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James Smith, “The Love of Christ! The Fullness, Freeness, and Immutability of the Savior’s Grace Displayed!”)

“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering!” Isaiah 48:10

The love of Jesus will not preserve His people from trials–but rather, assures them of trials! All whom He loves–He chastens! He has a furnace to purge our dross, and refine our souls. His Word and the Spirit reveal to us our defilement and impurity–and His grace and providence co-operate to remove them. “I am the Lord God, who sanctifies you.”

It is divine love which . . .
prepares the furnace,
kindles the flame,
brings the Christian into it,
superintends the whole process, and
brings him out as gold, seven times purified!

“From all your filthiness and from all your idols, I will cleanse you!” He cleanses them in the laver of the Word by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit. But He also cleanses them by a variety of afflictive dispensations, through which He causes them to pass.

Our sin calls for trials–His love sends them!

Our nature repines at trials–but grace submits to them!

Our corruption is enraged at trials–but the Spirit sanctifies them to our good, and our Savior’s glory.

He makes His people choice ones–in the “furnace of affliction!” He says, “I will put you into the fire–and will purely purge away your dross.”

Believer, never repine at your trials, nor be over-anxious for their removal. They are appointed by Jesus as your Purifier–and are choice blessings in disguise!

Seek their sanctification,
wrestle with God that you may see His love in every stroke, and
look to Jesus that you may enjoy His presence when passing through the flame!

Nothing can hurt you–while Jesus is near you; and He is never nearer to you–than when you are in the furnace! For He sits right there as the Refiner . . .
watching the process,
regulating the heat, and
waiting to effect a gracious deliverance–when the ends of His love are answered.

He is only preparing you for fresh manifestations of His glory–and fitting you for larger communications of His love.

In the furnace, you will lose nothing that is worth keeping–but you will obtain what is truly valuable!

The flesh and the soul need constant cleansings–for corruption is so deeply rooted in our nature, that it takes a long and painful process to purge it out! But in reference to the furnace, your Lord says, “The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness, to take away all her sin

Total Inability explained.
R.W. Glenn

Adam and his offspring are no more discharged of their duties [to God], because they have no strength to do them, than a debtor is quitted of his bond, because he wants [= lacks] money to pay it.

In other words, simply because you have no power to obey God doesn’t mean you don’t have to. That’s like saying a debtor doesn’t have to pay his creditor because he has no money to pay him – his powerlessness doesn’t release him of his obligation. The same is true for us. We owe God our allegiance. We refused to pay it to him in the Garden. He punished us by impoverishing us of our ability to come to him, a punishment we deserved. Our impoverished circumstances, come about by our own fault, do not release us from the debt we owe to God or make God unjust in requiring us to pay.

This is one of the many things that makes grace so amazing! God overcomes our inability by giving us eyes to see and ears to hear his call to come to him. He doesn’t have to do this. After all, our inability is deserved. But because of his great love for us, he is willing to show us mercy by causing us to be born again.

(James Smith, “Abide with Me” 1859)

One great part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart is to . . .
empty us,
strip us of self,
lead us to feel our own weakness, and
bring us as poor sinners to look to Jesus alone, as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
And just in proportion as we feel our need of Christ, and realize our absolute nothingness without Christ–shall we prize Him, enjoy Him, and exercise dependence upon Him.

O how little do many of us know our need of Christ, and therefore it is that we . . .
make so little use of Christ,
receive so little from Christ,
and do so little for Christ!

We come to Him at first–as poor, lost, helpless sinners–that we may be saved by His merit and mercy. And as believers, we must continually come to Him . . .
with all our burdens–that He may bear them;
with all our cares–that He may manage them;
with all our sorrows–that He may sanctify them;
with all our foes–that He may conquer them;
with all our sins–that He may cleanse them; and
with all our needs–that He may supply them.

All that we need is in Christ–and it is in Christ, for us. Our sense of our need of Christ, if it is deep and increasing–will lead us to daily come to Christ for all our supplies.

Our deep necessity fits us for Christ–and His infinite fullness fits Him for us!

Our trials, troubles, temptations, disappointments, and vexations are to teach us our need of Christ; and drive us continually to Him.

There is often much prayer–and yet little communion with Christ. We should realize that He is giving us His whole attention. He expects us to tell Him . . .
all that troubles us,
all that grieves us,
all that pleases us,
all that we need,
and all that we desire.
We should keep back nothing from Him–but speak to Him freely on every subject, and every circumstance. He is always with us, listening to us, and sympathetically entering into all our concerns!

We must be intimate with Christ.
We must walk with Him.
We must carry everything to Him.
We must seek all we need from Him.
We must be constantly . . .
going to Christ,
conversing with Christ,
and obtaining from Christ–
if we would receive the consoling influences of His love!

“Then Jesus said to His disciples: If anyone would come after Me–he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me!” Matthew 16:24

Salvation is undoubtedly all of grace. It is offered freely in the Gospel to the chief of sinners–without money and without price. But all who receive this great salvation, must prove the reality of their faith–by carrying their cross after Christ. They must not think to enter Heaven without trouble, pain, suffering, and conflict on earth. They must be content to take up . . .
the cross of DOCTRINE–holding a faith which the world despises; and
the cross of PRACTICE–the cross of living a life which the world ridicules as too strict, and righteous over much.

They must be willing . . .
to crucify the flesh,
to mortify the deeds of the body,
to fight daily with the devil,
to come out from the world, and
to lose their lives, if needful, for Christ’s sake.

These are hard sayings, but they admit of no evasion. The words of our Lord are plain and unmistakable. If we will not carry the cross–we shall never wear the crown!

“Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me, cannot be My disciple!” Luke 14:27

-J.C. Ryle