Saturday, May 27, 2006
from 'Keeping the heart' by John Flavel
If God reduces you to necessities, he therin deals no otherwise with you than he has done with some of the holiest men that ever lived. Your condition is not singular; though you have been a stranger to want, other saints have been familiarly acquainted with it. Hear what Paul says, not of himself only, but in the name of other saints reduced to like exigencies: 'Even to the present hour, we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place.' To se such a man as Paul going up and down the world naked, and hungry, and houseless; one that was so far above thee in grace and holiness; one that did more service for God in one day than perhahps thou hast done in all thy days may well put an end to you repining. Have you forgotten how much even a David has suffered? How great were his difficulties! 'Give, I pray thee,' says he to Nabal, 'whatsoever cometh to my hand, to thy servants, and to thy son David.' But why speak I of these? Behold a greater than any of them, even the Son of God, who is the heir of all things, and by whom the worlds were made, sometimes would have been glad of any thing, having nothing to eat. 'And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry; and seeing a fig tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing theron.'
Hereby then God has set no mark of hatred on you, neither can you infer want of love from want of bread. When thy repining heart puts the question, 'Was there ever sorrow like unto mine?' Ask thse worhies, and they will tell thee that though they did not complain as thou dost, yet their condition was as necessitous as thine is.
p. 83-84
Some christians dont think they will ever have problems. Sometimes God shows them they should not depend on their money and other things. They need to depend on God alone.
Hereby then God has set no mark of hatred on you, neither can you infer want of love from want of bread. When thy repining heart puts the question, 'Was there ever sorrow like unto mine?' Ask thse worhies, and they will tell thee that though they did not complain as thou dost, yet their condition was as necessitous as thine is.
p. 83-84
Some christians dont think they will ever have problems. Sometimes God shows them they should not depend on their money and other things. They need to depend on God alone.
