“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
(2 Timothy 4:7)
If we are honest, the little book of Jonah hits most of us very hard indeed, but what comfort it may bring to our wounded souls to remember that Jonah’s God is our God.
We have to confess that the same patience, grace and mercy that followed Jonah from start to finish has also followed us from the start, and we doubt not that it will continue with us to the end.
May He deliver us from our disobedience and selfwill, from our sulks and from our tempers! May He form and fashion us like unto Himself, and give us a true estimate of the real value of gourds and souls of men;
and make us vessels, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use!
(G. C. Willis)
O teach us more of Thy blest ways Thou Holy Lamb of God!
And fix and root us in Thy grace, as those redeemed by blood.
O tell us often of Thy love, of all Thy grief and pain;
And let our hearts with joy confess that thence comes all our gain.
For this, O may we freely count whate’er we have but loss;
The dearest object of our love, compared with Thee, but dross.
Engrave this deeply on our hearts with an eternal pen,
That we may, in some small degree, return Thy love again.
(Hutton)
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March 21
“He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of a quiet spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: And He that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”
(Proverbs 17:27-28)
It is the simpleton who is always babbling. The man who has knowledge will not be continually airing his acquirements. He is of a quiet spirit, and can bide his time.
A man who must always be talking is generally one whose grasp of things in general is very slight; and, among Christians, an ever-running tongue certainly is no commendation to the discerning.
He whose knowledge is limited is esteemed wise when his words are few. One who lives in the fear of God sets a value upon words that the careless soul cannot understand; for he remembers that “for every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
Even that which he has experienced of God’s love and favour is not always to be told lightly to others. Paul seems to have kept for fourteen years the secret of his having been caught up to the third heaven, till a seasonable time came to relate it (2 Corinthians 12:1-7).
(Harry A. Ironside)
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March 22
"As He (Jesus) sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately,
saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
(Matthew 24:3)
Jesus said that in the last days there would be religious deception by false prophets and false Christs! Famines, disease, earthquakes, wars, distress of nations, humanity gripped by fear, the sea roaring, great evil, lawlessness, violence.
All these things are happening today!
Still the world has yet to go through its darkest night
(the great tribulation) when catastrophic events will take place.
Child of God, there is no need to fear, for the Lord is coming to deliver His people from the wrath to come.
(Jim Paul)
Jesus is coming, sing the glad word, coming for those He redeemed by His blood,
Coming to reign as the glorified Lord; Jesus is coming again!
(D. Whittle)
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“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
(Genesis 6:5)
As to our true state by nature,
the word of God presents it as one of total and irrecoverable ruin.
Let us adduce the proofs - Note Genesis 6:5 quoted above.
The words “every”—“only”—and “continually,” set aside every idea
of a redeeming feature in man’s condition before God.
Again, “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:2,3).
Here again, the expressions “all”—“none”—“no not one”—preclude the idea of a single redeeming quality in man’s condition, as judged in the presence of God.
(C. H. Mackintosh)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9)
The true condition of nature, it is “lost”—“guilty”—"alienated”—“w
“evil only”—“evil continually.” .
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
”(Romans 6:23)
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March 24
"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
(2 Timothy 2:19)
We may worry about our children and loved ones as to whether or not they are truly the Lord’s. When we look for fruit, we are disappointed.
We need to remember that fruit is not borne continuously,
neither does it necessarily appear every year.
We are aware too that those who look for fruit sometime do not see it
or recognize what they have seen.
The important lesson is that the Lord knows and His knowledge is always better than ours. Things may not be as bad as they look. Keep praying, the Lord is not finished yet.
(Choice Gleanings - Roy Hill)
You remember songs of heaven which you sang with childish voice,
Do you love the hymns they taught you, or are songs of earth your choice?
(A. R. H.)
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March 25
EXALTATION AND GLORY - EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art; Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”
(Genesis 41:39-40)
In accordance with God’s settled plan, Pharaoh is also instructed as to the way
God will take to carry out His plans.
Seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine, and Pharaoh is told to “look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt”
(Genesis 41:33)
Two things mark this plan.
First, God ordains that only one man shall be over the land; second,
God will so order circumstances that all will be brought under the sway of this man.
Joseph was to be set over all, and all would be brought under Joseph by the
seven years of plenty followed by the seven years of famine.
The circumstances and the man would combine to bring
about God’s purposed plan.
. . . and God has disclosed to us that according to His good pleasure He has purposed to head up all things in Christ.
(Hamilton Smith)
“That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him.”
(Ephesians 1:10)
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March 26
New Beginnings
“For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And
in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
(Psalm 30:5,6)
There just have to be times in a person’s life when the past is past, when bygones are bygones, when the gaunt, gray, forlorn memories of a former glory are buried under the supernatural loveliness of a new life from above.
For all of us there have to be new beginnings.
There have to be fresh moments when we stand on a new height of land and look with widening eyes upon fresh vistas of our Father’s great intentions for us.
He and He alone can come down upon our soiled souls, our grieving spirits, our wounded hearts to enfold them in His wondrous ways.
(Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller)
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March 27
“That disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.”
(John 21:7)
“Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."
(John 11:5)
I am my beloved’s, and His desire is toward me.”
(Song of Solomon 7:10)
So nigh, so very nigh to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son,
I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith He loves the Son,
Such is His love to me.
(C. Paget)
“That the world may know that Thou hast sent Me,
and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.”
(John 17:23)
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March 28
“Grace to help in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:15)
If we did but know a little more of the comfort and joy of drinking
into the fulness of God’s love, we should feel present
circumstances to be as nothing.
Whenever there is real need in the wilderness,
it is a sin to doubt whether God will
help us or not. . . .
Tempting the Lord is doubting the supply of His
goodness in giving all that we need.
(Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - JND)
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March 29
Fresh Supply
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
(Matthew 6:11)
Food is one of life's essentials, and we are blessed to live where there is such abundant supply. But even at that, there are many, many in North America who don’t get enough to eat, and we do well to help food pantries, soup kitchens and the like in their quest to provide for the needy.
But what about feeding our spirits?
Are we seeing to it that our spirits are receiving a fresh daily supply from the Lord?
Some years ago I heard an illustration about a waterwheel. The water that
drives the waterwheel today is not the water that went through
yesterday, nor is it the water that may come tomorrow.
It is the water passing through today. A waterwheel cannot
turn on its own to produce power, it must be fueled by the passing water.
That holds true for you and me as well. We need that daily,
fresh supply of the water of God’s word for strength and wisdom for today.
“Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
(Ephesians 5:25-26)
God’s word, with its timeless wisdom, provides truth, comfort, direction, correction, understanding, sustenance and soul healing for us. Thankfully we have the Bible at our disposal so easily.
(L.I.F.E. LINES - F. Pratt)
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March 30
“Lord, dost Thou not care?”
(Luke 10:40)
What seems to account for all the care in the world is that the human heart has lost the sense of God’s care. When Martha uttered that pitiful complaint in the ears of Christ as He sat in her house at Bethany, "Dost Thou not care?” she was not only voicing her own sentiment, but that of the entire human race.
Is not this more or less the cry of every heart at some time or other, though not uttered perhaps with all the distinctness with which Martha uttered it? Oh, how often the uplifted eyes and heart have spoken thus to God, even if the words never escaped the lips!
How much there seems in the course events are allowed to take, whether in general, or in regard to each of us in particular, to confirm the suspicion that God does not after all care what becomes of us, or how things turn out! As if, after all, there was no one to look after the world.
Nurses there may be to look after babies, and parents to provide for children, and policemen for general protection; but as to the deepest concerns of life, grown men and women seem left to themselves. And so the majority of suffering, toiling humanity, perhaps, are quite ready to adopt the language of the elder sister of Bethany, “Dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?”
This is the cry that seems to burst from the heart of one sensible of being wronged. Have not our own hearts sometimes told us that Martha is not alone here?
But—what a profound truth this is, that God cares!
“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
(Angels in White - Russell Elliot)
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March 31
“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 our of darkness into His marvellous light.”
(1 Peter 2:9)
I know what some of us are thinking. “Yes I see it all plainly enough in theory, but in practice I find I am not kept. Self goes over to the other camp again and again. It is not all for Jesus, though I have asked and wished for it to be so.”
"Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee."
The “all” must be sealed with “only.” Are you willing to be only for Jesus? You have not given all to Jesus while you are not quite ready to be only for Him. And it is no use to talk about “ever” while we have not settled the “only” and the “all”.
You cannot be for Him in the full and blessed sense while you are partly for anything or anyone else. For “the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself” (Psalm 4:3). You see, the “for” Himself hinges upon the “set apart.” There is no consecration without separation.
If you are mourning over want of realized consecration, will you look humbly and sincerely into this point? “A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse.” (Song of Solomon 4:12) saith the Heavenly Bridegroom.”
(Frances Ridley Havergal)
Set apart for Jesus! Is not this enough,
Though the desert prospect open wild and rough?
Set apart for His delight, chosen for His holy pleasure,
Sealed to be His special treasure!
Could we choose a nobler joy?—
and would we if we might?
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April 1
“I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, 'The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him'.”
(Ezra 8:22)
The journey was 900 miles and dangerous. Yet Ezra was ashamed to ask for soldiers, for in doing so he would have lowered his testimony of faith in the king’s eyes.
Divine insurance policies have a far greater coverage than earthly policies.
“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them
that fear Him, and delivereth them.”
(Psalm 34:7)
"He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
(Hebrews 13:5)
Embrace these wonderful promises today.
(R. Surgenor)
Simply trusting every day, trusting through a stormy way,
Even when my faith is small, trusting Jesus, that is all.
(E. P. Stites)
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April 2
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