Blog Archives - Witness And Testimony

Dwell Deep

10/30/2014

God's presence blends with every other thought and consciousness, flowing sweetly and evenly through our business plans, our social converse our heart's affections, our manual toil, our entire life, blending with all, consecrating all, and conscious through all, like the fragrance of a flower, or the presence of a friend consciously near, and yet not hindering in the least the most intense and constant preoccupation of the hands and brain.

How beautiful the established habit of this unceasing communion and dependence, amid and above all thoughts and occupations!

How lovely to see a dear old saint folding away his books at night and humbly saying, "Lord Jesus, things are still just the same between us," and the falling asleep in His keeping.

So let us be stayed upon Him. Let us grow into Him with all the root and fibers of our being.

He will not get tired of our friendship. He will not want to put us off sometimes.

Beautiful the words of the suffering saint: "He never says good-bye." He stays. So let us be stayed on Him.

~A. B. Simpson~

His Service, Face, Name

10/27/2014

Rev 22:3-4 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

Three choice blessings will be ours in the gloryland. "His servants shall serve him." No other lords shall oppress us, no other service shall distress us.

We shall serve Jesus always, perfectly, without weariness, and without error.

This is heaven to a saint: in all things to serve the LORD Christ and to be owned by Him as His servant is our soul's high ambition for eternity. "And they shall see his face."

This makes the service delightful: indeed, it is the present reward of service.

We shall know our LORD, for we shall see Him as He is.

To see the face of Jesus is the utmost favor that the most faithful servant of the LORD can ask.

What more could Moses ask than-"Let me see thy face?"

And his name shall be in their foreheads. They gaze upon their LORD till His name is photographed upon their brows.

They are acknowledged by Him, and they acknowledge Him. The secret mark of inward grace develops into the public sign-manual of confessed relationship.

O LORD, give us these three things in their beginnings here that we may possess them in their fullness in Thine own abode of bliss!

~Charles Spurgeon~

Awake Out Of Sleep And Be Alert!

10/25/2014

Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Let us wake out of sleep; let us be alert; let us be alive to the great necessities that really concern us.

Let us put off the garments of the night and the indulgences of the night; the loose robes of pleasure and flowing garments of repose;

The festal pleasures of the hours of darkness are not for the children of the day.

Let us cast off the works of darkness.

Let us arm ourselves for the day. Before we put on our clothes, let us put on our weapons, for we are stepping out into a land of enemies and a world of dangers;

Let us put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of faith and love, and the shield of faith, and stand armed and vigilant as the dangers of the last days gather around us.

Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our robe of day. Not our own works or righteousness, but the person and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave us His very life, and becomes to us our All-Sufficiency.

~A. B. Simpson~

Heirs Of GOD

10/21/2014

1Co 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Whatever there be in heaven, whatever there be in earth, that can be for your spiritual good, all is yours so far as you are an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ.

The silver and the gold and the cattle upon a thousand hills are all Christ's because all power is given to him in heaven and in earth.

Whatever your temporal wants may be, he can supply them, because he is king on earth as well as in heaven.

Whatever enemies you may have, he is able to defeat them; whatever evils may press upon you, he is able to subdue them.

Whatever sorrows surround you, he is able to console you under them.

Everything in time, everything in eternity, in this world and in the world to come, are all on your side, that are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

~J. C. Philpot~

Regulated Chastisement

10/19/2014

Jer 30:11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

To be left uncorrected would be a fatal sign: it would prove that the LORD had said, "He is given unto idols, let him alone." God grant that such may never be our portion!

Uninterrupted prosperity is a thing to cause fear and trembling.

As many as God tenderly loves He rebukes and chastens: those for whom He has no esteem He allows to fatten themselves without fear, like bullocks for the slaughter.

It is in love that our heavenly Father uses the rod upon His children.

Yet see, the correction is in measure": He gives us love without measure but chastisement "in measure."

As under the old law no Israelite could receive more than the "forty stripes save one," which ensured careful counting and limited suffering; so is it with each afflicted member of the household of faith-every stroke is counted.

It is the measure of wisdom, the measure of sympathy, the measure of love, by which our chastisement is regulated.

Far be it from us to rebel against appointments so divine.

LORD, if Thou standest by to measure the bitter drops into my cup, it is for me cheerfully to take that cup from Thy hand and drink according to Thy directions, saying, "Thy will be done."

~Charles Spurgeon~

It Is Better To Be Deaf!

10/16/2014

Pro 10:18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.

In the case of slander, the listener is almost as bad as the speaker.

The only proper response, is to shut your ears the moment you begin to hear an evil report of another from anyone.

The person has no right to tell it to you and you have no right to listen to it! If you refuse to listen he will not be able to go on with his story.

Ears are made to hear with, but on occasion it is better to be deaf.

We all aim at courtesy, and courtesy requires that we be patient listeners, even to dull speakers; but even courtesy does not require us to listen to evil reports about a neighbor.

Ears should be trained to shut instinctively when the breath of slander touches it, just as our eyes shut at the slightest approach of harm.

~J. R. Miller~

"He who speaks a slander, carries the devil on his tongue — and he who listens to it, carries the devil in his ear!"

~Thomas Watson~

Broken Things

10/14/2014

Job 41:25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

God uses most for His glory those people and things which are most perfectly broken.

The sacrifices He accepts are broken and contrite hearts.

It was the breaking down of Jacob's natural strength at Peniel that got him where God could clothe him with spiritual power.

It was breaking the surface of the rock at Horeb, by the stroke of Moses' rod that let out the cool waters to thirsty people.

It was when the 300 elect soldiers under Gideon broke their pitchers, a type of breaking themselves, that the hidden lights shone forth to the consternation of their adversaries.

It was when the poor widow broke the seal of the little pot of oil, and poured it forth, that God multiplied it to pay her debts and supply means of support.

It was when Esther risked her life and broke through the rigid etiquette of a heathen court, that she obtained favor to rescue her people from death.

It was when Jesus took the five loaves and broke them,that the bread was multiplied in the very act of breaking, sufficient to feed five thousand.

It was when Mary broke her beautiful alabaster box, rendering it henceforth useless, that the pent-up perfume filled the house.

It was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken to pieces by thorns and nails and spear, that His inner life was poured out, like a crystal ocean, for thirsty sinners to drink and live.

It is when a beautiful grain of corn is broken up in the earth by DEATH, that its inner heart sprouts forth and bears hundreds of other grains.

And thus, on and on, through all history, and all biography, and all vegetation, and all spiritual life, God must have BROKEN THINGS.

Those who are broken in wealth, and broken in self-will, and broken in their ambitions, and broken in their beautiful ideals, and broken in worldly reputation, and broken in their affections, and broken ofttimes in health; those who are despised and seem utterly forlorn and helpless, the Holy Ghost is seizing upon, and using for God's glory.

The lame take the prey, Isaiah tells us.

O break my heart; but break it as a field
Is by the plough up-broken for the corn;

O break it as the buds, by green leaf seated,
Are, to unloose the golden blossom, torn;

Love would I offer unto Love's great Master,
Set free the odor, break the alabaster.

O break my heart; break it victorious God,
That life's eternal well may flash abroad;

O let it break as when the captive trees,
Breaking cold bonds, regain their liberties;

And as thought's sacred grove to life is springing,
Be joys, like birds, their hope, Thy victory singing.

~Thomas Toke Bunch~

Mark Of Covenant Grace

10/12/2014

Deu 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live

Here we read of the true circumcision. Note the author of it: "The LORD thy God."

He alone can deal effectually with our heart and take away its carnality and pollution.

To make us love God with all our heart and soul is a miracle of grace which only the Holy Ghost can work.

We must look to the LORD alone for this and never be satisfied with anything short of it.

Note where this circumcision is wrought. It is not of the flesh but of the Spirit.

It is the essential mark of the covenant of grace.

Love to God is the indelible token of the chosen seed; by this secret seal the election of grace is certified to the believer.

We must see to it that we trust in no outward ritual but are sealed in heart by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Note what the result is-"that thou mayest live."

To be carnally minded is death.

In the overcoming of the flesh, we find life and peace. If we mind the things of the Spirit, we shall live.

Oh, that Jehovah, our God, may complete His gracious work upon our inner natures, that in the fullest and highest sense we may live unto the LORD.

~Charles Spurgeon~

Paul's Faith Brought Hope to All Aboard

10/9/2014

We help people by what we do. Perhaps we help them more by what we are.

We prove ourselves useful when we give our money. We are still more useful when we give ourselves.

And no man has his whole self to give, in all the expansion of his possibilities, until he has aligned himself with God.

We note again how the faith of the apostle brought new hope to everyone on board.

These despairing souls were saved by hope.

One moment there was not a star in all their sky. They were drifting on to certain death. The best of them would be crying to their gods; the worst would fall to cursing and blaspheming.

And then, like the first faint flushing of the dawn, hope came stealing into every heart because there was one on board who believed God.

Things were just as dark as they had been before. There was no cessation of the raging storm. They were still drifting on to an iron shore, their ship the sport and plaything of the elements.

But one man believed God and because of that was radiant and serene, and it brought hope into the heart of everybody.

What...does it not matter what you believe?

It mattered supremely for these despairing sailors.

It matters every time.

Have faith in God-have it for yourself-be strong and quiet and confident because of it, and everybody on shipboard is affected.

~George H. Morrison

Living Out The Lessons In Daily Life!

10/7/2014

A great many people know plenty of Scripture truth but do not live it out.

Yet the real test of knowing Scripture is obedience.

We really know only so much truth as we get into our experience and conduct.

The only part of the Bible we have really learned is what we have learned to live.

It is a beautiful thing when a person has been well-taught; it is still more beautiful when he abides in the things which he has been taught, living out the lessons in daily life.

~J. R. Miller~