Satan, the flesh, and the world, all say “Fear;” God says, “Fear not.”
Law is like a hedge. It should have kept men within bounds; but if there were no hedge, there would be no transgression.
The believer must first be a worshipper (as Abel); then a walker with God (as Enoch); and then a witness for God (as Noah).
Love for Christ is the law of the Christian’s life.
Why does God allow us to be conquered sometimes by Satan? ―To drive us to Christ.
Those who don’t feed much on Christ, don’t eat much of the bitter herbs.
Though our flesh is as grass, Christ’s flesh is real meat, and His blood real drink.
Nearness to Christ is the way to be near each other.
“There is always strength in looking to God; but if the mind rests upon the weakness, otherwise than to rest it upon God, it becomes unbelief.”
“There are two sorts of religion in the world: one, in which men profess to be saved by good works which they never do; the other, in which men do good works, and yet disclaim all merit from their performance.”
How different were the confessions of Baalam and Peter. Baalam spoke of himself three times as the man whose eyes are open. Peter cried out three times, “Thou knowest that I love thee.” How wide the contrast between seeing and loving, or knowledge that puffeth up and love that buildeth up! It is to be feared, that many who have only knowledge of the letter of Scripture are really like wicked Baalam, not loving Christ, but loving the wages of unrighteousness. God will search this out. True believers can say, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
I have dwelt much upon those words, “Grace and Peace be multiplied,” and I think that something of spiritual arithmetic has been shown to me.
Let me take the figure I alone, it makes but 1; let me bring a cipher beside the 1, and 1 is 10, and another, and it makes 100, and another, and it makes 1000, sometimes by Christ is this 1 to me. I bring my nothingness to Him, and to me His value is increased; and just in proportion as I bring more and more of my unworthiness beside His excellence, just so much is His “grace and peace multiplied” to me.
Truth without love is a poor thing, but love, though it is accompanied by a little truth, is always acceptable.
Whatever murmurings there were, the manna came all the same. The inner man is renewed day by day.