“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter,
that He may abide with you for ever.”
(John 14:16)
There is a guide in the deserts of Arabia who is said never to lose his way.
They call him “The Dove Man.”
He carries in his breast a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached from the pigeon to one of his arms. When in any doubt as to which path to take, the guide throws the bird in the air. The pigeon quickly strains at the cord to fly in the direction of home and so leads his master unerringly.
They call that guide "The Dove Man.” The Holy Spirit, the heavenly Dove,
is willing and able to lead us if we will only allow Him to do so.
“The Holy Spirit is our indwelling Partner.”
(Mountain Trailways for Youth)
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May 11
IN THE NAME OF CHRIST
“Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it. I have appointed you, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you.
Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
At that day ye shall ask in My Name.
(John 14:13-16 16:23,24,26)
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IN MY NAME—repeated six times over.
Our Lord knew how slow our hearts would be to take it in,
and He so longed that we should really believe that His Name is
the power in which every knee should bow, and in which every prayer
could be heard, that He did not weary of saying it over and over:
In My Name!
Between the wonderful whatsoever ye shall ask, and the Divine I will do it, the Father will give it, this one word is the simple link.In My Name.
Our asking and the Father’s giving are to be equally in the Name of Christ.
Everything in prayer depends upon our apprehending this—
In My Name.
(Andrew Murray)
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May 12
LET IT SHINE!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16)
Some hide their light under bushel or bed (Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16), being busy or lazy,
so that it fails to shine.
Some go to the other extreme, like the Pharisees (Matthew 6:1,2,16)
who wanted to impress people with their piety. It is not a
glare but a glow, and we are simply to let it shine.
Some saints remind us of a man with a high-powered flashlight trying to dazzle
people with a blinding display. God prefers stars to comets.
His figure is a candle, not a firecracker.
Between the saints who hide their light and those who display it we have hard going these days.
We learn more and more to appreciate those who just let it shine.
We are too aware of the “men” in our text and not aware enough of our Father.
Our sole business is to glorify Him and so let our light shine that others will glorify Him too.
(Vance Havner)
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May 13
“Be careful for nothing.”
(Philippians 4:6)
I know no word more settling to the soul than, “Be careful for nothing.”
How often have I found it so . . . "for nothing.”
How little we gain by the prudence of unbelief;
it gives occasion to the power and attacks of the enemy.
Never can unbelief—however good its intentions in joining
the work of faith—do anything except spoil it.
How far the child of God may go astray when he puts himself under
the protection of unbelievers, instead of relying on the help of
God in all the difficulties which beset the path of faith!
(J. N. Darby)
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May 14
“For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also
we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 3:20)
The standing of the Christian is to be found in Christ; The object of the Christian is to know Christ; and the hope of the Christian is to be like Christ.
How beautifully perfect is the connection between these three things.
No sooner do I find myself in Christ as my righteousness, than I long to
know Him as my object, and the more I know Him, the more ardently shall
I long to be like Him, which hope can only be realized when I see Him as He is.
Having a perfect righteousness, and a perfect object, I just want one thing more,
and that is to be done with every thing that hinders my enjoyment of that object.
(Note Philippians 3:20 quoted above.)
Now putting all these things together, we get a very complete view of true Christianity. We cannot attempt to elaborate any one of the three points above referred to; for, it may be truly said, each point would demand a volume to treat it fully.
Let us rise above all the imperfections and inconsistencies of Christians, and gaze upon the moral grandeur of Christianity as exemplified in the life and character of the model Man presented to our view.
May the language of the heart be, “Let others do as they will, as for me, nothing short of this lovely model shall ever satisfy my heart. Let me turn away my eye from men altogether, and fix it intently upon Christ Himself, and find all my delight in Him as my righteousness, my object, my hope.”
(C.H. Mackintosh)
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May 15
"When we were yet without strength . . . while we were yet sinners . . . when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.”
(Romans 5:6-10)
The love of God is such that it goes over and beyond what we deserve or can hope for.
We can’t earn it, for we are “without strength.” We can’t be good enough to
deserve it. No, we are sinners, committing atrocities, little and large,
that build a wall between us and God.
But God’s love is still demonstrated towards us. Even in direct opposition, His love is
directed to you and to me, feeble, sinning enemies of God. There is no greater love than this.
Have you experienced it?
(Jason Bechtel)
And can it be, that I should gain, an interest in the Saviour’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued?
(Charles Wesley)
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May 16
“In whom [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
(Ephesians 1:7)
Creature mind can never know all Thy sufferings here below;
Mortal tongue can ne’er express Thy vast love and matchless grace.
Then for sinners Thou didst die, by Thy blood to bring them nigh;
Sovereign mercy without bound! God alone its depth can sound.
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May 17
COME THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING
"O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."
(Isaiah 25:1)
During his early teen years, Robert Robinson lived in London, where he mixed with a notorious gang of hoodlums and led a life of debauchery. At the age of seventeen he attended a meeting where the noted evangelist George Whitfield was preaching.
Robinson went for the purpose of “scoffing" and ended up professing faith in Christ as his Saviour. Soon he felt called to preach the gospel. Despite his young age, Robinson became known as an able minister and scholar, as well composing several hymns, including these words written when he was just twenty-three years of age.
(Kenneth W. Osbeck)
Come Thou fount of ev’ry blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount—I’m fixed upon it—mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer—hither by Thy help I’m come; and I know by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God; He to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart—O take and seal it seal it for Thy courts above.
(Robert Robinson)
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May 18
"Then shall the man bring . . . an offering of memorial, bringing
iniquity to remembrance."
(Numbers 5:15)
"But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again
made of sins every year."
(Hebrews 10:3)
"Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
(Hebrews 10:17)
The memory of past failures can haunt us.
It is good for us to remember that although we are failures
because of Christ we can leave those sins at the cross—under the blood.
May God give us grace to enjoy the fact that our sins are GONE.
(William H. Gustafson)
Gone, gone, gone, gone, yes, my sins are gone.
Now my soul is free and in my heart’s a song.
Buried in the deepest sea, yes, that’s good enough for me;
I shall live eternally—praise God, My sins are G-O-N-E.
(Helen Griggs)
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May 19
“And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,
and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
(Genesis 45:7)
Joseph had saved their lives with a great deliverance (Genesis 45:7);
he had put them in possession of “the best of the land” of Egypt,
and he nourished them with bread. (Genesis 47:12).
For 17 years they had been the recipients of Joseph’s bounty, and the special objects of his loving care,
and yet—when a crisis arises—it becomes manifest that they have
no personal knowledge of Joseph.
They know something of his greatness and glory; they know the great work he has accomplished,
they know that every blessing they enjoy is owing to his position and work,
but they had no personal acquaintance with his mind and heart.
It is as if they said, “WE know what he has done for us,
but we do not know how he feels about us."
And not knowing his mind, when the crisis arises it becomes manifest that they have no confidence
in him, with the result that they conclude that he will think and act towards them
according to the way they had thought and acted towards him.
(Hamilton Smith)
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May 20
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members,
that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature."
(James 3:6)
It wasn’t as simple as crossing another river.
By law, no Roman general could lead armed troops into Rome.
So when Julius Caesar led his Thirteenth Legion across the Rubicon River
and into Italy in 49 BC, it was an act of treason. The impact of Caesar’s decision was
irreversible, generating years of civil war before Rome’s great general became absolute ruler.
Still today, the the phrase “crossing the Rubicon” is a metaphor for “passing the point of no return.”
Sometimes we can cross a relational Rubicon with the words we say to others.
Once spoken, words can’t be taken back. They can can either offer
help and comfort or do damage that feels just as
irreversible as Caesar’s march on Rome.
James gives us another word picture about words when he wrote the scripture above.
When we fear we have crossed a Rubicon with someone, we can seek their
forgiveness—and God’s (Matthew 5:23-24; 1 John 1:9).
But even better is to daily rest in God’s Spirit, hearing Paul’s challenge,
“Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye
may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6),
so that our words will not only honour our Lord,
but lift up and encourage those around us.
(Bill Crowder)
When the words become weapons,
our relationships soon become casualties.
(Our Daily bread)
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______________________________
(Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2018), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission)
May 21
“A certain man made a GREAT supper, and bade many: and sent his servant
at suppertime to say to them that were bidden, come;
for all things are now ready.”
(Luke 14:16-17)
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so GREAT salvation."
(Hebrews 2:3)
"Between us and you there is a GREAT gulf fixed.”
(Luke 16:26)
Oh! the love that drew salvation’s plan;
Oh! the grace that brought it down to man;
Oh! the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.
(William R. Newell - 1895)
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May 22
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