"Enoch WALKED with God...." Genesis 5:24
I am not an ambitious man. But I am ambitious for these four things. For the attainment of these four things I am prepared, by the grace of God, to sacrifice everything else. I count all other things to be but rubbish by comparison.
1. I want to know Christ (Phil. 3:10). Yes, I believe that in measure I do know him. God has revealed his grace and glory to me in the Person of his dear Son. Still, I want a growing, spiritual, experimental knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to know all that he has done for me. I want to know him. I want to know him fully.
2. I want to be totally committed to Christ. I want to totally lose my life to Christ and in Christ, so that I can truthfully say with the Apostle Paul, "For me to live is Christ." I want to be committed to Christ as he was to the Father, so that my heart says to him in all things, "Not my will, thy will be done" It is my continual prayer that God will give me a heart-- committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, committed to his will, committed to his gospel, committed to his people, committed to the cause of his glory in this world.
3. I want to be like Christ. My heart longs to be like him, conformed to him, made into his likeness. I want to be like him love, tenderness, and thoughtfulness, in zeal, dedication, and devotion, purity, holiness, and righteousness.
4. I want to live in communion with Christ. Like Enoch of old, I want to walk with God. I know these goals are not attainable in this life. Yet, they are the things for which my soul hungers and my heart thirsts. I cannot be satisfied with less. "I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14). "I shall be satisfied when I awake with Christ's likeness" (Psa. 17:15), but not until then. "Enoch WALKED with God...."
By Donald Forter
October 05, 2005
October 04, 2005
What Have I Done? By C.H. Spurgeon
What have you done for him who died to save your wretched soul? What have you done for his church? What have you done for the salvation of the world? What have you done to promote your own spiritual growth in grace?
Ah! I might hit some of you that are true Christians very hard here; but I will leave you with your God. God will chastise his own children. I will, however, put a pointed question to you-- Are there not many Christians who cannot recollect that they have been the means of the salvation of one soul during this year? Come, now; look back. Have you any reason to believe that directly or indirectly you have been made the means this year of the salvation of a soul?
I will go further. There are some of you who are older Christians, and I will ask you this question: Have you any reason to believe that ever since you were converted you have ever been the means of the salvation of a soul? It was reckoned in the East, in the time of the patriarchs, to be a disgrace to a woman if she had no children. And yet, there are some of you here that have been spiritually barren, and have never brought one convert to Christ. You have not one star in your crown of glory, and must wear a starless crown in heaven. Oh! How many have you brought during this year?
Come, Christian, what have you done?
Alas! alas! you have not been barren fig-trees, but still your fruit is such that it cannot be seen. You may be alive unto God, but how many of you have been very unprofitable and exceedingly unfruitful? by Charles Spurgeon
Ah! I might hit some of you that are true Christians very hard here; but I will leave you with your God. God will chastise his own children. I will, however, put a pointed question to you-- Are there not many Christians who cannot recollect that they have been the means of the salvation of one soul during this year? Come, now; look back. Have you any reason to believe that directly or indirectly you have been made the means this year of the salvation of a soul?
I will go further. There are some of you who are older Christians, and I will ask you this question: Have you any reason to believe that ever since you were converted you have ever been the means of the salvation of a soul? It was reckoned in the East, in the time of the patriarchs, to be a disgrace to a woman if she had no children. And yet, there are some of you here that have been spiritually barren, and have never brought one convert to Christ. You have not one star in your crown of glory, and must wear a starless crown in heaven. Oh! How many have you brought during this year?
Come, Christian, what have you done?
Alas! alas! you have not been barren fig-trees, but still your fruit is such that it cannot be seen. You may be alive unto God, but how many of you have been very unprofitable and exceedingly unfruitful? by Charles Spurgeon
September 29, 2005
True love to Christ! by C.H. Spurgeon
The Lord Jesus possesses all kinds of lovelinesses compacted into one perfect loveliness! all perfections blended to make one perfection! Every sweet concocted and distilled to make one perfect sweetness! Oh, how one longs for but a moment's sight of Christ in glory! One might be content to have only a dry crust, and to lie in an underground dungeon for the rest of one's life, if one might but gaze on his blessed face for once, and hear him say, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Those who truly love the Savior wish to know all that can be known about him.
True love likes to become familiar with the object of its affection; its heart is set upon that object, it studies it, and can never know it too well or too closely.
True love to Christ thinks of him from morning till night; it is glad to be released from other thoughts that it may follow only its one darling pursuit.
True love to Christ seeks to get to him, to live with him, to live upon him, and thus to know him so intimately that things which were unobserved and passed over at the first, stand out in clear light to the increased joy and delight of the contemplative mind.
If you have but a 'spark' of love for Jesus in your heart, Jesus has a 'furnace' of love for you in His heart! By C.H. Spurgeon
True love likes to become familiar with the object of its affection; its heart is set upon that object, it studies it, and can never know it too well or too closely.
True love to Christ thinks of him from morning till night; it is glad to be released from other thoughts that it may follow only its one darling pursuit.
True love to Christ seeks to get to him, to live with him, to live upon him, and thus to know him so intimately that things which were unobserved and passed over at the first, stand out in clear light to the increased joy and delight of the contemplative mind.
If you have but a 'spark' of love for Jesus in your heart, Jesus has a 'furnace' of love for you in His heart! By C.H. Spurgeon
September 27, 2005
The time of Love by Don Fortner
There is a day appointed by God for the salvation of his elect,
a day fixed from eternity when grace will come to the chosen
sinner, an hour determined before the world began when the
Good Shepherd will seek out and find his lost sheep.
There is a time fixed before time began, called "the time of love,”
when the predestined child, the elect sinner, redeemed by the
blood of Christ, must be saved. At that hour, salvation must
and shall come to the soul loved of God with an everlasting love.
Only one thing is really important in this matter, only one
question must be answered, only one issue must be settled.
“Do you believe on the Son of God?”
You will know that God has saved you, that you are chosen,
redeemed, and called by grace, when you find yourself believing
the gospel. Do you believe? If you do, the Lord has sought you
out and found you by his grace.
-byDon Fortner
a day fixed from eternity when grace will come to the chosen
sinner, an hour determined before the world began when the
Good Shepherd will seek out and find his lost sheep.
There is a time fixed before time began, called "the time of love,”
when the predestined child, the elect sinner, redeemed by the
blood of Christ, must be saved. At that hour, salvation must
and shall come to the soul loved of God with an everlasting love.
Only one thing is really important in this matter, only one
question must be answered, only one issue must be settled.
“Do you believe on the Son of God?”
You will know that God has saved you, that you are chosen,
redeemed, and called by grace, when you find yourself believing
the gospel. Do you believe? If you do, the Lord has sought you
out and found you by his grace.
-byDon Fortner
September 22, 2005
Sitting at Jesus Feet by Don Bell
Luke 10:39
What a world of meaning is in these words, "Mary, which also sat at his feet, and heard his word." This is indeed the "one thing needful." It means peace for those who sit at his feet, for they who submit to him have peace through his precious blood. It means holiness, they who learn of the Lord Jesus, learn the horridness of sin, but he teaches them "things lovely and pure." It also means strength, sitting at his feet they learn by him that he is all their strength, for he is their food, his righteousness their clothing. It means wisdom, he who instructs them in his word is the very Wisdom of God. He teaches them that this is true wisdom, that makes the wisdom of the world to be foolishness.
"Sitting at his feet" means zeal, for the love of their Lord Jesus fires up their heart and soul. They become zealous for his name, for his gospel, for his glory. It means loyalty, for they are loyal to their sovereign, their King, who is the King Of Kings. They serve under his banner, and they will be loyal to him all the days of their lives, they are loyal to his commands, his laws. For it was him who defeated all their enemies, and is the "captain of their salvation."
The long and the short of "sitting at his feet to hear his word, is the one thing needful." (Luke 10:39-42). We who believe do indeed love him, for he first loved us. O beloved, what a world of blessings there are in "sitting at his feet, hearing his word." Don Bell
What a world of meaning is in these words, "Mary, which also sat at his feet, and heard his word." This is indeed the "one thing needful." It means peace for those who sit at his feet, for they who submit to him have peace through his precious blood. It means holiness, they who learn of the Lord Jesus, learn the horridness of sin, but he teaches them "things lovely and pure." It also means strength, sitting at his feet they learn by him that he is all their strength, for he is their food, his righteousness their clothing. It means wisdom, he who instructs them in his word is the very Wisdom of God. He teaches them that this is true wisdom, that makes the wisdom of the world to be foolishness.
"Sitting at his feet" means zeal, for the love of their Lord Jesus fires up their heart and soul. They become zealous for his name, for his gospel, for his glory. It means loyalty, for they are loyal to their sovereign, their King, who is the King Of Kings. They serve under his banner, and they will be loyal to him all the days of their lives, they are loyal to his commands, his laws. For it was him who defeated all their enemies, and is the "captain of their salvation."
The long and the short of "sitting at his feet to hear his word, is the one thing needful." (Luke 10:39-42). We who believe do indeed love him, for he first loved us. O beloved, what a world of blessings there are in "sitting at his feet, hearing his word." Don Bell
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