Tag: Wisdom of the Ages

James Ryle

James Ryle – The Word of His Grace

James Ryle

The Word of His Grace

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (Act 20:32)

Let me set the scene for you. There was a gathering of some of Paul’s dearest friends on the docks of the Ephesian harbor, shortly before was to board the vessel that would take him to Jerusalem – and ultimately to a Roman prison. This would be the last time Paul would ever see these dear friends, and he knew it.

They feared it, and sought earnestly to persuade him to change his mind; to cancel his traveling plans and stay on with them. But, as we saw yesterday, their tender appeals held no power over the greater influence of the Word of the Lord placed upon his heart by the Holy Spirit.

But, surely he could effectively serve the Lord by staying there with them, for Ephesus was an epicenter city – having great influence near and far. Paul could live out his days in peace and prosperity, carried by the love and support of so many to whom he meant so much. Surely his ministry there would thrive!

Yet, Paul was unpersuaded. He leaves them, but he does not leave them empty-handed.

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”

Paul is not pontificating here; he is testifying. There is a difference. One means saying things that are right because they have been studied and learned from books. The other means saying things that are true because they have been lived and proven on the road of life.

Paul knew from firsthand experience the power of God’s grace, and he also knew it would be the only means whereby the leaders and the church in Ephesus would prevail.

the empowering presence of God enabling them to be who God created them to be, and to do what God had called them to do – they surely would fall victim to the “grievous wolves” who were poised to enter among them to ravage the flock.

And there were a few even among Paul’s dearest friends who, like Judas at the Last Supper, were waiting for him to leave so that they in his absence could “arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them’ (Act 20:29-30).

Therefore, knowing these things, Paul gave them the one thing they needed most – a blessing of the Grace of God.

He tells them of its power “to build them up, and to give them an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” And those who took his words to heart found everything he said to be true.

Those who did not heed his apostolic words did indeed fall away. They fell from grace to such a degree that the Lord Jesus personally chided them years later in John’s apocalyptic message — “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen!” (Rev 2:4-5).

What about you and me? Will we stay the course empowered by the grace of God? Will we be all that God wants us to be, and do all that He has purposed for us to do?

Will we let the Word of His grace build us up, and give us our inheritance among all those who have been set apart for God?

Yes! By the grace of God!

James Ryle

Bob Kauflin – Suffering

Our suffering is never purposeless, blind, unfair, or random. In the midst of adversity, he is working out his gracious plans for us (2 Cor 4:17-18).

Bob Kauflin – Suffering

the suffering one

“Our suffering is never purposeless, blind, unfair, or random. In the midst of adversity, He is working out his gracious plans for us (2 Cor 4:17-18). The Savior is the only innocent one to ever suffer”
– Bob Kauflin

The flower of youth never appears more beautiful
than when it bends toward the sun of righteousness

Sun of Righteousness

“The flower of youth never appears more beautiful
than when it bends toward the sun of righteousness.” 
Matthew Henry

___________________

“But unto you, that fear my name
shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings”
Malachi 4:2

F.B. Meyer – The Call to Discipleship

F.B. Meyer – The Call to Discipleship

FB Meyer

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN

“Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” — Luke 14:33.

“THREE TIMES over in this chapter, our Lord says these solemn words: “he cannot be My disciple.” There are three conditions of discipleship. First, we must be prepared to put first things first; second, we must be willing to suffer daily crucifixion; third, we must be detached from all things, because attached to Christ. The conditions seem severe, but they must be fulfilled, if we would enter Christ’s School.

Disciple stands for learner. Our Lord is prepared to teach us the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but it is useless to enter His class unless we have resolved to do as He says. Put first things first. When our Lord uses the word hate, He clearly means that the love we are to have for Him is to be so much greater, that comparatively our natural affection will be as if it were hate. No one could have loved His Mother more than our Lord did. In His dying agony His special thought and care was for her, but on three different occasions He put her aside. We are sometimes called to put aside those who are nearest and dearest, if their demands conflict with the claims of Christ.

The daily cross. In each of us there is the self-principle, and for each of us there is a perpetual necessity to deny self. Some talk about bearing the cross in a glib fashion, but its true meaning is shame, suffering, and sorrow, which no one realizes but God, and which perhaps strikes deeper down into the roots of our being as we grow older. There is an opportunity in your life, in respect to some person or circumstance, for an ever-deepening appreciation of union with Christ in His death, and for which you must be daily prepared to surrender your own way and will.

Renunciation. It may be necessary to surrender all we have for Christ, or it may be that He will ask us to hold all as a steward or trustee for Himself and others. No one can lay down the rule for another. The main point to decide is this: “Am I willing to do what Christ wants me to do; to yield my will for Him to mould it, and my life for Him to work through it?” If so, all else will adjust itself.”
– F.B. Meyer

Charles Brent

Charles Brent

Charles Brent

“A low standard of prayer means a low standard of character and a low standard of service. Those alone labor effectively among men who impetuously fling themselves upward towards God.”
– Charles Bent

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