11/10
The LORD, my refuge and my fortress, my God; in Him I will trust. He shall cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I shall trust. His truth shall be my shield, and buckler. I shall not fear the terror by night. Psalms 91: 2-5
Way of Faith
Simple is the way of faith. It suffices just to entrust. Light will then come on me, power added to me, sin taken from me, and the Holy Spirit will abide in me. Faith is the way of perfection. Unlike meandering along the path of knowledge, unlike climbing the hill of ethic, faith will directly fly to the bosom of God like an eagle with wide-spread wings. Knowledge is the lamp to illuminate darkness; virtue is the stick to search ways in the dark night; but faith is the sun of righteousness. Shined by the sun of faith, we can stride along the way of mercy and finish our journey ever praising God in heart.
11/11
Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Redemption of Sin
Sins have already been taken away on God's side. He views the world through Christ to find none of the sins remaining. Our sins, like scarlet as they were, have already been whitened like snow, by the red hot blood of Christ. Conversely, we look up to God through Christ to find our sins have already been wiped away by Him. Redemption is not a matter to come but a fact established. The only need left over is to turn human attitude God-ward. Turning our faces God-ward through Christ, instead of turning back, we know there is no trace of our sins in the eyes of God.
11/12
Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? None is good except One, God. Luke 18:18-19
Creation of Good
God is of the good, and not of the evil and the human. God is the God of good. In contrast, Devil is the evil of human beings but cannot be the good. God saves the world by creating the human of the good. On the contrary, Devil destroys the good by tempting and deepening the human to the evil. Thus salvation virtually means creation of the good.
11/13
Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Matthew 25:21
Heaven as Workplace
The Nation of Heaven is not a place of rest, but of work. Christ does not say "Enter You into the rest of the Lord" but "Enter You into the joy of the Lord." God's joy is the joy of helping and guiding persons. Christians come to the Nation of Christ and enter into this joy. Where love is unceasingly practised, there is the Heavenly Nation. As a reward for the good works done on this earth, we are working for the Nation of Love with the Father eternally. Nothing is so beautiful as a Christian's concept of the Heavenly Nation. It's not a place for an idler to go. It's a place for an active person to go. It's a place where work is needed for God and a person with a greater responsibility.
11/14
The Son of man, coming in the clouds with great power and glory, shall send His angels and shall gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven. Mark 13:26-27
Christians among Nations
England is not a Christian nation, but a few Christians exist in England. America is not a Christian country, but a few Christians exist among Americans. In the same token, the world will not become Christian nations after all, but a few Christians will arise from among the nations. God shall not elect every one of a nation to His servant. Most of people will remain of this world. Then, upon the last judgement of this world, God "shall gather all His elects" from all the nations. The earth and everything in and upon it will be reduced to ashes; but those who love God will remain for ever, "shining more and more to the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).
11/15
Do not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
Be Brave
Be brave first of all. Say no when you should say no and say yes when you should say yes. Be not afraid of the face of humans, for humans are by no means stronger than God. And God will destroy them who intend to kill you. Even a strong humans is just a shadow to perish soon. So far you are afraid of humans, you are afraid of ghosts. Those who do not speak of the evident truth being afraid of humans are coward. Know after all the last victor is Jesus Christ. His enemies such as scholars, power-holders, and riches are "the moles and the bats who hide into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth terribly" (Isaiah 2:21).
11/16
How you are fallen from the heavens, O shining star, son of the morning. How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations. Isaiah 14:12
Fall and Salvation
Human is a fallen creature; that is what the Bible plainly teaches. The so-called natural human is an unnatural being; an abnormal, not a normal human. How on fell is difficult to explain; not perhaps exactly as is told in the Book of Genesis; but in some way must one have fallen, and have become a God-forsaken, self-centric human. By the fall human became a helpless creature, unable by one's own effort to become what one ought to become. Only by the sovereign grace of the Almighty can human now become a child of God. And the Gospel is the pronouncement of such a grace; and so it meets the deepest need of human. We are saved only because "GOD WILLS that all men and women should be saved and come to the knowledge of the (Gospel) truth" (1 Timothy 2: 4).
11/17
God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5: 8-9
Cornerstone of Love
Good deeds of a Christian come from the love of God. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." No longer as moral obligation, but simply encouraged by Christ's love, I am prompted to shun evil and do good. When my heart is full and overflows of love, I give to the world. "Woe is to me, if I preach not the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:16). Woe, indeed, is to me, if I neglect following after good deeds. With this flood of love within my heart, I should be burst with joy if nowhere else could be sought to divert it. I feel really "crazy with love."
11/18
Look upon me, and be you saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Isaiah 45:22-23
Faith and Experience
I trust in the Word of God, and not in my experiences of salvation. My experiences may be illusions, but the Word stands for ever. The Word says: "Look to Me, and be saved." I look to the Crossed One by faith, and I believe that I am saved. I will not be one of those who will not believe unless they see signs and wonders. Experiences of salvation are not necessary for the assurance of salvation. The Cross is the assurance. Sins may remain, or may not; but I am not to look to my sins, but to the Cross. The Cross does sanctify, that I believe; but I do not wait to be sanctified to be assured of my salvation. Enough that Christ was crucified for me. The peace which passes all understanding is mine. And such a faith does sanctify me. Faith, first, and sanctification as a result of faith; not vice versa. To place sanctification before faith is Roman Catholicism, Americanism, and all other forms of legal religion; opposed to the spirit of Protestantism, and I believe, of Christian Religion.
11/19
You may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins (then says he to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up your bed, and go to your house. And he arose, and departed to his house. Matthew 9: 6, 7
Forgiveness of Sins
When God forgives sins, He does forgive. He does not merely promise to forgive; but forgive He does in fact and deed. Subjectively, we feel forgiveness by the removal of guilt from our conscience. Once forgiven by Him, sin remains no more in us, which pained our sense of guilt. Like a bite of poisonous snake before vaccine, sin is a powerless before the forgiveness of God, although it retains its ugly form. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14). Objectively, we show forgiveness of sins by our ability to forgive sins of others. Our sins forgiven, we forgive sins of others. We all know, how difficult it is to forgive sins committed against us. We think we have already forgiven them; but the antipathy remains in us only to be revived by any slight provocation. It is only by having our sins forgiven by God, that we are enabled to completely forgive the sins committed against us. Human is so constituted that he or she cannot forgive unless he or she is first forgiven by the Creator. When that becomes possible, I know that I am saved and made a child of God. The sure sign that my sins are forgiven is that I can freely forgive the sins of others. All other signs avail me nothing. Though my profession of Christianity be perfect in all other respect, if I cannot forgive sins committed by others against me, I am still in sins, not forgiven by God and unsaved.
Pre
Up
Next