“And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and Thou shalt glorify me.”
(Psalm 50:15)
In Time of Trouble . . .
SAY -
FIRST: He brought me here; it is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.
NEXT: He will here keep me in His love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as HIs child.
THEN: He will make the trial a blessing—teaching me the lessons He means me to learn,
and working in me the grace He intends for me.
LAST: In His good time He can bring me out again — how and when, HE KNOWS.
SAY -
I AM HERE: (1) By God’s appointment.
(2) In His keeping.
(3) Under His training.
(4) For His time.
(Comforted of God - A.J. Pollock)
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May 21
“And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.”
(Genesis 44:14)
As they did so they unconsciously fulfilled Joseph's own prediction uttered when a boy.
How vividly that memorable dream of the harvest field must have occurred to Joseph’s mind!
Here were their sheaves making obeisance to his sheaf, standing erect in the midst.
But who was to be their spokesman?
Reuben had always had something to say in self-justification, and had been so sure that all would be right that he had pledged the lives of his children to his father for the safety of Benjamin; but he is dumb.
Simeon was probably the cruel one, the instigator of the crime against Joseph; but he dares not utter a word.
Benjamin, the blameless one, the prototype of the young man whom Jesus loved, is convicted of sin, and has nought to say. Who then is to speak? There is only one,
Judah, who at the pit’s mouth had diverted the brothers from their first thought of murder.
And notice how he speaks.
He does not attempt to hold up any extenuating circumstances,
or to explain the past, or to excuse Benjamin or themselves.
He throws himself helpless on Joseph’s mercy:
“What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves?
God hath found out the iniquity of they servants: behold, we are my lord(s)
servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.”
(Genesis 44:16)
(F.B. Meyer- Joseph (Beloved—Hated—Exalted)
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May 22
“While we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal.
but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal.
(2 Corinthians 4:18)
Lot saw a well-watered plain and a city,
and then dwelt in it on the earth,
and consequently was in the midst of judgment;
while Abraham sought a city out of sight,
and he enjoyed the blessing and comfort of
God being with Him, go
where he might.
(Pilgrim Portions - J.N.D.)
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May 23
“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither
heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant:
but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
(Exodus 4:10)
“I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth,
and will teach you what ye shall do.”
(Exodus 4:15)
Unlike his brother Aaron, Moses was not a powerful speaker. God
made it clear that both needed, and would receive, His help.
Whether we are overwhelmed by a responsibility,
or feel that we can handle it, we must not
forget to commit it to God, seeking His
power. Failure to do so can lead,
in the one case, to a hopeless
giving up, or in the other
case to proud success
without reward.
(David Logan)
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
(A.S. Hawks)
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May 24
“Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and
to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness charity.”
(2 Peter 1:5-7)
Not the mere external restraint, but the cultivation of the inward history of the soul day by day,
governing ourselves, keeping ourselves in order: and depend upon it if we cannot keep
ourselves in order, we cannot keep any one else.
Temperance is that quiet gravity of spirit, that is equable in every circumstance,
like Christ, never upset by any trial, or anything that provokes.
"And to temperance patience.”
Temperance will keep me from saying or doing a thing that will wound you,
and patience will keep me from being upset by anything you may do that is likely to wound me.
Temperance is active, patience is passive!
If you have not knowledge, you will not know how to meet the mind of God.
If you have not temperance you will be sure to do something that will hurt some one else,
and if you have not patience you will be upset by what some one else may be doing to you.
(W.T.P. Wolston - Peter His Life & Letters)
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May 25
“Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. ”
(2 Peter 1:5-7)
“And to patience godliness”—God-likeness.
Walking through this scene, and possessing the divine nature, see that you illustrate it,
exemplify it! Show me a man’s company, and I will show you what sort of man he is.
If you are keeping company with God you will be a godly person, for
we all resemble the thing we are occupied with.
It comes out in a thousand details of our everyday life.
(Simon Peter - W.T.P Wolston)
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May 26
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are My friends.”
(John 15:13-14)
Jesus died on the cross in a supreme example of love for His friends,
even friends who turned away from Him, and “friends”
who had no awareness of what He was doing.
He commanded His disciples to love their enemies and at a climactic
moment near death, looked at His tormentors who crucified
Him and prayed; “Father forgive them for they know
not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
While we may all be guilty of self-centredness, Jesus can make a change in
our lives. Opening our hearts, He pours His love into our lives.
Jesus gave Himself up for you and me and the
best response we could exhibit is to give
back our lives to Him in gratitude,
"It is more blessed to give
than to receive.”
(Acts 20:35)
(Adapted)
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May 27
“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself
also so to walk, even as He walked.”
(1 John 2:6)
Here we enter on the ground of true christian responsibility.
Being a Christian, I am responsible to walk as one.
Not that I may become one, bless the Lord!
but because I am one.
What a mercy! we are not responsible to gain a place in the divine favour.
The blessed Jesus has accomplished this.
But being, through His precious blood, in the place of perfect favour—perfect peace, joy, and
acceptance, we ought to walk according to the position in which grace has set us.
Being a child of God, I ought to walk as a child of God.
And being a servant, I ought to walk as a servant.
(Andrew Miller)
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May 28
“Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
(Ephesians 6:11)
In this conflict we require the “whole armour of God.”
If one piece is missing Satan will be
quick enough to detect the lack
and attack us in the vulnerable place.
The armour has to be "put on.”
It by no means follows that because we are
Christians we have put on the armour.
The armour is provided for us as Christians, but it
remains with us to put it on.
It is not enough to look at the armour, or to admire it,
or to be able to describe it, we must
“put on the whole armour of God.”
(Hamilton Smith)
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May 29
“Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have
preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.”
(Acts 15:36)
The pastor has his work as well as the evangelist; and we are desirous to furnish a motto for him.
Such a motto we have in the words,
“Let us go again (return).”
We are not to regard this expression only as the narrative of what was done,
but as a model of what ought to be done.
If the evangelist is responsible to preach the gospel in the regions beyond,
so long as there are regions to be evangelized;
the pastor is responsible to go again
and visit his brethren, so long as there are brethren to be visited.
The evangelist forms the interesting connection; the pastor maintains and strengthens that connection.
The one is the instrument of creating that beautiful link; the other of perpetuating it.
(The Lord is Near - C.H. Mackintosh)
To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage to do my Master’s will!
(Charles Wesley)
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May 30
“In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.”
(Psalm 94:19)
O Thou who dry’st the mourner’s tears! how dark this world would be,
If, when deceived and wounded here, we could not fly to Thee.
(Thomas Moore)
Life is often filled with unexpected problems or crises.
Unrest and despair will darken the way of even the strongest saint.
Yet the Christian—because of the refuge he has in God—should strive to
maintain composure and stability in spite of stress and difficulties.
We cannot escape the pressures and dark shadows in our lives;
but they can be faced with a spiritual strength that our Lord provides.
As we are held securely “near to the heart of God,”
we find the rest, the comfort, the joy and peace that only Jesus our Redeemer can give.
Because of this, we can live every day with an inner calm and courage.
This is the message that Cleland B. McAfee (1866-1944) expressed in this consoling hymn
at a time when his own life was filled with sadness.
Dr. McAfee was stunned to hear the shocking news that his two beloved nieces
had just died from diphtheria.
Turning to God and the Scriptures, McAfee soon felt the lines and the
tune of this hymn flow from his grieving heart.
There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God,
a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God,
a place where we our Saviour meet, near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God,
a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.
Chorus: O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
hold us who wait before Thee near to the heart of God.
(Amazing Grace - Kenneth W. Osbeck)
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May 31
May 31
“Should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more
than six-score thousand persons that cannot discern
between their right hand and their left hand;
and also much cattle?”
(Jonah 4:11)
There is something peculiarly touching in those last words, “And also much cattle.”
Though not numbered, like the little children, the cattle had worn sackcloth
along with the people, and God had seen it, (Jonah 3:8) and the God
who does not let one sparrow fall to the ground without His
knowledge, (Matthew 10:29) shows us here His tender care
for the cattle who would have perished with their guilty owners.
It is a grand truth that when a man is saved, all that pertains to him is under the dominion of a new master.
Pharaoh wanted Israel to leave their cattle in Egypt when they went out of that country, but the
magnificent answer is, “There shall not a hoof be left behind.” (Exodus 10:26)
That is the right way.
When you were converted, were your cattle converted, too?
Was your business converted, and your bank account?
The little children who do not know their right hand
from their left, are they they traveling
the narrow way with you?
All these were saved when the king of Nineveh and his people turned to God in repentance.
That is the only right way for us to be saved also.
If the little children and the cattle are not included there is something wrong.
(Lessons From Jonah the Prophet - G. Christopher Willis)
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