My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [or “trials”], knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.– James 1:2-3

We have need of patience with ourselves and with others; with those below,
and those above us, and with our own equals; with those who love us and
those who love us not; for the greatest things and for the least; against
sudden inroads of trouble, and under our daily burdens; disappointments as
to the weather, or the breaking of the heart; in the weariness of the body,
or the wearing of the soul; in our own failure of duty, or others’ failure
toward us; in every-day wants, or in the aching of sickness or the decay
of age; in disappointment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; in
heaviness of the heart; or its sickness amid delayed hopes. In all these
things, from childhood’s little troubles to the martyr’s sufferings,
patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure evil for the love of God.
(By E.B. Pusey)

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is Christ’s grace that is sufficient. We know that He has all Divine fullness, and therefore we are sure that no human need can ever exhaust His power to give help!

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is Christ’s grace that is sufficient. If it were anything else but grace, it might not give us such comfort. Grace is undeserved favor, goodness shown to the unworthy. We deserve nothing, for we are sinners. But it is Christ’s grace which is sufficient, and so we can claim it.

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is present tense-IS sufficient. Christ is always speaking personally to the one who is in any need, and saying, “My grace IS sufficient for you.”

“My grace is sufficient for you.” The word “sufficient” is one whose meaning expands and amplifies with the measure of the need. No necessity is so small as not to be included; and none is so great as to go beyond the capacity of the blessing that is promised.

“My grace is sufficient for you.” The grace is sufficient for each of His redeemed children-“for you” the promise runs.

Life lies before us, with . . .
its burdens,
its duties,
its responsibilities,
its struggles,
its perplexities.
It does not come to us all in one piece. God breaks our years-into months and weeks and days, and never gives us more than just a little at a time-never more than we can bear or do for the day.

If we take up the present duty or burden-we shall always have strength to do it. If we do not have strength of our own sufficient for the work or struggle, we need not falter-but should go on, just as if we had omnipotence in our arm; for as we obey God, though the task is impossible to our ability-He will sustain us by giving us all the help we need. -By J.R. Miller

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.–Proverbs 21:4   There’s a lot of debate about what’s right and what’s wrong. Of course if you are one of those who do not believe in absolute truth you will always be confused. There’s not much I can say to help a person like that. But for those of us who believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God right and wrong can easily be defined–or can it be? The answer is “Yes” and “No”.   We can determine what is right by discovering what is lawful according to God’s Word, and we need to spend more time doing that. Our society is in serious trouble simply because people have ignored God’s laws. Our only hope for a bright future is a return to the precepts and principles of God’s Word.   But there’s another matter that is seldom given much thought. Not only must our action be lawful, our motive must be right. If the action is wrong no motive can make it right. Sincerity doesn’t sanctify sin. On the other hand, if our action is right and our motive is wrong it becomes sinful. Motive matters to God.   It is for this reason that an unsaved person cannot please God. People say of their kind unsaved neighbor,”They aren’t saved, but they have a good heart.” But that’s miles from the truth. The heart of their problem is the problem of their heart. Their action might be helpful to others, but their heart is unbelieving, proud, selfish, and void of love for God. That makes their “good” deed a bad thing. They plow the ground and plant the seed with the hope that the sunshine and rain will be provided so as to insure a good crop, yet they reject the very God that makes it happen.   Our text tells us that “the plowing of the wicked is sin”. That seems shocking to some folks–after all, plowing is not unlawful. To the contrary it is necessary and hard work is commendable. But our text categorizes it as sin, right along with things such as “an high look, and a proud heart”. Beyond this, the Bible also tells us that even his religious actions are sinful. Proverbs 15:8 says,”The sacrifices of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord—.”   All this puts the natural man in a bad situation. He can do nothing to satisfy the demands of a righteous God and he stands condemned before God. What an awful thought! Talk all you want about being saved by “good works”, but it sheer folly. You can’t even plow your field without sinning against God. Thankfully Christ has made it possible for us to be reconcilied to God, by faith in His shed blood. As a result everything we do, including the plowing of a field, that is done for God’s glory is rewarded. All of life takes on a new meaning.

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” –Galatians 5:13-14

The kingdom of Cyrus the Great is said to have been the most expansive kingdom the world has ever seen. By conquering much of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, the Persian king Cyrus created an empire like none had ever seen. His rule lasted nearly thirty years, and during that time he was credited with much military success, political advancement, and religious contributions (through the Edict of Restoration given to the Jewish people). Cyrus was known as a strong leader with respect for the lands he conquered. He often allowed the people of the land to retain their cultural and religious practices without Persian intrusion.

The story is told of an instance of Cyrus’ kindness to the prince of a conquered land. As was Cyrus’ custom with resistant rulers, the prince and his family were captured and sentenced to prison. Yet before the prince was taken away, he beseeched Cyrus to release him from bondage. Cyrus asked the prince, “What will you give me if I release you?” Sir, I will give you half of everything I own,” proposed the prince. “What about for the release of your children?” “I will give you everything I possess.” Cyrus pressed on, “And what about for your wife?” Without hesitating the prince replied, “I will give myself so she might be free.” Moved by the man’s love for his wife, Cyrus ordered they be released and sent them home. As they traveled home, the prince commented to his wife, “Wasn’t Cyrus a handsome man?” She replied, “I couldn’t tell. I was focused on the man who offered himself for my freedom.”

The prince’s love for his wife was so strong that he would have offered himself as a slave so his wife might be set free. He showed that true love offers not empty promises, but backs up those promises with actions.

Paul teaches the Galatians a lesson about love, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” The Jewish people were taught the Ten Commandments, the law, from a young age. They knew what to do and what not to do. Yet Paul showed them God’s most important law-the law of love. –From Daily in the Word

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.–Luke 16:26

Every day is filled with decisions; and the further we are into the decision-making process, the more difficult it is to reverse them. Take buying your first home. It’s much easier to change your mind prior to signing the papers than after the home is yours. At some point, we’re committed to our decisions and cannot easily undo our choices, if at all.

In telling us about Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus indicated that on earth we have the opportunity of making spiritual decisions that will transform our lives and determine our eternal destination. But at the moment of death, that opportunity is gone forever. In hell, the rich man earnestly desired to cross over to be with Abraham and Lazarus in God’s heaven, but there was “a great gulf fixed,” and he was unable to do so.

The Bible says that today is the day of salvation; now is the time to be saved (2 Corinthians 6:2). When we pause to think of the limitless duration of eternity, how important to choose Jesus now and to follow Him with all our hearts!

Could we but for one moment get a glimpse into the mighty depths of His love, our hearts would spring out to meet His will, and embrace it as our richest treasure.
Hannah Whitall Smith  (From Turning Point)