another? Persons of merely formal religion cannot understand how we can rejoice that all our sins ...