glorycloud's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the excellency of Christ It is 1:21 PM Tuesday afternoon here in Western Michigan. Outside it is 56 degrees and sunny, which is a divine mercy. The mercies of the LORD are new every morning as it states in the Good Book. I got up this morning around 7:14 AM. When I came upstairs Carol was getting ready to leave to have a breakfast gathering with old Nursing friends. I spent the morning while Carol was gone writing in my paper diary, reading my books, and I filmed a video for my Youtube channel. This afternoon I have been reading from a book titled, 'The Happiness Of Enjoying And Making A True And Speedy Use Of Christ' by Alexander Grosse. I will now quote from this Puritan reprint- "This is manifested by the subjection of all things under Him. All things are put under His feet (Eph. 1:22). All things high and low, great and small, visible and invisible, and present and to come are put under Christ's feet. Even as He is man, men and angels are put under Him as subjects under their sovereign and as nobles under their prince. The saints and faithful servants of God are put under Him as sheep under their shepherd, as the bride under the bridegroom, and as the members under their head. All troubles and afflictions are put under Him, as soldiers under the centurion (Matt. 8:9). All devils are put under Him, as captives under their conqueror. As Joshua trod under the necks of the kings of Canaan, so He tramples down and triumphs over all the princes of darkness. All sins and transgressions are put under Him as the offenses of a land under a king. Christ having authority to forgive them; as diseases under a physician. Christ having ability to heal all the diseases under a physician. Christ having ability to heal all the diseases of the soul; as the clouds under the sun, Christ being able to dispel and blot them out, as the sun the clouds; and as debts under a rich man, Christ being able to make full satisfaction. Death and hell are put under Him, as the opening and shutting of the house are under him who has the keys of the house (Rev. 1:18). Absolute, universal, and irresistible is Christ's jurisdiction, having all power both in heaven and earth given Him (Matt.28:18)). In this, behold those who are filled with the chiefest and choicest fullness. This is the excellency of Christ, that He is filled with all the fullness of the Godhead. And this is the excellency of the soul to be filled with the fullness of the Spirit. Of all fullness, heavenly fullness is the choicest. Christ of all creatures comes nearest to God, and His fullness is the fullness of the divine essence. Among men that are most near and most dear to God, their fullness is a fullness of heavenly gifts and graces. God often fills His enemies with earthly abilities (Ps. 17:14; Job. 21:7), as Abraham filled the hands of Ishmael with earthly possessions, as men fill pigs with husks and acorns. But His friends He fills with spiritual gifts, as Abraham gave the inheritance to Isaac, and Elkanah a worthy portion to Hannah. Spiritual fullness is a portion of the highest price, of the sweetest and choicest use, and with this fullness we must all strive to be filled. "Be not drunk," Paul said, "with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18)-with the wisdom of the Spirit, with the holiness of the Spirit, with the power of the Spirit, and with the joy and peace of the Spirit. Spiritual and heavenly fullness is proper to the Lord's servants. Let the covetous, like the rich man in the parable, fill his barns with corn; let the drunkard like they in the book of Isaiah (Is. 56:12), fill himself with worldly honors; but let the Christian fill himself with the graces of the Spirit. For this let us pray, hear, contend, and strive to be "filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:19), with the highest measure of spiritual perfection that we can attain. . ." pg. 91,92 'The Happiness Of Enjoying And Making A True And Speedy Use Of Christ' by Alexander Grosse 1:50 p.m. - 2023-11-14 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||