Happy New Year

This from brother Octavius Winslow

"You have not passed this way heretofore." Joshua 3:4.

How solemn is the reflection that with a new cycle of time commences, with each traveler to Zion, a new and untrodden path! New events in his history will transpire- new scenes in the panorama of life will unfold- new phases of character will develop- new temptations will assail- new duties will devolve- new trials will be experienced- new sorrows will be felt- new friendships will be formed- and new mercies will be bestowed. How truly may it be said of the pilgrim journeying through the wilderness to his eternal home, as he stands upon the threshold of this untried period of his existence, pondering the unknown and uncertain future, "You have not passed this way heretofore!"

Reader! if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, you will enter upon a new stage of your journey by a renewed surrender of yourself to the Lord. You will make the cross the starting-point of a fresh setting-out in the heavenly race. Oh, commence this year with a renewed application to the "blood of sprinkling." There is vitality in that blood; and its fresh sprinkling on your conscience will be as a new impartation of spiritual life to your soul. Oh, to begin the year with a broken heart for sin, beneath the cross of Immanuel! looking through that cross to the heart of a loving, forgiving Father. Do not be anxious about the future; all that future God has provided for. "All my times are in Your hands." "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you." Let it be a year of more spiritual advance. "Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward." Forward in the path of duty- forward in the path of suffering- forward in the path of conflict- forward in the path of labor- and forward in the path to eternal rest and glory. Soon will that rest be reached, and that glory appear. This new year may be the jubilant year of your soul- the year of your release. Oh spirit-stirring, ecstatic thought- this year I may be in heaven!

New Year Prayers, from the diary of Ruth Bryan (pt. 2)

New Year Prayers, from the diary of Ruth Bryan

1842

Precious Christ, I come with a large request for 1842: it is that You would be the "Alpha and Omega" of it. Do You not say, "Ask what I shall give you?" Yourself, Lord! You have most blessedly given Yourself to me. But I find sweet liberty to entreat more unfolding, revealing, and opening of Your glorious person, amazing work, and matchless love, than I have yet had; and more losing and treading down of SELF, too—that I may be lost in Your fullness, and forgotten and forsaken in Your soul-absorbing glories. Oh! raise me higher, draw me nearer, that I may daily die, and You live in me more manifestly. I just give myself to You, to live on You, to live in You, to live for You, more and more than heretofore, and that by the power of the Spirit resting on me. I humbly ask that mine may be a large and still-increasing portion; that, under fresh anointings, You, most lovely Jesus, may be more fully known, more loved, more served; for it is to You the Holy Spirit leads, of You He testifies.

Oh, do make this a large, rich, full year! You being increasingly honored in me, and I increasingly lost in You, and made an increasing blessing to Your dear people. An Ebenezer for past mercies befits me; large and magnificent have been Your bestowments; bountiful and constant Your favors to me—a poor worthless nothing! "Bless the Lord, O my soul—and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

New Year Prayers, from the diary of Ruth Bryan

New Year Prayers, from the diary of Ruth Bryan


1830
Be pleased, dear Lord, to grant me during the present year—more of Your gracious presence, more tenderness of conscience and fear of offending You; more humility, stronger faith, and more entire devotedness to Your cause. Enable me to leave my temporal concerns entirely with You, to walk by faith, to have my treasure in heaven, and to manifest by my conduct—that I am Your disciple. Let me not grow cold or lukewarm—but may "I lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset me, and may I run with patience the race set before me, looking unto Jesus. Amen."

1832
"Here I raise my Ebenezer." Thus far the Lord has brought me. Though the past has been a year of multiplied transgressions and backslidings, I trust, through His abundant mercy, my face is still Zionward, and that my prevailing desire is to be devoted entirely to His service. Take me, dearest Lord, and form me for Your own glory. I feel much bodily weakness. Oh, that through the crevices of this frail tabernacle, I may see some of the glories of the eternal world!

1840
Most dear and precious Christ, I had not thought to see another new-year's day—but hoped before now—to have beheld You face to face! Like him of old, who was possessed of a legion of demons, I besought that I might be with You. But for a season, You have seen good to withhold the full answer to my request. "May Your will be done!" Glorify Yourself in me, and be much, very much with me, until You shall say, "Arise, my love, and come away," to be with Me forever! I desire most humbly and unreservedly, in Your own strength, to yield to Your Divine disposal—all I have and am, and to continually lose my wish and will, in Yours. I would lay at Your feet all creatures and created good, with every seeming evil—and embrace Yourself, my Jesus, as my joy, portion, happiness, wisdom, strength, peace—yes, my all in all—for the coming year, or so much of it as I tarry upon earth; and then, as my joyful, blissful portion through eternity! Oh, lead me, Holy Comforter, more into Christ—and out of SELF! I have had much of blessing—but I long and pray for more; in Jesus' name. Enlarge my expectations more, I beg You—and more I shall receive. "Lord, increase my faith."

Marriage

A few thoughts on marriage from J.R. Miller:

"The Scriptures give the measure of the love which husbands are to bear to their wives; "Husbands, love your wives—even as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it." In the true husband who realizes all that this divine command involves, selfishness dies at the marriage altar. He thinks no longer of his own comfort—but of his wife's. He denies himself that he may bring new pleasures and comforts to her. He counts no sacrifice too great to be made which will bring benefit to her."

"While gentleness should always mark a husband's bearing towards his wife, there are occasions which call for peculiar thoughtfulness and sympathetic expression. Sometimes she is very weary. The cares of the day have been unusually trying, and matters have not gone smoothly at home. Her quivering nerves have been sorely overtaxed, or maybe she has heard bad news. A child has been sick, or worse, has by some disobedience almost broken her heart. What is a husband's part at such times? Surely, if he is capable of tenderness, he will show it now. He will seek to lighten the burden, to quiet the trembling heart, and to impart strength and peace. Every wife should be sure that her husband will understand her, that he will deal most gently with her, that he will give his own strength to shelter her, that he will impart of his own life to build up hers. She should never have to doubt that he will sympathize with her in whatever it may be, which tries her. She should never have to fear repulse or coldness when she flees to him for shelter. What Christ is to His people in their weariness, their sorrow, their pain—every husband in his own measure should be to his own wife! "

By the grace of God --I am what I am!

By the grace of God--I am what I am!

(William Plumer, "Sinners Saved by Unmerited Kindness")

In his old age, when he could no longer see to read, John Newton heard someone recite this verse, "By the grace of God--I am what I am." 1 Corinthians 15:10. He remained silent a short time, and then said:

I am not what I ought to be. Ah! how imperfect and deficient.

I am not what I might be, considering my privileges and opportunities.

I am not what I wish to be. God, who knows my heart--knows I wish to be like Him.

I am not what I hope to be. Before long, I will drop this clay tabernacle, to be like Him and see Him as He is!

Yet, I am not what I once was--a child of sin, and slave of the devil!

Though not all these--not what I ought to be, not what I might be, not what I wish or hope to be, and not what I once was--I think I can truly say with the apostle, "By the grace of God--I am what I am!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A wonderful text!
The following is from Spurgeon's, "Christ's
Incarnation, the Foundation of Christianity"

That is a wonderful text in Galatians 1:4,
did you ever meditate upon it?
"Who gave Himself for our SINS..."

Jesus never gave Himself for our RIGHTEOUSNESS,
but He did give Himself for our SINS!

Sin is a horrible evil, a deadly poison, yet
it is this which gives Jesus His title of Savior
when He overcomes it. What a wonder this is!

The first link between my soul and Christ is-
not my goodness, but my badness;
not my merit, but my misery;
not my standing, but my falling;
not my riches, but my need.
He comes to visit His people, yet not to admire
their beauties, but to remove their deformities;
not to reward their virtues, but to forgive their sins.

Fully, Entirely and Perfectly!
The following is from Spurgeon's book, "Christ's
Incarnation, the Foundation of Christianity"

"You Shall Call His Name Jesus: For He WILL SAVE
His People From Their Sins." Matthew 1:21

JESUS is nothing at all if He is not a SAVIOR.
He is anointed to this very end. His very Name is a
sham if He does not SAVE His people from their sins.

This Jesus of Nazareth, the King of kings, and Lord of
Lords, is the one and only Savior. He, and none but He,
shall save His people. He, and not another, shall save
them by His own act and deed. Singly and unaided, He
shall save His people. Personally, and not by another,
in His own Name, and on His own behalf, He shall, by
Himself, purge away His people's sins.

He shall do ALL the work, and leave none of it undone;
He shall begin it, carry it on, and complete it; and
therefore is His Name called Jesus, Savior, because He
Shall Fully, Entirely, and Perfectly, Save His People
from Their Sins!

Jesus Christ has come to seek and to save those who were
lost. If He does not save, He was born in vain, for the object
of His birth was the salvation of sinners. If He shall not
be a Savior, then His mission in coming to this earth has
missed its end, for its design was that lost sinners might
be saved.

Lost one, lost one, if there were news that 'an angel' had
come to save you, there might be some good cheer in it;
but there are better tidings still. God Himself has come!
The Infinite, the Almighty, has stooped from the highest
heaven that He may pick you up, a poor undone and
worthless worm!

Merry Christmas

As usual I'll quote someone else...

1 Tim 1:15  "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost."

This from Piper:

"1 Timothy 1:15 is a great summary statement of Christmas good news: "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." His humble birth, obedient life, substitutionary death, and powerful resurrection covers the sins of his people and saves us from the loss of any good and precious thing and from the bondage of any evil and undesirable thing."

"What God did on the first Christmas and what he does in forgiving and changing people today he did and does in utterly free, sovereign mercy, so that all his people will end the paragraphs of their lives with the words like verse 17: "To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." We are not saved from sin and changed into righteousness for the sake of pride but for the sake of praise. And when God's work on us is done and we stand perfected before Christ in the last day, we will not exult in our worth but will sing with millions of angels: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and honor and glory and blessing." Praise to you, O Lord. Amen."

Thoughts on 2 Cor. 5:14 "The Love of Christ controls/compels us"

2 Cor 5:14 (ESV) "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died."

2 Cor 5:14 (NIV) "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died"

"The love of Christ constrains us;" that is, impels us, presses us on, bears us forward and upward, by its irresistible and all-commanding influence. Love to Christ is the great exciting motive in the obedience, labor, and suffering of the believer. When love is in the ascendant, the wheels of obedience will run freely, the Cross will be sweet, and self-denial pleasant. It will sweetly soothe the soul in suffering- not by the removal of all sense of pain, but by overcovering it with a sense of love. It will so robe the dankest providences, that you shall see nothing but itself nothing but love." Winslow

"Love of Jesus is essential to Christianity. No privations can starve it, and no burdens can break it down. It is the core of all true piety. It is the only cure of the reigning worldliness and covetousness and fashion worship, which have made such havoc in too many churches. There is only one way to be a steadfast Christian—it is to get the heart so full of love to Jesus—that the world, and the lusts of the flesh, and the devil can get no foothold. A true Christian life is the continual consecration of our bodily powers, of our energies, our affections, our resources, and our influence—to Him who bought us with His precious blood" Theodore Cuyler

"There is no sin so sweet—but the love of Christ restrains them from it; there is no service so great—but the love of Christ constrains them to it. If once this affection takes fire—the room becomes too hot for any sin to stay in. The heart becomes a chamber for Christ—but not a harbor for lust. The mandrakes give forth their fragrance, and the rarest fruits are at our doors, the new as well as old, for I have stored them up for you, O my beloved. Love never shakes the boughs—but for Christ to eat the fruit." William Secker