RETURN OF CHRIST
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
(1 Thessalonians 4:17)
When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I’ll shout with the millions on high.
~~~~~
"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
Him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:11)
He is coming, the “Man of Sorrows,”
Now exalted on high;
He is coming with loud hosannas,
In the clouds of the sky.
(Fanny Crosby)
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July 1
THE MIDNIGHT TALK
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
the same came to Jesus by night . . . Jesus . . . said unto him, verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
(John 3:1-3)
The midnight talk with the Son of God as recorded in John 3, evidently left its impress upon
his soul, for we find him later pleading His cause before the Council in John 7:50,
and bringing down upon his own head the contempt of his fellows.
But he was not yet prepared to throw in his lot with the Nazarene, and to
share the reproach and shame that came upon Him from day to day.
Thank God, Nicodemus shone out brightly at the finish.
When all others had fled, boastful Peter doing worse still, Nicodemus proffered his assistance
to Joseph of Arimathia for the burial of his Lord. His righteous soul was stung to
the quick by the unrighteousness that he had witnessed.
Delay was no longer possible; timidity was thrown to the winds; and he allowed
it to be seen by all that he loved and honoured the outcast Son of God.
Truly, “the last shall be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16).
(W. W. Fereday)
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July 2
“. . . the praise of His glory . . . the riches of the glory . . .
the praise of the glory of His grace . . . the exceeding riches of His grace.”
(Ephesians 6-14)
How did the work of the old creation proceed?
One thing after another was created in its beauty, and man came at the last. He was put in the garden; and what was his condition there? He was at home there; but when the cattle were brought up to be named by him, he was not only at home in his own proper place, but he gets the lordship of every thing before him. He was in his dominions. Was that all? There remained a thing behind, and that thing was the chiefest. He had everything before he got the woman. It was the last thing revealed, and the tip-top of his happiness.
It opened his lips, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).
Adam was happy before, but he was not abounding. When the woman was given to him, it was the height of his joy. So we ought to be prepared for the church waiting for the ministry of Paul. I should be prepared for the last ministry bringing out the richest thing in the counsels of God.
(J. G. Bellett)
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July 3
“And the L0RD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD,
and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."
(Job1:7)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
(1 Peter 5:8)
The devil is a master at half truth.
When asked by the Lord where he had been, his reply was only partially true.
The unspoken part was that he had been promoting his nefarious
schemes, which he always attempts to keep hidden.
His aim is to devour and we are urged to be sober and vigilant,
to immerse ourselves in the study of God’s Word
so that we are not duped by his devices.
(Mark Kolchin)
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
(Martin Luther)
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July 4
“And whither I [Jesus] go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?
(John 14:4-5)
Thomas was honest and he was never afraid just to blurt out all the truth. He said, “We do not know what You are talking about. We have to confess we are ignorant, and we don’t know where You are going, and how can we know the way. ”Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”
Oh, do not talk about many ways. There is only one—Jesus is the only way. There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus. Have you come to Him? Are you trusting Him? If you are, you are on the way to the Father’s house, and now you can wait with equal glad expectation for the hour of His return, for He said, “If I go, I will come again and receive you unto Myself.”
When will He come?
We cannot tell that, but we are waiting for Him day by day.
I know not when the Lord will come or at what hour He may appear,
Whether at midnight or at morn, or at what season or the year.
I only know that He is near, and that His voice I soon shall hear.
(H. A. Ironside)
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July 5
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28)
In all our weariness we know Him, who knew weariness and thirst—A Man, verily,
“God over all, blessed for ever,” (Romans 9:5) yet truly Man, now glorified,
the Succourer of His people, their great High Priest,
“Touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”
Surely we can find rest in Him as under “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” (Isaiah 32:2). Ay, and He gives the invitation: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”— an invitation most blessedly falling from the lips of the Gospel preacher; and no weary sinner who comes to Him, but will find rest, yet not confined to that, but an invitation to you that labour and are heavy laden to rest.
Blessed Jesus! The One whom our souls love is He who can give rest to
His flock at noon. "Rest at Noon”! (Song of Solomon1:7).
Do you know anything of it?
(A. J. Pollock)
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July 6
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
(Ephesians 6:10-11)
The Christian life is a constant warfare.
We have three subtle and cruel enemies ever arrayed again us—the world,
the flesh, and the Devil—and against all these we are called to make a resolute stand.
We do not fight in our own strength but as we are empowered by
Him whose soldiers we are.
(H. A. Ironside)
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July 7
“To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever
believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.”
(Acts 10:43)
Long before man is to be judged for his sins God unfolds two things; first,
that forgiveness is offered to every soul that believes in His Son, and
secondly, that He sends the Holy Ghost to dwell in the believer.
Is not that wide enough, broad enough, to take you and me in?
Is not forgiveness of sins the very thing you need and desire?
That is the very thing God proclaims to you.
(W.T. P. Wolston)
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July 8
“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.”
(1 Peter 5:7)
A dear brother in Christ recently told of a question asked by the teacher
of his six year old grandson, Noah.
During a classroom discussion she asked the children,
“What is worry?”
Raising his hand, Noah replied;
"It’s when we think God can’t handle it.”
Oh!, for the sweet, simple faith of a child!
Could the wisest of adults give a better answer?
(C.T.S Doug Nicolet - March, 2010)
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July 9
"And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
(Luke 19:8)
It is plainly the language of a benevolent and conscientious heart without the knowledge of salvation, which the Lord brought that day to Zaccheus’ house. The tone of Zaccheus is as different as possible from that of the self righteous Pharisee who "stood and prayed with himself” (18:11,12).
Here was the case of a man who was truly in earnest.
Neither his diminutive stature nor the crowd around the Lord hindered him.
Would that we might see many as truly in earnest as the blind beggar and Zaccheus!
The Lord Jesus, the good Shepherd, called His own sheep by name; He said,
“Zaccheus, make haste and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house.”
Zaccheus tells the Lord what had been the habitual practice of an honest and good heart,
which had yearned after better things; but still, however blessed it is to see human righteousness
where it exists, there was no recognition of this when it was the question of bringing salvation to him—
“This day is salvation come to this house. . . . For the Son of Man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost.”
(Luke 19:9-10)
(F. G. Patterson)
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July 10
WHILE WE ARE WAITING
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord . . .
Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
(James 5:7,8)
Give us joy of the thought of Thy coming ‘mid all the griefs that encompass us here,
‘Mid awful anguish and dread desolation, voices of wailing, of madness and fear;
Fulness of joy shall we have in Thy presence, when the long tale of earth’s sorrow shall close;
Give us the earnest of that blessed gladness; joy of the world, be our strength in these woes.
Give us the peace of the thought of Thy coming ‘mid raging war and the rumours of war,
Safe in the clefts of the rock do Thou hide us, shelter us far from the tempests’ wild roar;
Under Thy wings shall no evil betide us; in Thy strong arm shall our confidence be;
Who can make trouble when Thou givest quiet? Peace of the world, we are trusting in Thee.
Give us the light of the thought of Thy coming; Dark is the night, and its shadows are nigh,
Dim, flaring lamps of man’s genius and learning—all, all have failed us; they flicker and die.
Dark is the night, but above and beyond it soon shall the day break and shadows all flee;
Soon shall we see Thine ineffable glory; light of the world, we are following Thee.
(Flint’s Best-Loved Poems)
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July 11
“That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead,
and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day,
were both almost, and altogether such as I am.”
(Acts 26:23,27-29)
“Almost persuaded": come, come today!
“Almost persuaded”: turn not away!
Jesus invites you here;
List to His voice so clear
Now falling on your ear:
Come, wanderer, come!
(P. P. Bliss)
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