If our resources have blessed you, please share them.

     “This is the resting place, let the weary rest; and this is the place of repose” Isaiah 28:12

      “You are my portion, O Lord.” Psalms 119:57

God is the only true and satisfying portion of the spirit. He is realized happiness, for which earthly schools and systems of philosophy hopelessly search. The soul, endowed with immortality, altogether fails to have its longings and aspirations satisfied with the seen and the temporal; as little as the Israelite, in the desert of the wandering, would have been satisfied with burning patches of unsheltered sand for his camping ground, as compared with the twelve refreshing springs of Elim with their seventy encircling palms.

Too truthful and suggestive is the symbolic truth conveyed by a painter in an allegorical picture of human life–children in a churchyard, sporting with soap bubbles by the side of an opened grave! The bubbles are beautiful–lustrous with rainbow tints. But, one by one, they burst, some in the air, others as they touch the fringing grass; the misty moisture of all falling into that dark hollow at their feet..

The world’s skeptic poet thus warbles in plaintive monotone:

“I fly like a bird of the air,
In search of a home to rest;
A balm for the sickness of care,
A bliss for a bosom unblest.”

Rest of the Soul

 We repeat, the only rest of the soul is in God. You cannot detain the eagle in the forest. You may gather around him a chorus of choicest birds–you may give him a perch on the finest pine–you may charge winged messengers to bring him choicest dainties. But he will spurn them all. Spreading his lordly wings, and with his eye on the Alpine cliff, he will soar away to his own ancestral halls among the munitions of rocks and the wild music of tempest and waterfall!

The heart of man, in its eagle soarings, will rest with nothing short of the Rock of Ages.

Its ancestral halls are the halls of Heaven. Its munitions of rocks are the attributes of God. The sweep of its majestic flight is Eternity! “Lord, YOU have been our dwelling place in all generations!” (Watch: Rock of Ages by Fernando Ortega)

      “Once,” says a gifted American writer, “I looked across a landscape in a season of great drought, and all the elms looked sickly and yellow, as if verging to decay. But one elm was fresh and green, as if spring showers were hourly falling upon it. Coming nearer to observe, behold! a silent river flowed at the foot of the tree; and its roots stretched far out into its living waters. So is he, in the drought and heat of this earth, whose soul is rooted in God.”

      The world has its joys and its portions too, and we do not affirm that they are devoid of attractiveness. Had this been the case, they would not be so fondly and eagerly clung to as they are. But this we can affirm, that while they are certain, sooner or later to perish, they are fitful and inconstant even while they last. They are sand-built, not rock-built. They are, at best, but the passing gleam of the meteor; not like the Christian’s happiness, the steady luster of the true constellation. On a deathbed, one memory of triumph over sin and of successfully-resisted temptation will outbid and outmatch them all. Yes, the joys of the true believer survive all others.

True Religion

True Religion is like a castle on a mountain summit, catching the earliest sunbeam, and gilded by the last evening ray. When low down in the world’s valleys, the shadows are falling and the lights are already in the windows, the radiance still tarries on these lofty peaks of gladness. That castle, moreover, is full of all kinds of furnishings. God has furnished it with every attractive blessing that can invite the weary wanderer in. He has crowded it with love-tokens, with which He may welcome back His long-absent children–just as a mother (to use again a recent illustration) decorates her room for the welcome of her absent boy. As every available nook is crowded with tokens of affection, so God has filled that castle with love-pledges. Its walls are tapestried with proofs and promises of His grace and love in Jesus.

About John MacDuff

John Ross MacDuff was born May 23, 1818 in Bonhard, Scotland and died in Chislehurst, Kent, England on April 30, 1895. He was a Presbyterian minister and Christian author of books with practical, poetic, and devotional content. MacDuff also wrote hymnr. He held Doctor of Divinity Degrees from the University of Glasgow and the University of New York and served as pastor in several churches, including the Church of Scotland.

  

Words of Wisdom from the Cloud of Witnesses:  "Cloud of Witnesses" refers to those in Heaven who have run their races and are now with the Lord. Their words of wisdom are filled with faith, hope, love, and joy that warm our souls. Their words present the eternal truths of God that grow us and give us joy. And their words strengthen our souls, equip our minds, encourage our hearts, and empower us to stand firm in our faith and be motivated, ready, and willing to share the hope we have in Jesus.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith...(Hebrews 12:1-2) 

If our resources have blessed you, please consider supporting our ministry work. Make a $60.00 (or more) donation, and you will receive our newest book, "MISINTERPRETED." The book explores misunderstood and misapplied Bible verses and passages. Thank you for any support you can give!

Quick, Safe,Easy

donate

*******

Do You Know Jesus?

The Bible clearly states that everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). It also emphasizes that while the wages of sin is death, God offers us the incredible gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, know that today is the day of salvation (Acts 28). Turn away from your sinful past and turn to Jesus. Remember, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Don’t wait—find hope and redemption!

*******

***A Hidden Message in Psalm 23?***  

Hidden in the six verses of Psalm 23 are 11 names for Jesus.  When you subscribe to our newsletter, we’ll send you The Names of God in Psalm 23 PDF that reveals all 11 names and Scripture verses of comfort and hope (link will be sent in your confirmation email).

In Case You Missed It:
Top Ten "Got Questions" in 2024

  1. The Meaning of NUMBERS in the Bible?
  2. Was Jesus CRUCIFIED on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?
  3. How are the Shepherd’s ROD and STAFF Different?
  4. The Meaning of COLORS in the Bible?
  5. How long did JOB SUFFER?
  6. How was Jesus Like a Worm? What’s the CRIMSON (OR SCARLET) WORM in Psalm 22?
  7. Jesus’ Last Days TIMELINE: the Cross and the Resurrection
  8. What are the FOUR Different PRESENTATIONS of Jesus in the Gospels?
  9. Did The Wise Men Arrive 12 DAYS AFTER JESUS’ BIRTH? Or Was It Much Later?
  10. What is the Significance of the Wise Men's THREE GIFTS? And were they kings?

2024's Top Ten "Words of Wisdom from the Cloud of Witnesses"

There is much to be learned from those who have gone before us in the faith.  Check out our Cloud of Witnesses category that features the words of departed saints who are now with the Lord in glory.  Their words equip and encourage us even to this day.  Take a few minutes to hear...

  1. ONLY ONE LIFE, Twill Soon Be Past – by C.T. Studd (1860 – 1931)
  2. THE COMING PRINCE, by Sir Robert Anderson, 1894
  3. What's the Story Behind "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood by William Cowper
  4. "Immanuel" -- A Poem by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)
  5. Prayers from Billy Graham
  6. “The Love of God is Greater Far” by Frederick M. Lehman (1917)
  7. Who Was Robert Robinson? What’s the Story Behind “Come Thou Fount”
  8. 24 Reasons Why I Love America, by John Wayne (1907-1979)
  9. The Hound of Heaven, a poem by Francis Thompson (1859–1907)
  10. 40 Quotes from Frederick Buechner (1926-2022)

This remains one of our most popular pages viewed.

Reasons for Hope* Jesus video banner

2024's TOP TEN Videos from Reasons for Hope* Jesus

  1. Memorial Day BAGPIPES TRIBUTE: Amazing Grace 
  2. RISE AND SHINE and Give God the Glory, Glory!
  3. WERE YOU THERE When They Crucified My Lord?
  4. PAUL HARVEY: THE BIRDCAGE
  5. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing -- CHARLIE BROWN Christmas
  6. JOHN WAYNE ~ WHY I LOVE AMERICA
  7. Not by Might, Not by Power, But BY MY SPIRIT says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6)
  8. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: A SOLDIER'S PLEDGE
  9. Jimmy Stewart - Nativity Scene Prayer: Mr. Krueger's Christmas
  10. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, performed by Casting Crowns

*****************

If our resources have blessed you, please share them.

SubscribeNow!

The goal of Reasons for Hope* Jesus is to help you establish your heart and anchor your soul in Jesus, and renew your mind in His Word.

 

Get equipped with knowledge!

Be encouraged in hope!

Live empowered with love! 

You have Successfully Subscribed!