ED ROSS
From Ed Ross' Timbrel & Dance Weekly Publication
Portions Great & Small
(A Tuesday’s Touch Rewind - from March 31, 2009)
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3
For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 1 Corinthians 4:7
...but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12
Our Lord, in his incarnation, was granted the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). In him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9). It is not so with us who are in Christ. We are each given grace by measure according to the portion of faith which the Lord, himself, has deemed good. Among us are portions great and small. It is imperative that we never lose sight of this. To do so is apt to lead us into a form of judgement that we have no capacity to effect, whether it be regarding ourselves, or in evaluating others. If we estimate others based solely on apparent strength and fruitfulness, we may be found guilty of passing judgment on the very One who has distributed grace as He deemed fit. The Lord asks, “Who are you to judge another man’s servant” (Rom. 14:4)?
If we have been given a goodly portion of faith and giftedness, we must diligently guard ourselves from being puffed up or deeming ourselves better than others. “What do you have that you did not receive?” It may be that the stronger brother must be broken and greatly humbled before he is useful. In any event, the strong is debtor to the weak to aid and comfort. The wise is debtor to the simple to enhance the vision of heavenly things. “To whom much is given, much shall be required” (Luke 12:48).
On the other hand, there are those who, though they exhibit genuine faith, and sincerity of love and humility, yet struggle greatly to endure. Some among them must battle perennially against besetting temptations of the flesh with varying success. Yet battle they do, and they persevere in faith. These must not be despised. Nor should they despise or resent those who seem to be more victorious. They must not think their life useless or their faith in vain. From among them, I am convinced, will come the greatest crowns. For they have demonstrated the power of little faith, and in their weakness have landed the most sever blows to the cheekbone of the wicked one.
If our struggles are of our own doing due to neglect of Christian duty, or carelessness in guarding our souls, then we need to repent and draw near to the Lord. If our success is the fruit of natural abilities and worldly methods, we must do likewise. And, while those who are leaders in the churches must deal with overt sinfulness that harms and divides the body, they must also be very diligent not to pluck the wheat up with the chaff, or to overburden or condemn those who are being held in the arms of the Shepherd. (Isaiah 4o:11).
Portions great and small have been distributed among us. And the bottom line is that every part is necessary, and every part is dependent upon the other for Christ’s Body to be healthy and complete. (1Corinth. 12:14-26) .
Lord, when I hear thy children talk,
(And I believe ’tis often true),
How with delight thy ways they walk,
And gladly thy commandments do;
In my own breast I look and read
Accounts so very different there,
That, had I not thy blood to plead,
Each sight would sink me to despair.
Needy, and naked, and unclean,
Empty of good, and full of ill,
A lifeless lump of loathsome sin,
Without the power to act or will.
I feel my fainting spirits droop;
My wretched leanness I deplore;
Till gladdened with a gleam of hope
From this, The Lord has blessed the poor.
Then, while I make my secret moan,
Upwards I cast my eyes, and see,
Though I have nothing of my own,
My treasure is immense in thee.
My treasure is thy precious blood;
Fix there my heart, and for the rest,
Under thy forming hands, my God,
Give me that frame which thou lik’st best.
Joseph Hart (1712-1768) -T&DW
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
But Grace and Truth by Christ Are Given
Is then the law of God untrue,
Which He by Moses gave?
No: [unless] to take it in this view
That it has power to save.
Legal obedience were complete,
Could we the law fulfill:
But no man ever did so yet;
And no man ever will.
The law was never meant to give
New strength to man s lost race;
We cannot act before we live,
And life proceeds from grace.
But grace and truth by Christ are given,
To Him must Moses bow;
Grace fits the new-born soul for heaven,
And truth informs us how.
By Christ we enter into rest,
And triumph o er the fall;
Whoe er would be completely blest,
Must trust to Christ for all."
Joseph Hart (1712-1768) -T&DW
________________________
Quote of the Week
Charle H. Spurgeon 1816 - 1900
“If I knew that I must die in a ditch and be forgotten, or slandered and abhorred by men, I would yet rejoice and cry ‘Hosanna’ at the prospect of my Lord’s sure victory.”
Spurgeon’s Sermons: Volume 32, p610.
Cited from “2200 Quotations from the Writings
of Charles H. Spurgeon” p.104 compiled by Tom
Carter. Baker 1998
-T&DW
________________________
Walking with Jesus... a devotional minute.
Whose Servant?
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
Mammon is the personification of material gain, the god of avarice. Jesus says that no one can serve mammon and the Lord. Either our life and our possessions are under the lordship of Christ, or we are idolaters. (Hear me squirming?) Is my employment, whatever it be, first about serving Christ, or getting a paycheck? Are my plans and goals about being faithful to Him, or about acquiring and/or enjoying “the good life”? Am I a good steward, a fountain of blessing to others, or am I in bondage to debt because I need the instant gratification of “stuff”; have I become a sinkhole of need?
There is a great liberty in having little; there is a great responsibility in having much. May we say with Paul,
I have learned in whatever state I am,
to be content: I know how to be abased,
and I know how to abound. Phil 4:11-12
-ejr3
________________________
The Timbrel & Dance Weekly
August 03, 2010
Vol. 1 No. 13
The Timbrel & Dance Weekly is published by
Pastor Ed Ross, Springwood Chapel,
2360 Springwood Road, York, Pennsylvania 17402.
Phone: 717-741-3616
Email: pastored@springwoodchapel.com
Visit us at SpringwoodChapel.com
Also available at ChristMyCovenant.com
Unaltered non-commercial republication of any content permitted.
(A Tuesday’s Touch Rewind - from March 31, 2009)
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3
For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 1 Corinthians 4:7
...but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12
Our Lord, in his incarnation, was granted the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). In him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9). It is not so with us who are in Christ. We are each given grace by measure according to the portion of faith which the Lord, himself, has deemed good. Among us are portions great and small. It is imperative that we never lose sight of this. To do so is apt to lead us into a form of judgement that we have no capacity to effect, whether it be regarding ourselves, or in evaluating others. If we estimate others based solely on apparent strength and fruitfulness, we may be found guilty of passing judgment on the very One who has distributed grace as He deemed fit. The Lord asks, “Who are you to judge another man’s servant” (Rom. 14:4)?
If we have been given a goodly portion of faith and giftedness, we must diligently guard ourselves from being puffed up or deeming ourselves better than others. “What do you have that you did not receive?” It may be that the stronger brother must be broken and greatly humbled before he is useful. In any event, the strong is debtor to the weak to aid and comfort. The wise is debtor to the simple to enhance the vision of heavenly things. “To whom much is given, much shall be required” (Luke 12:48).
On the other hand, there are those who, though they exhibit genuine faith, and sincerity of love and humility, yet struggle greatly to endure. Some among them must battle perennially against besetting temptations of the flesh with varying success. Yet battle they do, and they persevere in faith. These must not be despised. Nor should they despise or resent those who seem to be more victorious. They must not think their life useless or their faith in vain. From among them, I am convinced, will come the greatest crowns. For they have demonstrated the power of little faith, and in their weakness have landed the most sever blows to the cheekbone of the wicked one.
If our struggles are of our own doing due to neglect of Christian duty, or carelessness in guarding our souls, then we need to repent and draw near to the Lord. If our success is the fruit of natural abilities and worldly methods, we must do likewise. And, while those who are leaders in the churches must deal with overt sinfulness that harms and divides the body, they must also be very diligent not to pluck the wheat up with the chaff, or to overburden or condemn those who are being held in the arms of the Shepherd. (Isaiah 4o:11).
Portions great and small have been distributed among us. And the bottom line is that every part is necessary, and every part is dependent upon the other for Christ’s Body to be healthy and complete. (1Corinth. 12:14-26) .
Lord, when I hear thy children talk,
(And I believe ’tis often true),
How with delight thy ways they walk,
And gladly thy commandments do;
In my own breast I look and read
Accounts so very different there,
That, had I not thy blood to plead,
Each sight would sink me to despair.
Needy, and naked, and unclean,
Empty of good, and full of ill,
A lifeless lump of loathsome sin,
Without the power to act or will.
I feel my fainting spirits droop;
My wretched leanness I deplore;
Till gladdened with a gleam of hope
From this, The Lord has blessed the poor.
Then, while I make my secret moan,
Upwards I cast my eyes, and see,
Though I have nothing of my own,
My treasure is immense in thee.
My treasure is thy precious blood;
Fix there my heart, and for the rest,
Under thy forming hands, my God,
Give me that frame which thou lik’st best.
Joseph Hart (1712-1768) -T&DW
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
But Grace and Truth by Christ Are Given
Is then the law of God untrue,
Which He by Moses gave?
No: [unless] to take it in this view
That it has power to save.
Legal obedience were complete,
Could we the law fulfill:
But no man ever did so yet;
And no man ever will.
The law was never meant to give
New strength to man s lost race;
We cannot act before we live,
And life proceeds from grace.
But grace and truth by Christ are given,
To Him must Moses bow;
Grace fits the new-born soul for heaven,
And truth informs us how.
By Christ we enter into rest,
And triumph o er the fall;
Whoe er would be completely blest,
Must trust to Christ for all."
Joseph Hart (1712-1768) -T&DW
________________________
Quote of the Week
Charle H. Spurgeon 1816 - 1900
“If I knew that I must die in a ditch and be forgotten, or slandered and abhorred by men, I would yet rejoice and cry ‘Hosanna’ at the prospect of my Lord’s sure victory.”
Spurgeon’s Sermons: Volume 32, p610.
Cited from “2200 Quotations from the Writings
of Charles H. Spurgeon” p.104 compiled by Tom
Carter. Baker 1998
-T&DW
________________________
Walking with Jesus... a devotional minute.
Whose Servant?
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24
Mammon is the personification of material gain, the god of avarice. Jesus says that no one can serve mammon and the Lord. Either our life and our possessions are under the lordship of Christ, or we are idolaters. (Hear me squirming?) Is my employment, whatever it be, first about serving Christ, or getting a paycheck? Are my plans and goals about being faithful to Him, or about acquiring and/or enjoying “the good life”? Am I a good steward, a fountain of blessing to others, or am I in bondage to debt because I need the instant gratification of “stuff”; have I become a sinkhole of need?
There is a great liberty in having little; there is a great responsibility in having much. May we say with Paul,
I have learned in whatever state I am,
to be content: I know how to be abased,
and I know how to abound. Phil 4:11-12
-ejr3
________________________
The Timbrel & Dance Weekly
August 03, 2010
Vol. 1 No. 13
The Timbrel & Dance Weekly is published by
Pastor Ed Ross, Springwood Chapel,
2360 Springwood Road, York, Pennsylvania 17402.
Phone: 717-741-3616
Email: pastored@springwoodchapel.com
Visit us at SpringwoodChapel.com
Also available at ChristMyCovenant.com
Unaltered non-commercial republication of any content permitted.