From: Suzianty Herawati
"A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench."
--Matthew 12:20
What is weaker than the bruised reed or the smoking flax? A reed that
groweth in the fen or marsh, let but the wild duck light upon it, and it snaps;
let but the foot of man brush
against it, and it is bruised and broken; every wind that flits across the
river moves it to and fro. You can conceive of nothing more frail or brittle,
or whose existence is more in jeopardy, than a bruised reed. Then look at the
smoking flax--what is it? It has a spark within it, it is true, but it is
almost smothered; an infant's breath might blow it out; nothing has a more
precarious existence than its flame. Weak things are here described, yet Jesus
says of them, "The smoking flax I will not quench; the bruised reed I will not
break." Some of God's children are made strong to do mighty works for Him; God
has His Samsons here and there who can pull up Gaza's gates, and carry them to
the top of the hill; He has a few mighties who are lion-like men, but the
majority of His people are a timid, trembling race. They are like starlings,
frightened at every passer by; a little fearful flock. If temptation comes,
they are taken like birds in a snare; if trial threatens, they are ready to
faint; their frail skiff is tossed up and down by every wave, they are drifted
along like a sea bird on the crest of the billows--weak things, without
strength, without wisdom, without foresight. Yet, weak as they are, and because
they are so weak, they have this promise made specially to them. Herein is
grace and graciousness! Herein is love and lovingkindness! How it opens to us
the compassion of Jesus--so gentle, tender, considerate! We need never shrink
back from His touch. We need
never fear a harsh word from Him; though He might well chide us for our
weakness, He rebuketh not. Bruised reeds shall have no blows from Him, and the
smoking flax no damping frowns.
by CH Spurgeon
=============================================
From: Suzianty Herawati
"When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God
is for me."
--Psalm 56:9
It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this
delightful phrase, "God is for me." He was "for us" before the worlds were
made; He was "for us," or He would not have given His well-beloved son; He was
"for us" when He smote the Only-begotten, and laid the full weight of His wrath
upon Him--He was "for us," though He was against Him;
He was "for us," when we were ruined in the fall--He loved us notwithstanding
all; He was "for us," when we were rebels against Him, and with a high hand
were bidding Him defiance; He
was "for us," or He would not have brought us humbly to seek His face. He has
been "for us" in many struggles; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of
dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without and within--how
could we have remained unharmed to this hour if He had not been "for us"? He is
"for us," with all the infinity of His being; with all the omnipotence of His
love; with all the infallibility of His wisdom; arrayed in all His divine
attributes, He is "for us,"--eternally and immutably "for us"; "for us" when
yon blueskies shall be rolled up like a worn out vesture; "for us" throughout
eternity. And because He is "for us," the voice of prayer will always ensure
His help. "When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies be turned back." This
is no uncertain hope, but a well grounded assurance--"this I know." I will
direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up for the answer, assured that it
will come, and that mine enemies shall be defeated, "for God is for me." O
believer, how happy art thou with the King of kings on thy side! How safe with
such a Protector! How sure thy
cause pleaded by such an Advocate! If God be for thee, who can be against thee?
by CH Spurgeon
===================================================
From: Suzianty Herawati
"They weave the spider's web." --Isaiah 59:5
See the spider's web, and behold in it a most suggestive picture of the
hypocrite's religion. It is meant to catch his prey: the spider fattens
himself on flies, and the Pharisee has
his reward. Foolish persons are easily entrapped by the loud professions of
pretenders, and even the more judicious cannot always escape. Philip baptized
Simon Magus, whose guileful
declaration of faith was so soon exploded by the stern rebuke of Peter. Custom,
reputation, praise, advancement, and other flies, are the small game which
hypocrites take in their nets. A spider's web is a marvel of skill : look at it
and admire the cunning hunter's wiles. Is not a deceiver's religion equally
wonderful? How does he make so barefaced a lie appear to be a
truth? How can he make his tinsel answer so well the purpose of gold? A
spider's web comes all from the creature's own bowels.
The bee gathers her wax from flowers, the spider sucks no flowers, and yet she
spins out her material to any length. Even so hypocrites find their trust and
hope within themselves; their
anchor was forged on their own anvil, and their cable twisted by their own
hands. They lay their own foundation, and hew out the pillars of their own
house, disdaining to be debtors to the sovereign grace of God. But a spider's
web is very frail. It is curiously wrought, but not enduringly manufactured. It
is no match for the servant's broom, or the traveller's staff. The
hypocrite needs no battery of Armstrongs to blow his hope to pieces, a mere
puff of wind will do it. Hypocritical cobwebs will soon come down when the
besom of destruction begins its
purifying work. Which reminds us of one more thought, viz., that such cobwebs
are not to be endured in the Lord's house: He will see to it that they and
those who spin them shall be
destroyed for ever. O my soul, be thou resting on something better than a
spider's web. Be the Lord Jesus thine eternal hiding-place.
by CH Spurgeon
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mailing List Jesus-Net Ministry Indonesia - JNM -
Daftar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Keluar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Posting: [email protected]
Bantuan Moderator : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-net/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
