"For your Father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:8).
At first sight it might appear as if this thought makes prayer less needful. If God already knows what we need, then why pray at all? But as we gain a deeper insight into what prayer really is, this truth will help much to strengthen our faith. It will teach us that we do not need the multitude and urgency of our words to compel an unwilling God to listen to us. It will lead to a holy thoughtfulness and silence in prayer as it suggests the question: Does my Father really know that I need this? Yes, He does! Therefore, let us sometimes in our prayers, when we are in danger of being so occupied with our fervent, urgent petitions, as to forget that the Father knows and hears, let us hold still and just quietly say: My Father sees, my Father hears, my Father knows; it will help our faith to take the answer, and to say: We know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him.
I hope this meditation by our beloved brother Charles Spurgeon speaks to as it did to me. I need this message today. Pray for me. cw
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never
suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
It is a heavy burden, roll it on Omnipotence. It is thy burden now, and it crushes thee; but when the Lord takes it, He will make nothing of it. If thou art called still to bear it, “he will sustain thee.” It will be on Him, and not on thee. Thou wilt be so upheld under it that the burden will be a blessing. Bring the Lord into the matter and thou wilt stand upright under that which in itself would bow thee down.Our worst fear is lest our trial should drive us from the path of duty; but this the Lord will never suffer.If we are righteous before Him, He will not endure that our affliction should move us from our standing. In Jesus He accepts us as righteous, and in Jesus He will keep us so.What about the present moment? Art thou going forth to this day’s trial alone? Are thy poor shoulders again to be galled with the oppressive load? Be not so foolish. Tell the Lord all about thy grief, and leave it with Him.Don’t cast your burden down, and then take it up again; but roll it on the Lord, and leave it there. Then shalt thou walk at large, a joyful and unburdened believer, singing the praises of thy great Burden-bearer.
“Since for unbelieving men religion seems to stand by opinion alone, they, in order not to believe anything foolishly or lightly, both wish and demand rational proof that Moses and the prophets spoke divinely. But I reply: the testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit, therefore, who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully proclaimed what had been divinely commanded ... " --John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion 1.7.5.
The longer I live the more I am convinced that the world needs no new gospel, as some profess to think. I am thoroughly persuaded that the world needs nothing but a bold, full, unflinching teaching of the "old paths." If those who hold evangelical views were only more faithful to their own principles, and more bold, and uncompromising, and decided, both in their preaching and their lives, they would soon find, whatever infidels and Romanists may please to say, that they hold the only lever which can shake the world.— J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
Here it is, another Fathers Day. This is a good day to contact or visit with our fathers, or remember and honor them if they are gone from this life. Scripture tells us the following: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee"(Exodus 20:12). "Honour thy father and mother;which is the first commandment with promise:that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth"(Ephesians 6:2) .
If you can, let your father know you love him.
Some Fathers in the Bible Adam Adam is the first man, and therefore the father of the entire human race. He brought us misery by his fall into sin, thereby giving a sin nature to all his seed. Every human born since Adam is born in sin, and the only hope of salvation is in the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:45).
Abraham He is called the father of us all (Romans 4:16). This is spiritual truth for all the children of God through the ages, because Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.
Israel/ Jacob
He was the father of God’s chosen nation in the Old Testament. He had twelve sons, each becoming a tribe. The only tribe we hear much about today is Judah. This is because God separated the tribes because of apostasy. In our day, all the Hebrew people are called Jews.
Joseph
He is the earthly father of Jesus Christ. His seed did not produce the Christ child. Christ was, and is, the virgin born Son of God. Joseph raised Jesus and taught Him the carpenter’s trade.
God the Father
He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the first Person of the Godhead, and Father to all who have been born again, and placed forever in Christ. This transaction required the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in time and eternity. We are His children ( John 1:11-13). (perhaps we can examine all of these in depth at a future time).
Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com
This beautiful hymn of 19 stanzas was written by the gifted Charles Wesley on the first anniversary of his conversion in 1739. Can you imagine in a modern church singing ALL of this hymn? The "O For A Thousand Tongues" verse was originally verse seven.
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.
On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.
Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.
Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.
I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!
I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.
Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.
See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.
Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.
Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.
Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.
With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days" (Ecclesiastes 11:1).
We must not expect to see an immediate reward for all the good we do; nor must we always confine our efforts to places and persons which seem likely to yield us a recompense for our labors. The Egyptian casts his seed upon the waters of the Nile, where it might seem a sheer waste of corn. But in due time the flood subsides, the rice or other grain sinks into the fertile mud, and rapidly a harvest is produced. Let us today do good to the unthankful and the evil. Let us teach the careless and the obstinate. Unlikely waters may cover hopeful soil. Nowhere shall our labor be in vain in the LORD. It is ours to cast our bread upon the waters; it remains with God to fulfill the promise "Thou shalt find it." He will not let His promise fail. His good word which we have spoken shall live, shall be found, shall be found by us, Perhaps not just yet, but some day we shall reap what we have sown. We must exercise our patience, or perhaps the LORD may exercise it. "After many days," says the Scripture, and in many instances those days run into months and years, and yet the Word stands true. God's promise will keep; let us mind that we keep the precept and keep it this day. (From Faiths Checkbook for June 1)
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"He must increase, I must decrease" (John 3:30). My name is Charles Woodruff. I am 74 years old, and my desire is to serve God the rest of my days, preaching the old evangelical gospel that Paul and Peter preached, that Calvin preached, that Whitefield preached, that Spurgeon preached, and that Isaac Watts wrote about in his hymns. You are welcome! I hope you like our blogs.Your comments are also welcome. Please feel free to comment.
