Devotionals and Favorites

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter
5:7, NIV.
Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break
down the life forces and to invite decay and death (The Ministry of
Healing, 241).
This feeling of guiltiness must be laid at the foot of the cross of
Calvary. The sense of sinfulness has poisoned the springs of life and
true happiness. Now Jesus says, Lay it all on Me; I will take your sin.
I will give you peace. Destroy no longer your self-respect, for I have
bought you with the price of My own blood. You are Mine; your
weakened will I will strengthen; your remorse for sin I will remove.
Then turn your grateful heart, trembling with uncertainty, and lay
hold upon the hope set before you. God accepts your broken, contrite
heart. He offers you free pardon. He offers to adopt you into His
family, with His grace to help your weakness, and the dear Jesus will
lead you on step by step if you will only put your hand in His and let
Him guide you.
Satan seeks to draw our minds away from the mighty Helper, to
lead us to ponder over our degeneration of soul. But though Jesus
sees the guilt of the past, He speaks pardon; and we should not
dishonor Him by doubting His love....
If you feel yourself to be the greatest sinner, Christ is just what you
need, the greatest Saviour. Lift up your head and look away from
yourself, away from your sin, to the uplifted Saviour; away from the
poisonous, venomous bite of the serpent to the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world.
He has borne the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from our
weary shoulders. He will give us rest. The burden of care and sorrow
also He will bear. He invites us to cast all our care upon Him, for He
carries us upon His heart (Mind, Character, and Personality 2:451,
452).
When the gospel is received in its purity and power, it is a cure for
the maladies that originated in sin. The Sun of Righteousness arises,
“with healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2)....
The love which Christ diffuses through the whole being is a
vitalizing power. Every vital part—the brain, the heart, the nerves—it
touches with healing. By it the highest energies of the being are
roused to activity. It frees the soul from the guilt and sorrow, the
anxiety and care that crush the life forces. With it come serenity and
composure. It implants in the soul joy that nothing earthly can
destroy—joy in the Holy Spirit—health-giving, life-giving joy (The
Ministry of Healing, 115).
From Lift Him Up - Page 256
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Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.”
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, Says the Lord,
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16, 17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
From a weekly GraceNote by Bill Knott:
Nothing could be clearer than Jesus is the Lord of second chances.
When we have traded gold for trash, and walked away from all that’s
holy, just, and good, we are, amazingly, not only eligible to return, but
wrapped in welcome when we do.
Grace doesn’t wait on the front porch until the prodigal comes home.
Grace follows him through every bad choice, each wasted opportunity,
until at last we become too homesick to stay away any longer.
“I will arise and go to my Father,” we say, afraid the grace we knew

might have been drained while we were gone.
But then we feel the Father’s arms around us; we find how well the
Father’s robe still fits. And we can’t deny, or ever fully understand, the
love that will not let us go.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL OCTOBER 7, 2019
Testing Our Faith

Why have you dealt ill with your servant?
Numbers 11:11
Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to test our faith. If

our faith is worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire,
but gold is not: The imitation gem dreads being touched by the
diamond, but the true jewel fears no test.
It is a poor faith that can only trust God when friends are true, the
body is healthy, and the business profitable; but it is true faith that
rests in the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, the body is
ailing, spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's face is
hidden.
A faith that can say, in the deepest trouble, "Though he slay me, I will
hope in him"1 is heaven-born faith.
• 1) Job 13:15
Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by
Alistair Begg.
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Sept 20 A weekly GraceNote from Bill Knott
Breathe deeply now, and let your heart grow quiet as you turn from sins
forgiven. “By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our
hearts before Him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than
our hearts, and He knows everything” (1 John 3:19-20).
It’s not the voice of God that drives you on to fear, or rush, or labor past
your strength.
We dare not make the Spirit own our anxiousness or lack of peace. God is
always on the side of what gives life, builds hope, and moves us even one
small step toward balance.
His grace is meant to keep us breathing, as well as for our saving. The day
that Jesus wants to bring us healing is the day that we are living, not only
when our destinies are weighed. “I have come that they may have life, and
have it to the full” (John 10:10).
His grace is for today and always.
So stay in grace
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ENVIRONMENTAL
TRUTHS
Below our deepest hurt and darkest shame, there is the grace of God—
forgiving us, rebuilding us, repairing all that’s broken.
Above our highest joy and most euphoric moments, there is the sheer delight
of God—applauding us, encouraging, enlarging celebration.
Through every stage of every journey—in trust, in fear; in faith, in doubt; in
youth, in gray maturity—we’re never left alone or told to make it on our
own. Despite appearances, the road is never empty.
Around us each are Jesus’ everlasting arms—sustaining us, protecting us,
embracing us. His hands are ever on us.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Rom 11:36).
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . No, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:39).
We are befriended by the One who rules all time and space.
Receive the gift. And stay in grace.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
The Great Physician

Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they
told him about her.
Mark 1:30
This is a very interesting little peep into the house of the apostolic
fisherman. We quickly observe that household joys and cares are no
hindrance to the full exercise of ministry; rather they furnish an
opportunity for personally discovering the Lord's gracious work in one's
own family. They may provide better instruction for the teacher than any
other earthly discipline. There are those who decry marriage, but true
Christianity and family life live well together. Peter's house was possibly
a poor fisherman's hut, but the Lord of Glory entered it, lodged in it, and
worked a miracle in it. If these words are being read this morning in
some very humble cottage, let this fact encourage the inhabitants to
seek the company of King Jesus. God is more often in little huts than in
rich palaces.
Jesus is looking around your room now and is waiting to be gracious to
you. Into Simon's house illness had entered; fever in a deadly form had
prostrated his mother-in-law; and as soon as Jesus came, they told Him
of the sad affliction, and He hurried to the patient's bed. Do you have
any illness in the house this morning? You will find Jesus the best
physician by far; go to Him at once and tell Him all about the matter.
Immediately lay the case before Him. It concerns one of His people, and
therefore He will not regard it as trivial. Notice that immediately the
Savior restored the ill woman; none can heal as He does. We dare not
assume that the Lord will remove all illness from those we love, but we
dare not forget that believing prayer for the sick is far more likely to be
followed by restoration than anything else in the world; and where this
does not happen, we must meekly bow to His will by whom life and
death are determined. The tender heart of Jesus waits to hear our
griefs; let us pour them into His patient ear.
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
• 1 Samuel 26
• 1 Corinthians 7
• Ezekiel 5
• Psalm 42, 43
Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised
and updated by Alistair Begg.
When sick, or afflicted in other ways, there is no greater
comfort than knowing the God of all creation is at your
side and cares for you. You may not be healed, but you
may - you may not be delivered from your trouble, but
you may be. Remember the sweet promises of Romans
8:18-39.
NOTE ROMANS 8:36:
AS IT IS WRITTEN: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE

KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS
SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.”
A DIRECT QUOTE FROM PSALMS 44:22 - AND THAT

FOLLOWS A LIST OF AFFLICTIONS THAT THE
PSALMIST MENTIONS - IT APPEARS AS THOUGH
GOD HAS UTTERLY FORSAKEN HIS PEOPLE...
YET, AS PAUL CONTINUES IN ROMANS 8:37-39 IT IS

CLEAR THAT GOD'S PEOPLE ARE NEVER
FORSAKEN EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE IT, AND
FEELS LIKE IT.
TRUSTING GOD REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCES

IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GLORIFY HIS NAME!
DON'T MISS THE CHANCE TO DO THAT!
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A weekly GraceNote from Bill Knott
Come stand with me beneath the waterfall of grace.
There is no waiting line, no jostling for position. There are no elbows,

scornful faces, or murmured whispers of contempt. No one here will keep
you from receiving what your withered spirit needs.
This is the fellowship of the redeemed. This is the company of those

who gladly—daily—open their parched lives to the “washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
Grace isn’t some scarce resource, guarded by the worthy, requiring

conservation or close rationing as though it might run out. This is the river of
life—re-life; renewal; resurrection—flowing from the grace of Him whose
great forgiving is “a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (John 4:4).
Those who really “get” the grace of God keep pulling all those they
love into the healing, rehydrating stream. The waterfall keeps getting wider.
More and more will be revived.
Step out of dry and into drenched.
And stay in grace.
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL AUGUST 17, 2019
God's Steadfast Love

The steadfast love of God.
Psalm 52:8
Meditate a little on this steadfast love of the Lord.
It is tender love. With gentle, loving touch, He heals the

brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He is as gracious
in the manner of His steadfast love as in the matter of it.
It is great steadfast love. There is nothing little in God; His

steadfast love is like Himself-it is infinite. You cannot
measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to
great sinners after great lengths of time and then gives great
favors and great privileges and raises us up to great
enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God.
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Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for
mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Isaiah 6:5.
Those who experience the sanctification of the Bible will manifest a spirit of
humility. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful majesty of
holiness, and they see their own unworthiness in contrast with the purity
and exalted perfection of the Infinite One.
The prophet Daniel was an example of true sanctification. His long life was
filled up with noble service for his Master. He was a man “greatly beloved”
(Daniel 10:11) of Heaven. Yet instead of claiming to be pure and holy, this
honored prophet identified himself with the really sinful of Israel as he
pleaded before God in behalf of his people: “We do not present our
supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies.”
“We have sinned, we have done wickedly.” He declares: “I was speaking,
and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people.... “(Daniel
9:18, 15, 20).
When Job heard the voice of the Lord out of the whirlwind, he exclaimed: “I
abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). It was when Isaiah
saw the glory of the Lord, and heard the cherubim crying, “Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of hosts,” that he cried out, “Woe is me! for I am undone”
(Isaiah 6:3, 5). Paul, after he was caught up into the third heaven and
heard things which it was not possible for a man to utter, speaks of himself
as “less than the least of all saints” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4, margin;
Ephesians 3:8). It was the beloved John, who leaned on Jesus’ breast and
beheld His glory, that fell as one dead before the feet of the angel
(Revelation 1:17).
There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to freedom from sin, on

the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s cross. They feel that
it was their sin which caused the agony that broke the heart of the Son of
God, and this thought will lead them to self-abasement. Those who live
nearest to Jesus discern most clearly the frailty and sinfulness of humanity,
and their only hope is in the merit of a crucified and risen Saviour.
This text is from the book Maranatha
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If you are in daily communion with God you will learn to place His
estimate upon men, and the obligations resting upon you to bless
suffering humanity will meet with a willing response.
You are not your own; your Lord has sacred claims upon your
supreme affections and the very highest services of your life.
He has a right to use you, in your body and in your spirit, to the fullest
extent of your capabilities, for His own honor and glory. Whatever
crosses you may be required to bear, ... you are to accept without a
murmur....
Many are without God and without hope in the world. They are guilty,
corrupt, and degraded, enslaved by Satan’s devices. Yet these are
the ones whom Christ came from heaven to redeem.
They are subjects for tenderest pity, sympathy, and tireless effort; for
they are on the verge of ruin.
They suffer from ungratified desires, disordered passions, and the
condemnation of their own consciences; they are miserable in every
sense of the word, for they are losing their hold on this life and have
no prospect for the life to come.
You have an important field of labor, and you should be active and
vigilant, rendering cheerful and unqualified obedience to the Master’s
calls.
This text is from the book "Maranatha"
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When we ask, “How often should I forgive?” we pretend what isn’t true—
that there have only been a modest number of times when we required
forgiveness.
The answer from the Lord—and from an honest conscience—is that we

ought to forgive as many times as we have been forgiven. That number is
unknowable, and, truth be told, steadily growing.
Forgiveness is a way of being, not a sin-by-sin accounting system designed

to make us all good record keepers. It’s in the heart of Jesus to “not hold our
sins against us,” to fully, wholly, and yes, joyfully erase the record of our
sins when we confess and leave them. And we’ll do the same for others
when we candidly admit how much we’ve been forgiven.
Grace knows no integers, no fractions, and no decimal points. This is the

life we live when we go walking with the Lord.
So stay in grace.
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Is there a greater joy than knowing for even one hour that you are in the
center of God’s will—that through some miracle of grace, you are aligned
with plans the Father made to win you back and win the hearts of those you
love?
Is there a better confidence than the one which every Sabbath reminds you
that “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that
dwell therein”?
Can there be a deeper security than when Christ’s word of certainty

penetrates your fears and doubts with the assurance, “He is before all things,
and in Him all things hold together”?
The answers to those questions, friends, are “no,” “no,” and “no”—nothing
"will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Your hope will rise; your joy will find its wings. Trust is the dawn from
which our daylight grows.
So stay in grace.
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July 12 A weekly GraceNote from Bill Knott
“He’s so much better than I am,” we say, proving just how little we know of
someone else’s life. “She’s a saint,” we say admiringly, assuming that the
woman we can see is always just as good as we imagine.
We assign a top-notch grade to behaviors we observe, and make

assumptions that the life consistency we can’t achieve is somehow available
to others.
But grace reminds us of the brokenness we share—each one of us—

regardless of the estimate of others. Behind the fair façade of piety and cool,
we each know just how far we fall below the expectations of our God—and
how each well-lived life is only, always, saved by grace.
All ranks, all grades, all estimates are vanities and not realities. If you can
find a soul not absolutely saved by grace, then you have found the rarest
form of human life.
Give up your search: there is no other way.
And stay in grace.

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The Secret Strength of
Faith
Tell me where your great strength lies.
Judges 16:6
Where does the secret strength of faith lie? It lies in the food it
feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is-an emanation of
divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God.
And faith says, "My God could not have given this promise except
from love and grace; therefore it is quite certain His Word will be
fulfilled." Then faith thinks, "Who gave this promise?" It considers
not so much its greatness as, "Who is the author of it?"
She remembers that it is God, who cannot lie - God omnipotent,

God immutable, and therefore concludes that the promise must be
fulfilled; and onward she proceeds in this firm conviction.
She remembers why the promise was given--namely, for God's

glory--and she feels perfectly sure that God's glory is safe, that He
will never stain His own insignia, nor spoil the sparkle of His own
crown; and therefore the promise must and will stand.
Then faith also considers the amazing work of Christ as being a

clear proof of the Father's intention to fulfill His word.
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how
will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
Moreover, faith looks back upon the past, for her battles have
strengthened her, and her victories have given her courage. She
remembers that God has never failed her, that He never once failed
any of His children.
She recalls times of great peril when deliverance came, hours of

awful need when as her day her strength was found, and she cries,
"No, I never will be led to think that He can change and leave His
servant now. Thus far the Lord has helped me, and He will help me
still."
Thus faith views each promise in its connection with the promise-
giver and, because she does so, can with assurance say, "Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!"2
1) Romans 8:32
2) Psalm 23:6
Joshua 10
Psalms 142, 143
Jeremiah 4
Matthew 18
Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon,
revised and updated by Alistair Begg.
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Most of us inherited a God no kinder than we were—a deity whose major

role seemed meting out tough penalties for willful or impetuous mistakes.
Like primitive believers everywhere, we read His displeasure in

thunderstorms, bruised knees, and lost puppies—for was there anything for
which we weren’t somehow to blame?
So it is that finding grace is the great unlearning of our past, the sweet and
joyful discovery that in Jesus, our sins aren’t being counted against us. What
we sang in innocence was actually, fundamentally true: “Jesus loves me”—
genuinely loves me. He can’t imagine a greater happiness than enjoying my
trust and affection.
How glorious to have been wrong about it all—to celebrate the truth that
undermines our youthful foolishness and fear. His perfect love still casts out
fear, and makes us wise unto salvation.
By grace, our thinking—and our living—is renewed. So stay in grace.

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Christ's Generosity
The glory that you have given me I have given to
them.
John 17:22
Behold the superlative generosity of the Lord Jesus, for He

has given us His all.
Although a tithe of His possessions would have made a

universe of angels, rich beyond all thought, yet He was not
content until He had given us all that He had.
It would have been surprising grace if He had allowed us to

eat the crumbs of His abundance beneath the table of His
mercy; but He will do nothing by half measures. He makes
us sit with Him and share the feast.
If He had given us some small donation from His royal

treasure, we would have had cause to love Him eternally;
but in fact He wants His bride to be as rich as Himself, and
He will not have a glory or a grace in which she will not
share.
He has not been content with less than making us joint-heirs

with Himself, so that we might have equal possessions.
He has emptied all His riches into the members of the

church and has shared everything with His redeemed. There
is not one room in His house the key of which He will keep
from His people.
He gives them complete freedom to take all that He has to
enjoy as their own; He loves to see them enjoy His treasure
and take as much as they can possibly carry.
The limitless fullness of His all-sufficiency is as free to the

believer as the air he breathes.
Christ has put the cup of His love and grace to the believer's
lip and invites him to drink of it forever; if he could empty it,
he is welcome to do so, but as he cannot exhaust it, he is
invited to drink abundantly, for it is all his own.
What truer proof of fellowship can heaven or earth provide?
When I stand before the throne

Dressed in beauty not my own;
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know--
Not till then--how much I owe.
• Joshua 2
• Psalms 123, 124, 125
• Isaiah 62
• Matthew 10
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We come naturally by our self-absorption. From our earliest moments, we’re

congratulated for taking first steps, trying new foods, mastering new skills,
for learning how to navigate the myriad complexities of an ever-widening
world. The story is, and has always been, about us—our goals, our striving,
our gaining, our getting.
But then one day the world refused to be our private oyster. There was no
pearl inside—just grit and sand and disappointment. And we began to long
from somewhere deeper than the ocean floor for rescue from our pain, our
foolishness, our disillusion with ourselves.
Enter the selfless hero who became one of us to teach us how to find the joy.
The Pearl of great price offers each of us His priceless grace. In Jesus, we
discover One who never disappoints, who never falls short of saving us, who
never walks away in righteous indignation from our follies and our failures.
He’s the friend who knows both when to speak and when to be silent, when
to laugh and when to weep—the incomparable companion who merged His
story with our own. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts
17:28).
His gracious offer of relief and liberation alters every other storyline. And
yes, this hero always gets the last word.
So stay in grace.
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Looking to Jesus
Looking to Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2
It is always the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from
self to Jesus.
But Satan's work is just the opposite; he is constantly trying

to make us look at ourselves instead of Christ. He
insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no
faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to
continue to the end; you do not have the joy of His children;
you have such a wavering hold on Jesus." All these are
thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or
assurance by looking within.
But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He
tells us that we are nothing, but that Christ is everything.
Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves
you--it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you--it
is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, although that is the
instrument--it is Christ's blood and merits.
Therefore, do not look so much to your hand with which you

are grasping Christ as to Christ; do not look to your hope but
to Jesus, the source of your hope; do not look to your faith,
but to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith.
We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our
deeds, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are,
that gives rest to the soul. If we are to overcome Satan and
have peace with God, it must be by "looking to Jesus."
Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings,
His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon your
mind. When you waken in the morning look to Him; when
you lie down at night look to Him.
Do not let your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus;
follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.
My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
• Deuteronomy 33, 34
• Psalm 119:145-176
• Isaiah 60
• Matthew 8
Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H.
Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.
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A Weekly GraceNote by Bill Knott
It’s every parent’s greatest joy to see a child at play—freely, joyously at

play. And children—of whatever age—only play when they understand
they’re safe—deeply, seriously safe.
We don’t play on battlefields, in lightning storms, or when we doubt we’ll
ever see tomorrow. And so the God of Scripture frequently must wait until
we’ve outlived our fears before we grasp the fullness of His affection. We
spend a lifetime learning just how richly we are loved, and why our God is
always murmuring, “Fear not.” “Be not afraid.” Or better yet, “You can stop
being afraid now.”
Our Father is supremely patient, waiting for the day when we—at last—
discover how kind He has always been, and grow accustomed to His
goodness. “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you” (Isaiah 30:18).
Unwind the spool of anxious thoughts that keep you wondering if you are
loved, if Jesus deeply values you. Your joy today will be in measure with
your trust.
And stay in grace.
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Psalm 130
Waiting for the Redemption of the LORD
A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord

More than those who watch for the morning—
Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;

For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8 And He shall redeem Israel

From all his iniquities.
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June 14 2019
At the heart of all we call our faith is a deepening trust that God’s heart is
kinder than we were taught and more persistent than we ever knew.
For Him, all comparisons ultimately fall short. He is wiser than the best
father; more nurturing than the most empowering mother; more
companionable than the closest sibling. “There is a friend who sticks closer
than a brother” (Prov 18:34).
And He offers us, both now and in the end, what family never can—a
relationship that transcends our relatives’ best moments and redeems their
worst dysfunctions.
God’s grace is the unyielding embrace of One whose love cannot be won, or
lost, or altered, or improved.
Receive the grace you were destined for. And stay in it.
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Even the Outcasts
Behold, I am of small account.
Job 40:4
Here is a cheering word for you, poor lost sinner! You think
you shouldn't come to God because you are of small
account.
Now, there is not a saint alive on earth who has not felt this
way.
If Job and Isaiah and Paul were all obliged to say, "I am of
small account," then, sinner, will you be ashamed to join in
the same confession?
If divine grace does not eradicate all sin from the believer,
how do you hope to do it yourself? And if God loves His
people while they are of small account, do you think your
condition will prevent Him from loving you?
Believe on Jesus, you outcast of the world's society! Jesus

calls you, and just as you are.
Not the righteous, not the righteous;

Sinners, Jesus came to call.
Declare, even now, "You have died for sinners. I am a

sinner, Lord Jesus; sprinkle Your blood on me." If you will
confess your sin, you will find pardon.
If now, with all your heart, you will say, "I am unclean, wash
me," you will be washed now. If the Holy Spirit enables you
to cry from your heart
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
You will rise from reading this morning's portion with all your
sins pardoned; and though you woke this morning with every
sin that man has ever committed on your head, you will rest
tonight accepted in the Beloved.
Although you were once degraded with the rags of sin, you
will be adorned with a robe of righteousness and appear as
white as the angels are.
For "now," mark it, "Now is the favorable time."1 If you "trust
him who justifies the ungodly,"2 you are saved. May the Holy
Spirit give you saving faith in Him who receives those who
are of small account.
1) 2 Corinthians 6:2
2) Romans 4:5
________________________________________________
May 31
My pride is stung. My spirit’s wounded. The untrue, unjust thing that

someone said, that someone wrote, went viral with unheard-of speed, fanned
on by evil angels.
And rising with the bitter righteousness of bile, the fantasy of sweet
revenge becomes more urgent every hour. “Strike back!” say Truth and
Justice. “Set the twisted record straight. Unmask the gossiper for who he is,
for what she wrote. Redeem your ruined reputation.”
And then Grace whispers, “You have already been redeemed. Your
reputation is the best that it could ever be because your life is hid with Christ
in God. The pleasures of retaliation are nothing—meaningless—beside the
joys of being both forgiven AND forgiving.”
Grace dulls our taste for vengefulness, and makes us hungry for the
fullness of God’s joy. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22).
“Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8). And stay in grace.
_______________________________________________________
Grace cancels everything we think we’ve earned, and
makes us utterly rely on everything God gives us.
It is the end of all our goodness, and the place where

faith begins.
Abandon hope in all you’ve done, but deeply trust

what God has done.
______________________________________________________________
He Begins and Completes
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.
Psalm 138:8
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a

good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ… Philippians 1:6
It is clear that the confidence that the psalmist expresses is

a divine confidence. He did not say, "I have enough grace to
perfect that which concerns me--my faith is so steady that it
will not falter--my love is so warm that it will never grow cold-
-my resolution is so firm that nothing can move it." No, his
dependence was on the Lord alone.
If we display a confidence that is not grounded on the Rock

of ages, our confidence is worse than a dream; it will fall
upon us and cover us with its ruins, to our sorrow and
confusion.
The psalmist was wise; he rested on nothing less than

the Lord's work.
It is the Lord who has begun the good work within us; it is He
who has carried it on; and if He does not finish it, it never will
be completed.
If there is one stitch in the celestial garment of our

righteousness that we must insert ourselves, then we are
lost; but this is our confidence--what the Lord begins, He
completes.
He has done it all, must do it all, and willdo it all. Our
confidence must not be in what we have done, nor in what
we have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do.
Unbelief insinuates: "You will never be able to stand. Look at

the evil of your heart--you can never conquer sin; remember
the sinful pleasures and temptations of the world that beset
you--you will be certainly allured by them and led astray."
True, we would certainly perish if left to our own strength. If

by ourselves we navigate the most frail vessels of our lives
over so rough a sea, we might well give up the voyage in
despair; but thanks be to God, He will complete that which
concerns us and bring us to the desired haven.
We can never be too confident when we confide in Him

alone, and never too eager to have such a trust.
________________________________________________
Asking 'Why?'
He led them by a straight way.
Psalm 107:7
Changing circumstances often causes the anxious believer

to ask, "Why is this happening to me?"
I looked for light, but darkness came; for peace, but faced
trouble. I said in my heart, my mountain stands firm, I shall
never be moved. Lord, You hide Your face, and I am
troubled. Only yesterday I could read my title clearly; but
today my evidences are blurred, and my hopes are clouded.
Yesterday I could climb the mountain and view the

landscape and rejoice with confidence in my future
inheritance; today my spirit has no hopes, but many fears;
no joys, but great distress. Is this part of God's plan for me?
Can this be the way in which God would bring me to
heaven?
Yes, it is even so.
The eclipse of your faith, the darkness of your mind, the

fainting of your hope--all these things are just parts of God's
method of making you ready for the great inheritance, which
you will soon enjoy.
These trials are for the testing and strengthening of your

faith--they are waves that wash you further upon the rock--
they are winds that steer your ship more quickly toward the
desired haven. What David wrote then will be true of you:
"he brought them to their desired haven" (verse 30).
By honor and dishonor, by evil report and by good report, by
plenty and by poverty, by joy and by distress, by persecution
and by peace--by all these things your spiritual life is
maintained, and by each of these you are helped on your
way.
Do not think, believer, that your sorrows are out of God's

plan; they are necessary parts of it. "Through many
tribulations we must enter the kingdom."1
Learn, then, to "count it all joy . . . when you meet trials of

various kinds."2
O let my trembling soul be still,

And trust Thy wise, Thy holy will!
I cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see,
Yet all is well since ruled by Thee.
1) Acts 14:22
2) James 1:2
____________________________________________________
Show Your Steadfast Love
Wondrously show your steadfast love.
Psalm 17:7
When we give our hearts with our offerings, we do well, but we must
often admit to failure in this respect.
Not so our Master and our Lord. His favors are always performed with
the love of His heart… with the spices of His fragrant affections.
When He puts the golden coins of His grace into our palms, He
accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand that the
manner of His giving is as precious as the gift itself.
When He comes into our houses on His errands of love, He does not
act as some austere visitors do in a poor man's cottage, but He sits by
our side, not despising our poverty, nor blaming our weakness.
Beloved, with what smiles does He speak! What golden sentences drop
from His gracious lips! What embraces of affection does He bestow
upon us!
If He had only given us pennies, the way He gave would have made
them as gold!
It is impossible to doubt the sincerity of His love, for there is a bleeding

heart stamped upon the face of all His coins. He gives no hint that we
are burdensome to Him, no cold looks for His poor dependents.
He rejoices in His mercy and presses us to His bosom while He is

pouring out His life for us.
May we continually taste and know the blessedness of it!
_____________________________________________
It’s not called “practicing” for nothing.
On some great future day, the liberating, life-affirming grace we each

receive from Jesus will also be the grace we give as freely to those who
wound us, irritate our peace, or call out for our love and care.
Between the “now” and “then” there’s a lot of practicing to do—a daily
repetition of kind words, forgiving acts, and chosen, holy silences. Like
hours we spent as children with pianos, violins, or flutes, we learn the
patterns of the Jesus life—not all at once, but with increasing Spirit-skill.
On many days, we get the fingering all wrong: we point unrighteously at

those who really need our grasp and our embrace. But just because the grace
that saves us keeps on saving us from us, we build up skills in loving,
holding, healing, helping.
Great music—gracious music—is never perfect on day one. Keep

practicing. And stay in grace.
___________________________________________________
The mystery is that grace still finds us, hidden well beneath the cellar
stairs—angry, broken, sinful, sad.
When we’ve crawled into our painful cave to lick our wounds or plot
revenge, we hear the footsteps on the stair. We hear the sound of Jesus’
gentle laughter: “You can stop being afraid now. All-y, all-y—yes—in
free!”
The games are finally over. When grace comes seeking you, there’s no more
need to hide. What’s wounded starts to heal. Your past all gets forgiven. The
lonely all get friended.
Today, get found: step out into the light. Enjoy the life you’ve always
sought.
And stay in grace.

________________________________________________
Every day beside the Jordan, can you hear the “hallelujahs”? Can you hear
the joy of angels in their vast, euphoric choir as you give your life—again—
to Jesus and walk down into the water?
Can you feel the hug of heaven as you leave your past behind you—leave
your sins and all your merits, held by grace and grace alone?
Can you hear the words cascading: “This one’s Mine, My lovely child, of
whom I’m so greatly proud”? Do you sense the great affection of the Father
who will not be turned away by sin—in your past, your now, your future?
Ah, the washing, the renewing that restores a dry disciple! Spend some
moments, washed and steadied, in the sand beside the river, hearing
heaven’s affirmation of your choice to follow Jesus.
Jordan’s bank is sacred space. Come here often: stay in grace
_________________________________________________________
A Mournful List of Honors
“O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?”
Psalm 4:2
An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honors that

the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long-expected King.
They gave Him a procession of honor, in which Roman

legionaries, Jewish priests, and men and women took part, He
Himself bearing His cross. This is the triumph that the world
awards to Him who comes to overthrow man's greatest enemy.
Derisive shouts are His only acclamations, and cruel taunts His
only songs of praise.
They presented Him with the wine of honor. Instead of a golden

cup of generous wine, they offered Him the criminal's anesthetic
potion, which He refused in order that he might, in all its
unmitigated horror, taste death; and afterwards when He cried, "I
thirst," they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall, thrust to His mouth
upon a sponge. What wretched, detestable inhospitality to the
King's Son.
He was provided with a guard of honor, who showed their esteem

of Him by gambling over His clothes, which they had seized as
their treasure. The bodyguard of Jesus was a quaternion of brutal
gamblers.
A throne of honor was found for Him upon the bloody tree. The
cross was, in fact, the full expression of the world's feeling toward
Him. "There," they seemed to say, "you Son of God, this is the
manner in which God Himself should be treated, could we reach
Him."
The title of honor was nominally "King of the Jews," but this was
distinctly repudiated. They really called Him "King of thieves" by
preferring Barabbas and by placing Jesus in the place of highest
shame between two thieves.
In this way His glory was turned into shame by

the sons of men, but it shall nevertheless still
gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world
without end.
revised and updated by Alistair Begg.
_________________________________________________
Fear builds around us prisons only we can see. We peer out through the bars
of damaged memories and foolish choices—walled in by concrete years of
dark regrets. And we assume the sentence is for life.
But then one day there is a rattling at the door; keys open up a rusty lock.
The cell in which we kept ourselves more rigidly than any jail is opened by a
word of grace. “Your sins are forgiven you,” says the Lord who vowed to
open every prison door.
The sentence is commuted, and yes, the record is expunged. “As far as the
east is from the west so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Ps
103:12).
We walk out in the light of grace—amazed at freedom we have never

known, and breathing in the oxygen of hope. This is the genius of the gospel,
and why this story always liberates.
Walk out of fear, but stay in grace.

__________________________________________________
When we’ve been wounded by the spitefulness of others, it’s grace that
quiets our reactive hearts and calms our angry tongues. We remember being
forgiven, and so we can imagine offering forgiveness.
The grace that reconciled us to God becomes the opening that makes new
reconciliations thinkable.
The foolish cycle of retaliation need not take another turn, for Jesus has
absorbed the weight of all our anger, sin and pain. A new day dawns in
which forgiveness warms and brightens all we know. Grateful for love that
changed our lives, we pray that others also change, find peace, experience
forgiveness.
So forgiving comes to be our way of living, and grace leads on to grace. So

stay in grace.
________________________________________________________
A weekly GraceNote
from Bill Knott
“Forgiveness, like every other skill of grace, requires practice—

difficult, demanding practice.
None of is naturally a born forgiver: we make our entrances and

exits filled with the self-importance of self-will. We tell ourselves
we shouldn’t grovel when we are in the wrong, and we don’t want
seem too easy when someone begs our pardon.
We spend our lifetimes making half-apologies and offering but

half the grace once given us.
It’s time to practice all the love that daily saves us from
ourselves—from anger, violence, and greed. The grace we give
will never match the grace we’re given, but still the Great Forgiver
bids us practice. So stay in grace.”
_______________________________
“The unredeemed heart is always in a war with grace, for grace

erases all the points we give ourselves for better choices, deeper
penance, sins avoided, and comparative holiness.
Through one magnificently unrepeatable act—the sacrifice of

Jesus—we all are offered what we otherwise would think we had
to earn.
Grace cancels debts without a mortgage; it lets us live in the

Father’s house without a payment book. It tells us we are
children—even heirs—when we would rather be just servants.
Grace ultimately upends the whole economy by which we think to

prove our value to the Lord and to ourselves. The truth allows no
compromise: we are either saved by grace, or not at all. So stay in
grace.”
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins
like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.Isaiah 44:22
Pay attention to THE INSTRUCTIVE PICTURE: Our sins are like a

cloud. As clouds appear in many shapes and shades, so do our
transgressions.
As clouds obscure the light of the sun and darken the landscape
below, so do our sins hide from us the light of God's face and cause
us to sit in the shadow of death. They are earthborn things and arise
from the miry places of our lives; and when they collect and their
measure is full, they threaten us with storm and tempest.
Sadly, unlike clouds, our sins yield us no genial showers but rather
threaten to deluge us with a fiery flood of destruction. How can it be
fair weather when the dark clouds of sin remain within our souls?
Let our happy gaze ponder THE NOTABLE ACT of divine mercy--
"blotted out."
God Himself appears upon the scene and in divine generosity,

instead of manifesting His anger, reveals His grace. He at once and
forever effectually removes the mischief, not by blowing away the
cloud, but by blotting it out from existence once and for all.
Against the justified man no sin remains; the great transaction

of the cross has eternally removed his transgressions from him.
On Calvary's summit the great deed, by which the sin of all the
chosen was forever put away, was completely and effectually
performed.
Practically let us obey THE GRACIOUS COMMAND: "Return to me."

Why should pardoned sinners live at a distance from their God?
If all of our sins have been forgiven, let no legal fear hold us back
from the boldest access to our Lord. Let backslidings be bemoaned,
but let us not persevere in them. Let us, in the power of the Holy
Spirit, work strenuously to return to intimate communion with the
Lord. O Lord, restore us now, tonight!
___________________________________
“When, through the prompting grace of Jesus, we have confessed

our sin and brokenness; when we have accepted the gift of His
righteousness, the Father looks upon us just as He looks upon His
Son—sinless.
Thus, what the Father says about us must always be more true than
whatever our guilt-burdened consciences may say: ‘By this we
shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before
him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our
hearts, and he knows everything’ (I John 3:19-20, RSV).
Grace—and the standing it faithfully gives us in heaven—is

always more true than even the powerful emotions by which we
continue to accuse ourselves.
As we learn grace, we learn to agree with God—about sin, about

righteousness, and, yes, about eternal life. So stay in grace.”
The Storms of God's Wrath
. . . The wrath to come.
Matthew 3:7
It is pleasant to pass over a country after a storm has spent itself--to smell the freshness
of the herbs after the rain has passed away, and to note the drops while they glisten like
purest diamonds in the sunlight.
That is the position of a Christian. He is going through a land where the
storm has spent itself upon His Savior's head, and if there be a few drops of
sorrow falling, they distill from clouds of mercy, and Jesus cheers him by
the assurance that they are not for his destruction.
But how terrible it is to witness the approach of a tempest--to note the
forewarnings of the storm; to mark the birds of heaven as they droop their
wings; to see the cattle as they lay their heads low in terror; to discern the
face of the sky as it grows black, and to find the sun obscured, and the
heavens angry and frowning!
How terrible to await the dread advance of a hurricane, to wait in terrible
apprehension till the wind rushes forth in fury, tearing up trees from their
roots, forcing rocks from their pedestals, and hurling down all the dwelling-
places of man!
And yet, sinner, this is your present position. No hot drops have fallen as
yet, but a shower of fire is coming. No terrible winds howl around you, but
God's tempest is gathering its dread artillery. So far the water-floods are
dammed up by mercy, but the floodgates will soon be opened: The
thunderbolts of God are still in His storehouse, the tempest is coming, and
how awful will that moment be when God, robed in vengeance, shall march
forth in fury!
Where, where, where, O sinner, will you hide your head, or where will you
run to? May the hand of mercy lead you now to Christ! He is freely set
before you in the Gospel: His pierced side is the place of shelter. You know
your need of Him; believe in Him, cast yourself upon Him, and then the fury
shall be past forever.
revised and updated by Alistair Begg
Christ Our Divine Ransom
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3, 4.
“In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Men
need to understand that Deity suffered and sank under the agonies of Calvary.
Yet Jesus Christ, whom God gave for the ransom of the world, purchased the
church with His own blood. The Majesty of heaven was made to suffer at the
hands of religious zealots, who claimed to be the most enlightened people upon
the face of the earth.
Men whom God had created, and who were dependent upon Him for every
moment of their lives, who claimed to be the children of Abraham, worked out the
wrath of Satan upon the innocent Son of the infinite God.
While Christ was bearing the heavy guilt incurred by transgression of the law,
while in the very act of bearing our sins, of carrying our sorrows, He was mocked
by the chief priests and rulers.... It was there that mercy and truth met together,
righteousness and peace embraced each other. Here is a theme which all need
to understand. Here are lengths and breadths, depths and heights, that pass any
computation....
The character of Christ is an infinitely perfect character. The Word declares Him.
He is lifted up and proclaimed as the One who gave His life for the life of the
world.... Christ gave His own life, that all the disloyal and disobedient might
realize the truth of the promise given in the first chapter of John: “As many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
Tell it over and over again. We may become the sons of God, members of the
royal family, children of the heavenly King. All who accept Jesus Christ and hold
the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end will be heirs of God and joint
heirs with Christ to “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away.”
This text is from the devotional book That I May Know Him
Justified by Faith
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1, 2.
When God pardons the sinner, remits the punishment he deserves, and treats
him as though he had not sinned, He receives him into divine favor, and
justifies him through the merits of Christ’s righteousness.
The sinner can be justified only through faith in the atonement made through
God’s dear Son, who became a sacrifice for the sins of the guilty world. No
one can be justified by any works of his own.
He can be delivered from the guilt of sin, from the condemnation of the law,
from the penalty of transgression, only by virtue of the suffering, death, and
resurrection of Christ. Faith is the only condition upon which justification
can be obtained, and faith includes not only belief but trust....
The faith that is unto salvation is not a casual faith, it is not the mere consent
of the intellect, it is belief rooted in the heart that embraces Christ as a
personal Savior....
When the soul lays hold upon Christ as the only hope of salvation, then
genuine faith is manifested.
This faith leads its possessor to place all the affections of the soul upon
Christ; his understanding is under the control of the Holy Spirit, and his
character is molded after the divine likeness. His faith is not a dead faith, but
a faith that works by love, and leads him to behold the beauty of Christ, and
to become assimilated to the divine character.
This text is from the devotional book That I May Know Him
___________________________________________
There is no comforter like Christ, so tender and so true. He is touched with
the feeling of our infirmities. His Spirit speaks to the heart.
Circumstances may separate us from our friends; the broad, restless ocean
may roll between us and them. Though their sincere friendship may still
exist, they may be unable to demonstrate it by doing for us that which would
be gratefully received.
But no circumstances, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly

Comforter.
Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always there, one given in

Christ’s place, to act in His stead. He is always at our right hand, to speak
soothing, gentle words, to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer. The influence
of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. This Spirit works in and
through every one who receives Christ.
Those who know the indwelling of this Spirit reveal its fruit—love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.20
This text is from the devotional book That I May Know Him by Ellen G.
White.
As We Are Forgiven
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12.
It is most difficult, even for those who claim to be followers of Jesus, to

forgive as Christ forgives us. The true spirit of forgiveness is so little
practiced, and so many interpretations are placed upon Christ’s requirement,
that its force and beauty are lost sight of. We have very uncertain views of
the great mercy and loving-kindness of God. He is full of compassion and
forgiveness, and freely pardons when we truly repent and confess our sins....
Peter, when brought to the test, sinned greatly. In denying the Master he had
loved and served, he became a cowardly apostate. But his Lord did not cast
him off; He freely forgave him.... Henceforth, remembering his own
weakness and failures, he would be patient with his brethren in their
mistakes and errors.
The Lord requires of us the same treatment toward His followers that we
receive of Him. We are to exercise patience, to be kind even though they do
not meet our expectations in every particular.... The last six commandments
specify man’s duty to man. Christ did not say, You may tolerate your
neighbor, but, “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.” ...
The love of Jesus needs to be brought to bear upon our lives. It will have a
softening, subduing influence upon our hearts and characters. It will prompt
us to forgive our brethren even though they have done us injury. Divine love
must flow from our hearts in gentle words and kindly actions to one another.
The fruit of these good works will hang as rich clusters upon the vine of
character....
Rejoicing in Christ as your Saviour, pitiful, compassionate, and touched with

the feeling of your infirmities, love and joy will be revealed in your daily
life. If you love Him who died to redeem mankind you will love those for
whom He died.31
This text is from the devotional book That I May Know Him by Ellen G.
White.
__________________________________________
____________________________________
"The gospel says you are more sinful and flawed than
you ever dared believe, but more accepted and loved
than you ever dared hope."
______________________________________________
GraceNote by Bill Knott
As Christ grows greater in our minds, we lose our need to be

authorities over what others think and do.
The deepening awareness that we have been wrong more than we

have been right—that we are only now approaching the starting
point of faith—creates a gentle tolerance for those now camped
where we once stopped, or mired in the stuff from which Christ
freed us.
We learn to smile at vehemence and vitriol, remembering how

frequently we used them for bad causes or when we were still
unsure.
Grace makes us gracious to the ungraceful, for we see ourselves in

them. We remember that their faults are just as pardonable as ours,
and no more dangerous.
The fellowship of the forgiven is as vast as the grace that makes it

possible. Stay in grace.
____________________________________
A Weekly GraceNote from Bill Knott
The motive for the grace of God is nothing other than the love of God. It’s
His unquenchable affection that moves Him to continually arrest our
flickering attention; warm our icy hearts; heal our self-inflicted wounds; and
wash away our sins.
Grace isn’t given to make us lovable or acceptable, but because we have

been, are now, and always will be deeply loved. The prodigal was loved
before he repented and came home—and even if he spurned the Father’s
marvelous forgiveness—for love is who the Father is.
You cannot earn the Father’s love. You cannot lose the Father’s love.
Depend on this. And stay in grace.

_________________________________________
“Grace and change are footprints visible on each disciple's
path, but always in that order. While we are learning how
to follow Jesus, we often lead with the wrong foot. Change
never earns us anything: grace always changes everything.
When we accept what Christ has done for us, we then

receive a holy competence for what we once could never
do.
Assured of His undying grace, we love those previously

unlovable; intercede for those we used to think unworthy;
and reach for goals we once believed impossible. Our steps
are ordered by His love. So stay in grace.”
_________________________________________________
Big with Mercy
I will sing of steadfast love and justice.
Psalm 101:1
Faith is triumphant in trial. When reason has her feet
fastened in the stocks of the inner prison, faith makes the
dungeon walls ring with her happy notes as she cries, "I will
sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will
make music."
Faith pulls the dark mask from the face of trouble and
discovers the angel beneath. Faith looks up at the cloud and
sees that
"It is big with mercy and will break
In blessings on her head."
There is a subject for song even in the judgments of God

toward us. For, first, the trial is not as difficult as it might
have been; next, the trouble is not as severe as we
deserved; and our affliction is not as crushing as the burden
that others have to carry.
Faith wears her grief "like a badge of honor" and sings of the
sweet result of her sorrows, because they work for her
spiritual good. Faith says,
"For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an
eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."1
So faith rides out in victory, trampling down earthly wisdom

and carnal knowledge, and singing songs of triumph where
the battle rages.
1) 2 Corinthians 4:17
_______________________________________
Come Just as You Are
Do not withhold.
Isaiah 43:6
Although this message was sent to the south and referred to the
offspring of Israel, it may profitably be a summons to ourselves. We are
naturally backward to all good things, and it is a lesson of grace to learn
to go forward in the ways of God.
Reader, are you unconverted, but do you desire to trust in the Lord
Jesus? Then do not withhold. Love invites you; the promises assure you
of success; the precious blood prepares the way.
Do not let sin or fear hinder you, but come to Jesus just as you
are.
Do you long to pray? Would you like to pour out your heart before the
Lord? Do not withhold. The mercy-seat is prepared for all who need
mercy; a sinner's cries will prevail with God. You are invited—in fact,
you are commanded—to pray; come therefore with boldness to the
throne of grace.
Dear friend, are you already saved? Then do not withhold from union
with the Lord's people. Do not neglect the ordinances of baptism and
the Lord's Supper.
You may be of a timid disposition, but you must fight against it, for fear
that it will lead you into disobedience. There is a sweet promise made to
those who confess Christ—do not miss it, in case you should come
under the condemnation of those who deny Him. If you have talents, do
not withhold from using them.
Do not hoard your wealth; do not waste your time; do not let your
abilities rust or your influence be unfelt. Jesus did not withhold; imitate
Him by being head of the line in self-denials and self-sacrifices.
Do not withhold from close communion with God, from boldly

appropriating covenant blessings, from advancing in the divine life, from
searching out the precious mysteries of the love of Christ. Do not,
beloved friend, be guilty of keeping others back by your coldness,
harshness, or suspicions. For Jesus' sake go forward yourself, and
encourage others to do the same. Hell and the united bands of
superstition and infidelity are ready for the fight.
Soldiers of the cross, do not withhold!

_______________________________________________
I will love them freely. Hosea 14:4
This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. Whoever grasps its meaning

is a theologian, and whoever is able to dive into its fullness is a learned
professor! It is a summary of the glorious message of salvation that was
delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer.
The sense hinges upon the word "freely." This is the glorious, the suitable,
the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous
love flowing out to those who neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought
after it. It is, indeed, the only way in which God can love such as we are.
The text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: "I will love them freely."
Now, if there were any fitness necessary in us, then He would not love us
freely; at least, this would be a hindrance and a drawback to the freeness of
it. But it stands: "I will love them freely."
We complain, "Lord, my heart is so hard."
"I will love them freely."
"But I do not feel my need of Christ as I ought to."
"I will not love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely."
"But I do not feel that softening of spirit that I should desire."
Remember, the softening of spirit is not a condition, for there are no

conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever. So we
without any fitness may rest upon the promise of God that was made to us in
Christ Jesus when He said, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned."1 It
is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at all times, without
preparation, without fitness, without money, and without price!
"I will love them freely." These words invite apostates to return: Indeed, the
text was specially written for such- "I will heal their apostasy; I will love
them freely."
_________________________________________________
Knock Knock, It's Mr. Hardship
It was a surprise visit from an unwelcome visitor. I didn’t
know that on October 19, 2014, Mr. Hardship would knock
on my door, barge his way in, and take residence in the most
intimate rooms of my life.
And I didn’t have any idea how his presence would
fundamentally change so many things in my life.
I watched Mr. Hardship go from room to room, rearranging
everything. I wondered what life would be like if and when he
finally left. If I could have, I would have evicted this
unwanted stranger. But I failed in all my attempts, and I
could no longer deny the fact that he was here to stay.
I spent way too much time asking questions. Why had he
knocked on my door? Why had he chosen this particular
moment? I never got clear answers to my questions.
Sure, I had known that Mr. Hardship was out there, and I
had heard the stories of how he had entered other people’s
doors, but somehow I didn’t think it would happen to me.
Embarrassment washed over me as I thought of the silly
platitudes and empty answers I had casually given people
when they’d been caught in the confusing drama I was now
in. And I thought about how foolish I’d been to believe that
this unwanted stranger - who, somehow, someway, enters
everyone’s door - would for some reason omit mine.
Once I realized that I couldn’t kick Mr. Hardship out of my
life, I ran to the place where I have always found wisdom,
hope, and rest of heart. I ran to the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and in so doing, into the arms of my Savior.
As I dove into the narrative of the gospel, which is the core
message of God’s Word, I realized something profoundly
important and wonderfully comforting: I wasn’t unprepared
after all.
I was equipped with:
• The message of God’s sovereign control over me

• The gospel’s honesty about life in this fallen world
• The comfort of the right-here, right-now presence and
grace of the Savior
• The insight into the spiritual war that rages in my heart
I am no longer angry or discouraged that Mr. Hardship

entered my door unexpectedly that day. Although I still
struggle with the pain and weakness that he has left me with,
I know that I am better off because of his presence.
No, I don’t like the travail of pain or loss any more than you
do, but in my suffering, a miraculous thing happened: Mr.
Hardship became a tool of my Savior to produce
beautiful fruit in me, fruit that I am sure could not have
been produced any other way.
Sure, there are times I get tired and wish he’d up and leave,
but I don’t get despondent. I know I haven’t been ignored or
forsaken, because long before Mr. Hardship entered my
door, my Savior had taken permanent residence in my life.
Through all of this drama, I have not been left alone to deal
with Mr. Hardship on my own. My Savior has been with me,
for me, and in me, and he works to take very bad things and
produce through them very, very good things.
God bless
Paul David Tripp
__________________________________________________
Max Lucado quotes:
(1) The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life.
God answers the mess of life with one word: 'Grace.’
(2) A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
(3) "You didn’t select your birth place or birth date. You didn’t select
your parents or siblings. You don’t determine the weather or the
amount of salt in the ocean. There are many things in life over which
you have no choice. But the greatest activity of life is well within your
dominion. You choose what you think.
You are the air traffic controller of your mental airport. You occupy
the control tower, directing the mental traffic of your world. If a
thought lands, it is because you gave it permission. If it leaves, it is
because you commanded it to do so. You select your thoughts."
______________________________________
More Attention To “The Faith Of Jesus”
Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in
the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Timothy 3:16.
Many people seem to be ignorant of what constitutes faith. Many

complain of darkness and discouragements. I asked, Are your faces
turned toward Jesus? Are you beholding Him, the Sun of
Righteousness?
You need plainly to define to the churches the matter of faith and
entire dependence upon the righteousness of Christ.... There has
been so little dwelling upon Christ, His matchless love, His great
sacrifice made in our behalf, that Satan has nearly eclipsed the
views we should have and must have of Jesus Christ. We must
trust less in human beings for spiritual help and more, far more, in
approaching Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.
We may dwell with a determined purpose on the heavenly

attributes of Jesus Christ; we may talk of His love, we may tell and
sing of His mercies, we may make Him our own personal Saviour.
Then we are one with Christ. We love that which Christ loved, we
hate sin, that which Christ hated. These things must be talked of,
dwelt upon....
We are to keep before the mind the sin-pardoning Saviour. But we

are to present Him in His true position—coming to die to magnify
the law of God and make it honorable, and yet to justify the sinner
who shall depend wholly upon the merits of the blood of a
crucified and risen Saviour....
The soul-saving message, the third angel’s message, is the message

to be given to the world. The commandments of God and the faith
of Jesus are both important, immensely important, and must be
given with equal force and power. The first part of the message has
been dwelt upon mostly, the last part casually. The faith of Jesus is
not comprehended. We must talk it, we must live it, we must pray
it, and educate the people to bring this part of the message into
their home life....
Why are our lips so silent upon the subject of Christ’s

righteousness and His love for the world? Why do we not give to
the people that which will revive and quicken them into a new life?
The character of Christ is an infinitely perfect character, and He

must be lifted up, He must be brought prominently into view, for
He is the power, the might, the sanctification and righteousness of
all who believe in Him.—Manuscript 27, 1889.
This text is from the book Reflecting Christ by Ellen G. White.

_____________________________________________________________
Isaiah 55
“Ho, every one who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call nations that you know not,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy,
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off.”
Psalms 112:
For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered for ever.
7 He is not afraid of evil tidings;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is steady, he will not be afraid,
Two of my favorite promises from the book of Jeremiah are Jer 33:3 and Jer 32:17. "Call
to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not
know" "Ah, LORD God, behold You may made the heavens and the earth by Your great
power and outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for You."
Psalms 145
The LORD is faithful in all his words,

and gracious in all his deeds.[c]
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to thee,
and thou givest them their food in due season.
16 Thou openest thy hand,
thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desire of all who fear him,
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love him;
"The Lord is not slack concerning Hs promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
Hosea 11
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude
11 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more I[a] called them,
the more they went from me;[b]
they kept sacrificing to the Ba′als,
and burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught E′phraim to walk,
I took them up in my[c] arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of compassion,[d]
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one
who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them in their fortresses.[e]
7 My people are bent on turning away from me;[f]
so they are appointed to the yoke,
and none shall remove it.
8 How can I give you up, O E′phraim!
How can I hand you over, O Israel!
How can I make you like Admah!
How can I treat you like Zeboi′im!
My heart recoils within me,
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my fierce anger,
I will not again destroy E′phraim;
for I am God and not man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come to destroy.[g]
10 They shall go after the LORD,
he will roar like a lion;
yea, he will roar,
and his sons shall come trembling from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria;
and I will return them to their homes, says the LORD.
12 [h] E′phraim has encompassed me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit;
but Judah is still known by[i] God,
and is faithful to the Holy One.
Micah 7
Shepherd thy people with thy staff,

the flock of thy inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt
I will show them[d] marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed
of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their strongholds,
they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,
and they shall fear because of thee.
God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love
18 Who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger for ever
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion upon us,
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
Thou wilt cast all our[e] sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
as thou hast sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.
Habakkuk 3
Trust and Joy in the Midst of Trouble

17 Though the fig tree do not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
he makes me tread upon my high places.
_______________________________________________________
The Longing of the Thirsty
For I will pour water on the thirsty land. Isaiah 44:3
When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to
lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and gloomy fears. That
is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it.
We may as well chain the eagle's wing to make it fly as doubt in order to
increase our grace. It is not the law but the Gospel that saves the seeking
soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage but gospel liberty that can restore
the fainting believer afterwards.
Slavish fear does not bring the backslider back to God, but the sweet
wooings of love attract him to Jesus. This morning are you thirsting for the
living God and unhappy because you cannot find him to the delight of your
heart? Have you lost the joy of the Lord, and is your prayer, "Restore to me
the joy of your salvation”?
Are you conscious also that you are unproductive, like the dry ground, that
you are not bringing forth the fruit that God has a right to expect of you, that
you are not as useful in the church or in the world as your heart desires to
be?
Then here is exactly the promise that you need: "For I will pour water on the
thirsty land." You will receive the grace you so desperately need, and you
will have it in abundance.
Water refreshes the thirsty: You will be refreshed; your desires shall be
satisfied. Water revives sleeping vegetable life: Your life will be restored by
fresh grace.
Water makes the bud develop and makes the fruit ripen; and so by God's
grace you will be made fruitful in His ways. Whatever good quality there is
in divine grace, you will enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace
you will receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: And as
sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the
fields are turned into pools, so shall you be-the thirsty land shall be springs
of water.
____________________________________________
The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs
15:29.
We ourselves owe everything to God’s free grace. Grace in the covenant ordained our
adoption. Grace in the Saviour effected our redemption, our regeneration, and our
exaltation to heirship with Christ. Let this grace be revealed to others.
Give the erring one no occasion of discouragement. Suffer not a Pharisaical hardness to
come in and hurt your brother. Let no bitter sneer rise in mind or heart. Let no tinge of
scorn be manifest in the voice. If you speak a word of your own, if you take an attitude of
indifference, or show suspicion or distrust, it may prove the ruin of a soul. He needs a
brother with the Elder Brother’s heart of sympathy to touch his heart of humanity. Let
him feel the strong clasp of a sympathizing hand, and hear the whisper, Let us pray. God
will give a rich experience to you both.
Prayer unites us with one another and with God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, and
gives to the fainting, perplexed soul new strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and
the devil. Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan.
When one turns away from human imperfections to behold Jesus, a divine transformation
takes place in the character. The Spirit of Christ working upon the heart conforms it to
His image. Then let it be your effort to lift up Jesus. Let the mind’s eye be directed to
“the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). And as you
engage in this work, remember that “he which converteth the sinner from the error of his
way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses” (Matthew 6:15). Nothing can justify an unforgiving spirit. He who is
unmerciful toward others shows that he himself is not a partaker of God’s pardoning
grace. In God’s forgiveness the heart of the erring one is drawn close to the great heart of
Infinite Love. The tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner’s soul, and from him to
the souls of others. The tenderness and mercy that Christ has revealed in His own
precious life will be seen in those who become sharers of His grace....
We are not forgiven because we forgive, but as we forgive. The ground of all forgiveness
is found in the unmerited love of God; but by our attitude toward others we show whether
we have made that love our own.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 250, 251.
This text is from the book Reflecting Christ

_________________________________________________
A Weekly GraceNote from Bill Knott
Those who most object to grace are those who think they need it least—who
blithely trust that Jesus has a “higher” way of saving them. No deep
repentance, wet with tears, will stain their history: they imagine
righteousness will be an earned diploma on some future graduation day.
But there’s only one way to the kingdom, and it passes through the gate of
grace. No prior goodness lets us enter by some grander, private entrance; no
record of abstaining lets us walk apart from those who’ve wallowed in the
mud.
The gate is narrow to exclude all largely self-congratulating selves: we’re

either saved by Jesus’ blood, or we’re not saved at all.
So join the line where all must meet: walk hand in hand with all in need.
And stay in grace.
____________________________________
Favorites:
SM Lockridge - Sermon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iNCiWGVMsU
Oh My! Watch this often:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--zTEnlKMcA
Reaching: Gaither
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lnqHCIwFDM&list=PLrQ_9CjH0M3DzrD4-
0u0k49acVdlXzo7h&index=39
Gaither: Jesus is His Name

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_d_8WRn9ZY&list=PLrQ_9CjH0M3DzrD4-
0u0k49acVdlXzo7h&index=19
Heritage Singers: The Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PVMskLa9Xw
Quarrels and Grace: Alistair Begg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egvP49RS5jQ
Bill Knott
https://artv.vhx.tv/videos/grace-at-play?fbclid=IwAR0ne--
uALxiH6WI98gxewd0Z0MjBarfwUhncNVDduU9oFPAH6GqOFiH0uA
The Lord’s name in Vain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjS30nRJgug&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3OlZ
cgUgn4as0et631Z4F2u5pbiI-g7jfSOgIz42YMpp1lH0jn9U0mVBk
From Pastor Finley – Changing the heart by focusing on Christ. Also, what to do about
our thoughts – know where they are coming from, because thoughts negative about self
and others has only one source and it isn’t God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9e-
PXLRni8&fbclid=IwAR1TnlD3HDGQZA7fcv_PrfCqmm95r5TJk5pqfkMc9DH1I7g8Q
YweVc7s4xc
Apostles who wrote the NT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aru9LQ1WVw4
Alistair Begg
D.A. Carson – the prayers of Paul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX_Eh_nAl0Y
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior (S Africa)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdgkESNx6SY
Alistair Begg – Esther 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftKYo7Jt4TU
This Rock is Jesus (S AFRICA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPdWJVFNtZE
Embracing Grace – Bill Knott
https://artv.vhx.tv/videos/calendar?fbclid=IwAR0xz8g-
V4FGd25Aux7fcCRaSH1hDd7fV4ZaqmeZfGIEzkYgTAQIshzKHjk
Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go (Haven of Rest)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAMsaBK9xWU&list=PLgFt4JwyjaMle2ZcZ_Bqn2
z_gatdSjzx8
The Way We Were – Alistair Begg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agEppyjyJtA&fbclid=IwAR1G0QKi5BlAX3TsYbA
ri3yumQg0oPbbq8Y_BhcjyfmCNGCNOFXYQSxf_fA
Open My Eyes Lord – We Want to See Jesus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZsZkB-HcyE
Reflections on Hope:
https://artv.vhx.tv/videos/06-whale-
song?fbclid=IwAR1LtyEkiYJ0NEJC1DXDUjBfq_40PDZ2HOFpThZMVHrOPav2umTi
fPz-7W4
Near the Cross

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQuZd14ZIJ4&index=34&list=RDfEOLUnoQdmQ
Forgetting Ourselves:
https://vimeo.com/336550230?utm_source=GleanerWeekly&utm_campaign=ce8dda5e3
9-May_16_2019&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8f9cae1547-ce8dda5e39-
68353657&mc_cid=ce8dda5e39&mc_eid=5177fff651&fbclid=IwAR0cEvgbXVHRAYs
UZUg-viPhMyM0Ai-dUNXRHLjwU1P9CcyU9LFbodOdOdc
Misplaced Faith – Alistair Begg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j3P2NEjqxk&fbclid=IwAR13fHb47uawpXdECvfz
AxHfd29Xzf2KLzdz2EzEjrIu4GkslI9haK3m5Bo
Once I Read (S Africa):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6tbbkKxzaI
Break Every Chain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj3XKfFH9vs
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior (S Africa)

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEOLUnoQdmQ
Abide With Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deJDkU6qiGE
I Stand Amazed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sgSowQ1rzY
A Mighty Fortress | Fountainview Academy | The Great Controversy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBhVuCcz9GI
Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross (The Hastings College Choir)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQuZd14ZIJ4
Beneath the Cross of Jesus (The Hastings College Choir)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr7_i8HJ-Jo&list=RDcQuZd14ZIJ4&index=7
St. Olaf Choir - "What Wondrous Love" - Southern Harmony, arr. Robert Scholz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsVnvN3EVxY&list=RDcQuZd14ZIJ4&index=35
"Were You There?" by Raymond H. Haan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXc3ulGLQnQ
God on the Mountain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCTl4tUYIAg
Nearer My God to Thee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1mQT1u_45I
Be Thou My Vision
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJAJA4ibEs
Still Be Still (Irish Choir)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyqEq_a2qGs
Still Be Still (Sanctuary Choir)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2l8xv2Hlzg
Be Still My Soul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8IPZUFzLIQ&list=PLzGXFmn1cGU_sw2qdRB7E
0uQkO3FdK9Vy&index=2
Teach Me To Pray (Haven of Rest)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8CPZtMmlp0&list=PLgFt4JwyjaMle2ZcZ_Bqn2z_
gatdSjzx8&index=12
Selah Songs
You Are My Hiding Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dR0H0tAYT8&t=25s
Softly and Tenderly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohADsIlQ-k
I’d Rather have Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt_1sAg-Q40
Damaris
Draw Me Nearer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDyWqINPr8Q
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior (S Africa)

Fernando Ortego
Give Me Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu2E2FUcIiE

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Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

“I will arise and go to my Father,” we say, afraid the grace we knew

Testing Our Faith

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to test our faith. If

His grace is for today and always.

The Great Physician

NOTE ROMANS 8:36:

AS IT IS WRITTEN: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE

A DIRECT QUOTE FROM PSALMS 44:22 - AND THAT

YET, AS PAUL CONTINUES IN ROMANS 8:37-39 IT IS

TRUSTING GOD REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCES

Come stand with me beneath the waterfall of grace.

There is no waiting line, no jostling for position. There are no elbows,

This is the fellowship of the redeemed. This is the company of those

Grace isn’t some scarce resource, guarded by the worthy, requiring

Step out of dry and into drenched.

And stay in grace.

God's Steadfast Love

Meditate a little on this steadfast love of the Lord.

It is tender love. With gentle, loving touch, He heals the

It is great steadfast love. There is nothing little in God; His

There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to freedom from sin, on

This text is from the book Maranatha

The answer from the Lord—and from an honest conscience—is that we

Forgiveness is a way of being, not a sin-by-sin accounting system designed

Grace knows no integers, no fractions, and no decimal points. This is the

Can there be a deeper security than when Christ’s word of certainty

We assign a top-notch grade to behaviors we observe, and make

But grace reminds us of the brokenness we share—each one of us—

Give up your search: there is no other way.

And stay in grace.

She remembers that it is God, who cannot lie - God omnipotent,

She remembers why the promise was given--namely, for God's

Then faith also considers the amazing work of Christ as being a

She recalls times of great peril when deliverance came, hours of

One-Year Bible Reading Plan

Most of us inherited a God no kinder than we were—a deity whose major

Like primitive believers everywhere, we read His displeasure in

By grace, our thinking—and our living—is renewed. So stay in grace.

Behold the superlative generosity of the Lord Jesus, for He

Although a tithe of His possessions would have made a

It would have been surprising grace if He had allowed us to

If He had given us some small donation from His royal

He has not been content with less than making us joint-heirs

He has emptied all His riches into the members of the

The limitless fullness of His all-sufficiency is as free to the

What truer proof of fellowship can heaven or earth provide?

When I stand before the throne

We come naturally by our self-absorption. From our earliest moments, we’re

But Satan's work is just the opposite; he is constantly trying

Therefore, do not look so much to your hand with which you

My hope is built on nothing less

It’s every parent’s greatest joy to see a child at play—freely, joyously at

1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;

2 Lord, hear my voice!

3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

4 But there is forgiveness with You,

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

6 My soul waits for the Lord

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;

8 And He shall redeem Israel

Believe on Jesus, you outcast of the world's society! Jesus

Not the righteous, not the righteous;

Declare, even now, "You have died for sinners. I am a