Consider The Lily

03/26/2024

MARCH 25 & 26
Total Recall!
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope” Lam. 3:21
After having mourned and bemoaned his fate and having stated his distress and temptation, the prophet Jeremiah shows how he was raised above it. Bad as things are it is due to God’s mercy that they are not worse. We should observe that which is for us as well as that which is against us. God's compassions do not fail in that we have a fresh instance every morning. Portions on earth are perishing things, but God is a portion forever and It is our duty, and will be our comfort and satisfaction, to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Affliction may not seem to be good while it is working but in the end, it does, and will work very much for your good: Many have found it good to bear the yoke in their youth; this has made many humble and serious and has weaned those from the world who otherwise would have become proud and unruly.
Total Recall embraces an understanding that tribulations worketh patience, patience worketh experience, and experience worketh hope that makes not ashamed. A Total Recall includes
due thoughts of the evil of sin, and of our own sinfulness.
Total Recall convinces us that:
it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
With a Total Recall the clouds begin to disperse and the sky to clear up; the complaint was very melancholy in the former part of the chapter and yet here the tune is altered. There had to be a remembrance of past Divine encounters for there to be any semblance of hope. Total Recall allows for hopeful expectation, God’s compassions fail not; every morning of this we have fresh instances. Earthly portions perish but God is a portion forever. It is our duty, and will be our comfort and satisfaction, to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord.

MARCH 26
Total Recall!
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope” Lam. 3:21
Total Recall gives grounds for hope which refers to what comes after, not to what goes before. Total Recall is a return to the heart what we have had in our hearts and what we have laid to our hearts which is sometimes quite lost and forgotten until by God’s grace He make it return to our hearts that it may be ready and available to us when we have occasion to use it.
With Total Recall we recognize that, bad as things are, it is owing to the mercy of God that they are not worse, though we are afflicted by the rod of His wrath it is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. When we are in distress, the encouragement of our faith and hope, we should observe what is working for us as well as what is working against us. Though things seem bad they might easily have been worse, and therefore there is hope that they may be better.
Believers are not consumed but are like Moses bush, we may be burning yet not consumed; whatever hardships we meet with, or may meet with, we shall have a being in the world to the end of time. We are persecuted of men but not forsaken of God, and therefore, though cast down, we are not destroyed, at times corrected, yet not consumed, refined in the furnace as silver, but not consumed as dross. (2Cor. 4:9),
There are mercies in the plural number denoting they are in abundance and consist of variety of those mercies. God is an inexhaustible fountain of mercy, He is the Father of mercies. We all owe it to the sparing mercy of God that we are not consumed even as others have been consumed round about us, ourselves having been in the consuming, and yet we are not consumed; if we are out of the grave; we are out of hell.
With a Total Recall we recognize our sins. Had we been dealt with according to our sins, we could have been consumed long ago; but we have been dealt with according to God's mercy and we are bound to acknowledge it to His praise.

01/04/2021

JANUARY 1
What Now?
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. Jeremiah 8:20
2020, a year that will live in infamy in the hearts and minds of the entire world. The media continues to bombard us with news of Covid-19 related infections and deaths, which makes it literally impossible for us to avoid the new reality even if we wanted to. If you turn on the T.V. or access social media you cannot help but to here some reference to it.
Questions arise, where did it originate, who is responsible, what did the government know and when did they know it? With the emergence of the vaccine the challenge becomes even greater and engenders more questions. For the people of God there is the spiritual question: where was God when this happened and where is God today? What Now?
A Nation in crisis is exactly where Israel was in our text. He looks at Israel a year into this tragedy and he says, What Now? the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved?
It is worthy to note the reply of the exiles in the proverbial expression of past harvest and the ending of summer representing the close of the seasons of hope. They had placed their hopes in an incursion by Egypt, which never materialized. Notwithstanding the introduction of a vaccine, believers must not put their hopes any of man’s miracles for we must seek Christ for spiritual deliverance.
The prophet’s complaint was that after the year-long crisis, there is a kind of emotional depression, anxiety and tension. There was a cloud of gloom hanging over the nation and it seems there is no longer any hope. They had been through great distress, but this did not bring them any closer to God; (we are not saved). He never addresses their political or physical state, his only concern was the spiritual condition of God’s people, they had returned to their old habits. We must deal with the same thing, What Now? What were the opportunities we missed in this time of contemplation? Are we closer to God than we were then? What Now?

JANUARY 2
Hidden By God!
“Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.” Zephaniah 2:3
Zephaniah is the least known, and least quoted, of all the minor prophets, yet it is He who broke the silence which followed the great prophetic utterances of the more well-known prophets. He was one of Judah’s last prophets before they fell to Babylon and it is from Zephaniah that we get the most elaborate discussion of the DAY OF YAHWEH.
His name comes to the forefront of his message for it means Jehovah has hidden, born during the period of much innocent blood shed in Jerusalem as babies were being sacrificed to Baal, Jehovah preserved and protected him from danger. His parents named him as an acknowledgement of God’s hand in his preservation meaning that. Zephaniah knew firsthand being Hidden By God therefore he could challenge those who already had an inclination to serve God, to seek the Lord even more earneestly.
His message continues to resonate today as his clarion call was:
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.
Continue to seek and practice righteousness and meekness
To be Hidden By God, to secure His divine protection in these days of pandemic and general destruction elsewhere such protection is expressed by being hid or covered under the shadow of His wings. (Ps 32:7; 91:1). Zephaniah says It may be sufficient to raise hope; if the uncertainty of the day gives you pause if you be not sure, if it is hard to perceive know that it is yet possible to be Hidden By God.

JANUARY 3
Hidden By God!
“Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.” Zephaniah 2:3
Although Zephaniah spoke centuries ago his prophecy still resonates today. The secret place of the most high continues to be available to the meek of the earth. Even as death itself seems bent on destroying the great and mighty of this earth we may still seek to be Hidden By God!
God’s foreknowledge of future events does not force upon men’s will, nor does it take away the liberty of human actions. As free-moral agents we have the capacity to make righteous choices that influence God. The access to His grace in not hindered by our humanness or any fleshly limitations. come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrew 4:16).
Seek ye the Lord: This is to be in contrast to those who do not seek Him for we are not to regard what the multitudes do, but seek God at once for ourselves.
The true way of seeking the Lord" is to work judgment, and not merely to be zealous about outward appearances. Meekness or humbleness is to be sought as we refrain from murmuring against God's judgments but patiently submitting to them and composedly waiting for our deliverance.
The phrase “it may be ye shall be hid” does not imply doubt of the deliverance of the godly, but expresses the difficulty of it, as well as the certainty of the fate of the ungodly.
The faithful should all the more, value the grace of God as it pertains to them and their case (1Pet. 4:17-19). All those who are yet well disposed and conscionable in this life, those which have endeavored to do that which is just and right before Him: continue to approve yourselves of Him, in your holy carriage and your good affections: it may be, that you may be Hidden By God and God will be pleased to deliver you from the common judgment.

JANUARY 4
The Throne Of Grace!
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
There is an allusion to the high priest, and his office on the day of atonement as he approached the propitiatory or the mercy-seat. This was the covering of the ark of the testimony or covenant at each end of which was a cherub, between them the Shekinah, the symbol of Divine Majesty, which appeared to, and conversed with, the High priest.
Here the apostle shows the great superiority of the privileges of the new testament above those of the old for there the High priest only, and he with fear and trembling was permitted to approach; and that not without the blood of the victim and if he transgressed at all in anything he would drop dead.
The throne of grace in heaven agrees to this propitiatory, but to this ALL may approach who feel their need of salvation; and they may approach with freedom, confidence, liberty of speech, in opposition to the fear and trembling of the Jewish high priest. There, nothing is to be feared, provided the heart be right with God, truly sincere, and trusting alone in the sacrificial blood.
The blood of the victim is still a requirement, thus Jesus blood, which He shed upon the cross, is provided as a propitiation so that we may obtain mercy, we may take mercy, we may receive the pardon of all our sins; there is mercy for the taking. As Jesus Christ tasted death for every man, so every man may go to The Throne Of Grace, to that propitiatory, and take the mercy that is suited to his degree of guilt.
It is at The Throne Of Grace that we find grace. Mercy refers to the pardon of sin and being brought into the favor of God. Grace is that by which the soul is supported after it has received this mercy, and by which it is purified from all unrighteousness, and upheld in all trials and difficulties, and enabled to prove faithful unto death.
The help in time of need is a seasonable support; support when necessary, and as is necessary in due proportion to the necessity. It can be properly rendered assistance, help, or support; but it is an assistance in consequence of the earnest cry of the person in distress.

08/03/2020

AUGUST 3
Perfect Love!
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1John 4:18
We are not to suppose that the love of God casts out every kind of fear from the soul; but only that which has torment. The filial fear is consistent with the highest degrees of love; and even necessary for the preservation of that grace. It is appropriately its guardian; and, without it love would soon degenerate into a listlessness, or into a presumptive boldness.
The Perfect Love of God does not cast out that fear which is so necessary to the preservation of life; the fear which leads a man to flee from danger lest his life should be destroyed remains. It does not cast out that fear which may be engendered by sudden alarm. All these are necessary to our well-being. But Perfect Love destroys a fear of want; a fear of death; and the fear or terror of judgment. All these fears bring torment and are inconsistent with this Perfect Love.
There is no fear in this Perfect Love, he who feels that he loves God with all his heart can never dread Him as his Judge as he has now been made partaker of His Spirit, and now carries a sense of the Divine approbation in his conscience, therefore he has nothing of that fear that produces terror or brings torment. A Perfect Love: that fulness of love, which he has received, casteth out fear and removes all terrors relative to this day of judgment, it is of this that the apostle particularly speaks.
As it is inconsistent with the gracious design of God to have his followers miserable and as he cannot be unhappy whose heart is full of the love of his God, this love must necessarily exclude fear or terror; in that it brings torment and hence this is inconsistent with that happiness which a man must have who continually enjoys the approbation of the Perfect Love of God. He who is not yet perfect in love might speedily become so, because God will say in a moment, I will, be thou clean; and immediately his leprosy will depart. Among men we find some that have neither love nor fear; others that are afraid without love; or others that have love and fear; and others that have love without fear.
But only Perfect Love casteth out fear without exception.

07/13/2019

JULY 13
His Word!
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Ps. 138:2

All of creation bears the name of God; but it is written at length in His Word and His truth, hence, He is more choice of His Word than He is of all of His other works; He is more concerned with the keeping of His Word, and maintaining His truth, than He is with what becomes of this world and all in it. Eventually, we shall see the world ablaze for the heavens, and earth shall pass away, but His Word endureth for ever and ever.
When God will, He can make more such worlds as this; but He cannot make another truth therefore He will not lose one jot thereof. It is the objective of Satan, knowing this, to set all of his wits to work to deface this and disfigure it by unsound doctrine. His Word is the glass by which we see God and seeing Him are changed into His likeness by His Spirit. If this glass were cracked, then any conceptions we have of God would misrepresent Him unto us; whereas His Word, in its native clearness, shows Him in all His glory unto our eye.
God’s Word is a standard to which everything may be referred. We can know nothing of the will of God but from His Word, we know neither good nor evil from all that is before us. Whatever God requires of us, nothing in Creation or Providence can tell us: What God will do for us, or how He will deal with us, we cannot ascertain but within the sacred volume of His Word, all is written as with a solar flare. There is nothing God expects us to do for Him, which is not explicitly declared within His Word: There is nothing He engages to do for us which does not form the subject of a distinct promise. The day of judgment is there laid open along with the laws by which we shall be judged: the manner in which the testimony, whether against us or in our favor is produced; the grounds upon which the sentence of condemnation or acquittal will be passed; and the state to which every person acquitted or condemned shall be consigned will all be clearly made known in His Word. There, shall nothing be left to conjecture.

09/14/2017

SEPTEMBER 15
Them That Are Sanctified!
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:14

The Jewish priest offered his sacrifices often, and still they did not avail to put away sin; Jesus makes one sacrifice that was sufficient for the sins of the world. For by one offering; by offering Himself once upon the cross Jesus laid the foundation of eternal perfection. This was an offering of such divine character that it secures an ultimate freedom from sin and will make Them That Are Sanctified forever holy. While it does not mean that those for whom He died become perfectly holy at once, for that is not true; but the idea is, that the offering was complete and need not to be repeated; and that it was of such a nature as entirely to remove the penalty of sin and lay the foundation for our final eternal holiness. Those offerings made under the Jewish law were so defective that it was necessary that they are repeated daily; the offering made by Christ was so perfect that it need not be repeated. It secured a complete and final salvation of those who have availed themselves of it.
Them That Are Sanctified are they who have been made holy by that offering. It does not mean they are as yet wholly sanctified, but have been brought under the influence of the gospel that sanctifies and saves. It does not matter your denominational designation as this word sanctified has been met with great derision over the years. The church has abandoned that connotation in their efforts to gain acceptance but they cannot escape Hebrews 2:11; The doctrine taught in this verse is, that all only those who are, in any measure; sanctified, will forever be perfected This is not a temporary work which has been begun in their souls, but one which is designed to be carried forward to perfection. In the atonement made by Jesus Christ the foundation laid for our eternal perfection, and it was offered with reference to that, perfection.
This work is perfect in its nature, being of such a character that it need not be repeated; Perfect in regard to the pardon of sin as all past sin is forever forgiven for those who embrace it, an absolute perfection forever. Them That Are Sanctified will themselves be made perfect at some future period, and it will be to continue for ever and ever.

06/05/2017

JUNE 5
Sound Familiar?
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” 1Timothy 4:1

Of note here is the fact that Paul states that the Spirit speaketh expressly, He speaks precisely and clearly, not obscurely or involvedly as He was inclined to speak in the Prophets. It is expressly revealed, to Paul without any ambiguity, there would be no misunderstanding as to the warning so that Timothy would be able to clearly recognize what is the coming departure from the faith and his duty with regard to it.
Paul, under the unction of the Holy Spirit, foretells that certain apostates will surface in the church with false opinions as he contrasts the true doctrine with the false opinions, brought in by, the suggestion of Satan, of which a substantial number give their ear. Does any of this Sound Familiar?
This departure from the faith, (apostasy), was the renouncing of the gospel, in effect, by bringing in doctrines which render its essential truths null and void or denying and abandoning doctrines essential to it as a system of salvation. A man may hold all of the truths of the gospel and yet render them of none effect by espousing other doctrines which counteract their influence; or by denying some essential doctrine, even though he brings nothing in that can be construed as sacrilegious. Does any of this Sound Familiar?
Paul’s indictment of these apostates includes their giving heed to seducing spirits, spirits of deceit; which is much more emphatic than the usual reading. Deception has her spirits, and emissaries of every kind, which she employs to darken a man’s heart and destroy the souls of men. Those pretenders to inspiration and the false teachers of every kind, belong to this class. Their doctrines are deliberations of demons, they pretend to hold the truth but are in fact intermixing error, inspired by Satan who seeks to secure his own interests so as to provide for his own worship.
Does any of this Sound Familiar?

03/08/2017

12/10/2016

DECEMBER 10
He Is Mine!
“Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7

Certain scriptural truths are inexhaustible in their magnificence and wondrous benefits to the believer. To have attained this position of an awe-inspiring association with our Lord demands greater exposition on our part, especially when you consider how undeserving we are. No man has proven himself worthy of such a condescension of the creator which allows us to say He Is Mine!
Though we may not articulate it in the words of our prayer our hearts have a tendency to plead our love for Him. Do not believe what our actions seem to say, for disobedient as we are we do love thee. Do not believe our forgetfulness of your grace for we know how unworthy we are of your favor. Do not believe that the lukewarmness which has occasionally creeped over us, for thou knowest all things, you know it is a fact that we love you. Our failures, at times elicit a cry of My God! We find ourselves unable to comprehend Him, but we apprehend Him with the grip of hallowed love and we confidently declare He Is Mine! We feel that we can never give Him up, even as He will never give us up. I may not be what I ought to be, but I cannot give up my God, He Is Mine! Hard as my heart has become it melts with love to Him who has loved me from before the foundations of the world. I stand on this assertion: Who then shall separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, my Lord.
A man cannot say He Is Mine, and he cannot call God His God in truth unless he desires to obey Him; God is a name to adore, and He is one to reverence, to worship. He who speaks of God but never obeys Him is in effect a practical atheist; he has no God. That man who talks about God in the Church but has no regard for Him at the supermarket makes Christ to be no more a deity than the idol of the heathen who is only a god in his own temple. When you say He Is Mine, He has to be yours every day, in every way, at all times and in all places.
When I say He Is Mine, I must pause in awe at the audacity of such an assertion. He who died for all is my personal all in all.