The Glory of God

[Sean James]

When we use what we have for God's glory, this is pleasing to Him! When we follow what we know to be true, then God can reveal more! True conversion enables the soul to be cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus through a complete heart surrender to Him, fills the renewed mind and heart with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing, and empowers the soul to live up to all the light of truth that is known at that point in character building! Let us seek for light and walk in it as God prepares us for heaven!

Our standing before God depends, not upon the amount of light we have received, but upon the use we make of what we have. Thus even the heathen who choose the right as far as they can distinguish it are in a more favorable condition than are those who have had great light, and profess to serve God, but who disregard the light, and by their daily life contradict their profession. 

May we realize that God is calling for us to live the light of truth, and that He Himself, the Light of the world, will live out His life within us as we experience a genuine union and communion with Christ! What joy we may have in doing His will! The happiest place on earth is to be in the center of God's will!

[Sean James]

Limitless and infinite possibilities of service to the glory of God are spread out before us as we surrender ALL to Him and let Christ come live in our hearts by grace through faith so that all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing! The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin as we confess and forsake our sins and choose Jesus on a moment-by-moment basis in the blessing of constant union and communion with Christ!

He who loves Christ the most will do the greatest amount of good. There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, by putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. If men will endure the necessary discipline, without complaining or fainting by the way, God will teach them hour by hour, and day by day. He longs to reveal His grace. If His people will remove the obstructions, He will pour forth the waters of salvation in abundant streams through the human channels. If men in humble life were encouraged to do all the good they could do, if restraining hands were not laid upon them to repress their zeal, there would be a hundred workers for Christ where now there is one.

Let us go forth to be a blessing today in all the ways of God's providential leading!

[Sean James]

God's word is our victory place! God gives us the word to have abiding in our heart to overcome sin!

The means by which we can overcome the wicked one is that by which Christ overcame,--the power of the word. God does not control our minds without our consent; but if we desire to know and to do His will, His promises are ours: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching." John 8:32; 7:17, R. V. Through faith in these promises, every man may be delivered from the snares of error and the control of sin.

We need Jesus continually! Let us yield the whole heart to Christ and allow Him to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure! All of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing as long as we are in complete surrender to Christ and allow Him to abide in our hearts by grace through faith!

[Sean James]

God's healing from sin is immediate. The miracle of what His grace can do is make us a new creation, to renew our heart and mind and imbue us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing. His grace is more powerful than the leprosy of sin; let us come to Christ and know that HE IS WILLING AND ABLE to fully save us from the deceptive power of transgression of the law of God. He loves us and wants us to know the joy of His full salvation.

Immediately a change passed over the leper. His flesh became healthy, the nerves sensitive, the muscles firm. The rough, scaly surface peculiar to leprosy disappeared, and a soft glow, like that upon the skin of a healthy child, took its place.

God heals us when He forgives us, and the amazing truth of His grace is that it can transform sinners into saints who will become happy inhabitants of heaven and the new earth. We can partake of the blessing of His restoration now so that others may also see how good God is to us in Christ by the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit!

[Sean James]

God heals our characters as we look to Jesus and choose His will of love. Let us grow in grace and behold the true character of Christ on a continual basis!

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17. Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the fullest sense, a believer in Jesus. When self is renounced, then the Lord can make man a new creature. New bottles can contain the new wine. The love of Christ will animate the believer with new life. In him who looks unto the Author and Finisher of our faith the character of Christ will be manifest.

As we look to Christ, there is hope for the most broken soul. All of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing as long as we choose Him continually!

[Sean James]

What a wonderful Savior we have in Jesus who gave us the Sabbath to rest from our own works and abide in Him! When we surrender the whole heart to Christ He will cleanse and purify us, making us one with Him in mind and character, so that all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing! Then we will gladly obey the law of God from an intelligent appreciation of His true character! His grace renews the life and such who become like fine gold in character are seen as witnesses of the character of Christ!

And the Lord says, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; . . . then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:13, 14. To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ's creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him. The Sabbath points them to the works of creation as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption. While it calls to mind the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored through the Saviour. And every object in nature repeats His invitation, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.

True rest can only be found in Christ! Jesus longs to make us like Him and He gives us an entire day to lay aside our secular work and to focus on His word, His providences, and the blessing of getting to be a blessing to others!

[Sean James]

How would you feel if you knew your choice to let God use you meant that angels could communicate through your voice, your typing, and your sharing? Wouldn't you want God to be able to use you to the fullest? As we behold Jesus in His infinite loveliness, He converts our hearts when they are fully yielded to Him, renewing us with His pure motives and thoughts and feelings that align with His word, so our experience will be in harmony with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing. Gladly we can obey His Ten Commandments because they are definition of freedom in relationship with God and others!

We are to be laborers together with the heavenly angels in presenting Jesus to the world. With almost impatient eagerness the angels wait for our co-operation; for man must be the channel to communicate with man. And when we give ourselves to Christ in wholehearted devotion, angels rejoice that they may speak through our voices to reveal God's love.

The love of Christ constraints us to go forward in speaking with the messages God gives us for this lost world in need of healing, hope, and restoration. What messages do the angels want to share through us? They are clearly given here:

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:6-12).

May we let the angels give this message through our lips to the WHOLE WORLD!! Will you join me in proclaiming it?

[Sean James]

What is character? Our thoughts and feelings that spring from our motives that lead to our actions are what constitute our character, and we need Jesus CONTINUALLY to have His character wrought out in our lives, blotting out our sins as we continually surrender fully to Him, as He is able to keep us from falling, so that all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be radiating from within and shining upon the life path of all around!

True character is not shaped from without, and put on; it radiates from within. If we wish to direct others in the path of righteousness, the principles of righteousness must be enshrined in our own hearts. Our profession of faith may proclaim the theory of religion, but it is our practical piety that holds forth the word of truth. The consistent life, the holy conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active, benevolent spirit, the godly example,—these are the mediums through which light is conveyed to the world.

When we have Jesus living in us, how can we not show forth His glorious praise? Let us allow His light to shine out from our lives to bless others today!

[Sean James]

We do not deserve God's grace and we do not earn salvation. As we kneel in faith at the foot of the cross of Christ, we have reached the highest place to which man can attain. Our great need is to realize our continual need, and cleave to Jesus so He can transform us into His lovely image! By beholding we become changed, and when the whole heart is yielded to Christ, He blots out our sins, fills us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing, and gives us courage to proclaim the last message of mercy that is in perfect harmony with His Ten Commandments! May you walk in the victory of Calvary today!!

It is thus that every sinner may come to Christ. 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.' Titus 3:5. When Satan tells you that you are a sinner, and cannot hope to receive blessing from God, tell him that Christ came into the world to save sinners. We have nothing to recommend us to God; but the plea that we may urge now and ever is our utterly helpless condition that makes His redeeming power a necessity. Renouncing all self-dependence, we may look to the cross of Calvary and say,--
               'In my hand no price I bring;
               Simply to Thy cross I cling.'

Jesus loves you so much that He would have left heaven JUST FOR YOU!! Let us proclaim the final gospel message to a dying world with the love of Christ constraining us!

[Sean James]

Our closest relationship is to be with Jesus! We need to have Him as the center of our experience, and when He is on the throne of the heart, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing!

“Closer than father, mother, brother, friend, or lover is the Lord our Saviour. ‘Fear not,’ He says, ‘for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.’ ‘Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ Isaiah 43:1, 4.”

Let us choose Christ in a full-heart surrender so He can fill us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing! He is the One closer to us than any other, and from Him we may always find comfort and strength!

[Sean James]

Let us allow God to fulfill His will for us!

Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace and quietude. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by His presence. In perfect acquiescence there is perfect rest. The Lord says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isaiah 26:3. Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master Worker, He will bring out the pattern of life and character that will be to His own glory. And that character which expresses the glory--character--of Christ will be received into the Paradise of God. A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy. 

What rest comes to the soul that is fully surrendered to Christ! When Christ lives in us, the hope of glory, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing! May this be your experience today in Christ!

[Sean James]

Satan is the one who seeks to bring in confusion and destruction. God is the healer and restorer, and the gospel of His grace has the power to transform sinners into saints and keep them from falling back into the pit of sin! When Jesus is abiding in the heart, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in the life without one missing!

The encounter with the demoniacs of Gergesa had a lesson for the disciples. It showed the depths of degradation to which Satan is seeking to drag the whole human race, and the mission of Christ to set men free from his power. Those wretched beings, dwelling in the place of graves, possessed by demons, in bondage to uncontrolled passions and loathsome lusts, represent what humanity would become if given up to satanic jurisdiction. Satan's influence is constantly exerted upon men to distract the senses, control the mind for evil, and incite to violence and crime. He weakens the body, darkens the intellect, and debases the soul. Whenever men reject the Saviour's invitation, they are yielding themselves to Satan. Multitudes in every department in life, in the home, in business, and even in the church, are doing this today. It is because of this that violence and crime have overspread the earth, and moral darkness, like the pall of death, enshrouds the habitations of men. Through his specious temptations Satan leads men to worse and worse evils, till utter depravity and ruin are the result. The only safeguard against his power is found in the presence of Jesus. Before men and angels Satan has been revealed as man's enemy and destroyer; Christ, as man's friend and deliverer. His Spirit will develop in man all that will ennoble the character and dignify the nature. It will build man up for the glory of God in body and soul and spirit. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. He has called us "to the obtaining of the glory"--character--"of our Lord Jesus Christ;" has called us to be "conformed to the image of His Son." 2 Thessalonians 2:14; Romans 8:29.

The character God is offering us is a miracle--a miracle that He can produce and sustain by the Holy Spirit on account of the blood Jesus shed for us on Calvary! Right now Christ is in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary blotting out the record of the confessed, repented and forsaken sins of all who have chosen Him as Lord and Savior and continued with Him to the close of their probation! Since probation will close while God has souls He has redeemed who are still alive on earth before Jesus returns, we can look to the power of the gospel and realize what grace can truly do the more we behold the loveliness of Jesus!

[Sean James]

Let us look to Jesus and remember the way He has led us in our past experience, thus helping us to be encouraged in the upward path to heaven and inspiring others to look to Jesus, too! We may be courageous in the most trying experiences as we look away from the weakness of self to the strength and grace that He so freely provides! When the whole heart is yielded to Christ, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives, and not one will be missing!

Our confession of His faithfulness is Heaven's chosen agency for revealing Christ to the world. We are to acknowledge His grace as made known through the holy men of old; but that which will be most effectual is the testimony of our own experience. We are witnesses for God as we reveal in ourselves the working of a power that is divine. Every individual has a life distinct from all others, and an experience differing essentially from theirs. God desires that our praise shall ascend to Him, marked by our own individuality. These precious acknowledgments to the praise of the glory of His grace, when supported by a Christ-like life, have an irresistible power that works for the salvation of souls. 

Praise God continually and express in words, in countenance, and in character the grace of Christ! His grace has power to transform sinners into saints and to keep us from falling back into the pit of sin from which God has so graciously delivered us!

[Sean James]

What a joy it is to have a strong relationship with God based on His word! Each day offers us new opportunities for victory! Let us look to Jesus and look away from self. As we yield all we have and are to Him who gave all for us, He renews our hearts and minds by writing His law of love in our very character, which spontaneously brings forth the fruits of the Spirit without one missing! This is what it means to have a character refined like fine gold, to become like Christ in mind and character and go forth to be a blessing to world that needs to see there is an eternal way to live--the way of selfless love!

 A daily, earnest striving to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, would bring power and efficiency to the soul. The knowledge obtained by diligent searching of the Scriptures would be flashed into the memory at the right time. But if any had neglected to acquaint themselves with the words of Christ, if they had never tested the power of His grace in trial, they could not expect that the Holy Spirit would bring His words to their remembrance. They were to serve God daily with undivided affection, and then trust Him.   

We can trust that God will do what is best in our lives--not based on our own understanding, but based on His word! May you find in Christ the anchor of strength in every temptation, and the only way of escape from yielding to our fallen nature as on a moment-by-moment basis we look to Jesus and live by faith on the Son of God!

[Sean James]

To be trained for heaven means emancipation from ideas, habits, customs and practices that have been gained in the school of unbelief in a fallen world. We need time to be with God so He can individually speak to our hearts, giving us rest as we find restoration in the scenes of nature and better grasping the experience of our own hearts that need continually to be renewed by divine grace. As we yield fully to Christ, He imputes and imparts to us of His righteousness, imbuing us with all of the fruits of the Spirit so not one of the traits of the divine nature is missing as we affectionately obey the law of God!

In all who are under the training of God is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and everyone needs to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. Here alone can true rest be found.  And this is the effectual preparation for all who labor for God. Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life's intense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. The life will breathe out fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men's hearts. 

There are souls all around us through whom our loving Savior desires to speak a word in season by working in and through us. As we fellowship with Christ, the holy angels, and those also who are seeking the Lord wholeheartedly, we can go forth refreshed in harmony with God as missionaries to a dying world, that our lives may be a living invitation of the life that is lived in harmony with God in purity, holiness, and true moral worth evinced in the love and purity found in Christ who abides in us, the hope of glory!