A QUOTE THAT IS SO REAL TO ME!

"Fear of failure is pride" - Paul Washer

I am afraid of failing primarily because failure ruins reputation. This is an accursed weakness of mine and by grace it shall be dealt with much severity by the Lord.

May an ever increasing measure of willingness and dependency on God fill my heart!

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.”

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!”

THE LOVE OF GOD, An Overview

God is love (1 John 4:8). He does not just uphold love or promote it. He is love. He is the very definition of love. There is no being apart from God who truly knows, truly understands and truly practices love in its pristine form.

A father can so love his son to the point that he would give up anything for his child - even his life. A single mother can so love her children that she would work 24-7, find little rest and still do all the housework - all for her children. Ah, but God's love exceeds all these examples - and all the instances that will ever be made! If we sinners know how to give good gifts, how much more will God who is perfect? (Matthew 7:11)

God's love is unconditional. In order to be loved in this world, you have to meet certain conditions. You have to fulfill certain tasks and establish a "lovable" social image for you to be accepted. But God's love is different. His love is governed by no condition, law or obligation. His love is freely given without conditions. If His love were conditional, no one would be loved by God. But bless and praise Him for He loved us sinners and even died for us despite our countless trespasses! (Romans 5:8).

In the words of Arthur W. Pink "There was nothing whatever in the objects of His love to call it into exercise, nothing in the creature to attract or prompt it. The love which one creature has for another is because of something in them, but the love of God is free, spontaneous, uncaused."

The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you... (Deuteronomy 7:7,8). Such is the mysterious and marvelous inspiration of the psalmist who wrote "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound! It saved a wretch like me!" Or consider the song "What did you see in me Lord that you loved me?!" Ah, the Lord saw nothing in us to love us. None can say "I deserve and earned the love of God!". Such is an atrocious statement for He did not love us because of us. He loved us in spite of us. God did not foresaw some excellence in men who are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Our most righteous works are but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). But He loved us because it pleased Him. Hence the Apostle Paul's declaration on Ephesians 1:4,5 - In love, He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Dear friends, it is not of ourselves that we were loved for we are but sinners in the eyes of the Holy; but we were loved by Him because of His own pleasure and will! Oh, how I praise and thank God that His love is not based on man! If God loved me because of my own merit, I would be in hell at this moment - for there have been many times when I have vulgarly detested His counsel. There have been countless times where I pursued not His kingdom. But I praise Him that He loves us unconditionally! God alone made a decision to love us in accordance to His own sovereign pleasure, not in accordance to conditions to be met by the creature. How humbling and comforting!

God's love is also eternal. His love never fails. His love is never quenched. As God is unrivaled, so is His love. His love has no limits nor can it be limited. His love does have an ending nor does it have a beginning! Jeremiah 31:3 - I have loved you with an everlasting love. In love, the Lord has predestined His people even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4,5). How can any man comprehend such love? He loved us even before the foundation of the world?! (Ephesians 1:4) Solomon declares the same about his appointment on Proverbs 8:23. As in the case of Jeremiah, God knew and loved His people even before they were in their mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5). Such is the love of the Lord for His people! He deserves all the glory!

Thirdly, God's love is immutable. His love never changes. The love of men can mutate over the years but His love does not, cannot and will not. There is not variability in His love. His love is not a "here today, gone tomorrow" kind of deal. If He has declared His love for you, it will remain that way for all time. Seasons change. Time passes. Earthly goods perish. But it is not the same for His love. His love is true and constant.

Fourthly, God's love is holy. It is without blemish. It is perfect and wholesome in its essence. His love is incorruptible. His love is sound. It is not blind or unjust. His love is perfect and those who receive it are made perfect through both justification and regeneration. Contrary to the popular belief, God does not just accept the wicked. God does not wink over sin or treat sinners as if they have never transgressed - far from it! Nay. God's love is pure, thus, the recipients of His love were foremost forgiven through the cross, and then sanctified through the Holy Spirit.

Last but not the least, God's love manifests greatly. His love is real and effectual. It is not just a mere emotional feeling or an intellectual ascension. No. God's love is authentic, existent - hence is articulated in many unforeseen ways. The greatest manifestation of His love is on the cross of Calvary. God's ultimate expression of His love for His people is eternally visible in His Son, who ultimately suffered and died as payment for our sins. It was us who should have been damned. It was us who should have suffered the penalty of our sins. But Jesus took the punishment, the law, the justice, the wrath of the Almighty to reconcile us with Him. If this is not the greatest manifestation of love in this world, I do not know what is.

What then is the effect of the doctrine of God's love?

1) It deepens the believer's love and adoration for God. Apprehending a portion of God's character has always caused the regenerate to fall prostrate in deep reverence and fear.

2) It motivates the believer to walk in holiness with his God. An understanding of God's love fills the believer with madness! The Christian cannot help but follow the Lord who loved him unconditionally.

3) It humbles the believer. Accepting God's love which is undeserved and unmerited is deeply humbling to the creature. It reveals mankind's inability and depravity. A proper teaching of God's love confronts the boastful and instills a spirit of resignation. No believer shall say that he deserved and earned the love of God. Rather, he shall say, with much weeping, that he deserved death and yet was loved by God. Ah, what a joy is it for a sinner to be found in the love of the Lord!

4) It crushes doubt and forms resolution in the heart of the Christian. When this doctrine is made reality, resolution takes precedence over doubt. There is little room for question and mistrust. If we, sinners by heart and deed, are capable of loving people to a degree of self-sacrifice, how much more capable is God who is infinitely good and perfect? Such reality is doubt-crushing and resolve-forming.

5) It grants a strong assurance and encouragement to the believer. God's immutable, never-changing, infinite, eternal and unconditional love produces a grounded assurance to every believer in many ways! A doubting believer who has decided to believe in God's love is assured during trials - whether he wins or loses. A "lonely" believer who has decided to embrace the love of God is never alone. A weak believer who has decided to trust in God's love finds strength. A believer who has transgressed will find peace and joy once He accepts the fact that God loves him no matter what. The examples go on for eternity!

May His love be lavishly proclaimed!

QUOTES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE

John MacArthur: Sound, biblical doctrine is a necessary aspect of true wisdom and authentic faith. The attitude that scorns doctrine while elevating feelings or blind trust cannot legitimately be called faith at all, even if it masquerades as Christianity. It is actually an irrational form of unbelief.

Martin Downes, On difference to doctrine: "Evangelicals who are indifferent to doctrine are a danger to Christianity. Church leaders who do not “hold firmly to the trustworthy word as taught” will never be able to bring God’s people to mature godliness (which requires instruction in sound doctrine), nor will they be able to ward off infiltrators who teach another gospel (Titus 1:9)."

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "There are many today who regard truth and error as matters of small consequence; if a man lives rightly, they say, it matters not much what his beliefs and opinions are. Such statements do not surprise us. Night and day are all one to a blind man. Truth and error are all one to an ignorant man.

Richard Baxter: Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine…lest you unsay with your lives what you say with your tongues, and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labors.

William Webster: "The promotion of unity at the expense of truth is satanic; it is demonic; it is not true unity. It is not the unity of the Holy Spirit for He is the Spirit of Truth. The Scriptural command which we have in Ephesians to promote the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace is given to those who have a common foundation of truth. Truth by its very nature divides. Where you have appeal to unity at the expense of truth all you can produce is uniformity."

Mark Kielar: "I’m always amazed by the people who, despite God’s clear and emphatic commands through the Apostle Paul, say things like, “Ah, we need to forget about the differences in our doctrines, and we just need to love one another.” as though those two are consistent goals. Surely they haven’t come to realize that the only way we can love right is to live right, and the only way we can live right is to believe right."

Leonard Ravenhill: "One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed."

Knowing The Gospel Does Not Seem To Matter Anymore

From John MacArthur, Hard To Believe, pages 187-188

It should come as no surprise that, at this point in time, the enemy of men’s souls—God’s archenemy, Satan himself—has cranked up his efforts to prevent the spread of the gospel. One of his primes tactics is to make the church confused about what the gospel is. It doesn’t do any good to have this fantastic contemporary communication technology, or wealth, manpower, and passion to take the gospel message to the ends of the earth, if you don’t know what the gospel message is. So it’s certainly a wise strategy on the part of the enemy of men’s souls to confuse the church about the message.

Along with many others, I’ve been preaching, teaching, and writing to try and clarify for Christians what the gospel is. They’re not really sure whether Jesus is Lord or not, or whether He needs to be Lord or not. It doesn’t seem to be important these days that people understand the true biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone. It doesn’t seem to matter to some people that there be repentance of sin, and that we preach repentance. In fact, some people think the idea of repentance is intrusion into grace. They fail to comprehend the doctrine of substitution and imputation, which is the true understanding that God imputed (meaning ascribed or assigned) our sins fully to a substitute who died in our place, and that we contribute nothing to our salvation but lay hold of eternal life by faith in that substitute.

In spite of the absolute clarity of the gospel, even so-called evangelicals can end up with a fuzzy view of their faith because of all the confusion in the air. I’ve heard the pastor of a very large evangelistic church claim, “The Reformation was overrated as to its importance.” No. What the Reformation did was define the gospel and rescue it from its corrupters. Not only do we seem unsure what the gospel is sometimes, we’re not even convinced it’s important to get it right. That is a tragic mistake. Here we are, with all this awesome potential to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth, and we’re not sure what the gospel is!

In the process of stewing about the issue, the church has gotten shallower and shallower. One reason is because churches have proliferated everywhere in which the pastors are personality-driven leaders, men who don’t have the theological grounding to define issues biblically with any depth. Another reason is this tragic and misguided concern not to offend anybody, to make church fun and entertaining, resulting in some kind of synthetic gospel that doesn’t have enough truth in it to save anybody.