From: Suzianty Herawati
"Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
--Galatians 3:26
The fatherhood of God is common to all his children. Ah! Little-faith, you
have often said, "Oh that I had the courage of Great-heart, that I could wield
his sword and be as valiant as he! But, alas, I stumble at every straw, and a
shadow makes me
afraid."
List thee, Little-faith. Great-heart is God's child, and you are God's child
too; and Great-heart is not one whit more God's child than you are. Peter and
Paul, the highly- favoured apostles, were of the family of the Most High; and
so are you also; the weak Christian is as much a child of God as the strong one.
"This cov'nant stands secure,
Though earth's old pillars bow;
The strong, the feeble, and the weak,
Are one in Jesus now."
All the names are in the same family register. One may have more grace than
another, but God our heavenly Father has the same tender heart towards all. One
may do more mighty works, and may bring more glory to his Father, but he whose
name is the least
in the kingdom of heaven is as much the child of God as he who stands among the
King's mighty men. Let this cheer and comfort us, when we draw near to God and
say, "Our Father."
Yet, while we are comforted by knowing this, let us not rest contented with
weak faith, but ask, like the Apostles, to have it increased. However feeble
our faith may be, if it be real faith in Christ, we shall reach heaven at last,
but we shall not honour our Master much on our pilgrimage, neither shall we
abound in joy and peace. If then you would live to Christ's glory, and be happy
in His service, seek to be filled with the
spirit of adoption more and more completely, till perfect love shall cast out
fear.
CH Spurgeon
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From: Suzianty Herawati
"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
--2 Timothy 2:1
Christ has grace without measure in Himself, but He hath not retained it for
Himself. As the reservoir empties itself into the pipes, so hath Christ emptied
out His grace for His people.
"Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."
He seems only to have in order to dispense to us. He stands like the fountain,
always flowing, but only running in order to supply the empty pitchers and the
thirsty lips which draw nigh unto it. Like a tree, He bears sweet fruit, not to
hang on boughs, but to be gathered by those who need. Grace, whether its work
b! e to pardon, to cleanse, to preserve, to strengthen, to enlighten, to
quicken, or to restore, is ever to be had from Him freely and without price;
nor is there one form of the work of grace which He has not bestowed upon His
people. As the blood of the body, though flowing from the heart, belongs
equally to every member, so the influences of grace are the inheritance of
every saint united to the Lamb; and herein there is a sweet communion between
Christ and His Church, inasmuch as they both receive the same grace. Christ is
the head upon which the oil is first poured; but the same oil runs to the very
skirts of the garments, so that the meanest saint has an unction of the same
costly moisture as that which fell upon the head. This is true communion when
the sap of grace flows from the stem to the branch, and when it is perceived
that the stem itself is sustained by the very nourishment which feeds the
branch. As we day by day receive grace from Jesus, and more constantly
recognize it as coming from Him, we shall behold Him in
communion with us, and enjoy the felicity of communion with Him.
Let us make daily use of our riches, and ever repair to Him as to our own Lord
in covenant, taking from Him the supply of all we need with as much boldness as
men take money from their own purse.
CH Spurgeon
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From: Suzianty Herawati
"With His stripes we are healed." --Isaiah 53:5
Pilate delivered our Lord to the lictors to be scourged. The Roman scourge
was a most dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the sinews of oxen,
and sharp bones were inter-twisted every here and there among the sinews; so
that every time the lash came down these pieces of bone inflicted fearful
laceration, and tore off the flesh from the bone. The Saviour was, no doubt,
bound to the column, and thus beaten. He had been beaten before; but this of
the Roman lic! tors was probably the most severe of His flagellations. My soul,
stand here and weep over His poor stricken body.
Believer in Jesus, can you gaze upon Him without tears, as He stands before
you the mirror of agonizing love? He is at once fair as the lily for innocence,
and red as the rose with the crimson of His own blood. As we feel the sure and
blessed healing which His stripes have wrought in us, does not our heart melt
at once with love and grief? If ever we have loved our Lord Jesus, surely we
must feel that affection glowing now within our
bosoms.
"See how the patient Jesus stands,
Insulted in His lowest case!
Sinners have bound the Almighty's hands,
And spit in their Creator's face.
With thorns His temples gor'd and gash'd
Send streams of blood from every part;
His back's with knotted scourges lash'd.
But sharper scourges tear His heart."
We would fain go to our chambers and weep; but since our business calls us
away, we will first pray our Beloved to print the image of His bleeding self
upon the tablets of our hearts all the day, and at nightfall we will return to
commune with Him, and sorrow that our sin should have cost Him so dear.
CH Spurgeon
