Sound Words for Pilgrims

"As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." Isaiah 46:13

One Song of Songs the sweetest, Once learnt thou still repeatest,

And singest, Christian, o'er and o'er -- Earth cannot learn its measure,

This song of heavenly treasure, Of grace abounding evermore !

Of one great LOVE it telleth, Which every grief expelleth

Like mist before the morning sun; Farewell to all thy sorrow,

Thy cares about the morrow, When thou canst sing this sweetest song.

Translated from Spitta

(pp. 1-4, Footprints for Pilgrims)

I know there is the Lord's bosom for the reception of every care and every anxiety.

We ought to be patient, for He is the doer of everything; and when we are not patient we really find fault with Him and His doing.

He is a great giver, and if He hides His hand from giving today, tomorrow He oft gives two-fold.

He is enough for us were the path ten thousand times more sad and difficult.

He that made all things, and upholds all things, is equal to, and a match for, any and every contingency that can befall any between Calvary and the cloud of glory.

With a heart broken, and a will subdued, I have given thanks for sorrows in which the iron entered into my own soul.  I say not with levity, but as before God, "Thou knowest I could not have lived through this and that if Thou hadst not given me grace to receive it at Thy hand, and to find that out of the eater came forth meat."

"Our Jesus hath done all things well" has long been our song.  And so it must be, whatever we may feel; for if the Father of an only-begotten Son settles everything for us which is for the glory of that Son, surely all is well.

He loves you and wants His will to be all your satisfaction; wants you to find your all in Him and in His Son ... He thinks that if all His pleasure is found in the Son of His love He can make that Son of His love enough for you when all else is gone.  He so loves you in Him that He is making every affection in you, every thought in you, to find the Lord Jesus as its centre.

His love broke my heart to make room for Christ, and I know it was love that did it.  Till then I never knew either the creature's need of Christ, nor Christ's sufficiency for a broken heart.

Is He not worthy to have His saints with Him ? ... The words, "If ye loved me, ye would rejoice that I said, I go unto my Father," may be quoted here as true in this case also.  Oh, have we no love for those that go ? No love save for our own selves ? ... It is ... wretched selfishness which forgets God's joy and Christ's joy in welcoming to His presence a soul that leaves us, and which hinders, too, our thinking of its great gain.

I refuse to say of myself "bereaved" when the Lord has won another to His presence.  I will not say of myself "bereaved" when another has gone to be with Him.  Surely if I love Him I must unselfishly resign all I love to Him.

--- G.V.W.

 

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Hebrews 11:6

From various cares our hearts retire, Though deep and boundless their desire,

We've now to please but One.

Him before whom each knee shall bow, With Him is all our business now,

And those that are His own.

(pp. 97-100, Footprints for Pilgrims)

Christ's grace is sufficient for us.  His strength is made perfect in weakness, and God is faithful not to suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, so that we have no excuse when we fail.

The Holy Spirit is ... the operative power of God for producing in man all that is well-pleasing to Him.

"That henceforth we should not serve sin." There is no necessity to have even a single evil thought.

In order to be truly delivered one must learn, and that by experience, that one is captive to the power of sin, and has no power to deliver oneself even when desiring to be free ... "Who shall deliver me ?" is the expression that we cannot do it ourselves: we look around for another.  That is what we have to learn -- our utter powerlessness, our dependence upon God.

Life in the flesh is no more our position, because Christ, after having died, has become our life.  Sin in the flesh is condemned, and that in the death of Christ on the cross ... Yea for faith, the flesh itself is done away with, since we are dead.

The power of the Spirit is requisite to live before man -- power over and above regeneration, and distinct from spiritual understanding.

The best thing for Christians to do is to serve God so that He may commend them, and then let people say what they like.

I can do all things through Him which strengtheneth me (is) the only true abiding state of the Christian, be he babe or father in Christ; only the thing he may have to do may be different, and his temptations too.

"The word of God is quick (living) and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword". Whatever is flesh it cuts down mercilessly, and thank God for it, because it is a hindrance to our blessing ... whatever is not a thought that comes from God, and an intent that goes to God, the word of God judges.  There is nothing for the flesh but the sword -- a figure, of course, of that which judges, detects, and condemns it.

Oh! beloved friends, if you will only let the pure word of God abide in your hearts you will find that it will sweep away all the cobwebs of the flesh.

The believer's safeguard, morally ... is a single eye.  If I seek only the glory of God, that which presents no other motive than my own aggrandisement, or my own gratification ... will have no hold upon me, and will shew itself in the light of the word, which guides the single eye, as contrary to the mind of God .... If the heart seeks God alone, the most subtle snare is discovered.

All we can do is to walk watchfully, but peacefully, thinking of the interests of the Lord Jesus, and having nothing as to ourselves, nothing to gain and nothing to lose.  The path of peace, the place of testimony, is in seeking to please God.

--- J.N.D.

"Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3

Give us Thy meek, Thy lowly mind,

We would obedient be;

And all our rest and pleasure find

In fellowship with Thee.

(pp. 93-96, Footprints for Pilgrims)

Some Christians are apt to confound these two things -- special joy and abiding communion, and to suppose, because the first is not always the case, the discontinuance of the latter is to be taken for granted and acquiesced in.  This is a great mistake.  Special visitations of joy may be afforded.  Constant fellowship with God and with the Lord Jesus, is the only right state, the only one recognized in scripture.  We are to rejoice in the Lord always.

The Christian, however strengthened by ... communications of divine love to his soul, has to walk by faith, and not always in these sensible apprehensions of ... glory.

The highest kind of prayer is that which does not spring from a sense of need, but from the desires which the revelation of God's purposes produces.

The object of Christ's love is to take us into the enjoyment of all that He enjoys Himself.

If your souls would walk in peace and fellowship with God, you must learn that there is no good in you, but you learn to know Him in the perfectness of His love.

God wants as a present thing our hearts to be in tune with Him in everyday life.

I think we ought to look for fruits as a sign that God is working with us, but it should not be the spring of labour, but our intercourse with Him so as to have His mind.

Yes, our business is to be with Him, that our life should be Himself.  The springs of life in the soul are then deep -- deep as God Himself.

The Lord must be known intimately in order to be able to walk in a way worthy of Him.

The way is a very simple one if the heart is simple; a peaceful one if the heart enjoys communion with God; happy there, we peacefully discern what would be most for His glory.

One's own soul suffers by being constantly occupied with evil.  It is not the place of communion.

As you enjoy Christ for yourself, saints will find out, and that will be your testimony to them.

I am glad that you are making experience of the value of that inner life which is developed in communion with the Lord.  The outward life, however blessed it be, can never give us that which is here communicated.  It is the knowledge of Christ that matures the soul.

I do not know what else we have to do down here but to know God better and to serve.

We little know what high and blessed things we are called to. Oh, that the saints knew it better !  To be with, and have common joy and communion with God !

--- J.N.D.

"Let us go on unto perfection." Hebrews 6:1

Blest Saviour, keep our spirits stayed, Hard following after Thee,

Till we, in robes of white arrayed, Thy face in glory see.

J.G. Deck

(pp. 105-108, Footprints for Pilgrims)

I believe the one great hindrance to our progress is the limited measure of our desire and preparation.  We often think that we are wishing for and ready for much more than we are.  We always get what we value.

It is very helpful to see in Ephesians 4 that if you were well grown you would not be "tossed to and fro,"  The higher you go the safer you are -- a fine principle, hence Satan would prevent us from going to the top.

I think many do not habituate themselves to sitting before the Lord.  One does not appear to be doing anything, and yet that is the very time in which the peculiar lines of His mind and pleasure for one are acquired.

I believe the practical difficulty with us all is to say -- not Adam in any form or quality, but Christ liveth in me ! ... Every believer likes to advance himself spiritually, but hardly any one likes to exchange himself for another Man.

Learning is very real work, and there is no maturing without it, and I do not believe that any one matures brilliantly who does not learn sufferingly.  Easily got, easily gone, was never so corroborated as in the highest things.

I am quite sure that if there were more breaking of heart to know more of the Lord wondrous disclosures would be made to us.

The great things we need for progress is restfulness of heart.  I do not believe that there is simple restfulness of heart until union with Christ is known, not merely as a doctrine, but as the unalterable bond of affection.  You are not only assured of His grace in saving you, but you have found Him so necessary to you that you cannot live without Him; then to find out that you are united to Him is absolute solace and divine restfulness.

I think what we all need is a greater taste or longing for heaven.  I do not believe that any one seeks heaven until he knows the joys of it; and he cannot on earth know the joys of heaven except as he enjoys company with the Lord.

It is as I increase in divine growth that I the more need Christ, and find Christ for everything.  The more I grow the more I seek Him, because I want more; and the more I find the more I seek: hence seeking Him is the real mark of growth.

For a saint to have solitude is of the deepest importance, because it is then the heart renews its acquaintance with Him who only has entrance into our most solitary retreats.  When we are thoroughly alone and apart He loves to be our visitor.

--- J.B.S.

 

 

"Unite my heart to fear Thy name.  I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart." Psalms 86:11, 12

As the sunflower ever turning, To the mighty sun,

With the faithfulness of fealty, Following only one --

So make me, Lord, to Thee.

J. Tauler

(pp. 77-80, Footprints for Pilgrims)

Many own the grace of God, but how comparatively seldom do we see the surrender of prospects and position in order to follow Christ fully.

There is great need for David's mighty men in this day -- men devoted to David.  The nation gains from their services, but they are thinking of David.

The more saints are for Him the more they will in every way gain for themselves.

I see many convered souls, but I do not see many witnesses ... I feel that one man standing fully for Christ, like Anna the prophetess, would be a greater testimony than many conversions.

I do not believe that any one advancing in this world and not surrendering it can be seeking the things above.

I fear that the saints are rather advancing in the world instead of retiring from it. Surely there never has been real advance but as there has been renunciation, and the "manifold more" is with reference to the surrender.

Those nearest and dearest to us naturally can do us the greatest mischief spiritually, because they consider too much for us and too little for the Lord.

It is a good sign on all sides when children prefer their home to any other place.  How blessed if this were true of each of us with respect to our home in the Father's house.  The reason of our not doing so is that we do not sufficiently know the joy of it.

I admire much her (Mary of Bethany) isolated path, because her affection for Him carried her outside and apart from every one here, and, as far as I can see it, it is in this connection she should be spoken of in the gospel.  As the Lord says, "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial that our blessed Lord not only so loved a sinner, but could make a sinner love Him so much.

It is very markedly the way the heart is weaned from a place when the object of it has left it, but it is much more weaned when it truly follows Him to the place where He is.  His absence detaches you from this place, while His presence in heaven attaches you to heaven because He is there.

Do not be satisfied with as much Christianity as will ease your conscience.

It is not to the one who works most, nor to the one who reads most, that the Lord confides His mind, but to the one who loves Him most (as Mary Magdalene).  It is only near Himself that the human mind is so in abeyance that His mind is in the ascendant.

How many things try and annoy us all day which are not really for Christ's sake.

--- J.B.S.