Heavenly Springs

Holding Fast The Doctrines of Grace

The Blessing of Weakness

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“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will glory all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak–then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“There is a blessing in weakness–because it nourishes dependence on God. When we are strong, or deem ourselves strong–we are really weak, since then we trust in ourselves, and do not seek Divine help. But when we are consciously weak, knowing ourselves unequal to our duties and struggles–we are strong, because then we turn to Christ, and get His strength.

Too many people think that their weakness a barrier to their usefulness; or make it an excuse for doing little with their life. Instead of this, however, if we give it to Christ–He will transform our weakness into strength. He says that His power is made perfect in weakness; that is, what is lacking in human strength–He fills and makes up with divine strength. Paul had learned this, when he said that he now gloried in his weaknesses, because on account of them–the strength of Christ rested upon him, so that, when he was weak–then he was strong–strong with Divine strength.

We need only to make sure of one thing–that we do indeed bring our weakness to Christ, and lean on Him in simple faith. This is the vital link in getting the blessing. Weakness itself is a burden; it is like chains upon our limbs. If we try to carry it alone–we shall only fail. But if we lay it on the strong Son of God–and let Him carry us and our burden, going on quietly and firmly in the way of duty–He will make our very weakness–a secret source of strength. He will not take the weakness from us–that is not His promise–but He will so fill it with His own power–that we shall be strong, more than conquerors, able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens us!

This is the blessed secret of having our burdening weakness, transformed into strength. The secret can be found only in Christ. And in Him–it can be found by every humble, trusting disciple.”

– J.R. Miller (GraceGems)

Luther on Trials and Tribulation

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“All heaviness of mind and melancholy come of the devil; especially these thoughts, that God is not gracious unto him: that God will have no mercy upon him. Whosoever thou art, possessed with such heavy thoughts, know for certain, that they are a work of the devil. God sent his Son into the world, not to affright, but to comfort. Therefore be of good courage, and think, that henceforward thou art not the child of a human creature, but of God, through faith in Christ, in whose name thou art baptized; therefore the spear of death cannot enter into thee; he has no right unto thee, much less can he hurt or prejudice thee, for he is everlastingly swallowed up through Christ.”

Luther, Martin (2012-09-21). The Table Talk of Martin Luther (pp. 160-161). Dover Publications. Kindle Edition.

All Life’s Tangles by JR Miller

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Church window Zoom at night, originally uploaded by HamWithCam.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Our affairs are forever getting tangled, like threads in a child’s hands—and we cannot straighten out the tangles ourselves! We cannot see how anything beautiful or good can come out of our poor living, or our feeble striving.

Our days are full of disappointments, and our night’s rest is broken by anxieties. Yet it is the Christian’s privilege to commit all life’s tangles into the hands of Jesus Christ. He can take our broken things—and build them up into beauty.

One of the finest windows in a great cathedral is said to have been made out of the fragments of  broken glass which the workmen had thrown away as worthless. A skillful hand gathered them up—and wrought them into lovely form.

Just so, Jesus Christ can take our failures, our mistakes, our follies, our broken fragments of life, even our sins, and  make them into beautiful life and character!

“Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

“Morning Thoughts” 1906

Zelophehad’s Feisty Females Of Faith: Encouragement For Those Who Did Not Grow Up With Believing Parents Or Role Models

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This is a commentary on Numbers 27 that is absolutely worth sharing. To provide context, in Numbers 27 we learn of a man named Zelophehad who died as a consequence of his sin during the wilderness era.  While he wasn’t involved in the infamous Korah’s rebellion, somewhere along the way Zelophehad sinned and his unbelief cost him his life.  He left behind 5 daughters but no sons.  This meant, according to the inheritance laws of the day, that Zelophehad’s name would disappear.  In the ancient world, only sons could inherit land.  But the daughters of Zelophehad were a feisty bunch.  They boldly appealed to Moses and the elders asking, “Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son?  Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”  Moses listened intently and brought the case before the LORD who answered, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right.  You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them”  (Nu. 27:7).  Listen as Iain Duguid and Kent Hughes explain how the implications of this judgement go beyond the immediate:

“Do you see the significance of this ruling? There is much more at stake here than ancient civil rights for women. Here the Lord was declaring once again that the effects of his grace are wider than the judgment of death caused by man’s sin. The theme that we saw in the future given to the sons of Korah in spite of their father’s sin emerges again in the future given to the name of Zelophehad through his daughters in spite of his death for sin. Even if the parents were judged for their sins, the children might still have a future in the Lord, through his grace and mercy.

This is indeed good news for the next generation, and for us too. Some of us may have similar personal testimonies. Our parents, perhaps, did not walk with the Lord or have faith in Christ. As a result, we grew up with no knowledge of the gospel and no expectation of a relationship with God. We were strangers and aliens to the people of God, outsiders to his promises. Yet here we are, the next generation, trophies of God’s grace that has rescued us and given us lives that were different. Do we ever stop to marvel at what God has done for us? Now we have the opportunity to pass on to our children something we never received from our parents.

This is not the only “new” theme in Numbers 27 either. We also see a new attitude exemplified in what we might call Zelophehad’s feisty females of faith. Notice what these women are asking Moses for: they don’t want the right to vote or a say in the running of the country (though neither of those things are necessarily bad). Rather, what they want is an inheritance in a land that was promised by God but not yet possessed. They are indeed young women of faith, quite different from their parents. In the ancient world you would expect leadership to come from the older generation, especially from the men; yet these young women had far more faith than their fathers. Unlike the men of the former generation, who had lacked the faith to enter the land when it lay at their feet, their female children declared in essence, “The land is ours, and we want our share!” They believed God’s word of promise and acted accordingly, and so they fittingly received what they asked from the Lord. No Israelite would ever have a stronger claim to their land than these daughters of Zelophehad.

There is a challenge here for Christians of all ages. Mature men should certainly be leading the people of God, modeling the life of faith for the next generation, instead of abdicating that leadership role. Mature women should provide examples for their spiritual daughters to follow (Titus 2:3–5). Yet when the older generation has failed to provide the proper lead, there is a challenge here to the younger generation to learn from Zelophehad’s daughters to step forward in faith to fill in the failings of those who have gone before. ”

Iain M. Duguid and R. Kent Hughes, Numbers: God’s Presence in the Wilderness, Preaching the Word, 305-06 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006).