“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”
(John 10:11)
“As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
(John 10:15)
“Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.”
(John 10:17-18)
Other men die because they have to die. Our Lord laid down His life of His own voluntary will.
The very first prophecy of Christ suggested His death. God said to Satan in Eden when announcing the coming of the Conquering seed, “It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
The words of this promise probably seemed obscure to Adam and to his wife; but the subsequent unfoldings of Scripture show plainly that this first prophecy of Christ foretold His death.
Our Lord also “accomplished" His death. When Peter, James, and John were with the Lord in "the holy mount,” Luke records: “Behold there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory, and spoke of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31).
Moses had a remarkable death; God was his undertaker. Yet Moses did not “accomplish” his decease. The word “accomplish” does not fit any other death but the death of Christ. Death is the invasion of the territory of a man by an enemy.
The best of men, when they died, were said to give up the ghost, and to be gathered to their fathers; when they could live no longer, they succumbed to death. The death of the Lord Jesus was altogether different; it was perhaps the greatest of all His works. He Cried, “It is finished" when He bowed His head in death.
His death made all His work replete.
(A Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake)
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February 11
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and your spirit, which are God’s.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”
(Romans 14:8)
______________________________
YOU BELONG TO SOMEONE ELSE NOW
Let us never forget this. The purchase price has been paid, and the Holy Spirit has taken possession of those whom God has purchased, for “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you?” Not our souls only, but body, soul, and spirit are His now and forever.
If you have purchased a house and agreed to take possession of it at a certain date, you would think it strange if the old owner still remained in it, and insisted upon occupying some of the rooms. Would you not point out to him the unreasonableness and unrighteousness of such a course?
Yet how often we are found acting somewhat after that fashion. We say, “Yes, Lord, we are Yours!” but we do not yield ourselves to Him, and we like to use our bodies for our own selfish ends.
Ponder well the unrighteousness of this, and let us hold it as our sacred privilege to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, that He may be glorified in our body.
(William S. Ibrahim)
Living for Christ, my members I yield,
Servants to God, for evermore sealed,
“Not under law,“ I’m now “under grace,”
Sin is dethroned, and Christ takes its place.
Glory be to God.
(T. Ryder)
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February 12
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.”
(Ephesians 3:12)
“My Faith looks up to Thee” was written in 1832 by Ray Palmer, a twenty-two-year-old school teacher. Several months after his graduation from Yale University and while still living with the family of the lady who directed the girl’s school where he taught, Palmer wrote the text for this hymn.
He had experienced a very discouraging year in which he battled illness and loneliness.
"The Words for these stanzas were born out of my own soul with very little effort. I recall that I wrote the verses with tender emotion.
There was not the slightest thought of writing for another eye, least of all writing a hymn for Christian worship. It is well-remembered that when writing the last line, “Oh, bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!” the thought of the whole work of redemption and salvation was involved in those words, and suggested the theme of eternal praises, and this brought me
to a degree of emotion that brought abundant tears."
My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine; now hear me when I pray, take all my sin away; O let me from this day be wholly thine!
May Thy rich grace impart strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire; as Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee pure, warm, and changeless be—a living fire!
While life’s dark maze I tread and griefs around me spread, be Thou my guide; bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away, nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.
When ends life’s transient dream, when death’s cold sullen stream shall o’er me roll, Blest Saviour, then, in love, fear and distrust remove—O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul.
(Amazing Grace - Kenneth W. Osbeck)
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February 13
"I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
(Revelation 21:3)
We live in a neighbourhood with many people around us, but my wife
and children dwell in our house.
It is one thing to be among people; it is quite another to dwell with them.
They say you don’t know someone until you live with them.
The God of heaven is not going to live around us—He is going to dwell with us.
What intimacy! We will be getting to know Him for all eternity.
(Paul Robertson)
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today,
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart,
You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart!
(A. H. Ackley)
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February 14
“Finally brethren . . . whatsoever things are pure . . . if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
(Philippians 4:8)
Let us never lower God’s standard to meet our weakness: but rather let us press on,
with our eyes fixed on the Goal: on our Lord Himself.
with our eyes fixed on the Goal: on our Lord Himself.
Let us CONSIDER HIM (Hebrews 12:3).
Another has said, “the first look at Christ gives life,
and every after-look the power of living.”
“For every look at self take ten at Christ.”
(Sacrifices of Joy - G. Christopher Willis)
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February 15
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” [not self-willed] (James 3:17)
Self-will is deaf; and unbelief is blind.
Self-defence is self-serving. It is a popular and futile ego-trip.
Faith will always appear proud to those who lack it, but it will
be proved in the day of the Lord to be the only humility,
and everything which is not faith is pride, or no better.
(W. Kelly)
Books may preach when the author can not, when the author may not,
when the author dares not, yea, and what is more,
when the author is not.
(T. Brooks)
(Cudllets - John Kaiser)
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February 16
"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
(Ephesians 3:19)
It must ever be remembered that guidance is a matter of faith, not sight.
The Christian ought to be the most dignified person in the world.
We do not think half enough of ourselves
as we are before God.
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
(Galatians 6:14)
If the cross be applied to ourselves, and then to the world, you have two crucified things,
and consequently there could not be the least attraction between the two. That,
therefore, is the true way of overcoming the attractions of the world.
When the heart is at leisure from itself, through being satisfied with Christ, the Holy
Ghost is free to lead it out into all the circle of God’s interests, whether
as regards the church, His ancient people, or the world.
(Edward Dennett)
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February 17
“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men . . .
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; . . .”
(2 Corinthians 3:2,3)
WHO IS READING YOU?
Dr. J. H. Franklin relates a striking experience of a missionary to the islands of the Inland Sea near Japan. One evening a sailor came to him and asked him to call upon a man on another island who was under a deep sense of spiritual need.
The missionary, tired out after a hard day’s work, turned to a recent convert and said, "I am dreadfully tired. Won’t you go and take him a Bible?” The friend replied, “No, teacher. It is not time to take that man a Bible. That book is yours, and now, thank God, it is mine also, but it is not time to take that man a Bible. Teacher, that man is reading you yet awhile.”
The missionary could not sleep that night. He kept hearing those words over and over again: "That man is reading you. . . .” Before daybreak he set out to see the man.
The Christian is the only Bible the great majority ever look at. Ought we not then so to live as to require no commentary to explain us? It was said of a great missionary: “There is no difference between him and the Book.”
You are the Bible they will read the most,
They shall see Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Within its pages. Reading they shall claim
Their great possessions in the fragrant name.
(Fay Inchfawn)
One example is worth a thousand arguments.
Dear Master, show me more and more Thy beauty,
That, gazing on Thy brightness day by day,
I may reflect a little of Thy lustre;
And thus help others on their homeward way.
(Mountain Trailways for Youth)
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February 18
Words That Work
"And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.”
(Acts 14:1)
The story is told of a poor, blind boy who spent most days of his young life, sitting on the steps of a large office building begging. In this way he was able to get enough money to buy food and other necessities. The little blind beggar placed his cap between his feet while holding a sign on which he had written; "I am blind, please help.” Sadly, few people ever stopped to drop coins into his hat.
A man who worked in the building where the little fellow begged, always had a coin or two that he dropped in the hat. One morning, as he stopped to say 'hello' and leave a few coins, the man carefully studied the boy’s sign. Then, taking the sign, he turned it around and wrote some words on its back.Giving the sign to his young friend he told him not to turn it around again because he wanted those who passed by to read the sign’s ‘new' words.
The man left for his work in the office building and soon the hat began to fill up. It seemed to the boy that many more people were dropping coins into his cap then they had ever done before.
That afternoon the man who had changed the sign left his work and stopped to see how things were. The boy, immediately recognizing his voice and footsteps asked: "Weren’t you the one who changed my sign this morning? Please tell me what you wrote. Since you changed my sign I have received many more coins today then ever before!”
The smiling man replied; “Don’t worry son, I only wrote the truth. I wrote the very same message as you had used but with different words.” “Well, what did you write?” asked the curious boy. The man replied; "I wrote 'Today is a beautiful day but I can’t see it!’” Note verse above, “. . . and so spake, that a great multitude . . . believed."
True Christians, through faith in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, have an infinitely wonderful message to proclaim to this present evil world—the gospel of the grace of God. May we so speak (and 'so act’) that precious souls are drawn to the Saviour.
(T.C.S - Doug Nicolet (September 2010)
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February 19
A ROYAL CONFESSION
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
In June, 1939, King George of England and his queen were visiting President Roosevelt in Washington.
During that occasion Chief Whitefeather, an Indian “brave,” was called there by the head
of the Bureau for Indian Affairs, and was presented to the royal couple.
Chief Whitefeather was asked to sing for the visitors and delighted them with a spirited rendition
of “Rule, Britannia” and “God Save the King.” As his encore to their kind applause, the
Chief made his confession of faith in Christ by singing:
"I’d rather Have Jesus Than Silver and Gold.”
Having heard that Queen Elizabeth was a believer, the singer enquired: “Your Majesty,
may I ask if you KNOW Jesus as your personal Saviour?”
Without hesitation the answer came: “Some people know ABOUT God, some know ABOUT Christ;
but the Lord Jesus is the Possessor of my heart. My husband also is a believer.”
Then smilingly, the King of England said: “I’d rather have Jesus, too.”
Friend, is Christ Jesus your Saviour? Do you KNOW HIM? He is still calling,
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
This restless, wicked world holds out no such promise. It can never give true peace nor rest;
and the treasure it promises, its silver and gold, can give no satisfaction to the weary soul.
Only Christ as Possessor of your heart can fill the void and satisfy the hunger.
Will you let Him?
(From the Archives of Tom Dear)
I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land. I’d rather be led by His nailed-pierced hand.
I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause; I’d rather be faithful to to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame; I’d rather be true to His holy name.
He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He’s sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs, I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.
Chorus: Than to be the king of a vast domain and be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.
(Rhea F. Miller - Words) - (George Beverly Shea - Music)
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February 20
The Unbought Good
“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?”
(Job 12:7-9)
What would our land be worth to us,
The land we sell and buy,
And fence about, and call our own,
Without God’s open sky
To hold the sunset's rose and gold,
The white clouds floating high?
What would our fields bring forth for us
Without the gifts He sends,
Without the sunshine and the rain
On which our bread depends,
His little water-brooks to flow,
His birds to be our friends?
Oh, as the land without the sky
That ever bends above,
So barren and so desolate
Our lives without His love;
The blessings that no gold can buy
Our greatest riches prove.
(Flint’s Best Loved Poems)
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N.J. Hiebert - 7369
February 21
"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound:
every where and in all things I am instructed both
to be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and to suffer need.”
(Philippians 4:12)
If you are content with any food, any
raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude,
any interruption by the will of God—that is victory.
(This Day is the Lord’s - Corrie Ten Boon)
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