Apprising Ministries shares a short prayer on this Lord’s Day.

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Paul’s God is our God and will supply all our need. Paul felt sure of this in reference to the Philippians, and we feel sure of it as to ourselves. God will do it, for it is like Him: He loves us, He delights to bless us, and it will glorify Him to do so. His pity, His power, His love, His faithfulness, all work together that we be not famished.

What a measure doth the Lord go by: “According to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The riches of His grace are large, but what shall we say of the riches of His glory? His “riches of glory by Christ Jesus” — who shall form an estimate of this? According to this immeasurable measure will God fill up the immense abyss of our necessities. He makes the Lord Jesus the receptacle and the channel of His fullness, and then He imparts to us His wealth of love in its highest form. Hallelujah!

Charles Spurgeon

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

What will He do? He will sanctify us wholly. See the previous verse. He will carry on the work of purification till we are perfect in every part. He will preserve our “whole spirit, and soul, and body, blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He will not allow us to fall from grace, nor come under the dominion of sin. What great favors are these! Well may we adore the giver of such unspeakable gifts.

Who will do this? The Lord who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, out of death in sin into eternal life in Christ Jesus. Only He can do this: such perfection and preservation can only come from the God of all grace.

Why will He do it? Because He is “faithful”–faithful to His own promise which is pledged to save the believer; faithful to His Son, whose reward it is that His people shall he presented to Him faultless, faithful to the work which He has commenced in us by our effectual calling. It is not their own faithfulness but the Lord’s own faithfulness on which the saints rely.

Come, my soul, here is a grand feast to begin a dull month with. There may be fogs without, but there should be sunshine within.

Charles Spurgeon

A friend of pastor Ken Silva shares his testimony of Jesus delivering him into the glorious freedom of the sons of God over at Apprising Ministries.

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. (Psalm 118:17)

A fair assurance this! It was no doubt based upon a promise, inwardly whispered in the psalmist’s heart, which he seized upon and enjoyed. Is my case like that of David? Am I depressed because the enemy affronts me? Are there multitudes against me and few on my side? Does unbelief bid me lie down and die in despair-a defeated, dishonored man? Do my enemies begin to dig my grave?

What then? Shall I yield to the whisper of fear, and give up the battle, and with it give up all hope? Far from it. There is life in me yet: “I shall not die.” Vigor will return and remove my weakness: “I shall live.” The Lord lives, and I shall live also. My mouth shall again be opened: “I shall declare the works of Jehovah.”

Yes, and I shall speak of the present trouble as another instance of the wonder-working faithfulness and love of the Lord my God. Those who would gladly measure me for my coffin had better wait a bit, for “the Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death.” Glory be to His name forever! I am immortal till my work is done. Till the Lord wills it, no vault can close upon me.

Charles Spurgeon

But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,… As unknown, and yet well known…  (2 Corinthians 6:4,9)

Unsung but singing: this is the short and simple story of many today whose names are not known beyond the small circle of their own small company. Their gifts are not many nor great, but their song is sweet and clear….

“Father, may my song today be a sweet sound in Your ears–even if in Yours alone. Amen.”

(A.W. Tozer, Tozer on Christian Leadership, October 30)

And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be. (Exodus8:23)

Pharaoh has a people, and the Lord has a people. These may dwell together and seem to fare alike, but there is a division between them, and the Lord will make it apparent. Not forever shall one event happen alike to all, but there shall be great difference between the men of the world and the people of Jehovah’s choice.

This may happen in the time of judgments, when the Lord becomes the sanctuary of His saints. It is very conspicuous in the conversion of believers when their sin is put away, while unbelievers remain under condemnation. From that moment they become a distinct race, come under a new discipline, and enjoy new blessings. Their homes, henceforth, are free from the grievous swarms of evils which defile and torment the Egyptians. They are kept from the pollution of lust, the bite of care, the corruption of falsehood, and the cruel torment of hatred, which devour many families.

Rest assured, tried believer, that though you have your troubles you are saved from swarms of worse ones, which infest the homes and hearts of the servants of the world’s prince. The Lord has put a division; see to it that you keep up the division in Spirit, aim, character, and company.

Charles Spurgeon

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10

I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God’s grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do not know how, that I am saved.

The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - “It is finished.”

(Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 223, 224)

An original song at Apprising Ministries as encouragement that if you’ve been away from church, the Lord be praised, you really can come home.

Here is Paul Washer speaking against the idolatry that many professing believers are calling “evangelism” these days.  I highy, highly recommend this sermon.

For the link to this sermon and the code to embed this video on your site, go here.

If we could but understand the goodness of God, it would transform our lives. Here are my meditations on the goodness of the Lord from the first verse of the 23 Psalm.

“He shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Lord, save me from my sins. By the name of Jesus I am encouraged thus to pray. Save me from my past sins, that the habit of them may not hold me captive. Save me from my constitutional sins, that I may not be the slave of my own weaknesses. Save me from the sins which are continually under my eye that I may not lose my horror of them. Save me from secret sins; sins unperceived by me from my want of light. Save me from sudden and surprising sins: let me not be carried off my feet by a rush of temptation. Save me, Lord, from every sin. Let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Thou alone canst do this. I cannot snap my own chains or slay my own enemies. Thou knowest temptation, for Thou wast tempted. Thou knowest sin, for Thou didst bear the weight of it. Thou knowest how to succor me in my hour of conflict; Thou canst save me from sinning and save me when I have sinned. It is promised in Thy very name that Thou wilt do this, and I pray Thee let me this day verify the prophecy. Let me not give way to temper, or pride, or despondency, or any form of evil; but do Thou save me unto holiness of life, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me abundantly.

Charles Spurgeon

In this short devotion D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones begins:

This [Philippians 4:6,7] is undoubtedly one of the noblest, greatest and most comforting statements . . . in any extant literature . . . there is nothing that has greater comfort for God’s people than these two verses…

We won’t pray unless we get thrills, that is the intensest form of spiritual selfishness. We have to labour along the line of God’s direction, and He says pray. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.”

There is nothing thrilling about a labouring man’s work, but it is the labouring man who makes the conceptions of the genius possible; and it is the labouring saint who makes the conceptions of his Master possible. You labour at prayer and results happen all the time from His standpoint. What an astonishment it will be to find, when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you had been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers

“Bigger Is Better!” is the shout heard all along the American Way. But is it always? Apprising Ministries with an offer of encouragement from A.W. Tozer to those pastors who resist the call of worldly wisdom and continue faithfully tending their flocks as the Lord leads.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Mat 5:10-12)

Although there is a price to pay for it, for Jesus’ sake we want you to see from God’s Word what the enemy’s troops desperately want to hide from the Body of Christ today. Some encouragement in these difficult times and a perspective on the Truth War you may not have thought of in this piece from Apprising Ministries.

Here’s a beautiful piece from Pastor Ken Silva at Apprising Ministries. I hope it’s a blessing to you today.

Yes, beloved of God we do live in troubling times. But no matter how difficult your current trial may be, or whatever you may have done since you were born again, you can trust that God still knows thee by name; and if you will but turn from your sin, it’s not too late for you to begin all over again (see—1 John 1:9). And don’t you ever forget how precious you are to the Lord; so much so dear Christian, that He wrote your name on His palms at his crucifixion (see—Isaiah 49:16) and those nail-scarred hands of Christ Jesus are vivid proof of His love for all eternity!

This Lord’s Day evening, I am reposting some thoughts from July, 2007. I hope you’ve been fed today from God’s Word. Even in these times of famine, the Good Shepherd sees to it that his sheep are fed. We should be thankful and grateful for faithful pastors and for so many websites, podcasts and printed resources available to receive nourishment from the Word. He shall feed His Flock. The post includes a recording of the great Marian Anderson of the past singing Handel’s unforgettable setting of this biblical promise. God bless all of you.

I am delighted to see that Back to the Bible has posted past Gateway to Joy programs with Elisabeth Elliot. This is a treasure trove of biblical wisdom taken from her 13 years of programming.