Psalm 119:25-32

25 My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!

These verses from Psalm 119 illuminate the relationship between knowledge and transformational that lies at the heart of the Christian life. The psalmist comes before the Lord in weariness and sorrow, pleading with him to ‘Let me understand the teaching of your precepts’ (v. 27). Having been strengthened with this understanding, he meditates upon what he has discovered, sets his heart upon it, holds fast to it, and delights in the freedom of running in the path the Lord has set before him.

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This is a very solemn question, and we must restrict ourselves to what the Scriptures say by way of reply.

“You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”. (Deuteronomy 13:3).

From those words it is clear that God allows teachers of error for the same reason as He does persecutors of His people: to test their love, to try their fidelity, to show that their loyalty to him is such that they will not give ear unto His enemies. Error has always been more popular than the Truth, for it lets down the bars and fosters fleshly indulgence, but for that very reason it is obnoxious to the godly.

The one who by grace can say “I have chosen the way of Truth” will be able to add “I have stuck unto Thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:30, 31), none being able to move him therefrom.

“For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” (1 Corinthians 11:19).

Error serves as a flail, separating the chaff from the wheat. Let some plausible and popular preacher come forward with an old error decked out in new clothes and empty professors will at once flock to his standard; but not so with those who are established in the Faith. Thus, by means of the false prophets, God makes it appear who are the ones who hold the Truth in sincerity: they are faithful to Him despite all temptations to turn away unto a “broader-minded” way. The genuine gold endures every test to which it is subjected. Thus too are the unregenerate “converts” revealed: the counterfeit gold will not withstand the fire. Those who are attracted by a novelty do not endure but are soon carried away by some newer innovation.

(HT: OldTruth.com)

By Sam Storms / Good News & Crossway

Out of vigorous, fervent, affectionate love for God arise an intense hatred and abhorrence of sin, a dread of God’s displeasure, gratitude for his goodness, delight in God when we sense his gracious presence, and grief when he seems distant. — Sam Storms

I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.
– Time, March 18, 1985

(HT: Symphony of Scripture)

“Our desire is that the Holy Spirit, who is the Divine Revealer and Interpreter of Christ and His truth, may impart to your hearts a sober, spiritual and sanctifying receptivity of His Word; abasing self, and exalting Christ! Our intention is to unfold and illustrate the Lord Jesus Christ in the relation in which He stands to His people; to unveil His glory, beauty, and fullness; to define the close bond of union that unites to Him all His people; and to bring you into a more personal realization of what Christ is to you, and of what you are to Christ.” – Octavius Winslow

Octavius Winslow, 1808-1878
Winslow stood out as a one of the foremost Baptist preachers in the nineteenth century. His Christ centered writings show devotion, practicality, and excellence. He seems to be richly devotional and warms the soul and inflames the heart with a sincere love, reverence, and glorification of Christ. He was a direct descendant of Edward Winslow, a pilgrim leader who braved the Atlantic to come to the New World on the Mayflower. After the death of His father his mother moved Him and her nine other children to New York. They were said to be a deeply religious family and Octavius later wrote a book about his family’s experiences from his mother perspective titled “The Life in Jesus”. Winslow followed after two of his brothers and was ordained as a pastor in 1833 in New York. He later moved to England where he became one of the most valued nonconformist ministers of the nineteenth century, largely due to the earnestness of his preaching and the excellence of his prolific writings. He held pastorates in Leamington Spa, Bath, and Brighton. He was also a popular speaker for special occasions, such as the opening of C. H. Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1861. After a short illness, he died on March 5, 1878, and was buried in Abbey Cemetery, Bath. During His life he wrote more than forty books in which he preached on the truths of God. Some of these books include ‘Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul.’

Friday, Jan. 6. 1744

Feeling and considering my extreme weakness, and want of grace, the pollution of my soul, and danger of temptations on every side, I set apart this day for fasting and prayer, neither eating nor drinking from evening to evening, beseeching God to have mercy on me. My soul intensely longed, that the dreadful spots and stains of sin might be washed away from it. Saw something of the power and all-sufficiency of God. My soul seemed to rest on his power and grace; longed for resignation to his will, and mortification to all things here below. My mind was greatly fixed on divine things: my resolutions for a life of mortification, continual watchfulness, self-denial, seriousness, and devotion, were strong and fixed; my desires ardent and intense; my conscience tender, and afraid of every appearance of evil. My soul grieved with reflection on past levity, and want of resolution for God. I solemnly renewed my dedication of myself to God, and longed for grace to enable me always to keep covenant with him. Time appeared very short, eternity near; and great name, either in or after life, together with all earthly pleasures and profits, but an empty bubble, a deluding dream.

C.T. Studd