From: Suzianty Herawati
"Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to
"Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea,
the set time is come. For Thy servants rake pleasure in her stones, and favour
the dust thereof."
--Psalm 102:13, 14
A selfish man in trouble is exceedingly hard to comfort, because the springs
of his comfort entirely within himself, and when he is sad all his springs are
dry. But a large-hearted man full of Christian philanthropy, has other springs
from which to supply himself with comfort beside those which lie within. He can
go to his God first of all, and there find abundant help and he can discover
arguments for consolation in things relating to the world at large, to his
country, and, above all, to the church. David in this Psalm was exceedingly
sorrowful; he wrote, "I am like an owl of the desert, I watch, and am as a
sparrow alone upon the house top." The only way in which he could comfort
himself, was in the reflection that God would arise, and have mercy upon Zion:
though he was sad, yet Zion should prosper; however low his own estate, yet
Zion should arise.
Christian man! learn to comfort thyself in God's gracious dealing towards the
church. That which is so dear to thy Master, should it not be dear above all
else to thee? What though thy way be dark, canst thou not gladden thine heart
with the triumphs of His cross and the spread of His truth? Our own personal
troubles are forgotten while we look, not only upon what God has done, and is
doing for Zion, but on the glorious things He will yet do for His church. Try
this receipt, O believer, whenever thou art sad of heart and in heaviness of
spirit: forget thyself and thy little concerns, and seek the welfare and
prosperity of Zion. When thou bendest thy knee in prayer to God, limit not thy
petition to the narrow circle of thine own life, tried though it be, but send
out thy longing prayers for the church's prosperity, "Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem," and thine own soul shall be refreshed.
by CH Spurgeon
=================================================
From: Suzianty Herawati
"As it began to dawn, came Magdalene, to see the sepulchre."
--Matthew 28:1
Let us learn from Mary Magdalene how to obtain fellowship with the Lord
Jesus. Notice how she sought. She sought the Saviour very early in the morning.
If thou canst wait for Christ, and be patient in the hope of having fellowship
with Him at some distant season, thou wilt never have fellowship at all; for
the heart that is fitted for communion is a hungering and a thirsting heart.
She sought Him also with very great boldness.
Other disciples fled from the sepulchre, for they trembled and were amazed; but
Mary, it is said, "stood" at the sepulchre. If you would have Christ with you,
seek Him boldly. Let nothing hold you back. Defy the world. Press on where
others flee. She sought Christ faithfully--she stood at the sepulchre. Some
find it hard to stand by a living Saviour, but she stood by a dead one. Let us
seek Christ after this mode, cleaving to the very least thing that has to do
with Him, remaining faithful though all others should forsake Him. Note
further, she sought Jesus earnestly--she stood "weeping." Those tear-droppings
were as spells that led the Saviour captive, and made Him come forth and show
Himself to her. If you desire Jesus' presence, weep after it! If you cannot be
happy unless He come and say to you, "Thou art My beloved," you will soon hear
His voice.
Lastly, she sought the Saviour only. What cared she for angels, she turned
herself back from them; her search was only for her Lord. If Christ be your one
and only love, if your heart has cast out all rivals, you will not long lack
the comfort of His presence. Mary Magdalene sought thus _because she loved
much. Let us arouse ourselves to the same intensity of affection; let our
heart, like Mary's, be full of Christ, and our love, like hers, will be
satisfied with nothing short of Himself. O Lord, reveal Thyself to us this
evening!
by CH Spurgeon
========================================
From: Bayo Afolaranmi
Dear Beloved,
THE PRESENCE OF GOD
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" (Psalm
139:7, NIV).
The omnipresent nature of God is affirmed throughout the Bible. Psalm 139 is
especially written for this purpose. God is everywhere. There is no hiding
place from Him. He is the unseen companion of man wherever man finds himself.
This fact of the presence of God is both an encouraging and warning fact. It is
encouraging to know that the God of the whole universe is with you when you are
passing through the darkest path of life. The psalmist says, "...Even though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you
are with me..." (Psalm 23:4, NIV. See also Psalm 46:11; Isaiah 43:1-2). Jesus
Christ also promises, "...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age" (Matthew 28:20, NIV). Paul sums this encouraging fact in this affirmation,
"...If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31, NIV).
Nevertheless, the presence of God is also a warning to us in everything we are
doing. Here is a story of a man who took his son to another man's farm. When
they got there, he placed his son in vantage place and told him to call out
when the son sees anyone coming as he (the father) will be stealing the farm
products of the other man. The man was about to start his theft when the son
called out. The man could not see anybody coming and he queried the son for his
action. The son pointed to heaven and said, "God is there looking at you!" The
man was dumbfounded and thanked his son for his wisdom. He left the farm
immediately without taking anything. The boy seemed to be referring to Proverbs
5:21, "For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his
paths" (NIV).
If everyone is like that son who was conscious of the presence of God, everyone
would be cautious in doing, or even thinking to do, any bad thing. No wonder
the psalmist concludes his writing about the omnipresence of God by saying,
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See
if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm
139:23-24, NIV).
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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