Refreshed By God
“For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:
and that Rock was Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 10:4)
All the way my Saviour leads me—
cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
and my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo!
A spring of joy I see.
(The Treasury of Fanny Crosby)
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March 11
A Home
“Let us make a little chamber . . .(2 Kings 4:10)
This woman from Shunem recognized that Elisha was a holy man of God. She wanted to provide for him and after consultation with her husband she prepared a little room and furnished it. We could learn from what this dear lady provided for the man of God: just a bed, a table, a stool and a candlestick.
The bed speaks of rest, the table of fellowship, the stool of instruction and the candlestick of testimony. A godly home is a place of rest and peace where sweet fellowship is enjoyed. The things of God are honoured and discussed there and it is a testimony, a light in a dark place.
There was a home in Bethany that was all of these things to the Saviour. There He rested (Matthew 21:17), enjoyed sweet fellowship (John 12:2), and there He taught the scriptures (Luke10:39). What a testimony that home was. It seems that all Paul longed for in Philippians 3:10 was there.
“That I may know Him (the Saviour), and the power of His resurrection (Lazarus), and the fellowship of His sufferings,” (Mary and Martha).
Creating a godly atmosphere in a home does not take much money but it does take time and love. If the love is there, time will be made; so really, it boils down to love. Love for the Lord, love for His people, love for His word.
(Daily Devotions - B.L.)
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March 12
“He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
(Luke 14:11)
”God be merciful to me a sinner.”
(Luke 18:13)
The man who prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” went down to his house justified rather than the other. It is written, “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
In some of the great halls of Europe may be seen pictures not painted with the brush, but mosaics, which are made up of small pieces of stone, glass, or other material.
The artist takes these little pieces, and, polishing and arranging them, he forms them into grand and beautiful pictures. Each individual part of a picture may be a little worthless piece of glass or marble or shell; but, with each in its place, the whole constitutes the masterpiece of art.
“So I think it will be with man in the hands of the great Artist. God is picking up the little worthless pieces of stone and brass that might be trodden underfoot unnoticed, and is making them His great masterpiece.”
(Streams in the Desert)
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March 13
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:"
(Numbers 6:24)
"The Lord Bless Thee!”
How shall He bless thee?
With the gladness that knoweth no decay,
With the riches that cannot pass away,
With the sunshine that makes an endless day —
Thus may He bless thee!
“And Keep Thee!”
How shall He keep thee?
With the all-covering shadow of His wings,
With the strong love that guards from evil things,
With the sure power that safe to glory brings —
Thus may He keep thee!
(Comforted of God - A. J. Pollock)
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March 14
“Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. . . . they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.”
(Matthew 17:4-6)
We think it strange to read that the disciples "feared as they (Moses and Elias) entered into the cloud”. They had no need, for the more we know what it is to dwell in the Father’s presence the happier for our hearts will it be.
But the lesson they had to learn here was that, though they might disappear, Jesus abides. “And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.”
Ah! that is very sweet. Moses may go and Elias may go, but if you have Jesus left you have everything your heart can desire.
Have you found out yet what it is to have Jesus only for your heart, or is somebody or something else absolutely essential to your happiness? If so, if will be an awful day for you when that persons is taken away.
Your heart will be left utterly desolate then, for you have not found out what it is to have Jesus as the incomparable One.
If you have Jesus first in the bright day, you will have Him first, I need not say, in the dark day. The crash may come, you know not how soon, but if you have Jesus your heart cannot be desolate and lonely.
(Simon Peter - W. T. P. Wolston)
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March 15
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Romans 8:8
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
(Romans 8:18)
There is an Asian Legend about a poor man who approached his king with a complaint concerning his poverty. "The only things I own are these rags,” he said.
“I’ll give you riches,” the king replied, “pleasures, and honours on the condition that you give me half of what you now own". The poor man thought it sounded like a good deal. After all, he only owned rags.
“You have two boys,” the king continued, “give me one. You have two eyes, two ears, two arms, two feet, two hands, give me one of each.” It was then that the beggar realized how blessed he was.
What he had in his poverty was worth far more than any riches, any honours, or any pleasures that the king could give him.
So too, you may be looking at what you don’t have.
But what you have in God is worth far more than anything you don’t.
If you had the riches of the entire world, but not the Lord, you would have nothing. But if you’re saved, (see John’s Gospel chapter three), you are more blessed than the richest of this world. Rejoice in your blessings.
(With thanks - Dr. C. Fenwick )
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March 16
Jesus Loves Me
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
ANNA WARNER and her sister, Susan, grew up near West Point Military Academy, where they became known for leading Sunday School services for the young men there. After the death of their father, a New York lawyer, the sisters supported themselves with their various literary endeavours.
Susan became known as a best-selling novelist. Anna also wrote novels and published two collections of poems. She wrote this simple hymn in 1860 to be included in one of her sister’s novels. In the story, it was a poem of comfort spoken to a dying child.
Today millions of voices around the world sing these words: “Yes, Jesus loves me!” Once, when asked to summarize the essential truths of the Christian faith, the great Swiss theologian Karl Barth gave this simple answer:
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
This profound yet simple truth is certainly worth singing about!
Jesus loves me! this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.
(Anna Bartlet Warner (1820-1915)
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March 17
“I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasuries.”
(Proverbs 8:20-21)
From this point on, the anointed eye loses sight of all else, and is fixed upon Christ; for He it is who is now presented for the contemplation of our souls. It is Christ as the uncreated Word, yet the Begotten Son by eternal generation; words admittedly paradoxical, but after all distinctly Scriptural.
Some there are who have supposed the term Only-begotten
necessarily implied a period, however remote, when the
Son was not. This John’s gospel clearly refutes, for
“the same was in the beginning with God.”
He was begotten, not in the sense of having beginning of life, but as being of one nature and substance with the Father.
Never was there a moment in the past Eternity when He reposed not in the bosom of Infinite Love.
To explain the mystery is impossible, as the apostle himself declares.
“No man knoweth the Son but the Father.”
Hence the devout heart can rest and adore where the skeptic seeks in vain for rational explanations of a mystery beyond human ken.
(Proverbs - H. A. Ironside)
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March 18
“For He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.”
(Psalm 45:11)
THE WORSHIP of God is the soul bowing down before God in absorbed contemplation of Himself. Over and over do we read the words, “They bowed their heads and worshipped;" or “They fell down and worshipped.”
It has been well said that “In prayer we are occupied with our needs; in thanksgiving we are occupied with our blessings; in worship we are occupied with Himself.”
God would not have us less occupied with our needs or present them less to Him. Neither would He have us less occupied with our blessings or return thanks less to Him for them; but He would have us, I am sure, more occupied with Himself in intelligent worship.
(R. A. Torrey)
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March 19
"SAVE Thy people, and BLESS Thine inheritance: FEED them also,
LIFT them UP.” (Psalm 28:9)
What an inclusive prayer! nothing is left out. The word that speaks to me specially is “FEED”.
I do not think there is anything from the beginning of our Christian life to the end,
that is so keenly attacked as our quiet with God, for it is in quietness that we are fed.
Sometimes it is not possible to to get long uninterrupted quiet, but even if it be only ten minutes,
“hem it with quietness.” Enclose it in quietness; do not spend the time in thinking how little time you have. Be quiet.
If you are interrupted, as soon as the interruption ceases,
sink back into quietness again without fuss or worry of spirit.
Those who know this secret and practise it, are lifted up.
They go out from that time with their Lord, be it long or short, so refreshed, so peaceful,
that wherever the go they unconsciously say to others, who are perhaps cast down and weary,
There is a lifting up.
“When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, there is lifting up;
and He shall save the humble person.” (Job 22:29)
(Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael)
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March 20
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
(2 Timothy 4:7)
If we are honest, the little book of Jonah hits most of us very hard indeed, but what comfort it may bring to our wounded souls to remember that Jonah’s God is our God.
We have to confess that the same patience, grace and mercy that followed Jonah from start to finish has also followed us from the start, and we doubt not that it will continue with us to the end.
May He deliver us from our disobedience and selfwill, from our sulks and from our tempers! May He form and fashion us like unto Himself, and give us a true estimate of the real value of gourds and souls of men;
and make us vessels, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use!
(G. C. Willis)
O teach us more of Thy blest ways Thou Holy Lamb of God!
And fix and root us in Thy grace, as those redeemed by blood.
O tell us often of Thy love, of all Thy grief and pain;
And let our hearts with joy confess that thence comes all our gain.
For this, O may we freely count whate’er we have but loss;
The dearest object of our love, compared with Thee, but dross.
Engrave this deeply on our hearts with an eternal pen,
That we may, in some small degree, return Thy love again.
(Hutton)
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March 21
“He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of a quiet spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: And He that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”
(Proverbs 17:27-28)
It is the simpleton who is always babbling. The man who has knowledge will not be continually airing his acquirements. He is of a quiet spirit, and can bide his time.
A man who must always be talking is generally one whose grasp of things in general is very slight; and, among Christians, an ever-running tongue certainly is no commendation to the discerning.
He whose knowledge is limited is esteemed wise when his words are few. One who lives in the fear of God sets a value upon words that the careless soul cannot understand; for he remembers that “for every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
Even that which he has experienced of God’s love and favour is not always to be told lightly to others. Paul seems to have kept for fourteen years the secret of his having been caught up to the third heaven, till a seasonable time came to relate it (2 Corinthians 12:1-7).
(Harry A. Ironside)
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March 22
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