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[sky]

I am new to this forum but not new to forums. I have been on different adventist forums for the last seven years. I would like to share the following with all of you, the results of many years of studying and searching. May God bless every one of you according to the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. sky

"Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled, for Jesus has promised it. Precious Saviour! His arms are open to receive us, and His great heart of love is waiting to bless us. Some seem to feel that they must be on probation and must prove to the Lord that they are reformed before they may claim His blessing."
 
Here, what Mrs. White means by "blessing" is the grace of Christ, the Spirit of Christ. "These dear souls may claim the blessing even now. They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot form a Christian character. Jesus loves to have us come to Him as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent." Faith and Works, p.38.
 
In order to be accepted of God, one need not wait one moment, he need not wait until he has made a suitable repentance before he may take hold of the grace of Christ. He may have the blessing even now! For without the grace of Christ to help his infirmities, it is impossible for him to repent and to form a Christian character.
 
"If you have a sense of need in your soul, if you hunger and thirst after righteousness, this is an evidence that Christ has wrought upon your heart, in order that He may be sought unto to do for you, through the endowment of the Holy Spirit, those things which it is impossible for you to do for yourself." Mount of Blessing, p.19.
 
While on earth, it was by His word that Christ healed the sick, stilled the storm, raised the dead, and forgave sins. He spoke the word only and it was! To the leper who said to Him, Lord, if You will, You can make me clean. The Lord spoke the word only, "I will; be cleansed," and immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matt.8:1-3. To appease the angry waves, Christ spoke the word only, "Peace; be still." And the waves immediately obeyed His voice. To the dead, He spoke the word only, "I say unto you, rise," and the dead obeyed His voice.
 
In the work of redemption there is no difference. Everything is accomplished by Christ speaking the word only. He has earned that right by the merits of His infinite sacrifice.  His word has lost none of its power. But we must receive the Scriptures as God's word to us, not written merely, but spoken! "The Scriptures are to be received as God's word to us, not written merely but spoken." Ministry of Healing, p.122. In the Bible we must hear His voice speaking to us individually. "The ten precepts of the greatest love ever presented to men are the voice of God from Heaven speaking to the soul in promise." E.G.W. 1 B.C.1105. The voice of God is the ministry of righteousness. "All Thy commandments are righteousness." Ps.119:172. Even the forgiveness of sins is the ministry of righteousness. To those who ask for forgiveness, He speaks the word only: "Thy sins be forgiven thee." And immediately their sins are forgiven and they are blessed with the righteousness of Christ, if they believe the commandments of His mouth. Job 23:12; 22:22. "I the Lord speak righteousness." Isaiah 45:19.
 
The Lord speaks to us in diverse manners. Unless we have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help our infirmities, we cannot form a Christian character. In the Bible we are to hear His voice speaking to us individually: "Grace be with you." "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Col.4:18; Phil.4:23.  And immediately the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which brings salvation, (Titus 2:11) is with us, if we believe that He speaks and it is done! We believe the commandments of His mouth! Ps.119:72. This is justification by faith and righteousness by faith. The Psalmist said, "I believe Your commandments." Ps.119:66.  
 
Thus those who believe the commandments of God's mouth possess the assurance that the God of all grace is with them to deliver them from every evil work and to preserve them for His heavenly kingdom, as long as they continue in the faith. This is the faith that is accounted for righteousness. The believing soul is justified through the merits of Christ and the work of sanctification is ongoing for he lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This is how the believing sinner is forgiven, accepted, justified, and he goes on from grace to grace and from light to a greater light!
 
These understand that there is no time between the word which the Lord speaks and the thing done! And they still hear His voice bidding them, "Continue in the faith." And they continue in the faith according to the will of God in Christ for they submit to the voice of God. As long as they submit to the voice of His word, they have the promise that "the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever," (Isaiah 32:17) for, as it is written, "All His commandments are righteousness." Ps.119:172. "I the Lord speak righteousness." Isa.45:19.

It is the will of  God that we abide in Christ and Christ in us. So the command is given, "Abide in Me and I in you." John 15:4. We immediately abide in Him and He in us if we submit to the voice of His word! "Abide in My love." Oh, how I love the law of His mouth!
 
And our peace is like a river and our righteousness as the waves of the sea:
 
"Oh! if you had hearkened unto (the voice of) My commandments. Then had your peace been as a river and your righteousness as the waves of the sea." Isaiah 48:18. "Great peace have they who love Thy law." Ps.119:165;72.

Great peace have they who love the law of His mouth!
 
And to make sure that we be not mistaken as to what His will is for us, through the merits of a crucified and risen Savior, the Lord Himself has given the command:
 
"Be filled with the Spirit." Eph.5:18.
 
We may be filled with the Spirit even now if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, provided we believe the commandments of His mouth! See Psalm 33:9.
 
If we hunger and thirst to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need not wait one moment. We may have this blessing even now! "Now is the day of salvation! Now is the accepted time." 2 Cor.6:2.
 
This is His will for us. Eph.5:17,18. The fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ (Rom.15:29) is for all who do not interpose a perverse will or an evil heart of unbelielf.
 
Thus it is written, "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart." Heb.3:7;4:7.
 
laval

The voice of God heard in His commandments is the ministry of the Spirit, of righteousness, and of life, and therefore of healing, (Prov.4:20-22) whereas, written merely with ink it is the ministry of condemnation and death. If the ministry of condemnation and death was glorious, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be! 2 Cor.3:5-9.


 
 

[Gailon Arthur Joy]

That is good enough to be my morning devotional and here on a forum!!!  If you keep this up, you could become one of our favorites. Although, I found Hakim's study quite thought provoking and inspirational.

Thank-you for that and welcome aboard.

Gailon Arthur Joy

[sky]

Thanks Gailon! glad you enjoyed it! It is an encouragement to me and thanks for welcoming me aboard.

We can safely say that if we possess the grace of Christ we possess everything we need for this life and the life which is to come, for His grace is "exceeding aboundant with faith and love." 1 Tim.1:14. But how do we receive Christ? "We receive Christ through His word. And the Holy Spirit is given to open the word of God to our understanding." M.B.112. We receive Christ through His word, not written merely, but spoken! "The word of the living God is not merely written, but psoken. The Bible is God's voice speaking to us, just as surely as though we could hear it with our ears. If we realized this, with what awe would we open God's word, and with what earnestness would we search its precepts." 6 T 393.

Notice these words which I find very illuminating in their influence and saving in their power. It is a commentary on Eph.5:14:
 
"Satan cannot hold the dead in his grasp when the Son of God bids them live. Satan cannot hold in spiritual death one soul who in faith receives Christ's word of power. God is saying to all who are dead in sin, 'Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead.' Ephesians 5:14. That word is eternal life. John 12:50. As the word of God which bade the first man live, still gives us life; as Christ's word, 'Young man, I say unto thee, Arise,' gave life to the youth of Nain, so that word, 'Arise from the dead,' is life to the soul that receives it. God 'hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.' It is all offered us in His word. If we receive the word, we have the deliverance." Desire of Ages, p.320.
 
Whosoever receives the word, "Arise from the dead" as the voice of God speaking to himself, receives Christ Himself, for the reception of the word, not written merely but spoken, is the reception of Christ Himself. In Romans 16:24,25, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, states that the commandment of the everlasting God, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all," is the preaching of Jesus Christ in verity. The grace of Jesus Christ is immediately with all and upon all who believe the commandments of His lips! See Job 23:12;22:22.
 
Whosoever thirsts and hungers for righteousness need not wait one moment until he may blot out his own sins; he need not wait until he has made a suitable repentance before he may take hold of the grace of  Christ... he may have this blessing even now! "Now is the accepted time! Now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor.6:2.
 
The Lord, through the all-sufficient merits of His infinite sacrifice, has earned every right to speak to us wonderful words of life. We sing it! But do we understand it?
 
Sing them over again to me
Wonderful words of life...
Make me more of their beauty see
Wonderful words of life.
 
Christ the blessed One
Gives to all wonderful words of life
Sinner listen to the loving call
Wonderful words of life
 
"Incline your ear, come to Me, hear and your soul shall live." Isaiah 55:3.
 
The believer may go on from grace to grace and from victory to victory, living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Only he who receives the Scriptures as the voice of God speaking to himself is a true disciple!

Thus it is written, "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart." Heb.3:7;4:7.
 
sky