Daily Word The Joy of Jesus

Home | Daily Word: "NEW DAY
I let go of yesterday. Today is a new day!
Each evening, I release any burdens from the day. Consciously letting go of judgment, resentment or expectation, I release them to be gently dissolved into the night. In the morning as I awake, I begin anew. I connect with God in gratitude. I am alive! I am aware! I am ready!

I see myself and others as one in Spirit. We are one; there is no separation. There is no judgment. There is only the realization that we are each made of the same 'stuff' in our unfolding universe.

Today--in this very moment--is where life resides. I let go of yesterday. I do not worry about tomorrow. I enjoy the sweet and loving peace of now.

God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.--Genesis 1:5"

A Message from The Word

 But some man will say , How are the dead raised up ? and with what body do they come ? 36Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened , except it die : 37 And that which thou sowest , thou sowest not that body that shall be , but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some othergrain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him , and to every seed his own body. 39 Allflesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men , another flesh of beasts , anotherof fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but theglory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of thesun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth fromanother star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raisedin incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised inpower: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and thereis a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written , The first man Adam was made a living soul; the lastAdam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the secondman is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is theheavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of theearthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say , brethren, that flesh andblood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold , Ishew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep , but we shall all be changed , 52 In a moment, in thetwinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound , and the dead shall be raisedincorruptible, and we shall be changed . 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and thismortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and thismortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written , Deathis swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 Thesting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth usthe victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour isnot in vain in the Lord.

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Daily Word The Joy of Jesus

Home | Daily Word: "REFRESH
I am refreshed and renewed in mind, body and spirit.
When I think of my health and the way I approach it, I ask myself if I am doing all I need to do to be healthy, whole and well. If I feel I can do more, I take this opportunity to refresh and perhaps adopt new healthy habits.

I may begin by spending more time in prayer and meditation, visualizing my body as a holy temple filled with divine, renewing life. I may start an exercise regimen that helps me get in tune with my body. I may try new, more healthful ways to prepare my food.

Of the many healthy practices available to me, I follow my inner guidance and find which ones are right for me. I am refreshed and renewed in mind, body and spirit.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?--1 Corinthians 6:19"

Treasures in Heaven, Part 1 (3/16/1980)

Treasures in Heaven, Part 1 (3/16/1980)

Daily Word The Joy of Jesus

Home | Daily Word: "COMFORT
I find comfort in the love of God.
Life may be difficult when faced with certain events. I may seek comfort when challenged by the loss of a job, a health crisis or the need to let go of a cherished dream. Temporarily, I may find comfort in things or people. However, true and lasting comfort comes from the love of God within.

In a quiet moment, I find a place for rest. I still my thoughts and empty my mind of the chaos of fear, doubt and pain. In the silence is the love, peace and comfort I seek. In the silence I remember I am forever the child of a loving Creator. Never abandoned or left alone, I am loved. Strengthened by the comfort of Spirit that is always available to me, I move through any challenge with grace.

So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. --Psalm 63:4"

1 Corinthians 14:26-40 "How is it then, brethren? when..." KJV - Online Bible Study

1 Corinthians 14:26-40 "How is it then, brethren? when..." KJV - Online Bible Study How is it then, brethren? when ye come together , every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. ²⁷ If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret . ²⁸ But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. ²⁹ Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge . ³⁰ If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by , let the first hold his peace . ³¹ For ye may all prophesy one by one , that all may learn , and all may be comforted . ³² And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. ³³ For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. ³⁴ Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak ; but they are commanded to be under obedience , as also saith the law. ³⁵ And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. ³⁶ What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? ³⁷ If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. ³⁸ But if any man be ignorant , let him be ignorant . ³⁹ Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy , and forbid not to speak with tongues. ⁴⁰ Let all things be done decently and in order.

2 Kings 9:1-37

¹ And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead : ² And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in , and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; ³ Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say , Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king overIsrael. Then open the door, and flee , and tarry not. ⁴ So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead . ⁵ And when he came , behold, the captains of the host were sitting ; and he said , I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said , Unto which of all us? And he said , To thee, O captain. ⁶ And he arose , and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. ⁷ And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. ⁸ For the whole house of Ahab shall perish : and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: ⁹ And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: ¹⁰ And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled . ¹¹ Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. ¹² And they said , It is false; tell us now. And he said , Thus and thus spake he to me, saying , Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. ¹³ Then they hasted , and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying , Jehu is king . ¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead , he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. ¹⁵ But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said , If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel. ¹⁶ So Jehu rode in a chariot , and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. ¹⁷ And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came , and said , I see a company. And Joram said , Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say , Is it peace? ¹⁸ So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said , Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said , What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told , saying , The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again . ¹⁹ Then he sent out a second on horseback , which came to them, and said , Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered , What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. ²⁰ And the watchman told , saying , He came even unto them, and cometh not again : and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. ²¹ And Joram said , Make ready . And his chariot was made ready . And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out , each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²² And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said , Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered , What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? ²³ And Joram turned his hands, and fled , and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. ²⁴ And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. ²⁵ Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up , and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; ²⁶ Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD. ²⁷ But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said , Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. ²⁸ And his servants carried him in a chariot toJerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. ²⁹ And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah. ³⁰ And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. ³¹ And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said , Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? ³² And he lifted up his face to the window, and said , Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. ³³ And he said , Throw her down . So they threw her down : and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot . ³⁴ And when he was come in , he did eat and drink , and said , Go , see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. ³⁵ And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. ³⁶ Wherefore they came again , and told him. And he said , This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying , In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: ³⁷ And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say , This is Jezebel.

Jonah 4:1-11

¹ But it displeased Jonah exceedingly , and he was very angry . ² And he prayed unto the LORD, and said , I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. ³ Therefore now, O LORD, take , I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. ⁴ Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry ? ⁵ So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. ⁶ And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. ⁷ But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered . ⁸ And it came to pass, when the sun did arise , that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted , and wished in himself to die , and said , It is better for me to die than to live. ⁹ And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said , I do well to be angry , even unto death. ¹⁰ Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured , neither madest it grow ; which came up in a night , and perished in a night : ¹¹ And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

The King James Version is in the public domain.

A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink-Salvation from the Pleasure of Sin

A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink-Salvation from the Pleasure of Sin

Salvation from the Pleasure of Sin

It is here that God begins His actual application of salvation unto His elect. God saves us from the pleasure or love of sin before He delivers us from the penalty or punishment of sin. Necessarily so, for it would be neither an act of holiness nor of righteousness were He to grant full pardon to one who was still a rebel against Him, loving that which He hates. God is a God of order throughout, and nothing ever more evidences the perfections of His works than the orderliness of them. And how does God save His people from the pleasure of sin? The answer is, By imparting to them a nature which hates evil and loves holiness. This takes place when they are born again, so that actual salvation begins with regeneration. Of course it does: where else could it commence? Fallen man can never perceive his desperate need of salvation nor come to Christ for it, till he has been renewed by the Holy Spirit.

"He hath made everything beautiful in his time" (Eccl. 3:11), and much of the beauty of God’s spiritual handiwork is lost upon us unless we duly observe their "time." Has not the Spirit Himself emphasized this in the express enumeration He has given us in "For whom he did foreknow, he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29-30). Verse 29 announces the Divine foreordination; verse 30 states the manner of its actualization. It seems passing strange that with this Divinely defined method before them, so many preachers begin with our justification, instead of with that effectual call (from death unto life, our regeneration) which precedes it. Surely it is most obvious that regeneration must first take place in order to lay a foundation for our justification. Justification is by faith (Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:1; Gal. 3:8), and the sinner must be Divinely quickened before he is capable of believing savingly.

Does not the last statement made throw light upon and explain what we have said is so "passing strange"? Preachers today are so thoroughly imbued with free-willism that they have departed almost wholly from that sound evangelism which marked our forefathers. The radical difference between Arminianism and Calvinism is that the system of the former revolves about the creature, whereas the system of the latter has the Creator for its centre of orbit. The Arminian allots to man the first place, the Calvinist gives God that position of honor. Thus the Arminian begins his discussion of salvation with justification, for the sinner must believe before he can be forgiven; further back he will not go, for he is unwilling that man should be made nothing of But the instructed Calvinist begins with election, descends to regeneration, and then shows that being born again (by the sovereign act of God, in which the creature has no part) the sinner is made capable of savingly believing the Gospel.

Saved from the pleasure and love of sin. What multitudes of people would strongly resent being told that they delighted in evil! They would indignantly ask if we supposed them to be moral perverts. No indeed: a person may be thoroughly chaste and yet delight in evil. It may be that some of our own readers repudiate the charge that they have ever taken pleasure in sin, and would claim, on the contrary, that from earliest recollection they have detested wickedness in all its forms. Nor would we dare to call into question their sincerity; instead we point out that it only affords another exemplification of the solemn fact that "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9). But this is a matter that is not open to argument: the plain teaching of God’s Word decides the point once and for all, and beyond its verdict there is no appeal. What, then, say the Scriptures?

So far from God’s Word denying that there is any delight to be found therein, it expressly speaks of "the pleasures of sin," it immediately warns that those pleasures are but "for a season" (Heb. 11:25), for the aftermath is painful and not pleasant; yea, unless God intervenes in His sovereign grace, they entail eternal torment. So too the Word refers to those who are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God" (2 Tim. 3:4). It is indeed striking to observe how often this discordant note is struck in Scripture. It mentions those who "love vanity" (Ps. 4:2); "him that loveth violence" (Ps. 11:5); "thou lovest evil more than good" (Ps. 52:3); "he loved lies" (Prov. 1:22); "they which delight in their abominations" (Isa. 66:3); "their abominations were according as they loved" (Hos. 9:10); who hated the good and loved the evil" (Micah 3:2); "if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). To love sin is far worse than to commit it, for a man may be suddenly tripped up or commit it through frailty.

The fact is, my reader, that we are not only born into this world with an evil nature, but with hearts that are thoroughly in love with sin. Sin is our native element. We are wedded to our lusts, and of ourselves are no more able to alter the bent of our corrupt nature than the Ethiopian can change his skin or the leopard his spots. But what is impossible with man, is possible with God, and when He takes us in hand this is where He begins—by saving us from the pleasure or love of sin. This is the great miracle of grace, for the Almighty stoops down and picks up a loathsome leper from the dunghill and makes him a new creature m Christ, so that the things he once hated he now loves. God commences by saving us from ourselves. He does not save us from the penalty until He has delivered us from the love of sin.

And how is this miracle of grace accomplished, or rather, exactly what does it consist of? Negatively, not by eradicating the evil nature, nor even by refining it. Positively, by communicating a new nature, a holy nature, which loathes that which is evil, and delights in all that is truly good. To be more specific. First, God save His people from the pleasure or love of sin by puffing His holy awe in their hearts, for "the fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Prov. 8:13), and again, "the fear of the Lord is to depart from evil" (Prov. 6:16). Second. God saves His people from the pleasure of sin by communicating to them a new and vital principle: ‘the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Rom 5:5), and where the love of God rules the heart, the love of sin is dethroned. Third, God saves His people from the love of sin by the Holy Spirit’s drawing their affections unto things above, thereby taking them off the things which formerly enthralled them.

If on the one hand the unbeliever hotly denies that lit is in love with sin, many a believer is often hard put 10 persuade himself that he has been saved from the love thereof With an understanding that has in part been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he is the better able to discern things in their true colors. With a heart that has been made honest by grace, he refuses to call sweet bitter. With a conscience that has been sensitized by the new birth, he the more quickly feels the workings of sin and the hankering of his affections for that which is forbidden. Moreover, the flesh remains in him, unchanged, and as the raven constantly craves carrion, so this corrupt principle in which our mothers conceived us, lusts after and delights in that which is the opposite of holiness. It is these things which occasion and give rise to the disturbing questions that clamour for answer within the genuine believer.

The sincere Christian is often made to seriously doubt if he has been delivered from the love of sin. Such questions as these plainly agitate his mind: Why do I so readily yield to temptation? Why do some of the vanities and pleasures of the world still possess so much attraction for me? Why do I chafe so much against any restraints being placed upon my lusts? Why do I find the work of mortification so difficult and distasteful? Could such things as these be if I were a new creature in Christ? Could such horrible experiences as these happen if God had saved me from taking pleasure in sin? Well do we know that we are here giving expression to the very doubts which exercise the minds of many of our readers, and those who are strangers thereto are to be pitied. But what shall we say in reply? How is this distressing problem to be resolved?

How may one be assured that he has been saved from the love of sin? Let us point out first that the presence of that within us which still lusts after and takes delight in some evil things, is not incompatible with our having been saved from the love of sin, paradoxical as that may sound. It is part of the mystery of the Gospel that those who be saved are yet sinners in themselves. The point we are here dealing with is similar to and parallel with faith. The Divine principle of faith in the heart does not cast out unbelief. Faith and doubts exist side by side within a quickened soul, which is evident from those words, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). In like manner the Christian may exclaim and pray, "Lord, I long after holiness, help Thou my lustings after sin." And why is this? Because of the existence of two separate natures, the one at complete variance with the other within the Christian.

How, then, is the presence of faith to be ascertained? Not by the ceasing of unbelief, but by discovering its own fruit and works. Fruit may grow amid thorns as flowers among weeds, and yet it is fruit nonetheless. Faith exists amid many doubts and fears. Notwithstanding opposing forces within as well as from without us, faith still reaches out after God. Notwithstanding innumerable discouragements and defeats, faith continues to fight. Notwithstanding many refusals from God, it yet clings to Him and says, Except Thou bless me I will not let Thee go. Faith may be fearfully weak and fitful, often eclipsed by the clouds of unbelief, nevertheless the Devil himself cannot persuade its possessor to repudiate God’s Word, despite His Son, or abandon all hope. The presence of faith, then, may be ascertained in that it causes its possessor to come before God as an empty-handed beggar beseeching Him for mercy and blessing.

Now just as the presence of faith may be known amid all the workings of unbelief, so our salvation from the love of sin may be ascertained notwithstanding all the lustings of the flesh after that which is evil. But in what way? How is this initial aspect of salvation to be identified? We have already anticipated this question in an earlier paragraph, wherein we stated that God saved us from delighting in sin by imparting a nature that hates evil and loves holiness, which takes place at the new birth. Consequently, the real question to be settled is, How may the Christian positively determine whether that new and holy nature has been imparted to him? The answer is, By observing its activities, particularly the opposition it makes (under the energizings of the Holy Spirit) unto indwelling sin. Not only does the flesh (that principle of sin) lust against the spirit, but the spirit (the principle of holiness) lusts and wars against the flesh.

First, our salvation from the pleasure or love of sin may be recognized by sin’s becoming a burden to us. This is truly a spiritual experience. Many souls are loaded down with worldly anxieties, who know nothing of what it means to be bowed down with a sense of guilt. But when God takes us in hand, the iniquities and transgressions of our past life are made to lie as an intolerable load upon the conscience. When we are given a sight of ourselves as we appear before the eyes of the thrice holy God, we will exclaim with the Psalmist, "For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head:

therefore my heart faileth me" (Ps. 42:12). So far from sin being pleasant, it is now felt as a cruel incubus, a crushing weight, and unendurable load. The soul is "heavy laden" (Matthew 11:28) and bowed down. A sense of guilt oppresses and the conscience cannot bear the weight of it. Nor is this experience restricted to our first conviction: it continues with more or less acuteness throughout the Christian’s life.

Second, our salvation from the pleasure of sin may be recognized by sin’s becoming bitter to us. True, there are millions of unregenerate who are filled with remorse over the harvest reaped from their sowing of wild oats. Yet that is not hatred of sin, but dislike of its consequences—ruined health, squandered opportunities, financial straitness, or social disgrace. No, what we have reference to is that anguish of heart which ever marks the one the Spirit takes in hand. When the veil of delusion is removed and we see sin in the light of God’s countenance; when we are given a discovery of the depravity of our very nature, then we perceive that we are sunk in carnality and death. When sin is opened to us in all its secret workings, we are made to feel the vileness of our hypocrisy, self-righteousness, unbelief, impatience, and the utter filthiness of our hearts. And when the penitent soul views the sufferings of Christ, he can say with Job, "God maketh my heart soft" (23:16).

Ah, my reader, it is this experience which prepares the heart to go out after Christ: those that are whole need not a physician, but they that are quickened and convicted by the spirit are anxious to be relieved by the great Physician. "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up" (1 Sam. 2:6-7). It is in this way that God slayeth our self righteousness, maketh poor and bringeth low—by making sin to be an intolerable burden and as bitter wormwood to us. There can be no saving faith till the soul is filled with evangelical repentance, and repentance is a godly sorrow for sin, a holy detestation of sin, a sincere purpose to forsake it. The Gospel calls upon men to repent of their sins, forsake their idols, and mortify their lusts, and thus it is utterly impossible for the Gospel to be a message of good tidings to those who are in love with sin and madly determined to perish rather than part with their idols.

Nor is this experience of sin’s becoming bitter to us limited to our first awakening—it continues in varying degrees, to the end of our earthly pilgrimage. The Christian suffers under temptations, is pained by Satan’s fiery assaults, and bleeds from the wounds inflicted by the evil he commits. It grieves him deeply that he makes such a wretched return unto God for His goodness, that he requites Christ so evilly for His dying love, that he responds so fitfully to the promptings of the Spirit. The wanderings of his mind when he desires to meditate upon the Word, the dullness of his heart when he seeks to pray, the worldly thoughts which invade his mind on the Holy Sabbath, the coldness of his affections towards the Redeemer, cause him to groan daily; all of which goes to evidence that sin has been made bitter to him. He no longer welcomes those intruding thoughts which take his mind off God: rather does he sorrow over them. But, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted: (Matthew 5:4).

Third, our salvation from the pleasure of sin may be recognized by the felt bondage which sin produces. As it is not until a Divine faith is planted in the heart that we become aware of our native and inveterate unbelief, so it is not until God saves us from the love of sin that we are conscious of the fetters it has placed around us. Then it is we discover that we are "without strength," unable to do anything pleasing to God, incapable of running the race set before us. A Divinely drawn picture of the saved soul’s felt bondage is to be found in Rom. 7: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do . . . For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, waning against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin" (vs. 18, 19, 22, 23). And what is the sequel? this the agonizing cry "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" If that be the sincere lamentation of your heart, then God has saved you from the pleasure of sin.

Let it be pointed out though, that salvation from the love of sin is felt and evidenced in varying degrees by different Christians, and in different periods in the life of the same Christian, according to the measure of grace which God bestows, and according as that grace is active and operative. Some seem to have a more intense hatred of sin in all its forms than do others, yet the principle of hating sin is found in all real Christians. Some Christians, rarely if ever, commit any deliberate and premeditated sins: more often they are tripped up, suddenly tempted (to be angry or tell a lie) and are overcome. But with others the case is quite otherwise: they— fearful to say—actually plan evil acts. If any one indignantly denies that such a thing is possible in a saint, and insists that such a character is a stranger to saving grace, we would remind him of David: was not the murder of Uriah definitely planned? This second class of Christians find it doubly hard to believe they have been saved from the love of sin.

Juvenile & Lil Wayne - Bling Bling

Daily Word The Joy of Jesus

Home | Daily Word: "VALUE
I am a unique expression of God.
There is innate value and inherent good in all people. A child born into this world is pure innocence. He or she is a unique expression of God.

I see goodness in each person I meet today, and I see good in myself. Just as children learn and grow from the events and adventures in their lives, so I have learned from the occurrences in my life. I choose to use my talents and skills, my attitude, love and willingness in ways that bless myself and others. Within me lies the power to brighten another's day, to help someone in need, to encourage someone who is discouraged.

I enjoy expressing the love of God in my own unique way.

Clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.--Ephesians 4:24"

1 Corinthians 14:1-25 "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual..." KJV - Online Bible Study

1 Corinthians 14:1-25 "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual..." KJV - Online Bible Study Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy . 2 For he thatspeaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandethhim; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men toedification, and exhortation, and comfort. 4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifiethhimself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, butrather that ye prophesied : for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues,except he interpret , that the church may receive edifying. 6 Now, brethren, if I come unto youspeaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or byknowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? 7 And even things without life giving sound,whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what ispiped or harped ? 8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to thebattle? 9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken ? for ye shall speak into the air. 10 There are , it may be , so many kindsof voices in the world, and none of them is without signification . 11 Therefore if I know not themeaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. 12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. 13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tonguepray that he may interpret . 14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth , but myunderstanding is unfruitful. 15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with theunderstanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. 16 Elsewhen thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned sayAmen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest ? 17 For thou verilygivest thanks well, but the other is not edified . 18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more thanye all: 19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. 20 Brethren, be notchildren in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children , but in understanding be men. 21 Inthe law it is written , With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. 22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe , but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not,but for them which believe . 23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, andall speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they notsay that ye are mad ? 24 But if all prophesy , and there come in one that believeth not, or oneunlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: 25 And thus are the secrets of his heartmade manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in youof a truth.

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