The Liar's Portion! by James Smith

"All liars shall have their place in the fiery lake of burning sulfur! This is the second death!" Revelation 21:8
Lying is attempting to deceive; and every species of designed deception is lying. It is common to human nature — but it is abhorred by God. It is often practiced without fear, though thus plainly denounced in God's Word. It is even pleaded for as necessary in some cases — and yet, in every instance — the above threatening will be made good.
The promise is readily given — but as frequently broken!
In a word, lying is common in order . . .
to injure, 
to gain,
to cover up a fault, or 
to gratify an evil passion.
But, "All liars shall have their place in the fiery lake of burning sulfur!"
There is a place of punishment on purpose for liars, called "their place." It is very severe — it is called the second death, because it is separation from God, after death separates from friends. It deprives of all cheering hope, all sweet company, all bright and animating prospects! There the mind is filled with tormenting reflection, and harassed by the recollection of past follies, sins, and opportunities! There the worm of an ever-accusing conscience never dies — and the fire is never quenched!

None of God's people are habitual liars. No Christian can be a habitual liar. Every liar is forever excluded from Heaven. Every liar is daily and knowingly requesting a place in Hell.

Blessed are They that Mourn

“Therefore while the wicked continue laughing – I will continue to mourn. Through the Valley of Bochim (weeping) – I shall pass to the Heavenly Zion. But the paths of carnal mirth – will bring me into a Hell of weeping; for he who swims in sin – shall sink in sorrow! His laughter shall be turned into heaviness; but my tears shall be wiped away! I will therefore ever weep – that I may not weep forever!” 

Thomas Sherman, Divine Breathings

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

“And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Solitude Sweetened

“This is the night of weeping; and though weeping endures through the night of time, yet joy comes in the morning of eternity. I must fight while on the field of battle; and it is enough to get the crown after the battle. I am a worker, and I must not lie down to rest until the evening shadows cover my weary limbs. The world is too barren a soil to bear true joy; for where sin within and round about abounds, how can consolation triumph, which rises only as sin falls, and falls as sin rises? But in this my comfort lies—that though in the world I shall have trouble, yet in him I may be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world. Moreover, in midst of all the sorrow that now surrounds me, I have an inward joy that causes my heart to sing and blossom with the beautiful prospect of eternal joy coming from its divine fountain—which, without the least fear of returning sorrow, shall be the strength of my soul forever!”  James Meikle (1730-1799)

Poetry

           Bereaved Yet Not Bereaved
                    by maria maqui

Losing you who never were

For you are no one who aren't there,

A whiff of wind, a passing sound,

An apparition here to hound.

Devoid of truth, devoid of meaning,

You're all an empty dream recurring;

Yet not a dream but a nightmare

For after all you never were.

Earthly Loss as Heavenly Gain

Grief over  the loss of a loved one through abandonment, betrayal, or separation should not be overwhelmingly devastating. A person who has been given the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ must know by now that everything on earth is ephemeral, changing, passing: here today, gone tomorrow. God gives us a good thing and He takes it away. We fiddle with sin and He chastises us: We value earthly  pleasures; we hold on to the creature rather than the Creator and He removes from us these objects of our wrong loyalties and inordinate affections. As He is our Sovereign God and Heavenly Father, we can consider earthly loss as heavenly gain.

“Oh what grace must be in your hearts to enable you to renounce what the world so madly pursues and what your own nature so fondly loves!” J.C. Philpot

“Our affections may be taking hold on some earthly idol -- so that for our safety, God must set this idol on fire! The eye may become too attracted by something of the world. That object grows as a thick mist between us and God, so that we can no longer see Him. Seeing our danger, the Lord in His faithfulness to us -- sets fire to that object, and by the light  of that fire – we can see our way back to God!” Charles Orr

“God our Maker, God the Almighty Chastener, is said to give “songs in the night.” No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” John McDuff

Faux Ami, Faux Amour

A heartbreak, heartache, treachery, betrayal, deception, infidelity, backstabbing, and the like can be handled by viewing things in perspective. The victim can dissociate himself/herself from the situation and start to take the role not of the insider looking out but as an outsider looking in. One must know first and foremost the sovereignty of God in all things, that He is the Father who cares for His children, who blesses them and chastises them if necessary. Secondly, is the undeniable fact of man’s depravity: that man is a corrupt being, a self-centered being who will love himself first before others.

Is the culprit a believer? A regenerate? If he is not, then trusting him completely has been a serious mistake. He belongs to the kind who seduces, who fakes his character, who cheats, lies, who thoughtlessly  turns his back and accountability on people. He has no qualms about hurting his friends just to satisfy his whims.

If the offender happens to be a believer or a God-loving/God-fearing man, he won’t allow this to happen. He will be willing to face his wrongdoing, talk about it, settle it out, and ask for forgiveness. He doesn’t burn his bridges. If ending is inevitable, he will say a proper goodbye.

Lack of wisdom in trusting people no matter how kindly they treat us at the start may  lead us to a thousand regrets. Loving them blindly because we are lonely is not the most prudent and reasonable thing to do. One must be wise to distinguish the fraud from the real; people wear masks most of the time. The spirit of wickedness hovers around to devour the simple, the gullible, and the vulnerable. We must always fellowship with our fellow believers or brethren in the faith but our only purpose in reaching out to the unsaved is to bring Christ to them.

The Lord reproves and rebukes whom He loves. He will never allow us to be entangled with that which will snatch us from the palm of His Hand. He will never allow us to wander off forever and plunge into the ravine of perdition. This is the beauty of being God’s child. He allows us to fall and be wounded for our own good but lifts us up afterwards and heals us; when we repent He forgives us.

Being rational and logical in all this will save us from wasted tears, sleepless nights, and endless remorse.  What is important is that the experience did not leave us bitter or hateful or desolate or hopeless. Instead, it has taught us another of life’s hard lessons.

Finally, it should bring us to the realization that it is only Jesus Christ Who will fulfill the desires of our hearts. He is the One True Friend that we have, Who will never leave us nor forsake us. While He allows us to meet people who will deceive us, leave us, or hurt us, He will also bring people who will sincerely love us and stay with us until the end.

“A false friend-- is worse than an open enemy.” William Secker

“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.” Psalm 55:21

“No friend in the world is so constant and unchangeable in friendship as Christ is. John 13:1: ‘…having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.’ He bears with millions of provocations and wrongs, and yet will not break friendship with His people. Peter denied Him, yet will not disown him; but after His resurrection He says, ‘Go, tell the disciples, and tell Peter. Let him not think he has forfeited by that sin of his, his interest in Me. Though he denied Me, I will not disown him ‘(Mark 16:7). O how lovely is Christ in the relation of a friend!” John Flavel 

Christ Altogether Lovely (by John Flavel)

 “Yeah, he is altogether lovely. “ Song of Solomon 5:16

“Altogether lovely,” i.e., transcending all created excellencies in beauty and loveliness.

There is nothing unlovely found in Him, so all that is in Him is wholly lovely.

He embraces all things that are lovely: He seals up the sum of all loveliness.

All other loveliness can not satisfy the soul of man. But Jesus Christ is in every way sufficient to the vast desires of the soul.

The beauty and loveliness of all other things are fading and perishing; but the loveliness of Christ is fresh for all eternity. The sweetness of the best created thing is a fading flower; if not before, yet certainly at death it must fade away.  Job 4:21: “Doth not their excellency, which is in them go away? They die even without wisdom.”  Yes, yes, whether they are the natural excellencies of the body, acquired endowments of the mind, lovely features, graceful qualities, or anything else we find attractive; all these like pleasant flowers are withered, faded, and destroyed by death.  But Christ is still the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

The Inward Experience of Believers

“A believer is to be known not only by his peace and joy, but by his warfare and distress.  His peace is peculiar: it flows from Christ; it is heavenly, it is holy peace. His warfare is as peculiar: it is deep-seated, agonising, and ceases not till death.” ~Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Happiness

Man is idolatrous by nature. He idolizes himself, the world, created things and beings.The self is a narcissistic being; it can not help but pride itself before the eyes of the world. This ostentatious display of self manifests its innate desire for acceptance, affirmation, attention, adoration, accolade, honor, praises.

 

The old maxim says, “Know thyself.” The popular philosophy is “Love thyself."

But that’s not what Jesus said. “Take your cross and follow Me…”

Happiness is not being able to flaunt to the world what one owns, places visited, parties celebrated and attended, food tasted, important people rubbed elbows with. It is not being able to boast in one’s achievements, titles, accomplishments in any field of endeavor. It is not in being able to showcase one’s body, or the fashionable clothes, jewelries, and accessories one wears. Everything that the world gives is fleeting: it doesn’t last. It is something to enjoy for a moment, but  it is not something one will present before God in his final hours on his deathbed.

This world after all is not the pilgrim’s home. For the pilgrim, it is a lonely place for he does not belong to it; he only longs for his heavenly home.

True happiness is being secure of one’s salvation. It is more than happiness even. It is joy, inner joy which springs from the fact that unworthy as I am, the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed me from my sins. It is a joyful hope that one day I shall be with Him forever.

“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2

“The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship withh others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorptin in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences, he is forced to walk alone.” The Loneliness of the Christian by A.W. Tozer

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 94:19

“Thou will shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” Psalm 16:11

poetry

nightmare

by maria maqui

you are a nightmare

clothed as a dream,

dressed as an angel,

disguised as a king,

my love everlasting

who’ll make me a queen.

how would I know that

you were a joke? an act?

a clown, a jester,

an adventurous creep?

out there to dupe me

with your dirty little trick?

The Best Rest

“Sometimes the crossness of friends, sometimes the deceitfulness of friends, sometimes the loss of friends, and sometimes the death of friends interrupts our rest.

Oh! but in heaven there shall be no sin, no devil, no sinner, no false friends; there shall be nothing, there shall not be the least thing that may interrupt a saint's rest; indeed, heaven could not be heaven, did it admit of anything that might interrupt a saint's rest.”

~ Thomas Brooks,

Standing Before God

“Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?” 1 Sam. vi. 20.

And yet, before this holy Lord God, every soul must one day stand. “We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ,” says the apostle, “that every one may receive according to the things he hath done in the body.” In some sense, we may be said to stand before Him now: “for He is not far from every one of us;” nay, “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.” The consequence of this is, that there is no creature which is not manifest to His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes “of Him with whom we have to do.” With regard therefore to His own Omniscience and Omnipresence, we already stand before this holy Lord God. He is about our bed, and about our paths, and is acquainted with all our ways; nor is there a word in our tongues, or a thought in our hearts, but He knows it altogether. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
~Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778)

Wisdom

Wisdom is from God; it is the gift of the Holy Spirit. One can be erudite yet lacks godly wisdom. One may lack intellectual proficiency  yet possesses spiritual and heavenly wisdom.

Wisdom is knowing and following the will of God. It is doing what God wants and not what man or  society wants.

Wisdom is having the gift of discernment. It is believing and adhering to the truth, not subscribing to error.  It is knowing what is right from what is wrong in accordance to the commands of God. It is knowing what sin is, the appearance of sin, and what is not. It is turning back from sin (Jeremiah 25:5) and not being  like the “dog that returned to its vomit and the washed sow that wallowed in the mire" (2 Peter 2:22).

Humility is wisdom (Proverbs 11:12). Humility crashes pride. Pride is the enemy of God (Proverbs 16:5). Repentance is humility. Asking for forgiveness for a transgression towards others is humility. Giving forgiveness for the wrong of others is wisdom (Matthew 6:14-15; Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:31-32).

Patience is wisdom (James 5:7-8). Waiting on the Lord is wisdom (Psalm 130:5). Trusting and resting on the Lord’s sovereignty is wisdom (Psalm 95:3; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:11-12).

To be cautious and prudent  is to have wisdom (Proverbs 8:12; Proverbs 14:18). Careless thoughts and actions will bear wrong fruits (Proverbs 21:23). Careless words will destroy relationships (Proverbs 12:18; Matthew 12:37; James 3:6).

Lack of wisdom leads to countless mistakes in life. It leads to wrong plans, wrong decisions, wrong judgments, wrong priorities, wrong affections, wrong relationships. It follows the dictates of the deceitful  and desperately wicked heart (Jeremiah 17:9), the covetous flesh (Colossians 3:5; Romans 13:14), and the ungodly norms of society (Romans 12:2; John 17:15-18).

Lack of wisdom leads one to be fooled by the smooth tongue, by the seductive whispers of treacherous men, by the tickling-to-the-ear teachings of the wolves in the church (Proverbs 14:18). It leads one astray emotionally and spiritually.

Lack of wisdom leads one to sin.

King Solomon had everything but wisdom. When he asked God for it, God gave it to him (1 Kings 3:3; 1 Kings 4:29-34). God delights to give wisdom and gives generously to those who truly seek it (Proverb 2:2-8; James 1:5).

To love God and His precepts is wisdom (Psalm 119:7). To fear God and hate sin is wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).

To study the Word of God is wisdom (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 3:14-15; Psalm 119:11; Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:105).

In Perspective

A righteous man will respect and be truthful to the one who loves him,  but a wicked and deceitful man who masks himself under  the cloak of righteousness is bound to make a fool out of the one who loves him.

“Love does not count the cost” but propriety, respect, and good conscience dictate that expensive gifts should be returned once the friendship or relationship is over.

Effeminacy is discernible; it can not be hidden. You will hear it in his voice; you will notice it in his language, in his manner of expressing himself, whether verbal or written, in his unguarded moments, in his photos, in his character, and in the way he treats others.  He will try to show a façade of goodness and righteousness and will conceal his true self as much as he can.

The effeminate person is a bundle of complexities, eccentricities, inconsistencies, and contradictions. He can be a friend, or a foe. He can be faithful; he can be deceitful.  He can be warm and responsive; he can be cold and indifferent. He can be kind and gentle;  he can be nasty and insulting. He can be as meek as a lamb; he can be as proud as a peacock.  He can be a giver; he can be a niggard. He can be patient, caring, and sensitive; he can close the door on you and drop you anytime like a hot potato.

Idiom:  taken for a ride ~ to be deceived, to be screwed.

      

Sentence(s): His friendship was a farce. She was taken for a ride.

(Farce – pretense, masquerade, charade)

The Joy of His Salvation; the Hope in His Returning

A Christian woman may have to endure various trials in life: the indignities inflicted by a degenerate, philandering husband…the pain of betrayal and abandonment of a deceitful friend…the loneliness of having children with different spiritual beliefs where none is the biblical Christ…the frustration of being a part of a family where almost everyone practices the apostate religion.

She may wander off at times but it won’t be for long for she will suffer the Father’s chastisement.  God will cause her to repent and be grateful for God rebukes and reproves those He loves (Rev. 3:19, Deut. 8:5, Prov. 3:12, 1 Cor. 11:32, Heb. 12:6, Rev. 2:5).

For the most dreadful moment in life is for God to withold His restraining Hand and allow us to live and die in our sins.

An afflicted Christian woman knows how to keep still and wait on the Lord. Because she is God’s child, nothing can take away the joy of His salvation from her. She remains steadfast in the faith, continuously wait and hope for that glorious day of His returning. She knows that her future is secure. She trusts that God is sovereign and will hear her prayers that one day her family will  be saved.

God instills faith, obedience, and daily repentance in His children. Left on their own, they are bound to follow the enticements of the world and to give in to the lusts of their hearts.

Salvation is of the Lord.                                                              

“Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.” Psalm3:8

“Salvation was planned by the Father for His elect before the foundation of the world. It was purchased for them by the holy life and vicarious death of His incarnate Son. It is applied to and wrought in them by His Holy Spirit. It is known and enjoyed through the study of the Scriptures, through the exercise of faith, and through communion with the triune Jehovah.” A. W. Pink

All of grace

“Everything in the great work of salvation sets forth the splendor of the grace of the Most High God. What do we see in election, predestination, redemption, regeneration, and preservation, but His grace?” Don Fortner

“Between here and heaven, every minute that the Christian lives will be a minute of grace.” Charles Spurgeon

“It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end…The Christian life starts with grace,  it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace, wondrous grace.”  Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“And he said unto me,  My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. “ 2 Corinthians 12:9

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:…” Ephesians 2:8

The Good Shepherd who has a hundred sheep will leave the ninety nine to look for the lost one.

“How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?” Matthew 18:12

A Lesson Learned

Freedom from the yoke of false friendship ~

Christians don't make fools out of their friends. They don't hurt them. They don't lie to them. They don't take advantage of them. They don't take them for granted. They don't leave them out in the cold. They don't humiliate them.
Christians love their friends at all times.