“For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth
the hungry soul with goodness.”
(Psalm 107:9)
Every one who does not know Christ has either a disappointed heart or a
heart seeking what will disappoint it.
If His love is not filling my heart,
I shall go to some vanity in a shop to satisfy me:
my heart will get into my business.
If my spirit is wrapped up in the love of Christ,
there will be rivers of water flowing out.
No testimony, no preaching, no teaching, even if the matter of it be all right,
is right teaching, when the soul is not
filled for itself first from God.
We must drink for ourselves that rivers may flow.
Indeed all else dries up the soul.
The world at once sees if God is the centre of a person.
The heart is not morbid,
but thoroughly happy in God;
it has perfect satisfaction in Him,
this is what makes such a difference in life.
“Is the wilderness before thee—
Desert lands where drought abides?
Heavenly springs shall there restore thee
Fresh from God’s exhaustless tides.”
(Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - JND)
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March 10
“That ye may be blameless and harmless . . . in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”
(Philippians 2:15)
The high-beam glare of an on-coming car at night can blind and annoy us.
How about our witness?
Is it a glare to the world or are we like the moon, which absorbs the rays of the sun and
reflects them back to earth shining with a soft glow.
All believers are reflectors of the source of Light, God’s Son.
We represent the altogether lovely One.
May our reflection be the same, with love and concern.
(E.Dyck)
Channels only, blessed Master, but with all Thy wondrous pow’r,
Flowing through us,Thou canst use us, ev’ry day and ev’ry hour.
(Mary E. Maxwell)
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March 11
THE CERTAINTY OF EVERLASTING LIFE
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
(1 John 5:13)
The knowledge that we have eternal life is something that is possible to us.
That is something that needs to be emphasized.
There are those who would tell us that eternal life is something to which we
attain only when we come to die and leave this world and go into the next.
They suggest that it is wrong for anyone to claim that he has eternal life.
Such people dislike the doctrine of assurance.
“We do not know,” they say, "and we must not seek to know.
Faith means that you are always grasping at it,
but it is something you cannot actually have while you are in this world."
But that is a philosophical concept of faith that is not in accordance with what we have here.
John says in essence, "My whole object in writing to you now is that you
may know that you have eternal life and know it certainly.
I want you to know that you possess it."
You find the other apostles saying the same thing.
What was more characteristic of the apostle Paul than this assurance?
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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” (Romans 8:38-39).
"I know whom I have believed,” (2 Timothy 1:12).
"I know," he says. There is no uncertainty about it.
So it seems to me that to interpret faith as a kind of constant uncertainty is to deny
the teaching of the Word of God that we are His children.
The knowledge that we have eternal life is something that is possible to us.
(Martin Lloyd-Jones)
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March 12
“How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse.”
(Song of Solomon 4:10)
Were our meditations on the Lord’s appreciation of our love, more deep,
earnest, and simple, we should be more undivided in heart for Him.
Love begets love.
It is the fire I sit at that warms me.
The nearer the fire, the warmer I am.
The nearer I am to the heart of Christ, the warmer will
be my own, and the more intense the flame of love to Him.
As well might I think of getting warmed by going out to to the garden
and looking at the snow, as getting more love to Christ by looking to myself,
thinking of myself, and trying to increase my love for Him.
But, somehow, many say, I do not grow in love to Him, and in appreciation
of His love to me, and I do desire to feel more love to Him.
Well, then, if it is the fire I sit at that warms me,
it is also the food I eat that satisfies me.
Let thy soul then feed on Christ.
(Andrew Miller)
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March 13
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.”
(2 Timothy 2:24)
"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.”
(Philippians 1:27)
Christian hearts, in love united,
Seek alone in Jesus rest;
Has He not your love excited?
Then let love inspire each breast.
(N.L. V.Z.)
In the days of sailing ships, during a major naval battle
the captain of a ship came upon two of his officers whose
disagreement on how to conduct the battle had led to blows.
He jerked them apart, pointed them in the same direction, saying,
“Gentlemen, there’s the enemy.”
(David Logan)
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March 14
The Lord Looked Upon Peter
"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."
(Luke 22:61-62)
What was in that look that pierced the heart and soul of this disciple?
Can you imagine how penetrating, convicting, and revealing those eyes must
have been as the Lord looked upon Peter?
Did those eyes of Jesus reveal anger, disgust or revenge? No! His eyes were filled with divine
compassion, pity, and love for one who had miserably fallen. His eyes revealed infinite
mercy and grace that melted the denying heart of Peter.
The "look of Christ" brought penetrating conviction that awakened Peter to his dreadful denial.
Christ's heart of love drove Peter to his knees in bitter
repentance that soon brought reconciliation.
Like Peter, many have fallen unmercifully to the depths of sin and despair.
Many are critical and quickly point their finger at this fallen disciple,
but few have wept bitterly in heart-wrenching repentance as Peter did.
The remembrance of his fall never left him, but he saw more.
He saw the fathomless love of God, the love that flowed at Calvary,
the infinite grace that forgave him in his darkest hour and restored him to Christ.
Deep are the wounds of many lives that have been abused, neglected, unloved,
and forgotten by those closest to them.
How needful it is for Christians to come alongside those who are
starving for acceptance and understanding.
The Good Samaritan, when he saw the beaten and needy stranger beside the road,
went where he was and not only ministered to his wounds but found a place for him to stay.
He told the owner to tend to any of his needs and he would pay for the service.
What's so significant? The Good Samaritan identified with the stranger in his need.
(Adapted - R.L.)
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March 15
“Thou wilt show me the path of life: In Thy presence is fullness of joy;
at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
(Psalm 16:11)
Heaven is happiness on His terms.
It is more than that, but it is at least that.
He wants us to be happy and can make us happy—will make us happy
if we are willing to accept happiness on His terms.
Heaven is happiness His way.
We can hardly imagine happy holiness or holy happiness.
What will it be to experience it fully!
(With thanks - J.K)
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March 16
“He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love.”
(Ephesians 1:4)
This love is first expressed to us in the activities of grace
that quicken us, as individuals, with Christ.
If we are dead there can be no movement on our side towards God.
The first movement must come from God.
A new life has been imparted to us, but it is a life in association with Christ.
It is a life which, in fact, is the life of Him with whom we are quickened.
Thus our condition by grace is the exact opposite of our condition by nature.
We are dead to God with the world by nature, we are
now alive to God with Christ by grace.
(Ephesians - Hamilton Smith)
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March 17
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
(Hebrews 11:13)
Abraham showed his faith by leaving his home in Iraq and going to the place
God had promised him, not knowing where he was going.
A still greater act of faith is recorded!
God had told him to offer Isaac,
his “only begotten” son (v. 17), but God
had stopped him before he was able to do it.
Abraham believed that if he had actually offered him up,
God, because of His promises, would actually raise Isaac from
the dead. What great faith Abraham displayed in this!
This is a perfect picture of what happened on Calvary where God the Father
“spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).
He delivered Him to bear our sins in His own body on the cross and bring us salvation.
We are given promises too.
The Lord promised, before He went to the cross, “I go to prepare a place for you.
And and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).
What a blessed hope this is!
(J.D. McNeil)
His faithfulness, for ever sure, for endless ages will endure;
His perfect work will ever prove the depths of His unchanging love.
(J.H. Evans)
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March 18
"Take up the cross--and follow Me.”
(Mark 10:21)
You have not the liberty of making of your own cross; although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making. Neither are you permitted to choose your own cross; although self-will would gladly be lord and master. Your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love--and you are cheerfully to accept it.
You are to take up the cross as your chosen portion, and not to stand caviling at it. Jesus bids you to submit your shoulder to His easy yoke.
You are to take up the cross as your chosen portion, and not to stand caviling at it. Jesus bids you to submit your shoulder to His easy yoke.
Remember that the cross will soon be followed by the crown. The thought of the coming weight of glory--will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. May the Lord help you to bow your heart in submission to His divine will—that you may go forth to this day's cross with the holy and submissive spirit which befits a
follower of the Crucified One.
(Charles Spurgeon)
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
(2 Corinthians 4:17)
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March 19
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up
together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
(Ephesians 2:4-6)
Those who were born on February 29 [2016] are special people— they celebrate only one-fourth as many birthdays as the rest of us. But the Bible tells us of something else that makes someone special—spiritual rebirth.
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light."
(1 Peter 2:9)
The Scriptures also teach that as believers we enjoy many special privileges. We are heavenly people-our citizenship is in the heavenlies with Christ. Even now we are seated positionally with Him in glory. In Christ we have access to His storehouse of riches; we are the possessors of all heavenly blessings. We have been given a heaven-born nature that responds to spiritual nourishment-the Living and Written Word.
While we seek to be worthy representatives for God in this life, our affections are already centred on things above. This occupation with heavenly values enables us to rise above the mundane circumstances and storms that often cross our earthly paths, providing what we need to live a life of daily victory.
And while we await the day of our final victory, we live in the enjoyment of our future inheritance
In a sense, then, we are “in heavenly love abiding” already.
In heavenly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear;
and safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid,
But God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?
Wherever He may guide me, no fear shall turn me back;
My Shepherd is beside me, and nothing shall I lack.
His wisdom ever waketh, His sight is never dim;
He knows the way He taketh, and I will walk with Him.
Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen;
Bright skies will soon be o’er me, where darkest clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free;
My Saviour is my treasure, and He will walk with me.
(Anna Laetitia Waring)
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March 20
The Rest of Communion
"And [Joseph] fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.” (Genesis 45:14-15)
But when like Job in his day, and the brethren of Joseph in their day,
we have learned the evil of our own hearts
—the utter corruption of the flesh
— with what relief we turn from self to Christ, and how he delights
to set us free by making Himself known in all the grace of His heart.
We may well be appalled as we discover the evil of our hearts.
But as Christ reveals to us His heart and tells us that He loves us,
though knowing all the evil of our hearts
— as He draws us to Himself and discloses to us the desire of
His heart to have us in His company,
as He gives us to behold His glory and to hear His voice
— then the torments of fear are ended by perfect love
— the love that casteth out fear
— and no more the soul turns in upon itself to grieve over the evil within,
the future is no longer dark with dismal forebodings,
but in the consciousness of His love we can hold sweet communion with Him,
after the manner of Joseph’s brethren who
“talked with him.”
(Joseph - Hamilton Smith)
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March 21
“He shall feed His flock like a shepherd:
He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in
His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”
(Isaiah 40:11)
“Even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you:
I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry,
and will deliver you.”
(Isaiah 46:4)
He leads us on through all the unquiet years;
Past all our dreamland hopes, and doubts and fears,
He guides our steps, through all the tangled maze
Of losses, sorrows and o’er-clouded days;
We know His will is done,
And still He leads us on.
(~~~~)
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March 22
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