Great and Precious Promises

That man is blessed who, under the chastening of the Lord, is taught his will and his truths from his holy word, and by the Holy Spirit. He should see mercy through his sufferings. There is a rest remaining for the people of God after the days of their adversity, which shall not last always. He that sends the trouble will send the rest. The psalmist found succor and relief only in the Lord, when all earthly friends failed. We are beholden, not only to God's power, but to his pity, for spiritual supports; and if we have been kept from falling into sin, or shrinking from our duty, we should give him the glory, and encourage our bretheren. The psalmist had many troubled thoughts concerning the case he was in, concerning the course he should take, and what was likely to be the end of it. The indulgence of such contrivances and fears, adds to care and distrust, and renders our views more gloomy and confused. Good men sometimes have perplexed and distressed thoughts concerning God. But let them look to the great and previous promises of the gospel. The world's comforts give little delight to the soul, when hurried with melancholy thoughts; but God's comforts bring that peace and pleasure which the smiles of the world cannot give, and which the frowns of the world cannot take away. God is his people's Refuge, to whom they may flee, in whom they are safe, and may be secure. And he will reckon with the wicked. A man cannot be more miserable than his own wickedness will make him, if the Lord visits it upon him.

~Matthew Henry's Daily Thoughts, August 29

Free From the Law

Today I began reading Pilgrim's Progress and was struck by something before I had even finished the first page. "I saw a man dressed in rags standing in a certain place and facing away from his own house. He had a Book in his hand and a great burden on his back. As I looked, I saw him open the Book and read out of it, and as he read he wept and trembled. Unable to contain himself any longer, he broke out with a sorrowful cry, saying, "What shall I do?"

This reminded me of part of Romans 7:7, which says "Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin." Here stands Pilgrim reading the law, a burden on his back that he has no power to remove, and clothed in filthy rags. It is the law, and the realization that no one is capable of keeping it, that causes unregenerate men to become conscious of their burden of sin and their filthy rags. Weeping, trembling, and sorrow follows, for they now know that something must be done about the burden, the rags, and the broken laws. Their hearts cry out as Pilgrim did, "What shall I do?" All men must be brought to this point before repentance, regeneration, and justification can follow. I am so glad that Pilgrim's story and the Gospel don't end there! "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Free from the law--O happy condition,
Jesus has bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Christ has redeemed us once for all!

Petitions for Mercy

"Though God be most high, yet He condescends so low, as to take care that all things are made to work for good to His people. This is a good reason why we should pray earnestly. And when David was in the greatest distress and disgrace, he did not pray, "Lord, exalt me," but, "Lord, exlat your own name." Our best encouragement in prayer, is taken from the glory of God, and to that, more than to our own comfort, we should have regard in all our petitions for mercy."

~Matthew Henry's Daily Readings, August 27

Union With Christ

Quietness and Confidence

"...In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my strength and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalm 62:1-2

His purposes are hidden
Often from our sight,
But our lack of understanding
Will not diminish all His might.

When His movings and His ways
We cannot understand,
He still has power and wisdom
To carry out His plan.

Though we may doubt and falter
His arm is no less strong,
And He faithful keeps the ones
To whom His love belongs.

Though your faith may waver
And weakness reign inside,
There is no weakness in the One
To whom we run and hide.

Such sweetness He affords His saints,
Such quietness and rest,
When we abandon all our doubts
And lean upon His breast.

Our confidence is never found
In self or the inner man,
But in the One who holds us up
And enables us to stand.

Roll your burdens on the One
Who faithful bears them all,
And rest on His unchanging grace
Who keeps the frailest soul.

~A.L 8/25/09

Truths From Matthew Henry

• The heart that truly believes, shall in due time greatly rejoice: we are to expect joy and peace in believing. God shall have the praise of it: thus must we express our gratitude
• Those who make God their hope shall flourish like a tree aways green, whose leaf does not wither. They shall be fixed in peace and satisfaction of mind; they shall not be anxious in a year of drought. Those who make God their hope have enough in Him to make up the want of all creature-comforts
• Days of trouble must be days of prayer; when God seems to have withdrawn from us, we must seek Him till we find Him. Those that are under trouble of mind must pray it away. Doubts and fears proceed from the want and weakness of faith
• He that does not love the image of God in His people has no saving knowledge of God
• None of our words or thoughts can do justice to the free, astonishing love of a holy God towards sinners, who could not profit or harm Him, whom He might justly crush in a moment, and whose deserving of His vengeance was shown in the method by which they were saved
• Happy those who shall have holy boldness before the Judge, knowing He is their Friend and Advocate! Happy those who have holy boldness in the prospect of that day, who look and wait for it, and for the Judge's appearance!
• Should we search the whole universe for love in its most glorious displays? It is to be found in the person and the cross of Christ
• The love of God in Christ, in the hearts of Christians from the Spirit of adoption is the great proof of conversion

*Quotes taken from Matthew Henry's Daily Readings

The Cure for Busyness

Life Story of Isobel Kuhn

I just finished reading By Searching, by Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China with Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission. The story of her conversion and progression through Christian life and into the mission field was phenomenal, with lots of practical application. The following paragraphs are her writings (broken up by my narration) taken from various places throughout the book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raised in a Christian home, I called myself an agnostic--I frankly did not know if there was a God or not. Amidst the group at the university I was considered a good girl, and even a Christian! But I myself knew that I wasn't. My father was my greatest comfort. He knew enough to be silent and just love me. One night he knelt down beside my bed and prayed God to help me, but it only irritated me. "Thanks Dad," I said. "I know you mean it well, but praying doesn't go beyond the ceiling, you know." Then came the Tempter. I didn't want to live and I couldn't die! "God, if there be a God," I whispered, for I was not going to believe in what did not exist just to get a mental opiate, "if You will prove to me that you are, and if You will give me peace, I will give You my whole life. I'll do anything You ask me to do, go where You send me, obey You all my days." And now began a life at two levels: an outer level of study, wordly gaiety and pride, and an inner level of watching, seeking after God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few years later, and as a true Christian, rather than a masquerading agnostic, Isobel's story continues with her call to the mission field.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was not a question of if I wanted to go or not--I was no longer my own. At the time I had no clear indication that it was the foreign field He wanted. I was willing, if it were, to go. When a friend lent me a book called The Growth of a Soul, she had no idea that for many years Dr and Mrs Isaac Page had been secretly praying the God would lay His hand on me for missionary service in China. She did know, however, that in the life story of Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, were experiences of searching for God and proving Him which were parallel to some through which I was now passing. It was while reading the second volume, The Growth of a Word of God, that I felt a call to the mission field. My decision to apply to the China Inland Mission had been made. In seeking advice from J. O. Fraser, of CIM, he cautioned me "In prayer resist the devil, always remembering to be kind to those who are unconsciously his tools at the moment." He knew I would meet with opposition along the way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isobel's opposition came in many ways. One was in the form of choosing an institution for schooling, especially since she had almost no money for mission education. A friend, who had offered to support Isobel through the first year of school, chose Moody Bible Institute in Chicago as the place for mission training. Once through her first year, Isobel would then have to pay her own way for the remainder of her education. This was difficult at times, juggling her studies with working two jobs and participating in city outreaches and various other campus ministries. Through the help of anonymous gifts, other known donors, and even the provision of a dress for graduation, Isobel made it through the time at Moody. Her last and perhaps greatest trials were the death of her mother and near-death injury of her father, shortly before leaving for China. After all of these trials, Isobel was considered ready for the field in China. Here she reflects on what she had learned before being sent out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up to this point I have discovered that God is, and that He is mine by the mediatorship of Christ. I have discovered that He can and will teach me His way, or His plan for my life. I have found that He can overcome obstacles and that we do not need to arouse a great hullabaloo to get Him to do so. Hudson Taylor was right in his discovery: "Learn to move man, through God, by prayer alone." I later learned from A.W. Tozer that "We must invite the Cross to do its deadly work within us. We must bring our self-sins to the Cross of judgment." The search is not ended. We have only begun to explore our eternal, unfathomable God. "Let us leave behind the elementary teaching about Christ and go forward to adult understanding. Let us not lay over and over again the foundation truths...No, if God allows, let us go on," paraphrases Phillips.

On October 11, 1928, I sailed for China. There was quite a large party of us. The ship was due to pull out about noon, and some friends of mine forsook their lunch and flocked down to the wharf. They made such a crowd that a stranger asked my brother, "Who is the girl who is getting this send-off?" Just an unknown missionary going out for the first time, was certainly not the answer expected. But God can give special things to His unknown children when He wants to. "Lord," I whispered, "give me a last word they won't forget." A loud voice could still reach the wharf. I leaned over the side and called out "Let us go on!" The light of heaven broke through the tears of earth on some faces, so I knew they had heard. And now, as reader and author part, I can find no better words to use than these same, "Let us go on." Go on searching and exploring the greatness and the dearness of our God. Said Susanna Wesley, "He is so infinitely blessed, that every perception of His blissful presence imparts a gladness to the heart. Every degree of approach to Him is, in the same proportion, a degree of happiness." So--let us go on--searching.

William Carey, part 1

I am now reading a book called "The Life of William Carey," a man that I had not known much about except that he is called the Father of Modern Missions. Much of the book contains Carey's journal entries and so far has been excellent. I thought I would share some excerpts from it that I have found especially encouraging. (most of this is my own paraphrasing except for direct quotes that are in quotation marks)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While serving as a minister in England, but feeling strongly called to international missions, Carey said to his congregation "I am not my own, nor would I choose for myself. Let God employ me where he thinks fit, and give me patience and discretion to fill up my station to his honour and glory."

Later on he was discussing with fellow mission-minded friends Mr Fuller, Mr Sutcliff, and Mr Ryland what part of the world they should consider for a permanent mission station. "In what part of the heathen world do there seem to be the most promising openings?" Carey asked. His dear friend Mr Fuller said afterwards "We saw there was a gold mine in India, but it was as deep as the centre of the earth. Who will venture to explore it? 'I will venture to go down,' said Carey, 'but remember that you must hold the ropes.' We solemnly engaged to him to do so, nor while we live shall we desert him."

A short number of years afterward, William Carey was ready to leave England and begin his mission half way across the world. His father in particular had opposed his son's choice to go to the mission field. In a parting letter to his father Carey wrote "The importance of spending our time for God alone is the principal theme of the gospel...To be devoted like a sacrifice to holy uses is the great business of a Christian...I have set my hand to the plough." With that, he and his young family sailed for India to live out his perhaps most famous quote: "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God."

In Carey's journal he writes: "I hope that the multitudes of heathen in the world may hear the glorious words of truth. Africa is but a little way from England; Madagascar but a little way further; South America, and all the numerous and large islands in the Indian and Chinese seas, I hope will not be passed over. A large field opens on every side, and millions of perishing heathens, tormented in this life by idolatry, superstition, and ignorance, and exposed to eternal miseries in the world to come, are pleading; yea, all their miseries plead as soon as they are known, with every heart that loves God, and with all the churches of the living God. Oh, that many labourers may be thrust out into the vineyard of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the gentiles may come to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Him!"

An entry written upon arrival in India reads: "I feel something of what Paul felt when he beheld Athens, and 'his spirit was stirred within him.' I see one of the finest countires in the world, full of industrious inhabitants; yet three fifths of it are uncultivated jungle, abandoned to wild beasts and serpents. If the gospel flourishes here, 'the wilderness will in every respect become a fruitful field...' These idolaters speak of 330,000,000 gods. Amidst innumerable idol temples we find none erected for the worship of the one living and true God."

At the forefront of his ministry in India, William Carey held fast to two principles. 1) A missionary must be one of the companions and equals of the people to whom he is sent; and 2) a missionary must as soon as possible become indigenous, self-supporting, self- propragating, alike by the labours of the mission and of the converts. To this end he worked steadily and fought against huge obstacles.

Two of the largest obstacles that he would encounter included the death of a son lost to dysentery, and the mental breakdown and mania of his wife that would remain with her for the rest of her life. In spite of all this Carey was able to say "I bless God that I feel a sweet resignation to His will," and he continued to press on in his work.

Another pair of obstacles arose in reaching the poorest of the poor Indians. The first being that the lowest caste systems spoke in broken dialects that were crude and difficult to learn. Carey wrote "They have no word for love, for repent, and a thousand other things." The second was that great, thick darkness prevailed among the customs of the people. Another journal account reads: "As I was returning from Calcutta I saw a woman burning herself with the corpse of her husband for the first time in my life...She was standing by a large pile of wood, on top of which lay the dead body of her husband...The crowd said that this was perfectly voluntary...I exhorted the woman not to throw away her life, to fear nothing, for no evil would follow her refusal to burn...But she in the most calm manner mounted the pile of wood, and danced on it with her hands extended to show her contempt of death, and prove to us that her dying was voluntary...then she lay down by the corpse and put one arm under its neck and the other over it, when a great quantity of dry leaves were heaped over them...fire was put to the pile, which immediately blazed very fiercely, owing to the dry materials...no sooner was the fire kindled than all the people set up a great shout of joy...it was impossible to have heard the woman had she groaned, or even cried aloud, on account of the mad noise of the people."

Later in his journal he writes: "The conversion of the heathen is the object which above all others I wish to pursue...All my hope is in, and all my comfort arises from, God...When I first left England my hope of the conversion of the heathen was very strong; but, among so many obstacles, it would entirely die away unless upheld by God."