“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:14)
People often talk of the heavenly calling as if it were a piece of knowledge or a theory.
Was it such to Enoch when he walked with God, or with Moses when he endured as seeing Him who is invisible? Don’t let our minds take it up as a piece of knowledge instead of realizing a living Christ in heaven.
It is that living Man on the throne of God who has distinctly called me by name, and not only that, but He bears my name before God, as one for whom He has done a great deal, and for whom He means to do a great deal more. Why does my soul go up and find its anchorage up there? Why? Oh, that living Man who has stolen my heart is up there.
He who, as Son of God, thought it worth while to come off the throne to go to the cross as my substitute, to take the cup of wrath due to me. And God has put His Amen upon this love which is stronger than death.
And is it not a reasonable thing for me to say that if the Son of God loved me and gave His life for me, I must love Him in the place where He is? How blessed, as God’s eye rests on Him and then comes down to look on me, to have the certainty that, weak and foolish though I be, I shall never find Him against me; that I am so one with that risen Head, that God can say, What is true of the Head is true of the members!
How unutterly blessed to be able to say that that One crowned with glory and honour on the throne of God, is the One round whom my heart’s affections should centre more and more! And that this risen Son of man up there, is occupied with a suffering people down here, in all the circumstances they may have to pass through.
(G. V. Wigram)
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January 11
“Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I swear to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.”
(Numbers 14:30)
The wilderness was a bracing air to Joshua and Caleb, they were full of hope.
The new man has no strength of his own—no back to bear a burden.
He has only the Holy Ghost to depend on.
The very first principle of the Christian’s walks is not to
do his own will,—not even in good things.
(Hunt’s Sayings)
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January 12
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
(Matthew 5:15)
“The night has a thousand eyes, and the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies with dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes and the heart but one;
Yet the light of the whole life dies when love is done.”
I do not know who wrote this little poem, but it is true.
Do you feel you can’t do much for anyone?
I feel like that often. But we can love.
And love is like light.
If the candle of love is shining, then even though it is only a
little candle it gives light to all who are in the house.
God make us all His candles.
(Amy Carmichael)
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January 13
ALL THE DAYS
“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
(Matthew 28:20)
ALWAY MEANS “all the days,” any day, every day.
There will be days when we are not conscious of God’s presence,
when it may seem that He has forgotten us, but
He is there although we perceive Him not.
Christ lives in the believer’s heart and the Holy Spirit is alongside us to help.
There are no exceptions — any day, every day, all the days — the promise holds.
This day, today, is the day the Lord hath made.
Let us be glad and rejoice in it.
(Psalm 118:24)
You may feel like saying, “This just isn’t my day,” but it is His day!
(All the Days - Vance Havner - 1901 -1986)
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January 14
"He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee,
saying, the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men,
and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered His words.”
(Luke 24:6-8)
We love to look within the tomb,
Thy death has robbed of all its gloom;
The stone forever rolled away;
Thy death the power of death did slay.
We joy to see Thee, Lord, arise
Triumphant through the opening skies;
And hear all heaven united own
Thee worthy to ascend the throne.
(J. G. Deck)
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January 15
I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25)
When I came to the gate that is at the head of the way, the Lord of that place gave me such things that were necessary for my journey and bade me hope to the end.
(Pilgrim’s Progress)
Every traveler setting out on a journey naturally wonders, "What is the distance? Am I equal to it? How shall I fare on the road?”
Perpetual strength to walk in God’s way is found to be the traveler’s birthright.His sandals are proof against the roughest road and tender feet grown weary with the long journey shall be carried in His strong arms.
Upon the threshold of another year we stand again.
We know not what of gladness and good cheer of grief or pain
May visit us while journeying to its close. In this we rest,
God dealeth out in wisdom what He knows for us is best.
(Thomas Wearing)
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January 16
No Hurt.
“Nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
(Luke 10:19)
Is not this one of those very strong promises which we are apt to think are worded a little too strongly, and off which we take a great discount? Now, instead of daring a “Yea hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1) let us just take all the comfort and rest and gladness of it for ourselves.
Let us believe every word, just as our beloved Master uttered it to the simple-hearted seventy (Luke 10:17) who were so surprised to find His name so much more powerful than they expected.
Nothing! If He said “nothing,” have we any right to add, yes, but except . . .? Nothing can hurt those who are joined to Christ, “for with me thou shalt be in safeguard,” (1 Samuel 22:23) unless anything could be found which should separate us from Him.
And “who shall separate us?” (Romans 8:35) Earthly tribulations even the most terrible, shall not do it, for “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Romans 8:37).”
Yet a farther reaching and, indeed, entirely exhaustive list is given, none of which, “nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us.”
Let us take everything that possibly could hurt us to that list, and see for ourselves if it is not included, and then rejoice in the conclusion, based and built upon Christ’s bare word, but buttressed and battlemented by this splendid utterance of His inspired apostle that it is indeed so—“nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
(Royal Bounty - Havergal)
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January 17
“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in Himself:
He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar;
because he believeth not the record
that God gave of His Son.”
(1 John 5:10)
The sin of men is in making God a liar when they do not believe the record God has given of His Son; for men do quarrel with you when you tell them you know that you are saved. They ask how you can know that— which is just as much as saying that God is not capable of communicating any blessing to man.
It is calling God’s wisdom in question, as well as His power, in the testimony of His mercy and grace. This is what I have felt in the great question about the Bible. It is not whether it is the people's right to have the Bible, but it is questioning God’s right in giving it.
The treason is in keeping away God’s message from His servants. It is not merely the servant’s right to have the message, but it is God’s right in giving it that is called in question, as it is interfering with God’s right of communicating His thoughts in His word.
Whenever God gives a revelation, man is responsible to receive it.
God has given a witness in which He reveals the glory His Son; and when man calls in
question that word, he is disputing with God in the testimony of His grace as to what He is.
(J. N. Darby)
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January 18
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts, which
war against the soul.”
(1 Peter 2:11)
Thou my everlasting portion, more than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey, Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, all along my pilgrim journey,
Saviour, let me walk with Thee.
“A man that hath friends must show himself friendly:
and there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
(Proverbs 18:24)
Not for ease or worldly pleasure, not for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.
“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.”
(Psalm 23:4)
Lead me through the vale of shadows, bear me o’er life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Close to Thee, close to Thee, Close to Thee, close to Thee;
Then the gate of life eternal may I enter, Lord, with Thee.
(The Treasury of Fanny Crosby)
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January 19
“And as he was now gong down, his servants met him,
and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
(John 4:51)
A father’s love for his son drove him to seek help from the Lord Jesus,
“Sir, come down e’er my child die."
Surprisingly, the Lord did not go with him, as He had done in similar circumstances,
but simply said, “Go thy way, Thy son liveth.”
When the man returned, he discovered that the fever had left his son at the very hour that Jesus had spoken.
As a result he believed, and his household.
We have seen this happen, where an initial act of faith by one family member has swept through
the whole family in glorious salvation.
May we look for this kind of outcome in our witness today.
(W. H. Burnett)
Life, life abundant life, Jesus alone is the giver,
Life, life abundant life, glory to Jesus forever.
(William Leslie)
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January 20
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
(Psalm 34:4)
The Scottish preacher, John McNeil, related this personal incident.
During his boyhood in Scotland, he worked a long distance from home.
The walk home took him through a dense forest and across a wide ravine.
The ravine was known to house such nefarious tenants as wild animals and robber gangs.
Darkness would often gather before he got to the woods, and he said,
”How I dreaded to make the last part of the trip! I never went
through those woods without trembling with fear."
One night it was especially dark, but I was aware that something or someone was moving stealthily toward me. I was sure it was a robber. A voice called out, and its eerie tone struck my heart cold with fear. I thought I was finished. Then came a second call, and this time I could hear the voice saying, "John, is that you?" It was my father’s voice.
He had known my fear of the ravine and the darkness of the forest, and he had come out
to meet me. My father took hold of my hand and put his arm around me; I never
had a sweeter walk in my life. His coming changed the whole trip.
That is God’s relationship to you and me! He is your Father and my Father.
Through the darkness and mist we hear His voice -
He has come to meet us.
Just at the time we need Him, He will be there.
Through the darkest moment of life our Heavenly Father says,
FEAR NOT! Here is My hand! I will walk the rest of the way with you.
(Streams in the Desert - Vol. 2)
Nor will I rebel if the Master sees fit in His plan divine,
To lead me through darkest of valleys, without e’en a ray of light,
Where loneliness wrappeth around me the awesomeness of the night.
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January 21
“My cup runneth over" (Psalm 23 :5).
There is a process needed in all our souls, that we should be able to say: “My cup runneth over.”
This is not the experience of the first part of the Psalm. There, in being able to say:
“The Lord is my Shepherd,” it is easy to add: “I shall not want.”
Accordingly, we find the Shepherd’s care expressed in the green pastures and still waters of His providing, that the soul thus invigorated (for this is the meaning of “restore,” as food or rest restores) may walk “in the paths or righteousness for His Name’s sake.”
But in the latter part of the Psalm there is a marked change. The green pastures and waters of rest are no longer present to the soul, but the valley of the shadow of death.
This is commonly taken to mean a death-bed.
Practically the experience of this Psalm is only reached on a death-bed. But it ought not to be so;
and that this is not the thought of the passage may be clear from the words:
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
(Comforted of God - A. J. Pollock)
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January 22
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he
may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:
and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
(Luke 22:31-32)
First observe that the Lord warns him. Then note two other most touching things, the Lord’s prayer for
him before he fell, and the Lord’s look at him after. “Satan hath desired to have you,”
is divinely met, in grace, by ”but I have prayed for thee.”
The Lord made use of Satan to break the self-confidence which was the cause of Peter’s fall,
but the Lord’s controlling hand was upon the enemy, even so, and he was allowed to go
so far and no farther; and I believe that when the day of Pentecost came,
and Peter, restored, and happy in His master’s love, was the means
of three thousand souls coming to Christ, and being saved,
the devil was heartily sorry that that he had not left
him alone in the high priest’s hall.
But for that bitter experience he would never have been enough broken down,
humbled, and self-emptied, for the Lord to use him
in that marvellous manner.
(W. T. P. Wolston)
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