“Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.” - John_21:12
In these words the believer is invited to a holy nearness to Jesus. “Come and dine,” implies the same table, the same meat; aye, and sometimes it means to sit side by side, and lean our head upon the Saviour’s bosom. It is being brought into the banqueting-house, where waves the banner of redeeming love. “Come and dine,” gives us a vision of union with Jesus, because the only food that we can feast upon when we dine with Jesus is himself. Oh, what union is this! It is a depth which reason cannot fathom, that we thus feed upon Jesus. “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” It is also an invitation to enjoy fellowship with the saints. Christians may differ on a variety of points, but they have all one spiritual appetite; and if we cannot all feel alike, we can all feed alike on the bread of life sent down from heaven. At the table of fellowship with Jesus we are one bread and one cup. As the loving cup goes round we pledge one another heartily therein. Get nearer to Jesus, and you will find yourself linked more and more in spirit to all who are like yourself, supported by the same heavenly manna. If we were more near to Jesus we should be more near to one another. We likewise see in these words the source of strength for every Christian. To look at Christ is to live, but for strength to serve him you must “come and dine.” We labour under much unnecessary weakness on account of neglecting this percept of the Master. We none of us need to put ourselves on low diet; on the contrary, we should fatten on the marrow and fatness of the gospel that we may accumulate strength therein, and urge every power to its full tension in the Master’s service. Thus, then, if you would realize nearness to Jesus, union with Jesus, love to his people and strength from Jesus, “come and dine” with him by faith.
“With thee is the fountain of life.” - Psalm_36:9
There are times in our spiritual experience when human counsel or sympathy, or religious ordinances, fail to comfort or help us. Why does our gracious God permit this? Perhaps it is because we have been living too much without him, and he therefore takes away everything upon which we have been in the habit of depending, that he may drive us to himself. It is a blessed thing to live at the fountain head. While our skin- bottles are full, we are content, like Hagar and Ishmael, to go into the wilderness; but when those are dry, nothing will serve us but “Thou God seest me.” We are like the prodigal, we love the swine-troughs and forget our Father’s house. Remember, we can make swine-troughs and husks even out of the forms of religion; they are blessed things, but we may put them in God’s place, and then they are of no value. Anything becomes an idol when it keeps us away from God: even the brazen serpent is to be despised as “Nehushtan,” if we worship it instead of God. The prodigal was never safer than when he was driven to his father’s bosom, because he could find sustenance nowhere else. Our Lord favours us with a famine in the land that it may make us seek after himself the more. The best position for a Christian is living wholly and directly on God’s grace-still abiding where he stood at first-”Having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” Let us never for a moment think that our standing is in our sanctification, our mortification, our graces, or our feelings, but know that because Christ offered a full atonement, therefore we are saved; for we are complete in him. Having nothing of our own to trust to, but resting upon the merits of Jesus-his passion and holy life furnish us with the only sure ground of confidence. Beloved, when we are brought to a thirsting condition, we are sure to turn to the fountain of life with eagerness. Spurgeon
All systems of theology, except that which is founded upon free grace, in some way or other take off the edge of guilt. Spurgeon
Within the Scripture there is a balm for every wound, a salve for every sore. Spurgeon
Old-fashioned believers could give you chapter and verse for what they believed; but how few of such remain! Spurgeon
"I want to be one of those rare Christians whose very presence incites others to also be better Christians." AW Tozer
To me the Bible is not God, but it is God’s voice, and I do not hear it without awe. Spurgeon
Let us see now one more proof of the unspeakable importance of the death of Christ. Let us treasure up His gracious sayings. Let us strive to walk in the steps of His holy life. Let us prize His intercession. Let us long for His second coming. But never let us forget that the crowning fact in all we know of Jesus Christ, is His death upon the cross. From that death flow all our hopes. Without that death we would have nothing solid beneath our feet. May we prize that death more and more every year we live; and in all our thoughts about Christ, rejoice in nothing so much as the great fact that He died for us! ~ J.C. Ryle
Devotion to God will be found to be the basis of holiness. If you backslide in secret before God, you will soon err in public before men. Spurgeon
If we only spent more of our time in looking at Him we should soon forget ourselves. - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Emotions are not fired by logic; and yet reasons furnish fuel for the flame. Spurgeon
You must be made miserable before you can know true Christian joy. - M. Lloyd-Jones
Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength. Spurgeon
Indeed the real trouble with the miserable Christian is that he has never been truly made miserable because of conviction of sin- M. Lloyd-Jones
Every sin of the elect was laid upon the great Champion of our salvation, and by the atonement carried away. Spurgeon
Holiness is not something we are called upon to do in order that we may become something; it is something we are to do because of what we already are. M. Lloyd-Jones
If we will only think, we shall begin to thank. Spurgeon
Faith is the refusal to panic - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
There are two great certainties about things that shall come to pass—one is that God knows, and the other is that we do not know. Spurgeon
And here's a lovely video: http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html
Enjoy!
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