"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. 1 Peter 1:24, 25

 
J. C. Philpot - Daily Portions

      "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." 1 Peter 1:24, 25
     
      All flesh, and everything that springs from the flesh, and is connected with the flesh, is as grass, which, for a time, looks green and flourishing, but touched with the mower's scythe, or scorched by the midday sun, soon withers and fades away. Such is all flesh, without exception, from the highest to the lowest. As in nature, some grass grows thicker and longer than other, and makes, for a while, a brighter show, yet the scythe makes no distinction between the light crop and the heavy, so the scythe of death mows down with equal sweep the rich and the poor, and lays in one common grave all the children of men. You have seen sometimes in the early spring the grass in flower, and you have noticed those little yellowish "anthers," as they are termed, which tremble at every breeze. This is "the flower of grass;" and though so inconspicuous as almost to escape observation, yet as much its flower as the tulip or the rose is the flower of the plant which bears each. Now, as the grass withereth, so the flower thereof falleth away. It never had, at its best state, much permanency or strength of endurance, for it hung as by a thread, and it required but a little gust of wind to blow it away, and make it as though it never had been. Such is all the pride of the flesh, and all the glory of man.
     
      But is there nothing that endures amidst all that thus withers and falls away? Yes, the word of the Lord. "And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." Now, the same gospel which was preached by the Apostles is preached unto us in the word of truth which we have in our hands; and if we have received that gospel into a believing heart, we have received for ourselves that word of the Lord which endureth for ever. And thus, though all our own flesh is as grass, and all in which we might naturally glory is but as the flower of grass, and though this grass must wither in death, and the flower thereof shall fall away, when the place which now knoweth us shall know us no more, yet we have an enduring substance in the gospel of the grace of God, and, so far as we have received that gospel, and known it to be the power of God unto salvation, when our earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

"And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre" (Matt. 27:61).

  
Streams in the Desert

      Waiting For Resurrection
      
      "And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre" (Matt. 27:61).
     
      How strangely stupid is grief. It neither learns nor knows nor wishes to learn or know. When the sorrowing sisters sat over against the door of God's sepulchre, did they see the two thousand years that have passed triumphing away? Did they see anything but this: "Our Christ is gone!"
     
      Your Christ and my Christ came from their loss; Myriad mourning hearts have had resurrection in the midst of their grief; and yet the sorrowing watchers looked at the seed-form of this result, and saw nothing. What they regarded as the end of life was the very preparation for coronation; for Christ was silent that He might live again in tenfold power.
     
      They saw it not. They mourned, they wept, and went away, and came again, driven by their hearts to the sepulchre. Still it was a sepulchre, unprophetic, voiceless, lusterless.
     
      So with us. Every man sits over against the sepulchre in his garden, in the first instance, and says, "This woe is irremediable. I see no benefit in it. I will take no comfort in it." And yet, right in our deepest and worst mishaps, often, our Christ is lying, waiting for resurrection.
     
      Where our death seems to be, there our Saviour is. Where the end of hope is, there is the brightest beginning of fruition. Where the darkness is thickest, there the bright beaming light that never is set is about to emerge. When the whole experience is consummated, then we find that a garden is not disfigured by a sepulchre. Our joys are made better if there be sorrow in the midst of them. And our sorrows are made bright by the joys that God has planted around about them. The flowers may not be pleasing to us, they may not be such as we are fond of plucking, but they are heart-flowers, love, hope, faith, joy, peace--these are flowers which are planted around about every grave that is sunk in the Christian heart.
     
      "'Twas by a path of sorrows drear
      Christ entered into rest;
      And shall I look for roses here,
      Or think that earth is blessed?
      Heaven's whitest lilies blow
      From earth's sharp crown of woe.

      Who here his cross can meekly bear,
      Shall wear the kingly purple there."

Within You

By Robert S. Candlish


"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly ..." (Col. 3:16).


Let the word of Christ so dwell in you. Let it be Christ himself, dwelling in you; Christ himself, the living word. Let his word, or himself the word, dwell in you richly; moulding, fashioning, vivifying, regulating, your whole inner man; all its powers, faculties, affections; its susceptibilities and sensibilities; its movements of will. Let his word, let himself in his word, give his own tone and temper to all your emotions of joy and sorrow; of fear, or anxiety or love, or hope. 

Let all within you be thus imbued, not stiffly and artificially, but spontaneously and gladly, with the word of Christ dwelling in you richly by the Spirit; and so becoming Christ himself dwelling in you as the word of life. Then, let there go forth from you, not stiffly and artificially, but spontaneously and gladly and lovingly, streams of overflowing benignity and benevolence; rich and gracious influences of holy zeal and love and joy; to the glory of God, celebrated in songs of praise; and the edifying of the church, in wise teaching and admonition.

How the Rich Man Became Poor

By Brownlow North


"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off . . . and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me . . . for I am tormented in this flame." (Luke 16:22-24, KJV)

The Scripture gives a brief summation of two men's lives and deaths, one rich and one a poor beggar. It is not said that the beggar had any funeral. Man paid him no honor, but he had the honor that comes only from God: the beggar died and "the angels carried him to heaven." It is expressly recorded, however, that the rich man was buried. Doubtless the pomp and pageantry of his funeral was all that he would have desired if had been on earth. But while the appointed mourners followed the dead body to the burying place and fixed the flattering monument in its place, where was the rich man himself?

Jesus tells us that the rich man was confined in hell's torments. Both the beggar and the rich man died, but how different to each the judgment that followed! The beggar died and, by the judgment of God, went immediately to heaven. The rich man died and, by the judgment of God, went immediately to hell.

This passage of Scripture clearly contradicts the unscriptural doctrine that there is no hell. Let no man deceive you. There is no repentance in the grave. Once a man is dead, the teaching of the Bible is that there can never again be any place found for mercy. As it was with the rich man and the beggar, so will it be with us all. Immediately after death, our portions will be fixed in heaven or in hell unchangeably and forever.

Seeing that we have arrived at the reality that the rich man was lost, there arises the all-important question: What was his sin? That it was soul destroying is quite clear, for it barred him from heaven and sank him in everlasting ruin. But what was it? His riches were not his sin. It is no sin to be rich. Abraham, called in Scripture the friend of God (2 Chron. 20:7), was rich. So were David, Solomon, Joseph, and many other saints in the Bible. Yet these were all saved when they died. No, it was not his wealth that kept the rich man out of heaven. What, then, was his sin?

The answer to this question will bring to light the sin--the fundamental cause of the destruction of every man who has or ever will perish. In order to answer this important question, we must first explore in what condition the rich man really was. In respect to his wealth, his circumstances were unlike the majority of others. Few, comparatively, are placed as he was in such a position of ease and affluence as to enable him to command at will all the good things of this world. Despite his position of privilege, the rich man shared a need in common with the rest of humanity. Though he probably never knew it while on earth, he was born with the greatest of all needs, a need that no person, whether rich or poor, has ever been born without--the rich man was born without God.

The need for God is the universal need of every human being. Whatever may be the differences among people, in this every person is alike. We are all born into the world without God, and, unless between our birth and our grave we are born again of God the Spirit, we live and die without God. In such a case, though we have gained the whole world, it would have been better for us if we had never been born at all.

Paul, in writing to the converts he had made at Ephesus, describes to them what they were like before they were converted. His description fits every person ever to live. "At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). Now this little verse can be summed up in two words: "without God." The person without Christ is an alien and a stranger to all true good. If he has any other hope for the future, it is unscriptural and soul deceiving, for as sure as he dies without God, he will perish, as did the rich man. This kind of person, no matter what may be the prosperity of his worldly circumstances, is a far more miserable and pitiable object than the beggar ever was.

This Experience Must Come

By Oswald Chambers


'And he saw him no more.'
2 Kings 2:12

It is not wrong to depend upon Elijah as long as God gives him to you, but remember the time will come when he will have to go; when he stands no more to you as your guide and leader, because God does not intend he should. You say - "I cannot go on without Elijah." God says you must.

Alone at your Jordan. v.14. Jordan is the type of separation where there is no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one can take the responsibility for you. You have to put to the test now what you learned when you were with your Elijah. You have been to Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are up against it alone. It is no use saying you cannot go; this experience has come, and you must go. If you want to know whether God is the God you have faith to believe Him to be, then go through your Jordan alone.

Alone at your Jericho. v.15. Jericho is the place where you have seen your Elijah do great things. When you come to your Jericho you have a strong disinclination to take the initiative and trust in God, you want someone else to take it for you. If you remain true to what you learned with Elijah, you will get the sign that God is with you.

Alone at your Bethel. v.23. At your Bethel you will find yourself at your wits' end and at the beginning of God's wisdom. When you get to your wits' end and feel inclined to succumb to panic, don't; stand true to God and He will bring His truth out in a way that will make your life a sacrament. Put into practice what you learned with your Elijah, use his cloak and pray. Determine to trust in God and do not look for Elijah any more.

Prayer Answered

By D.L. Moody

      Only a few years ago, in the city of Philadelphia, there was a mother who had two sons.

They were just going as fast as they could to ruin. They were breaking her heart, and she went into a little prayer-meeting and got up and presented them for prayer. They had been on a drunken spree, or had just got started in that way, and she knew that their end would be a drunkard's grave, and she went among these Christians, and said, "Won't you just cry to God for my two boys?" 

The next morning those two boys had made an appointment to meet each other on the corner of Market and Thirteenth streets, though not that they knew anything about our meeting; and while one of them was there at the corner, waiting for his brother to come, he followed the people who were flooding into the depot building, and the spirit of the Lord met him, and he was wounded and found his way to Christ.

After his brother came, he found the place too crowded to enter, so he too went curiously into another meeting and found Christ, and went home happy; and when he got home he told his mother what the Lord had done for him, and the second son came with the same tidings.

I heard one of them get up afterwards to tell his experience in the young converts' meeting, and he had no sooner told the story than the other got up, an said, "I am that brother, and there is not a happier home in Philadelphia than we have got."

And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them--Luk 2:51

  
George H. Morrison - Devotional Sermons

      Coming Back Again -- Part I
      
      And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them--Luk 2:51
     
      It Was Hard to Return to Nazareth after the Vision of Jerusalem
      
      That visit to Jerusalem was one of the great hours in the life of Jesus. It must have moved Him to the depths. Often in the quiet home at Nazareth His mother had spoken to Him of the Holy City. And the Boy, clinging to her knee, had eagerly listened to all she had to tell. Now He was there, moving through the streets, feasting His eyes upon the Temple. He had reached the city of His dreams. Clearly it was a time of vision. "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? In that moving hour there broke on Him the revelation of His unique vocation. And the beautiful thing is that after such an hour He quietly went back to Nazareth, and was subject to Mary and to Joseph. He drew the water from the well again. He did little daily errands for His mother. He weeded the garden, tended the flowers in it, lent a hand to Joseph in the shop. And all this after that great hour which had changed His outlook upon everything and moved Him to the very depths.
     
      Coming from Vision to Duty Was Characteristic of Jesus
      
      That faithful and radiant way of coming back again was very characteristic of the Lord. We see it later at the Transfiguration. That was a splendid and a shining hour, when heaven drew very near to earth. Such hours find a more suitable environment on mountain-tops than on the lower levels of the world. There Moses and Elias talked with Him. There was heard the awful voice of God. There His very garments became lustrous. After such an hour of heavenly converse you and I would have craved to be alone. Voices would have had a jarring sound; company would have been deemed intrusion. And again the beautiful thing about our Lord is that after such a heavenly hour as that He came right down to the epileptic boy. Instead of the voices of Moses and Elias, there was the clamor and confusion of the crowd; instead of the tranquillity of heaven--the horrid contortions of the epileptic. It was the way of Jesus, after His hours of vision, to come right back, whole-heartedly and happily, to the task and travail of the day.

Coming Back Again -- Part II

One hundred religious people......

Treasures from Tozer!
(A.W. Tozer, 1897-1963)

One hundred religious people knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church, any more than eleven dead men make a football team!

"Fear not! I will strengthen you!" Isaiah 41:10

Fear Not!
George Mylne, 1854

"Fear not! I will strengthen you!" Isaiah 41:10

Blessed promise, "I will strengthen you!" Who gives the promise? Jehovah Jesus! To whom is it given? Powerless believer, it is given to you! To you it is said, "Fear not!"

You have . . .
  a war to wage;
  a race to run;
  an enemy to watch;
  a victory to gain.

Your own strength is nothing. Even an angel's strength would not suffice you. You must be clothed with power from Heaven; you must be armed with God. I would not underrate your own weakness; I cannot overrate the strength at your command.

Are you a child in Christian experience? A child in faith! A child in grace! A child in power! Fear not! Out of the mouths of babes has God ordained strength, that you, my fellow sinner, may still the enemy. (Psalm 8:2.)

You are weak in yourself — but strong in Christ! This must be your motto, and your consolation. You have no strength of your own. Look not for it. Your own heart is too much for you; you cannot master it. How, then, could you fight with Satan and prevail! How often have your lusts entangled you — and your evil tempers humbled you! You have looked for power — and behold leanness! You have looked for strength — and there was none! Have you prayed to God — yes, thrice besought Him — to take your weakness from you? Ask it not. His grace is sufficient for you. His strength is made perfect in weakness. Glory, then, in your infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon you. (2 Corinthians 12:8, 9.)

Fear not! Surely in the Lord you have righteousness and strength. God shall strengthen you with might by His Spirit in the inner man. He will be the strength of your heart, and your portion forever. (Isaiah 45:24; Ephesians 3:16; Psalm 73:26) Only believe! Only be persuaded of your own weakness. When you are weak, then are you strong — then are you able to do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Fellow sinner, fear not! (2 Corinthians 12:10; Philippians 4:13.)

  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Nature!

(Octavius Winslow, "Experimental Religion")

The spiritual mind, fond of soaring through nature in quest of new proofs of God's existence and fresh emblems of His wisdom, power and goodness--exults in the thought that it is his Father's domain which he treads! He feels that God, his God, is there.

And the sweet consciousness of His all-pervading presence, and the impress of His great perfections which everywhere meets his eye, overwhelm his renewed soul with wonder, love, and praise.

O the delight of looking abroad upon nature, under a sense of pardoning filial love in the soul, when enabled to exclaim, "This God is my God!"

"The heavens tell of the glory of God.
 The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship.
 Day after day they continue to speak;
 night after night they make Him known.
 They speak without a sound or a word;
 their voice is silent in the skies;
 yet their message has gone out to all the earth,
 and their words to all the world." Psalm 19:1-4

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Crucified Unto Me

By Watchman Nee


      Separation to God, separation from the world, is the first principle of Christian living. John, in his revelation of Jesus Christ, was shown two irreconcilable extremes, two worlds that morally were poles apart. He was first carried away in the Spirit into a wilderness to see Babylon, mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth (17:3). Then he was carried in the same Spirit to a great and high mountain, from whence to view Jerusalem, the bride, the Lamb's wife (21:10). The contrast is clear and could hardly be more explicitly stated.

Whether we be a Moses or a Balaam, in order to have God's view of things we must be taken like John to a mountain top. Many cannot see God's eternal plan, or if they see it they understand it only as dry-as-dust doctrine, but they are content to stay on the plains. For understanding never moves us; only revelation does that. From the wilderness we may see something of Babylon, but we need spiritual revelation to see God's new Jerusalem. Once see it, and we shall never be the same again. As Christians therefore we bank everything on that opening of the eyes, but to experience it we must be prepared to forsake the common levels and climb.

The harlot Babylon is always "the great city" (16:19, etc.) with the emphasis on her attainment of greatness. The bride Jerusalem is by contrast "the holy city" (21:2, 10) with the accent correspondingly on her separation to God. She is "from God," and is prepared "for her husband." For this reason she possesses the glory of God. This is a matter of experience for us all. Holiness in us is what is of God, what is wholly set apart to Christ. It follows the rule that only what originated in heaven returns there; for nothing else is holy. Let go this principle of holiness and we are instantly in Babylon.

Thus it comes about that the wall is the first feature John mentions in his description of the city itself. There are gates, making provision for the goings of God, but the wall takes precedence. For, I repeat, separation is the first principle of Christian living. If God wants his city with its measurements and its glory in that day, then we must build that wall in human hearts now. This means in practice that we must guard as precious all that is of God and refuse and reject all that is of Babylon. I do not imply by this a separation between Christians. We dare not exclude our brethren themselves, even when we cannot take part in some of the things they do. No, we must love and receive our fellow Christians, but be uncompromising in our separation from the world in principle.

Nehemiah in his day succeeded in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, but only in the face of great opposition. For Satan hates distinctiveness. Separation of men to God he cannot abide. Nehemiah and his colleagues armed themselves therefore, and thus equipped for war they laid stone to stone. This is the price of holiness we must be prepared for.

For build we certainly must. Eden was a garden without artificial wall to keep foes out; so that Satan had entry. God intended that Adam and Eve should "guard it" (Gen. 2:15) by themselves constituting a moral barrier to him. Today, through Christ, God plans in the heart of his redeemed people an Eden to which, in triumphant fact, Satan will at last have no moral access whatever. "There shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie; but only they which are in the Lamb's book of life."

Most of us would agree that to the apostle Paul was given a special revelation of the Church of God. In a similar way we feel that God gave to John a special understanding of the nature of the world. Kosmos is in fact peculiarly John's word. The other Gospels use it only fifteen times (Matthew nine, Mark and Luke three each) while Paul has it forty-seven times in eight letters. But John uses it 105 times in all, seventy-eight in his Gospel, twenty-four in his epistles and a further three in the Revelation.

The horticulture of the heart!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"You are My private garden, My treasure, My bride!" Song of Songs 4:12

"My Beloved has gone down to His garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies." Song of Songs 6:2

I pray that in my heart and life, God Almighty may find a garden of His own planting, where He can talk with me in the cool of the day.

Let my "winter of adversity" grow submissiveness and patience and prayer.

Let my my "spring of promise" abound in hope.

Let my my "summer of attainment" show the blossoms of thanksgiving and humility.

Let my my "autumn of fruit" be dedicated to God's glory and praise.

I would acquire skill in the horticulture of the heart . . .
  by meditating much in His Book,
  by sincere communing with Himself,
  by keeping company with my Master's friends,
  and by kissing His chastening rod.

I must reverence God's hedges:
  the restraints of His providence,
  the warnings of His Word,
  the bounds imposed by an enlightened conscience,
  the forbiddings of the Holy Spirit.
I must have no wish for the profane wasteland outside.

If the garden of the soul is to maintain beauty and fragrance — must not the waters of my spiritual life be constantly renewed? Must I not return daily to the Well from which the living streams flow ever forth?

There should be no weeds in the garden of a regenerated life. May the Lord the Spirit fill me to overflowing, that my holiness may be spontaneous, enthusiastic, exuberant — not fettered and checked by the weeds of sin.

So I shall walk in peace and pleasantness; and in the garden God will talk with me.

"Oh, I pray that the cold north wind and the soft south wind may blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out in abundance for You in whom my soul delights. Let my Beloved come into His garden and eat its choicest fruits!" Song of Songs 4:16

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Revelation 1:13-16

(W. Graham Scroggie)

"He is clothed with a robe reaching down to His feet" — what Official Dignity!

"He is girded about the chest with a golden sash" — what Strong Affection!

"His head and His hair are white as white wool, as white as snow" — what Perfect Holiness!

"His eyes are as flames of fire" — what Consuming Knowledge!

"His feet are like burnished bronze refined in a furnace" — what Righteous Judgment!

"His voice thundered as the mighty ocean waves" — what Absolute Authority!

"He has in His right hand seven stars" — what Sovereign Administration!

"Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword" — what All-Searching Truth!

"His face is like the sun shining in all its brilliance" — what Transcendent Glory!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

He took special pains to fetch them out, and hang them up!

(Charles Spurgeon, "Flowers from a Puritan's Garden" 1883)

"A benumbed snake is still a snake. A washed sow is not changed. Just so, our natural corruption does not always break out in full."

There may be a winter to our corruptions — as well as to animal and vegetable life. And then the sin which dwells in us may be quiet, as though frozen into a rigid powerlessness — but what of that? The weather will change, and then the nest of vipers will be all astir again, each one with envenomed tooth aiming to destroy!

Experience has taught the wise observer that sin may be bound by sin, and one evil passion may hold the rest in check. One man is kept from immorality, by covetousness: he would be glad to revel in vice — if it were not so expensive. Another would be a profligate, but then it would not be respectable, and thus his pride checks his passions. This restraint of sin by sin, is no proof that the nature is one jot the better — but that it only puts on a fairer appearance, and is more likely to deceive.

Nothing will overcome with inbred sin, but the killing of it!

When Joshua had captured the five kings in the cave, he was not content to simply shut them in with large stones. No, he took special pains to fetch them out, and hang them up! The condemned race must die — and then Israel can breathe freely.

Sin will be our death — if we do not put it to death! Checks and restraints are of small value; what is needed is the root-cure — crucifixion with Christ! To cure sin by sin, is a mere piece of stage playing, which will never answer before God.

O Destroyer of the serpent and his seed — break the head of sin within me, so that it may never lift up its usurped power within my soul. Let the sword of the Spirit do a thorough work within my nature, until not a single rebel lust shall remain alive in the wide domains of my being. Furbish your sword, Almighty Captain, and do Your office within me, for I cannot rest until sin is slain!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

The mariner's chart as he sails the sea of life!

(Arthur Pink)

The Bible is a book which calls not so much for the exertion of our intellect — as it does for the exercise of our affections,conscience and will. God has given His Word to us not for our entertainment, but for our education — to make known what He requires from us. It is to be . . .
  the traveler's guide as he journeys through the maze of this world,
  and the mariner's chart as he sails the sea of life.

Therefore, whenever we open the Bible, the all-important consideration for each of us to keep before him is: "What is here for me today? What bearing does the passage now before me have upon my present case and circumstances — what warning, what encouragement, what information? What instruction is there . . .
  to direct me in the management of my business,
  to guide me in the ordering of my domestic and social affairs,
  to promote a closer walking with God?"

I should see myself addressed in every precept — and included in every promise.

But it is greatly to be feared that, through failure to appropriate God's Word unto our own case and circumstances — there is much Bible reading and study which is of little or no real benefit to the soul.

Nothing else will . . .
  secure us from the pollutions of this world,
  deliver from the temptations of Satan, and
  be so effectual a preservative from sin —
as the Word of God received into our affections. "The law of his God is in his heart — none of his steps shall slide" (Psalm 37:31) can only be said of the one who has made personal appropriation of the Word, and is able to say with the Psalmist, "Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (119:11).

Just so long as the Word is . . .
  actually working in us,
  influencing us in a practical way,
  loved and revered by us,
  and stirs the conscience —
are we kept from falling into open sin!

And only as we personally go out and daily gather our portion of manna, and feed upon the same — will there be strength provided for the performing of duty and the bringing forth of fruit to the glory of God.

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Sufficient strength!

(J.R. Miller, "The Shining Light" 1911)

"As your days — so shall your strength be!" Deuteronomy 33:25

Strength was not promised in advance — enough for all of life, or even for a year, or for a month. The promise was, that for each day, when it came with its own needs, duties, battles, and griefs — enough strength would be given. As the burden increased — more strength would be imparted. As the night grew darker — the lamps would shine out more brightly.

The important thought here is, that strength is not emptied into our hearts in bulk — a supply for years to come — but is kept in reserve, and divinely given day by day, just as the day's needs require.

"Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:11

"On the day I called, You answered me; You increased strength within me!" Psalm 138:3

   ~  ~  ~  ~

God hems me in!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"Blessed be the LORD, who has . . . restrained His servant from doing evil." 1 Samuel 25:39

Even when my heart is resolute in its pursuit of iniquity, God hampers and hinders its unholy determination. Mercifully, that He may halt me in my fatal course — He raises one barrier after another.

For example, there is His written Word. In lands like India and China, there are peoples with intellects and emotions and aspirations as manifold and high-soaring as mine. Yet numbers among them are abandoned to the shameless vices of paganism — vices to which, with all my folly and wrong-doing, I do not succumb. Why am I morally better — why am I less openly wicked, than they? It is because God's Word is in my hands. It is because the truth of Jesus permeates the atmosphere I breathe, and leavens the world in which I live and move and have my being. God hems me in, and I cannot so easily and so foully transgress.

And there is His living Spirit. He acts on mind and will and conscience and affections. Often He snatches me from the brink of the abyss, and from the jaws of the grave. He quenches my defiling thoughts. He rebukes my vain imaginations. He reins in my sinful passions as with bit and bridle. He prevents me from the commission of much that is unworthy.

And there is His watchful providence. God is so constantly and busily at work in my biography, that it is difficult for me to sin scandalously. He places me in the midst of a great multitude of sobering and restraining influences:
  the just laws of the country,
  the social restraints of culture,
  my godly friends,
  the appealing voices of my home,
  the wholesome chastisements of my Father in Heaven.

By these, and by many other restraints and constraints, the Lord Who is the Lover of my soul stops me when I would run recklessly on to spiritual ruin!

I cannot thank Him enough for the whole array of His fences — where would I have been without them? I cannot hate enough the evil things which He hates. And, by His grace enabling me, let me set about speaking and doing the things which are pleasing to Him.

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat — but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail." Luke 22:31-32

"When my foot slipped, Your mercy, O Lord, held me up!" Psalm 94:18

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish — ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!" John 10:27-28

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Tokens of God's love!

(Letters of John Newton)

Trials no less than comforts — are the tokens of God's love. All is regulated by His infinite wisdom. You will find cause to praise Him even for the severe afflictions.

Cisterns must be broken — but the fountain of living waters is always full and always flowing!

Gourds must wither — but the tree of life has shade and fruit sufficient for us all, and at all times!

Creatures must die — but the Lord lives!

Creatures are like candles; while they burn — they waste away; and when they are extinguished, those who depend upon them are covered with darkness. But the Lord is a Sun to His people, and His bright beams of consolation can well supply the lack of the candlelight of creature comforts!
"I know, O LORD, that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. May Your unfailing love be my comfort." Psalm 119:75-76

   ~  ~  ~  ~

What can't be cured — should be endured!

(Henrietta Wilson, "Little Things" 1852)

"All the days of the despondent are miserable — but a cheerful heart has a continual feast!" Proverbs 15:15

There is a class of little annoyances such as we make for ourselves by a complaining, or an overly fastidious temperament. There are some who make such a fuss about trifles, tormenting themselves, and worrying others by a perpetual fault-finding and discontent — as every trifling irritation is magnified to a mountain — that all pleasure is spoiled by their presence! 

It is a good rule in little things, as well as great things, that "what can't be cured — should be endured" — and endured cheerfully!

I am not advocating slovenly and careless endurance of little vexations which may be remedied — let them be set right by all means, and the more quietly as well as quickly, the better. But I have observed people who were most ludicrously discomposed by trifles which neither they nor anyone else could remedy, and which should have been overlooked with a smile, if noticed at all.

There are many overly finicky people in the world, who groan over such trifling irritations. It is really ludicrous to hear the gravity with which some people will allude to the fact of the road being dusty, even alleging that as a reason for not going a walk; others are as much afraid of a shower; others of too much sunshine; some are terrified at the idea of being over-heated.

There is no end to these idle fancies and fears! If you laugh at these miserable people — then they think you are unfeeling. If yousympathize with them — then they multiply and increase their petty annoyances!

Let us all beware of making much of little irritations. Let us learn to laugh at them, remembering how very annoying such complaints are to others, as well as bothersome to ourselves.

A cheerful person who refuses to notice trifles or be aggravated by them — soon ceases to feel them! While to those who seem to find a perverse pleasure in dwelling on, and being daunted by them — these little discomforts will actually become real cares, and will eat out half the comfort of their lives!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Worrying

By Basilea Schlink


Worrying is a problem that most people have. Worries come when we think about the future. Let us consider an example. If a father becomes sick and has not yet provided for his children, worry begins to take hold of him. What will become of the children, if the illness gets worse? Who will take care of them? Or there are threats of war or riots. Or there might be monetary inflation. Then we begin to worry about whether our savings will decrease in value, whether we will have a steady income, or whether we will lose our security.

Or we begin to worry about our children and how they are growing up, especially if they begin to do things of which we do not approve. Or worries may arise due to marital problems. Whether it be in physical or spiritual matters, in public or personal matters--the more variety modern man seems to have, the more variety his worries have.

Because our well-being, and the well-being of our families, is never completely secure for the future, we are never secure from attacks of worry. Usually we feel sorry for ourselves, because we think we have so many things to worry about and they irritate us.

But Jesus says something different about worrying. Jesus says that worrying is the business of the heathen. Worrying grows out an unchristian attitude (Matt. 6:32). Therefore, worrying is a sin. Why? Worrying means that our hearts are not rooted in the Kingdom of God and we do not seek it above all; we do not have God in the centre of our lives. We do not seek the Kingdom of God, because we are not captivated by it. Rather we are captivated by things that are more important to us; a steady income, good health, recognition, well-being of body and soul for ourselves and our families. These are the centre of our thoughts.

But this cannot stay that way. For then God will say that we belong to the heathen, who do not know a living God, and are not His own, His children. If we are influenced by the spirit of worrying, the reason lies in our disbelief, in our discouragement. We worry, because we do not believe that God as a Father will take care of us. But when Scripture tells us about the cowardly and the faithless, it says, "their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21: 8). So at all costs we have to overcome our spirit of worry so that the enemy will not have a right to claim us. Not only for the sake of eternity, but also for the sake of our peace of mind here, we have to be freed. It is not the actual needs and sufferings, but rather worrying that brings sorrow into our lives. That is why we have to get to the bottom of this matter and find out what is the root of our worrying in order to ask how we can overcome it.

The root of worrying is our fear of the cross. Worrying is nourished by the fear that we can lose some of the benefits we possess for body or soul, security or comfort. Then we would have to suffer-and we cannot commit ourselves to this suffering. We want to protect ourselves from the difficult things that lie ahead of us. So our worrying thoughts centre around how we can avoid the difficulties.

In our pride we often think we can master our lives alone, independent of God's help. When we come to the end of our possibilities, our worries, nourished by our fear of suffering, begin to captivate us.

On Being Filled with the Spirit

By Elmer Ellsworth Shelhamer


Text: "Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." Eph. 5:18.

Here we have the highest grade of Christian character. The apostle uses a figure that not everyone can comprehend. While we protest against drunkenness, yet only those who have felt, or observed the power of intoxicants can fully appreciate the comparison.

Adam Clarke, in commenting on this verse, says: "The heathen priests pretended to be filled with the influence of the god (Bacchus) they worshipped; and it was in these conditions that they gave out their oracles. The apostle exhorts the Ephesians not to resemble these, but be filled with the Spirit of God, in consequence of which they should be wise indeed, and understand what the will of the Lord is."

The devil counterfeits everything that is of God and intoxication is Satan's highest imitation of being filled with the Spirit. In fact, on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, the onlookers could not distinguish between this and being "full of new wine." Let us notice then the analogy between intoxication with wine and that of being filled with the Holy Ghost. And how does an intoxicated man feel?

I. An intoxicated man feels rich and liberal. Before he begins drinking he may be what the world calls "a tightwad." See him standing alone sipping his glass! After awhile the contents begin to take effect, and he speaks to an old churn (who is sitting near by waiting to be treated) and says, "Come up, John, and have one on me." The more he drinks the richer he becomes and finally calls out to all the old bums, "Come up, boys, and have one on me." If a Salvation Army lassie, or any one else approaches him asking for a donation, he is likely to give the biggest piece he can find. Nothing mean and little about him now, for he feels as rich as the nabobs of Wall Street. That is exactly the way one feels when he is filled with the Holy Spirit. "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and He addeth no sorrow with it." The after effect is good. Yes, just in proportion as one is anointed of God he is truly rich and has a dignity and holy independence that the world can not give, nor take away.

It is certainly sad to hear the majority of Christians pray. They are everlastingly begging, "Lord, bless me, fill me, protect me and my family." Me! Me!! Me!!! "Oh, that they could get to the end of themselves. They are continually taking in, but never giving out. They are consumers, but not producers. They are like a sponge, ever ready to drink in, but never giving out except when squeezed or pressed by outside circumstances. Surely this is not the divine standard.

Paul speaks of being "more than conquerors." After having conquered the world, the flesh and the devil, he infers that we can have enough joy, faith and victory left to conquer another world. To be more specific, the apostle mentions a number of things we are to conquer, such as "Principalities," "Powers," "Things present," "Things to come," and then for lack of words, concludes by saying, "Nor any other creature shall be able" to withstand us. Think of it! How few Christians are so possessed of God, so exhilarated by the Spirit, that they have more victory than they need for themselves!

A man can not help rescue a drowning person until he himself has complete mastery, over the waves. No one can help a worthy cause so long as he is struggling to support himself and family. Likewise, there are multitudes of good people who desire to help win souls, but the poor things are spiritually half-starved themselves. They do not have complete victory over everything; there is a constant struggle. "When the struggle for existence begins, the opportunity for usefulness ends."

Christ's Habit of Prayer

Things That Matter Most: Chapter 5 - Christ's Habit of Prayer
By John Henry Jowett


I WANT to consider Christ's habit of private prayer. In the first place, it is very significant that He prayed at all. Jesus of Nazareth had every form of strength which men associate with masculine life. He had strength of body. He had strength of mind. He had strength of purpose and will. He had marvellous strength of affection. He had strength to move amid foul conditions without catching their contagion. He had extraordinary strength of patience. He was absolutely fearless in the presence of hostility. He was calm and undaunted when assailed by official religion. He had every form of strength which men count admirable. And this man prayed. He was constantly praying, and He was the strongest who ever trod the ways of men. I want to consider two or three occasions in His earthly life when we find Him at prayer.

First of all, then, I find Him in prayer when temptation drew near. I am not now thinking of that early experience in His life which is known to us as the Temptation. I turn from that desert experience to another which came to Him in the thick of His ministry, after the purpose of His redemptive ministry had been revealed. I choose the hour which preceded the Transfiguration. Nothing is said about the tempter; but unless I utterly misread the incident, and misinterpret the secrets of common life, the temptation was fierce and acute. The Lord had manifested His love. He had declared His gracious purpose. He had sealed His testimony with His deeds. Already He was shedding His blood in sacrificial service. And with what results? The horizon was blackening with omens of rejection. The storm of hostility was brewing. The air was thick with suspicion, derision, and contempt. Unfriendly eyes glared upon Him from every side. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." And just then, when the elements were gathering for tempests, I read these words: "He went up into a mountain to pray." And why did He go? Before Him there stretched the darkening road to appalling desolation. Yonder loomed the cross. And this was the temptation which, I think, approached His soul: "Is it worth while?" Should He go on to night and crucifixion, or there and then finish with translation? Reverently I believe these were the alternatives in those days of gathering gloom. Should He choose an immediate re-entry into "the glory which I had with Thee before the world was," or a re-entry into the world of resentment where dwelt the evil spirits of malice and rejection? Should He finish there or go on to the bitter end? "He prayed," and while He prayed He made His choice. He would go down to the scene of rejection, down to the waiting multitude, down to the envious eyes, down to the malicious designs, down to the cross.

"And as He prayed the fashion of His countenance was altered." And no wonder! We are always transfigured when we make choice of the Divine will. There came a voice to Him saying, "This is My beloved Son." "And they came down from the mountain, and much people met Him."

Have we not known a similar hour, as far as our own limitations would permit? Have we never been tempted to ask i f a certain bit of blood-demanding work was worth while? Have we not had pointed out to us the flippancy of those we tried to help, their indifference, their levity, their contempt, and have we not felt the enticement to lay the task down? There is that bit of work we have tried to do on the City Council. We have laboured for years. We have been exposed to the insults of contested elections. And there is our quiet home, with the wife and children, and the slippers and the books. Shall we choose the abode of comfort, or return again to difficult service? Shall we put on our slippers or stride out again on the heavy, thorny road? Just at seasons like these and at that juncture Jesus prayed, and while He was on His knees He made His choice.

Let us look at the Master again in the habit of prayer. "And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils . . . and He departed into a solitary place and there prayed." But what need was there to pray just then? He was most evidently engaged in doing good. The newly-opened eyes of the blind were radiant with thanksgiving. The once lame man leaped as a hart. The Master abounded in good works, and some measure of popular favour rested upon Him. Then why go apart to pray?

New and Recent Posts on Churchwarnings

• • New and Recent Posts on The Red Sky Warning
  • God Dwelling with the Humble and Contrite
  • A Test of Faith
  • The Heavenly Dove
  • When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he w...
  • "Casting all your care upon Him" (I. Peter v. 7).
  • "GO IN THIS THY MIGHT"
  • Waiting for the Spirit.
  • Government by the Holy Spirit
  • The government shall be upon his shoulder
  • Freedom from Self
  • THE BATTLE OF LIFE
  • A Selfish Symphony?
  • Selfishness: Stinginess
  • The Sphere Of Exaltation
  • TENTS OF ISSACHAR
  • Distractions! Distractions! Distractions!!
  • Many Still Lack the Fire!
  • MERCY: A BOUNDLESS SEA
  • Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling
  • Faith And Experience
  • Completely Dedicated to Christ: Are We?
  • Timely Supplies
  • 1 John 4:18
  • Insight Not Emotion
  • Trusting the Completely Trustworthy God
  • Put Your Money into the Message
  • John Piper - Idolatry | John Piper sermon
  • Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; ...
  • "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of...
  • God Permits Temptation
  • YOU GOTTA OPEN THE DOOR
  • The Believer's Security System
  • THE CELESTIAL RAILROAD
  • Charles Spurgeon Sermon - How to Become Full of Jo...
  • The Changing External and the Unchanging Internal
  • Understanding Your Standing
  • DAVID'S WORSHIP
  • Isaiah 40:29-31
  • LOOKING FROM THE HEAVENLY PLACES
  • A Christian's Anchors
  • Are You Ever Disturbed?
  • Deliverance from "Me"
  • A Friend of the Suspected
  • CALLED BY NAME
  • REAL SECURITY
  • Isaiah 26:3
  • A DIVINE ASSESSMENT
  • DELIVERANCE FROM FEAR
  • JONAH'S PSALM
  • The Missionary's Goal
  • The Kingdom Shall Be The Lord's
  • Sanctification
  • A Thanksgiving Sermon
  • Luke 13:10-17
  • Evangelism - Untold Millions Are Still Untold
  • Soul-Travail
  • New and Recent Posts December 2014
  • Growing in Truth
  • Living for Others
  • The Will to Loyalty
  • God's Desire for Definiteness
  • Numbers 6:24-27
  • Sanctification: Examining Fear and Anxiety -- Matt...