Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. - Psalms 55:1
AMEN KAYAK AND AMEN ALL!
"If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?"
- Luke 23:31
Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is
full of teaching: "If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus,
what will be done when the sinner himself -the dry tree-shall fall into
the hands of an angry God?" When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place, he
did not spare him; and when he finds the unregenerate without Christ, he
will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by his enemies: so shall
you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was
deserted of God; and if he, who was only imputedly a sinner, was deserted,
how much more shall you be? "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" what an awful
shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say, "O God! O God! why
hast thou forsaken me?" and the answer shall come back, "Because ye have
set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will
laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh." If God spared
not his own Son, how much less will he spare you! What whips of burning
wire will be yours when conscience shall smite you with all its terrors.
Ye richest, ye merriest, ye most self-righteous sinners-who would stand in
your place when God shall say, "Awake, O sword, against the man that
rejected me; smite him, and let him feel the smart for ever?" Jesus was
spit upon: sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word
all the mass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us,
therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans of
grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you now are.
You may die so, you may die now.
By the agonies of Christ, by his wounds and by his blood, do not bring
upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of God, and you shall
never die.
c.h.spurgeon
Joh 15:16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
17 "These things I command you, that you love one another.
18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22 "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 "He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24 "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
25 "But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'
26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27 "And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
(NKJV)
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
Heavenly father, as we gather to pray for President Bush, we would pray also for all world leaders and that all in Rome will have safe trips back to their homes.
We pray for our military men and women and that they will all be home safely soon.
We ask these blessings in Your Son's Precious Name, Amen.
God is faithful. To HIM be all the glory!