God is no Respecter of Persons

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all:) that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:34-43 (KJV)

This chapter begins by telling us of a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the “Italian band” (v. 1), a devout man who feared God, but did not know the Savior.  God does marvelous things to get His Chosen to Himself.

The verses we look at today are the words of Peter which he spoke after leaving Simon the tanners house, going to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea, and now he shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with the household, from the Old Testament – it was the only Testament they had at the time.  Something we must not forget.

Note Peter’s words given by the Spirit of God;

  • He exalts the Father and the Christ above all things or anyone;
  • Peter tells us of the work and ministry ob Jesus Christ;
  • Peter declares the work of salvation which Jesus performed
  1. His work of the cross;
  2. His burial;
  3. and His resurrection.

It was the Spirit of God who caused all the Old Testament prophets to speak of the Christ, and it is the Spirit of God who leads us to Him for the remission [forgiveness] of sins.

Many of Cornelius’s household were born again that day.  They also who believed were baptized in the name of the Lord.

As Christians we need not look too far to see the work of God.  We need only look into our own lives, and see Him at work.  We can look into our families, our community, our State, our Nation and the world to see the Spirit of God is moving, working.  It is only the blind who cannot see.

Christmas Day 2 (Christmas Day)

What do I want for Christmas today?

Welcome to Christmas Eve.

I want all who have visited this site, to have a wonderful Eve before the day we remember our Savior’s birth; to love your family, friends, neighbors, and that would include those who you may not have been kind to yesterday;  I want to be sure and tell everyone I meet… MERRY CHRISTMAS

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: and he called His name JESUS.” Matthew 1:18-25 (KJV)

Christmas Day Twenty and Two

What do I want for Christmas today?

I want that person, man or woman, boy or girl that is on that slippery slope of sin and death and hell, to have their eyes of the heart, mind and soul opened to see their desperation, and doom; to know and understand there is no escape from that slippery slope except through the cross of Jesus Christ, and cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and deliverance from an eternity of torment and darkness.

“To Me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” Deuteronomy 32:35 (KJV)

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:12-13

Christmas Day Eighty and Seven

What do I want for Christmas today?

I want to not be in want for anything but the good, well being, and salvation of my family, friends, neighbors and those I may not like too well, and those who might consider me their enemy.

Christmas Day One Hundred Five

What do I want for Christmas today?

I want to be blessed by God in telling someone about Jesus Christ, and His cross, death, burial and resurrection; and to see that person call on the name of the Lord for salvation, receiving eternal life.

Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth— The LORD God of hosts is His name.” Amos 4:12-13 (NKJV)

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 Jesus (KJV)

Christmas Day One Hundred Twenty and One

What do I want for Christmas today?

I want to be sure and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you:

God; holy and without sin; just, righteous, All Present, All Powerful, All Knowing and Immutable; created Adam in His image and likeness.  God created Eve, the woman, the first wife, and told them to go and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:27-31).  Adam and Eve sinned against God in the perfect environment He had placed them in (Genesis 3).  God sacrificed and innocent animal to clothe the man and the woman and to cover their nakedness.

Because of Adam’s sin; we are all sinners (Romans 3:10, 23; 6:23) condemned, dying, eternally separated from God our Creator, Savior, Sustainer and Judge.

God sent His Son Jesus who was with Him in the creation of all things (John 1:1-5, 14), because He loved the world (John 3:16), and offered Him as the sacrifice for all our sins.

Jesus the Son of God, and God the Son, was tried unjustly, cruelly, by the hands of wicked, and evil men; He had committed no sin – the only man who ever lived that can be said of – and He died for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-6).  He was buried, and in being buried He carried all our sins away, left them in the grave, and He came out of the grave alive.

All you must do is believe on Him.  Remember what Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

And the apostle Paul quoting the Old Testament wrote, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.

There is only one hope for the presence of God, and heaven, and that is through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I want you to know that today; more importantly, GOD wants you to know that.

Prophets Speak – Christmas Day One Hundred Twenty and Nine

“Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.” Ezekiel 11:16 (KJV)

In their captivity God is giving His people who are known to have rebellious, hard hearts, a promise of His presence, peace, safety, and security in a foreign land.

What do I want for Christmas today?

There is an absence of the presence of God in many lives, because they do not know Him; I want all to be aware of the presence of God, and His love for you shown on the cross of His Son Jesus where He bled and died, was buried, and bodily arose from the grave, coming out alive conquering sin, death, hell and the grave, and gives peace with God, and everlasting life.

 

When Will Jesus Return?

Over the many years people and so called prophets, and preachers have predicted and set dates in which our Lord Jesus would come again.  We see that His people are still here and many of the “prophets” have went to eternity; wherever that may be.

The founder of the JW cult predicted that Jesus would return in 1914 or so, and we know that did not happen.  In 1988 there was a booklet that came out called “Eighty Eight Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988”; and again he has not come.

Jesus Himself said,  “…I will come again, and receive you unto Myself…”  (John 14:3), and we were warned about people saying “…Where is the promise of His coming?…” (2 Peter 3:4).  Jesus Himself said,

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.” Matthew 25:13 (KJV)

There is our answer to the question.  When will Jesus return?  We do not know.  Even Jesus; the Son of God and God the Son;  while He walked on earth among his fellow man did not know the time of His return (Matthew 24:36).

The reason we do not know is that this way we live in preparation for His coming.  We ought always be ready; bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galations 5:22), and continually being filled by the Spirit of Christ; being His witnesses in a dark world, and  ”…So much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25).

There are plenty of signs we can see that declares something is about to happen.  The nation of Israel is daily attacked by her enemy, Christians are daily persecuted by beheading, and sale as slaves in some parts of the world.  There is much fear.

Christian!  Lift up your head.  Your redemption draws near.

The Exclusive Christ Jesus – Christmas Day Two Hundred and Fourteen

What do I want for Christmas?

And this is for everyday.

I want all those who profess to be Christian to realize, and to know that the faith of Jesus Christ is exclusive; meaning that He is the only way to God and Heaven; that there is no other way, but the death, the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that those who do not believe in Him will perish (John 3:16), and there is no other hope, salvation, redemption, or eternal life, except Him.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.” John 14:6-7 (KJV)

Christmas Day Two Hundred Twenty and Seven

What do I want for Christmas?

I want to always trust in the LORD God through His Son Jesus Christ no matter what may come, and I want all my family, neighbors near and far to trust Him as well.

 

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalm 62:5-8 (KJV)

Day Two Hundred Sixty and One

What do I want for Christmas?

I want the whole world; I want you to know that God loves you despite the way you are; and that He loves you too much to leave you the way you are.

That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:15-18 (KJV)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

Day Two Hundred Eighty and Eight

What do I want for Christmas?

I want power with God in praying, and prayer; to pray for a soul to be saved, and they are; to pray for God to show Himself strong and He is; to pray for healing in marriages, and they are.

This is another LORD’S Day; let us pray now and when we are in our houses of worship.

Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25 (KJV)

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” 2 Chronicles 16:9

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:15

Day Three Hundred and Twenty

What do I want for Christmas?

I want people of Jenkins, Missouri; the State of Missouri; the United States of America; the North and South American continents; and the world to know that they are sinners, apart from God, lost, condemned and dying; and that Jesus Christ the Son of God, and God the Son died on the cross, was buried, and bodily arose again for you (for us all) that we might be redeemed to God, and have the peace of God which passes all understanding.

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)

“And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”” Luke 19:9-10

Day Three Hundred Thirty and One

What Do I Want For Christmas?

I want to see people responding to the preaching of the word of God in faith, and salvation, life changing and eternal preparation for the eternal presence of God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
John 3:16-18 (NKJV)

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

What Do I Want for Christmas? Day 365

As I said on the previous post on this matter; this may be tedious, but I will do my best to keep it to the point.

What do I want for Christmas?  I want my life to be full of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; which is the Holy Spirit; so that others may see Him in me, and desire to know Him.

I am basing these wants on Scripture such as Psalm 37:4; Mark 11:24; and John 15:7

Three Hundred Sixty Six Days til Christmas

On the first day of December of 2015 as I was writing in my journal I had a thought of counting down the 25 days til Christmas with the question “What do I want for Christmas?”

The first day the “want” was, “A fuller heart and life for my Lord and Savior.” In those 25 days I have thought of counting down until next Christmas with the same heart and mind; which I believe is the wants God gives me.

This may get tedious, draggy, and maybe some would say “Boring”; I do not believe in boring.  I never use the word in my vocabulary, except as here, to rage against it.

This being day 366 before Christmas;  What do I want for Christmas?  I want the Spirit of God who has created all things to reach into the hearts and minds of all who come here, convict of sin the hearts of those who do not know Him and draw them to Himself for salvation.

The Scriptures I have posted here tell you how.

When Truth Has Fallen in the Street

“Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.” Isaiah 59:9-15

There is a problem with being a prophet of God. One is that what ever he prophesies is what he will endure, receive and go through as well as the people he warns. Whether it is a prophecy for good; or a prophecy for judgment he will endure it as well.

The above verses are a confessional prayer/statement to the LORD, and to the nation. Note that Isaiah includes himself in the confession “Judgment [Justice] is far from us”, “but we walk in darkness”, and “we grope”, “we had no eyes”, “we stumble”. You get my point I am sure.

Even though the prophet had probably not committed these atrocities, these sins he includes himself in the array, because this was his nation, his people, and God had been offended by the sins of the people; the kings, princes, nobles and all.

Where we have sinned let us confess it and forsake it. Let us turn our backs on sin; not on God. Let us forsake evil and sin, not our God. Let us stand for truth, though it may be fallen in the street. Though we turn our backs on evil and sin; though we may become a prey because we do so. Let us do so.

“”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

The cleansing means that we turn our backs on sin, to not live it in repetition.

When You Sing unto the LORD

“But I have trusted in Thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:5-6 (KJV)

David is noted as being the author of this Psalm. In the beginning of it he has questioned “How long will You forget me, O LORD?”, and “How long will You hide Your face from me?” He has felt as though the LORD has neglected him, and is not listening to his pleas.

He has felt that his enemy is being exalted over him, and he is the one suffering for it. Does it ever seem that way for you? I must admit I have had my moments of despair, doubt, and fear.

Notice though how David ends this prayer song. “I have trusted in Thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.” How quickly things can change when you find yourself before the face of God; and all the questions seem to fade away.

When you get before the face of God the questions no longer matter. Have you ever heard someone say; or maybe you have said it yourself: “When I get to heaven I have a lot of questions I want to ask God?” I have thought that in years past, but I have learned also that when I get to see God face to face all the questions that I have thought I would ask will not even matter then. I believe that because when I have asked them here, and received the peace and comfort of God; the questions no longer mattered.  They certainly will not matter then.

Why does David place His trust in the LORD? “…Because He has dealt bountifully with me.” When we see God, His grace, His work in us where else is there to place our trust? Nowhere else; and No other One. He is our mercy and our salvation.

You will not begin to see His wondrous bounty, mercy, grace; until you come to Him through His Son Jesus who bled and died on the cross, was buried and bodily arose from the grave.  Trust Jesus Christ and His finished work; then witness the greatness and power and bounty of God as one of His own.

Joyous, Glorious Salvation

“Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.” Nehemiah 12:43 (KJV)

The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, and their return to Jerusalem was cause for great joy. It was celebrated by the sacrifices; great numbers of lambs, bulls and the bringing of the first fruits of the fields were offered. There was much music and singing.

The celebration was filled with joy. It was the “joy of Jerusalem”. The people had returned after 70 years of captivity.

Everyday the Christian should celebrate the deliverance which Jesus Christ has provided for us through the sacrifice of His own blood. There were many sacrifices offered that day in Jerusalem, but all that blood was only a portrayal of the blood of the one sacrifice that could eternally take away sin.

When an individual trust in Christ as the sacrifice for sin we can rest assured that our salvation; our redemption is secured for all eternity. There is “Great Joy” in the heart of the follower of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus will never occur again.

See these verse: 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 7:17 – 27

Dealing With Our Sin; the Enemy Within

“But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.” Numbers 33:55-56 (KJV)

There is a certain ideology of the world today that likens Christianity to extremism of the religious nature. For some reason; fear, shame, or for whatever reason Christians are silent about the things concerning holiness in the life of the Christian; and the major extreme we as individuals must go to to root out, rid ourselves of all that is vile, evil and unholy.

We need to be extremist when it comes to dealing with unholiness. The first place is to begin within ourselves. Put it off. Christ Jesus has given us power and authority to deal with evil in ourselves.

The above verses are verses for Israel to deal with the evil of the land of Canaan they were about to conquer in the name of the LORD. The Canaanites had polluted the land with innocent blood; sacrificing children, and the elderly alike; worshipping unholy deities. God had given them more than 400 years to change their ways; but they did not. Now He was going to purify the land.

For the Christian we are to put off sin, and put on Christ. The apostle Paul speaks of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10ff); and that warfare deals with fighting sin within, and around us. That warfare does not involve the shedding of innocent blood. That blood has already been shed; the blood of Jesus Christ for our sins.

The warning of verse 56 above is that if we do not drive evil out, and we allow any of it to remain, then that evil will be a torment; just as thorns in our sides, and pricks in our eyes; the evil we let remain will be a vexing of our souls. May God help us.

All the Earth, Singing

“O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless His name; shew forth His salvation from day to day.” Psalm 96:1-2 (KJV)

You will note much singing in the Psalms.  This Psalm is accredited to David in 1 Chronicles 16:7 where this Psalm is first noted, and verses 23-33 are much unchanged.  I would be in error if that be the case of an earlier statement I made in this study of Psalms.  Just proves that I am still learning.

One day those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ will sin a new song around the throne.  We will sing a song of redemption, of the Lamb, of the glory of God. We will sing. We will sing the song of salvation.

In the mean time let us show forth His glorious salvation everyday.  May we live to honor and glorify His name; that others may see Him in us.

The Rock

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1 (KJV)

This Rock is not speaking  of a former World Wrestling Federation “champion”, or a movie star.  It is speaking of One who has made all things from nothing.

There is only one who is worthy of our song, our music, our joy, and our praise.  His name is Jesus the Christ; Son of the Living God.  He is the Rock.

Paul the apostle mentions this Rock;

“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4

Let us forever sing to the One who is Lord.  He is the Rock of our salvation.  Let us sing.

Also see Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:8-11.

LORD God of My Salvation

“O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before Thee: Let my prayer come before Thee: incline Thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.” Psalm 88:1-3 (KJV)

For the commentary today I will let  a scholar from the past speak:

I. A man of prayer, one that gave himself to prayer at all times, but especially now that he was in affliction; for is any afflicted? let him pray. It is his comfort that he had prayed; it is his complaint that, notwithstanding his prayer, he was still in affliction. He was, 1. Very earnest in prayer: “I have cried unto thee (Psa_88:1), and have stretched out my hands unto thee (Psa_88:9), as one that would take hold on thee, and even catch at the mercy, with a holy fear of coming short and missing of it.” 2. He was very frequent and constant in prayer: I have called upon thee daily (Psa_88:9), nay, day and night, Psa_88:1. For thus men ought always to pray, and not to faint; God’s own elect cry day and night to him, not only morning and evening, beginning every day and every night with prayer, but spending the day and night in prayer. This is indeed praying always; and then we shall speed in prayer, when we continue instant in prayer. 3. He directed his prayer to God, and from him expected and desired an answer (Psa_88:2): “Let my prayer come before thee, to be accepted of thee, not before men, to be seen of them, as the Pharisees’ prayers.” He does not desire that men should hear them, but, “Lord, incline thy ear unto my cry, for to that I refer myself; give what answer to it thou pleasest.”
II. He was a man of sorrows, and therefore some make him, in this psalm, a type of Christ, whose complaints on the cross, and sometimes before, were much to the same purport with this psalm. He cries out (Psa_88:3): My soul is full of troubles; so Christ said, Now is my soul troubled; and, in his agony, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death, like the psalmist’s here, for he says, My life draws nigh unto the grave. Heman was a very wise man, and a very good man, a man of God, and a singer too, and one may therefore suppose him to have been a man of a cheerful spirit, and yet now a man of sorrowful spirit, troubled in mind, and upon the brink of despair. Inward trouble is the sorest trouble, and that which, sometimes, the best of God’s saints and servants have been severely exercised with. The spirit of man, of the greatest of men, will not always sustain his infirmity, but will droop and sink under it; who then can bear a wounded spirit?
From the Matthew Henry Commentary

May your heart hear God as He speaks with you, and draws you to Himself.

The Clean Heart

“Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.” Psalm 73:1 (KJV)

The Psalm is a song of Asaph.  A collector.  A Song writer.  A musician of the temple.  There are a few of the Psalms attributed to Asaph.  A man who loved God.

To have a clean heart, a pure heart ought to be the desire of every child of God, every Christian.  Yes we are saved by grace, but that grace is powerful enough not to leave us in our sin and rebellion.

God is good to Israel, and to all who know Israel’s God, and are known by Him.  Here is what has been written concerning “perfect hearts” that is a pure, clean heart;

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a

Do you have a clean, pure heart?  Do you desire a clean, pure heart; a perfect heart?  Hear what Jesus says,

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

Believe what God says.  Trust His gift of salvation to mankind.  Trust His Son Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the cross.  See Romans 10:9-13.

Save Me

“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.” Psalm 69:1 (KJV)

As Peter stepped out of the boat, in a storm, to walk on the water to Jesus; he began to sink.  His words as he was going down were “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).  Have you ever cried out to Him, “Lord, save me”?

I never make a secret of the fact that I enjoy reading the preachers of old.  Many of them like Spurgeon, Edwards, Gill, Henry, and Wesley are ones that I am blessed in reading.  Most of the time I post the commentary of Spurgeon; and I do so today from The Treasury of David.

“Save me, O God.” “He saved others, himself he cannot save.” With strong cryings and tears he offered up prayers and supplications unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared (Heb_5:7). Thus David had prayed, and here his Son and Lord utters the same cry. This is the second Psalm which begins with a “Save me, O God,” and the former (Psa_54:1-7) is but a short summary of this more lengthened complaint. It is remarkable that such a scene of woe should be presented to us immediately after the jubilant ascension hymn of the last Psalm, but this only shows how interwoven are the glories and the sorrows of our ever-blessed Redeemer. The head which now is crowned with glory is the same which wore the thorns; he to whom we pray, “Save us, O God,” is the selfsame person who cried, “Save me, O God.” “For the waters are come in unto my soul.” Sorrows, deep, abounding, deadly, had penetrated his inner nature. Bodily anguish is not his first complaint; he begins not with the gall which embittered his lips, but with the mighty griefs which broke into his heart. All the sea outside a vessel is less to be feared than that which finds its way into the hold. A wounded spirit who can bear. Our Lord in this verse is seen before us as a Jonah, crying, “The waters compassed me about, even to the soul.” He was doing business for us on the great waters, at his Father’s command; the stormy wind was lifting up the waves thereof, and he went down to the depths till his soul was melted because of trouble. In all this he has sympathy with us, and is able to succour us when we, like Peter, beginning to sink, cry to him, “Lord, save, or we perish.”
from THE TREASURY OF DAVID

Jesus is our salvation.  When have you cried to Him for eternal salvation?  If you have not, then, do so now.