Tuesday, July 19, 2011

"My Soul is troubled. What shall I say? Father save Me from this hour; but for this cause I came to this hour. Father glorify Your Name!"-Jesus


"These sentences tell of a struggle within our Savior's breast, a struggle arising from the natural feelings of one who was perfect man, and as man could suffer all that man is capable of suffering. Yet He in whom this struggle took place was the Holy Son of God. "In Him is no sin." (1 John iii. 5.) There is a fountain of comfort here for all true servants of Christ, which ought never to be overlooked. Let them learn from their Lord's example that inward conflict of soul is not necessarily in itself a sinful thing. Too many, we believe, from not understanding this point, go heavily all their days on their way to heaven. They fancy they have no grace , because they find a fight in their own hearts. They refuse to take comfort in the Gospel, because they feel a battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Let them mark the experience of their Lord and Master, and lay aside their desponding fears. Let them study the experience of His saints in every age, from St. Paul downwards, and understand that as Christ had inward conflicts, so must Christians expect to have them also. To give way to doubts and unbelief, no doubt is wrong, and robs us of our peace. There is a faithless despondency, unquestionably, which is blameworthy, and must be resisted, repented of, and brought to the fountain for all sin, that it may be pardoned. But the mere presence of fight and strife and conflict in our hearts is in itself no sin. The believer may be known by his inward warfare as well as by his inward peace."- Bishop John Charles Ryle


[The piece of art is one of Rembrandt's, from 1643-49]

2 comments:

Craver Vii said...

Fight the good fight.

donsands said...

Amen bro. Faith is a different kind of fight, ain't it.
Lord bless you Craver; and your wonderful family. You know, our Lord will "never let go, through the calm and through the storm."