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FAITH
“The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God.” Galatians
2:20
Then would’st Thou that I should rejoice,
And walk by faith below
Enough, that I had heard
Thy Voice,
And learnt Thy love's deep woe.
Faith makes me see that God is greater than my sin, and not that my sin is greater than God.
Connect your service with nothing but God, not with any particular persons. You
may be comforted by fellowship, and your heart refreshed; but you must work by your own individual faith and energy, without
leaning on any one whatever; for if you do, you cannot be a faithful servant. Service must ever be measured by faith, and
one’s own communion with God. … In every age the blessing has been by individual agency, and the moment it has
ceased to be this it has declined into the world.
The tendency of association is to make us lean upon one another.
The simplicity of a life of faith has charms that they do not know who never tried
it.
One does not get rid of the difficulties of the path of faith by trying to avoid
them, one must surmount them by the power of God.
A difficulty may be a real one, but it is only for the unbelief of hearts that
it is an obstacle, if on the path of God’s will; for faith reckons upon God … and difficulties are as nothing
before Him.
Experience ought to strengthen faith; but there must be a present faith to use
experience.
It is by faith that God is honoured.
It is enough for Satan if he succeeds in frightening us away from the pure and
simple path of faith.
Faith acts on God’s behalf, and reveals Him in the midst of circumstances,
instead of being governed by them. Its superiority over that which surrounds it is evident. What repose to witness this amid
the mire of this poor world.
It is characteristic of faith to reckon on God, not simply spite of difficulty,
but spite of impossibility.
I have not seen the Lord leave those who have given themselves up to work, trusting
Him; and I have seen distress of spirit and greatly hindered usefulness in those who, through their wives or own hearts, have
turned to other things to help wife or family here.
Faith tested is faith strengthened; it is to have learnt your weakness, but to
have learnt the faithfulness of God, His tender care even in sending the difficulties, that we may be there with Him.
My resources are somewhat diminished … but it is all right: everything is
right for faith. … “In everything give thanks,” and if all come from God it must be right.
There is One above … all able to bring about His thoughts, and he who has
faith will find the sureness of His hand if He be really waited on.
We are quick at seizing the reins when we see danger ahead; but the Lord knows
better than we do what has to be done: in due season He will deliver all who look to Him.
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HUMILITY
“Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Matthew 11:29
O lowliness, how feebly known, That meets the grace that gave the Son!
That waits, to serve Him
as His own, Till grace what grace began shall crown!
Pride is the greatest of all evils that beset us, and of all our enemies it is that which dies
the slowest and hardest.
God hates pride above all things, because it gives to man the
place that belongs to Him who is above, exalted over all. Pride intercepts communion with God, and draws down His chastisement,
for “God resists the proud.”
“Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well.”
The valley of Baca is a place of sorrow and humiliation, but one of blessing also. … With some of us this valley may
be the loss of that nearest our hearts, or the thwarting of the will—something that will humble us; but it is a place
of blessing. We get more refreshing from the painful than the pleasant things. … The refreshment and the blessing come
from that which has pained us, humbled us, emptied us of self.
He who is lowest and lowliest will be most blessed.
Often the soul, by seeking joy, cannot get it; this would not
purify and bless it and to bless God must purify. When emptied of self and seeking God we find joy.
Shall I ever forget the humiliation of Christ? … Never!
never! through all eternity. I shall never forget His humiliation on earth. While seeing Him in glory animates the soul to
run after Him, what feeds the soul is the bread come down. That produces a spirit that thinks of everything but itself. …
Go and study Him, and live by Him, and you will come out in His likeness, in all His grace and gentleness and loveliness.
… The Lord give us to be so occupied with Him who was so full of love … so full of lowliness, that we shall manifest
the same.
True humility does not so much consist in thinking badly of
ourselves as in not thinking of ourselves at all. I am too bad to be worth thinking about. What I want is, to forget myself
and to look to God, who is worth all my thoughts.
The only real humbleness and strength and blessing is to forget
self in the presence and blessedness of God.
May you be in yourself so broken down that you may find One
who never breaks down.
We do not know how to be weak, that is our weakness.
The humble spirit does not think so much—it receives
God’s thoughts.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
What was the mind that was in Jesus? It was always coming down. … The more He humbled Himself, the more He was trampled
on. … He goes down … till He can go no lower, down to the dust of death. … Are you content to do this? Are
you content to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus, content to be always trampled on?
The Lord be with you, and keep you near Himself, humble and
serving, but having more of Him than you spend in service.
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LOVE
Love is of God.” 1 John 4:7
God’s nature, love without alloy,
Our hearts are given e'en now to share.
When love leads us, men are indeed those for whom we give ourselves; but God, He
to whom we offer ourselves. (Eph. 5:2.)
It is a serious though a most happy thing to undertake direct service. …
The mere fact of an inclination does not shew that we are called to it. I believe the surest sign is earnest love to souls,
and intercourse through the need of the heart with Christ about it. … It is not the desire to speak, but for souls and
the building up of saints which is the real moving spring of service.
How many needs, hidden even in the most degraded souls, would confess themselves
… if a love, a goodness, which could give them confidence were presented to them. … How many souls are whirling
in pleasure, in order to silence the moral griefs which torment them. Divine love not only answers needs, it makes them speak.
“He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God.”… I beseech you …
earnestly to maintain this spirit of love which is the presence of God. … For sin is separating, and God is uniting,
for He is love; and this will be the healing of all things, for they are to be gathered into one in Christ. … Walk then
in love … and you will walk in power, and in the glory of God.
I dread narrowness of heart more than anything for the church of Christ.
Love enables a man to meet all trials. Should one spit in his face, this makes
no difference, for love abides; because it never draws its strength from circumstances, but rides above all circumstances.
Love … is the true means of holiness, when it is real.
“Love to all the saints” is an element of the blessing spoken of by
the apostle, and even as to intelligence—“able to comprehend with all saints”; because they are in Christ’s
heart, and if not in ours, He has not His place, and self has so far excluded Him.
Love, free from self, can and does think of all that concerns others and understands
what will affect them.
Love does not grow weary of serving, though service may be often in trial …
indeed, save with rare encouragement, always in the general run of it, is. “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s
sake.”
How few so present their charity to God, and bring God into their charity, exercising
it for and towards Him, though in behalf of man, so that they persevere nothing the less in its exercise, though the more
they love the less they be loved! it is for God’s sake.
The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, &c.
… Remark that the first of these fruits are love, joy, peace. The Spirit will surely produce those practical fruits
which manifest the life of Christ in the sight of men, but the inward fruits, the fruits Godward, come first, the condition
of soul needful for producing the others.
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