NO GROUND FOR DISCOURAGEMENT.
There is absolutely no ground for discouragement to the man who believes God. He may be a crimson-dyed sinner; yet there stands the blessed, encouraging invitation: “Come on now, and let us plead together, saith Jehovah: tho your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; tho they be red as crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye shall be willing and obedient, ye shall feed on the good of the land.” Isa. 1:18, 19 (Lowth’s translation). We can not plead before that court; our sins have taken away all heart to plead, besides we have absolutely no standing there; surely our case is a dark one. But there comes One, strong, mighty, pure, sinless, with pierced feet and hands, and He stoops down to our side, and with cheering voice pleads, “Come on now, and let us plead together.” He identifies Himself with us. He puts His righteousness for our sin, His strength for our weakness, His fulness for our emptiness; His standing at court He risks—but never to lose—in our behalf. Surely there is no ground for discouragement here, when on the word of the Advocate the Judge will speak us clean. But we have sinned many times. We have slighted His mercy. We have repented and sinned again and again, till our best thoughts reek with sin. Still there is hope. Hear Him: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isa. 55:7. Yes, we believe this, believe that He will forgive all the past, but what hope is there for the future? Will not all the sins come trooping back and bring us into still sorer captivity? Nay, but our God has made promises to meet this objection by which Satan would discourage us. Listen to His prophet: “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in loving-kindness. He will again have compassion upon us; He will tread our iniquities under foot; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18, 19. Surely “there is nothing too hard for Jehovah.” In Him the sinner can trust to the utmost. “But troubles untold and innumerable come upon us when we serve Him,” says one. Yes, that is true. So they came upon the Master. Is the servant better than his Lord? What if all evils come? If all friends forsake us, we have Him left. Is He not better than all? If we lose all earthly riches, we have left “the exceeding riches of His grace,” the fulness of which eternity can never reveal. If we lose life, it is “hid with Christ in God” to be restored eternally when the Life-giver comes. O soul, believing, trusting, hoping in God, whoever you are, be not discouraged. Say with the apostle in view of all these assurances: “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There is nothing which can separate us from God and hope but sin loved and cherished. That will separate eternally. But sin given up, and God is ours and we are His forever and forever. “Be of good courage.”