God Alone

"I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for My own sake and will never think of them again." Isaiah 43:25

"I—yes, I alone"—the Great, the Pure, the Holy, the Righteous God! Surely if there be one way more than another, in which God's thoughts are not as man's thoughts, it is this—pardoning the rebel, welcoming the undeserving, forgiving and forgetting. How we remember the sins and the failings of others. How we harbor the recollection of ingratitude or unkindness. We say, "I forgive, but I cannot forget." God does both. Forgiveness is with Him no effort; it is a delight—"The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness' sake."

"I—yes, I alone"—the God who for weeks and months, and, it may be, for years, we have been wearying with our iniquities, whose Book of Remembrance is crowded with the record of our guilt—"I—yes, I alone"—the very Being who has registered that guilt, is ready to take the recording pen and erase the pages thus blotted with transgression!

How can He thus forgive? How can the God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, cancel the handwriting that is against us in these volumes of transgression, so that they are remembered no more? It is through the atoning work of Jesus. "The Son of man has power to forgive sins." He shed His precious blood that He might have a right to say, "Your sins, which are many, are all forgiven you." What a complete erasure! Crimson sins, scarlet sins; sins against grace, and love, and warning, and privilege—see them all cast into the depths of the sea, never again to be washed on shore!" John MacDuff

This is an amazing passage, it not only shows that Jesus is the only way, but also that He is the only reason, path, and everything. It also shows how our sins are not only forgiven but forgotten. Pray that you can truly fathom this and remove the guilt after your true repentance.
With love,
Jesse

Anyone Can Be Saved!

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save!" Isaiah 59:1

"Let us learn never to despair of the salvation of anyone--as long as he lives. Fathers ought never to despair of prodigal sons. Mothers ought never to despair of self-willed, headstrong daughters. Husbands should never despair of wives, nor wives of husbands. There is nothing impossible with God. The arm of grace is very long, and can reach those who seem very far off. Let us pray on, and hope on, for others--however unlikely their salvation may appear to be at present.

The Holy Spirit can change any heart! The blood of Christ can cleanse away any sin!

We shall see many in heaven, whom we never expected to see there. Grimshaw, the famous pastor of Yorkshire, when he died, left his only son unconverted, careless, thoughtless, and indifferent to true religion. The day came when the young man’s heart was changed, and he walked in the steps of his holy father. And when he lay upon his deathbed, one of his last words was, "What will my old father say--when he sees me in heaven!" J C Ryle

This story gives me an amazing sense of peace, knowing that God is in complete control and that anyone can change is very overjoying! I know that I have several friends and family members who curse God continually,but still I pray to Him that He would save them! And the greatest part is He can if He wills!

Live by Faith, Not Sight

"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

"The life of faith means to be habitually influenced in the state of our minds and conduct, not by visible objects, but by the invisible realities which are revealed in the Word of God. It is said of Moses, "He persevered because he saw Him who is invisible." This is the life and walk of faith with respect to God—a realizing sense of His invisible presence—such a persuasion as leads us to all that conduct which He requires. This then is the life of faith—to believe that we are ever surrounded by an all-seeing, holy, and merciful God—and to conduct ourselves toward Him accordingly." John Angell James

This one is simple to sum up... Live like God is standing right next to you... Cause in a way, He is.

With love,
Jesse

God Answers Prayer

"The threefold promise annexed to the threefold precept, should encourage all Christians to be instant, fervent, and constant in prayer.

Though prayer is not the ground, nor the cause of obtaining favors and mercies from God—yet it is the means, it is the silver channel, it is the golden pipe, through which the Lord is pleased to convey to His people all temporal, spiritual, and eternal favors. God promises to give them the cream, the choicest, the sweetest of all spiritual, eternal, and temporal blessings; but mark, Ezekiel 36:37, "I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." Though God is very prompt and ready to bestow upon His people the best and the greatest of blessings—yet He will by prayer be sought unto, for the actual enjoyment of them. He who has no heart to pray for a mercy, he has no ground to believe that God will ever give him the mercy. There is no receiving without asking, no finding without seeking, no opening without knocking. The proud beggar gets nothing from men, and the silent sinner gets nothing of God. As there is no mercy too great for God to give, so there is no mercy too little for us to crave. Certainly that man has little worth in him who thinks any mercy not worth a seeking." Thomas Brooks

I was once told something similar to this, that just about sums this whole thing up, but is much shorter,and that is: "You have to pray like it depends on God, and live like it depends on you." This is true because we have a responsibility that coincides with God's will at times we may or may not know about. Therefore, we should live as if it is always our responsibility, while maintaining a relationship with His so we know its really not! Or another simple phrase that somewhat goes along with this but not entirely is "nothing changes if nothing changes." Anyways, I hope that this finds you and speaks to you with whatever God wants you to hear, so all the praise, honor, and glory go to Jesus.

With love,
Jesse

Church of God

"The church of God, which He purchased with His own blood!" Acts 20:28

"Paul was in the habit of viewing the church as a purchased possession. The price paid for it was the blood of Christ, The whole church therefore, is bought and paid for! The price paid was satisfactory, and the property will all be given into the Savior's hand. The Father, who received the price, will draw all the purchased ones to the Son.

The church of Christ belongs therefore to no one but Christ. Hence the apostle says, "You are not your own—for God bought you with a high price!"

Beloved, let us view ourselves . . .as the 'PROPERTY of Jesus'; as property purchased and paid for;as property purchased at a price which no created mind can calculate; which defies all the powers of arithmetic to set forth! The precious blood of Jesus! The blood of God's own Son!

Who can conceive its value? Who can question its efficacy? Who dare trifle with it? Precious blood of Jesus, may my eye be steadily fixed on you, at all times, and in all places!" James Smith

Ahh this makes me think of what the church really is! The body of Christ with different members that serve different purposes, but all with one vital thing in common... Bought by the blood of Christ! It is definitely not a building, for many of those aren't paid for! Today let us seek to find our worth in Christ and in the fact that he paid for us,
His church!
With love,
Jesse

Humility of Mind

"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility." 1 Peter 5:5

"Humility is lowliness of mind, the opposite of pride and arrogance. It belongs to the essence of experimental religion. A humble spirit is the opposite of a lofty one. True humility is an inward grace based on a view of our own guilt, weakness, vileness, ignorance and poverty—as compared with the infinite excellence and glory of God.

Humility is one of the most lovely of all the traits of a child of God. It is opposed to all ostentation. It hides the other graces of the Christian from the gaze of self-admiration. Its aim is not to be thought humble, but to be humble. The godly man loves to lie low, and cares not to have it known.

Humility will not disfigure, but adorn you. As Rebecca was not the less lovely, but the more so, when she took a veil and covered her beauty and all her jewels; so the child of God is especially beautifiedwhen arrayed in humbleness of mind." William S. Plumer

So often it is hard to be sure of the reason why we do things, is it for God's glory or is it for our own pride and ego? This is an important thing to be sure of... Humility is one of the best aspects that seperates Christians from other people in the world, we should not seek glory for ourselves, but for God, and by doing so we should astounded the world and be seen as radical and crazy to them.

Righteous Thorn

"There was given me a thorn in my flesh!" 2 Corinthians 12:7

"Most Christians have some "thorn" which they cannot extract, which is a daily trial, and which wounds deeply and painfully.

If God sends us a thorn—then no one but God can remove it! And if God sends it—it is always sent in love. It is . . . to prevent some evil, or to prepare us for some good.

If it makes us pray, if it drives us to the Lord's throne, if it humbles us in the dust, if it endears the promises, if it makes us long for heaven, if it teaches us deeply our need of Christ—then it is a great blessing!

Better to be wounded by the sharpest thorn—than be allowed in ease, health, and prosperity—to wander from the Lord!" James Smith

Once again how great it is to be in tribulation if it is from God! Hard to believe this is true but it makes it worth it because we grow in our faith and do not become stagnant. Live for Christ regardless of the cost because nothing else matters!
With love,
Jesse