“ And many resorted unto him, and said , John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.”–John 10:41

“…Christ is all…” – Colossians 3:11
We used to sing an old song that says, “Nothing between my soul and the Savior” and I confess there have been times when I wondered how some could sing such a song while living as they were. Had I taken more time to examine my own life I would have found reason to stop singing such a lie. We all need to be constantly reminded that Christ is all, and there should be nothing between our soul and our Savior. James Smith wrote the following:

“Yes: this is God’s purpose, which cannot be frustrated, that Christ shall be all. He is all in our justification and sanctification, for we are justified and sanctified IN HIS NAME.

He is all in our preservation and glorification, for we are kept by His power, and enter heaven through His merits. He should be all in our pursuits, pleasures, hopes, motives, and aims. Many put their comforts in the place of Christ, and then God puts comfort out of their reach; others put their graces in the place of Christ, and then faith, hope, and love, are concealed by a cloud.

There must be nothing between God and us, but Jesus; we must look away from sin, from graces, and from works, and expect to be accepted, blessed, and honoured only in the name and for the honour of Jesus. Christ is our conquering weapon, by which we ovecome our foes; our plea, by which we prevail with God; our righteousness, by which we are justified; and our peace, which supports and comforts us in life and in death.

Christ is all we want, or God can give. He is our sun and shield; our present joy and endless portion. He is our all on earth, He will be our all in heaven.”

Saviour! the knowledge of Thy love
into my soul convey;
Thyself bestow! for Thee alone,
My all in all, I pray.

“ My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies , and from them that persecute me. “ – Psalms 31:15

Every event is under Divine control. Nothing is left to chance.

The hand of God is in all that occurs; directing, overruling, and sanctifying to our good.

He appointed all that concerns us, and appointed all in infinite wisdom and love; therefore we should not judge rashly, or conclude hastily. We know not what may occur today, but we know that the purpose of God cannot be frustrated, nor can His purpose fail. He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.

He says, “My purpose shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” But this is our comfort, that He taketh pleasure in His people, and in the prosperity of His servants.

Let us consider, then, everything passes under our Father’s eye; is overruled by our Saviour’s power; is directed by the Holy Spirit to do us good. It shall not be as our enemies wish, or as our hearts fear; but as our God and Father pleases, and has ordained.

Be not therefore anxious, troubled, or cast down; the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and He is God. He shall preserve thee from evil, He shall preserve thy soul.–James Smith

I know not what may soon betide,
But Jesus knows, and He’ll provide;
My life is by His counsel plann’d,
And all my times are in His hand:
I’ll therefore trust, nor yield to fear, But cast on Jesus all my care.

“O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me.”– Isa  38:14.

This prayer is so indefinite that it will suit any emergency, and yet brimful of faith that God will undertake all responsibility. Are you oppressed with the sense of failure, with temptation, with the consciousness of sin? Or oppressed with poverty, or debt, or the fear of unemployment, or with inability to find work? Or cast down with bitter persecution within or without your home? Or sorely beset and hindered by ill-health, the hopelessness of recovery? All these eases of oppression are included in this petition, and may be handed over to your faithful Creator, with the certainty that He is as willing as He is able to undertake for you. He is never weary of hearing your cry; the Everlasting Arms are never tired; and our God neither slumbers nor sleeps.

What may we expect from a prayer so simple, yet so comprehensive? We shall know God. What shall I say, He hath both spoken unto me, and Himself hath done it” (Isa  38:15). Hezekiah had been a religious man, had maintained the Temple Services, had enjoyed the close friendship of Isaiah, yet it was in none of these things that he had met God face to face. But when he turned his face to the wall, and poured out his soul-anguish, He touched God, knew Him after a fresh fashion, heard Him speak, saw Him work. Only through sickness, loneliness, and the pressure of overwhelming sorrow, do some men rightly learn to live, and discover that unseen and most real world, where the life of the spirit unfolds to God as a flower in spring.

At the pit we learn God’s Love (Isa  38:17). How can we measure God’s love? They say that a man’s fist is the measure of his heart. Come and stand beneath the stars! There is God’s hand! Now judge His heart! It is illimitable! By that love He has put our sins behind His back into the ocean depths! With that love He has drawn us out of the pit of our sins! By that love He bears with our cold response and languid petitions! Through that love He will bring us to glory! His is a love that will never let us go!

Take the hand of Jesus to steady you; look down into the hole of the pit from which you have been redeemed, and then look up to the Throne of God to which He passed at His Ascension, and recall His own words: “where I am, there shall ye be also.” Trust Him to undertake for your little life!

I pray Thee, O my Father, to shut me up to a simpler and more confiding faith. May I trust more than I know, and believe more than I see; and when my heart is overwhelmed within me, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. AMEN.–F B Meyer

“He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.“– Mal  3:3.

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.“– 1Pe  1:7.

Nothing is harder to bear than the apparent aimlessness of suffering.

They say that what breaks a convict’s heart in jail is to set him to say carry stones from one side of the prison to the other, and then back again! But we must never look upon the trials of life as punishments, because all penalty was borne by our Lord Himself. They are intended to destroy the weeds and rubbish of our natures, as the bonfires do in the gardens. Christ regards us in the light of our eternal interests, of which He alone can judge. If you and I knew what sphere we were to fulfil in the other world, we should understand the significance of His dealings with us, as now we cannot do. The Refiner has a purpose in view, of which those who stand beside Him are ignorant, and, therefore, they are unable to judge the process which He is employing.

Dare to believe that Christ is working to a plan in your life. He loves you. Be patient! He would not take so much trouble unless He knew that it was worth while. “We do not prune brambles, or cast common stones into the crucible or plough sea-sands!” You must be capable of some special service, which can only be done by a carefully-prepared instrument, and so Christ sits beside you as the Refiner, year after year, that you may miss nothing.

Whilst the Fire is hot keep conversing with the Refiner. Ponder these words: “He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver.” The thought is specially suitable for those who cannot make long prayers, but they can talk to Christ as He sits beside them. Nicholas Hermann tells us that, as he could not concentrate his mind on prolonged prayer, he gave up set times of prayer and sought constant conversations with Christ. Speak to Him, then, in the midst of your daily toil. He hears the unspoken prayer, and catches your whispers. Talk to Christ about your trials, sorrows, and anxieties! Make Him your Confidant in your joy and happiness! Nothing makes Him so real as to talk to Him aloud about everything!

Let the Fire of Thy Love consume in me all sinful desires of the flesh and of the mind, that I may henceforth continually abide in Jesus Christ my Lord, and seek the things where He sits at Thy right hand. AMEN. –F. B. Meyer