“Why would men choose the world for their portion instead of God? Because of their ignorance of the great worth of this object. The devil courts man for his soul with the brutish pleasures of sin. The world woos the heart with its profits, treasures and honours, which are vain and perishing. God comes, and he offers for the heart the precious blood of his Son, the curious embroidery of his Spirit, the noble employment of angels, the fullness of joy, and the infinite satisfaction of his blessed self to all eternity. Now why is the devil’s money accepted, the world’s offer embraced, and God’s rejected? Truly, men do not know the worth of what God offers them... The devil seeks to peck out the eyes of men, that they do not see the blessed God and the happiness that is to be enjoyed in him. O how dull is the world’s glass in the presence of true crystal! The magnet of earth will not draw man’s affections while heaven is visible. He that has fed on the heavenly banquet cannot savour anything else.”
What a wonderful reminder of the rewards that would come to us if we would only turn to God’s Word more often looking for the lights of heaven. Wouldn’t our trials seem smaller and our future brighter if we were to consider what awaits those who put their trust in Christ? Let’s put away the treasures of this present world and instead “...lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven.”
Let’s ask the King of Heaven to pour out the “embroidery of his Spirit” upon us as we set our minds on things that are above.
What a beautiful description of what God offers us if we will only open the door when He knocks. When we seek Him with all our hearts and turn from what we have known that we thought, in our spiritual ignorance, was pleasure. Before I called on the name of the Lord and gave my heart to Him, my thinking was that following Him would be a burden, no fun, and impossible because of the sin I carried as baggage. When I became a "new creation" it was only then that I realized the yoke of Jesus is light, it was my sin that was the burden. Thanks Candy wonderful word pictures in this quote. DS
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