December 31

“Among whom ye are seen as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:15

A candle should burn until it is all consumed; likewise a man’s testimony should continue until his death. It one candle’s light is to live on, then it needs to kindle another before it is completely burned out. By kindling candle after candle, the light can shine on and on until it covers the whole world. Such is the testimony of the Church.

When the Son of God came to the earth, he kindled a few candles; later on he ignited another candle in Paul, and of course many more. During the 2,000 years since then, the Church’s light continued burning on in candle after candle. Many have even sacrificed their lives to ignite others, but although the first candle gutters out, the second one continues, and so on and so on. Go therefore and witness for the Lord! Let his testimony shine out in the earth unceasingly.

December 30

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.” Joel 2:25

Do our hearts ache over the years we have foolishly squandered? Then let us thank God for the comfort of knowing his power to restore them. “Alas,” we lament, “our best years have been devoured by the locusts. They are lost now, never to be regained. What shall we do?” The answer is, “Nothing!” It is God who will restore those years. As to the time wasted, a lost decade of ours  may have been worth no more than one day in God’s eyes; but if hereafter we redeem the time by using it for God, then one day may become equal in value to 1,000 years.

For the day on earth is not clocked in heaven on the basis of twenty-four hours. Instead, God has his own moral scale of computation. If our service is according to his will, let us take courage. Who can tell what a single hour may count for in his sight?

December 29

“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never some yoke.” Numbers 19:2

While all Israel's other sacrifices were offered to meet current needs, the red heifer alone was different, it was offered to provide for future eventualities. The whole heifer was to be burned. Then the ashes were collected and stored, so that as the need arose they could be mixed with running water and sprinkled on an unclean person to make him clean.

In those ashes was embodied all the efficacy of redemption. Whenever a man was defiled, he had no need to slay another heifer; he needed only to he sprinkled with this water. Putting this in Christian terms, a believer today does not need the Lord Jesus to work for him a second time; he has the incorruptible ashes and living water of Christ’s finished work fur his cleansing. The atonement which God has wrought for us in Christ is always at once available for our need.

December 28

“And not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” Acts 4:32

Once these men had gained eternal life, their possessions began to lose their grip on them, and in quite a natural way they disposed of their properties. Applying this to us who come to follow the Lord today, should it not be quite natural to us that our many possessions are placed at his disposal?

From my own personal life may I tell you something which may make you laugh. For nearly twenty years I have had the habit of purchasing a half dozen or so of anything I buy for myself. For example, if I buy a safety razor blade. I purchase a dozen of them, to avoid buying for my own self alone. Of course I cannot give a razor blade to each of a thousand or more brethren, but if I give to other brothers before I use my own, it saves me from feeling in a wrong way that the razor belongs exclusively to me. This has proved to be one small way of holding my material possessions for God.

December 27

“And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father.” 1 John 2:1

What the Lord has done is wholly to forgive us for our sins and totally to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When Scripture says “all,” there is no doubt that God means all. Let us not divide his Word. He forgives all our sins, not only of the past but right up to date—sins that we are conscious of as well as those of which we are unaware.

“If any man sin.” God has spoken to us that we should not sin, Faced with his great forgiveness our gratitude, far from making us careless, will surely constrain us not to sin. But if a Christian should sin, he has an Advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ the righteous. It is now a family affair, as the words “with the Father” indicate. The very fact that the Son intercedes for us there guarantees that the least believer, however lately entered upon the Father-Son relationship with God has unqualified forgiveness.

December 26

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

“The peace of God” is not just a certain kind of peace that God bestows upon us. It is God’s own peace, the very peace which is inherent in his nature. His is a peace that nothing can disturb. When he created the angels, and when rebellion broke out in their ranks with far-reaching effects in his universe, not even so dark a calamity could disturb him. He proceeded to realize his heart’s desire by repairing the damage done on the earth and then creating another order of beings—man.

Then man too fell. Yet the peace of God remained undisturbed, We would have expected him to act immediately to make good the damage; but not so. God could wait for “the fullness of time” before sending his Son to recover what was lost. A wait of thousands of years put no strain on his peace. God promises that a peace of this quality will guard the hearts and thoughts of those who fulfill his condition of committing everything to him in prayer.

December 25

“They shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us.” Matthew 1:23

The whole outworking of redemption activities was initiated by this coming of the Babe to Bethlehem. It illustrates in a supreme way the quiet and apparently small character of God‘s beginnings. Only a few humble shepherds were called in to witness this unique addition to the human race by which the eternal Son of God was thereafter able to claim to he the Son of Man.

Jesus himself adopted this description of himself and seemed to delight in it, though truly God, he was now truly Man. The title of Immanuel was never fully understood while Jesus was on earth and was probably never used by those nearest to him. Since Calvary and Pentecost, however, believers have claimed it as one of the most precious of his many names. He set his own seal on it when he assured his adoring apostles, “Lo, l am with you always.” Since he added “unto the end of the age,” we too can claim him as our ever-present Immanuel.

December 24

“For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Hebrews 4:15

Why was it that our Lord Jesus did not enter this world as a grown man? Why did he have to be conceived as a baby, to be nursed and carried, until he gradually grew up to manhood? Why was he obliged to pass through more than thirty years of earthly sufferings? Could he not as easily have accomplished the work of redemption by coming down into the world and being crucified three days later? The answer is that he suffered chastening and hardship and frustration and disappointment in order that he might be sympathetic with you and me.

Sympathy is compassion, “suffering together.” He feels with you. He is always sympathetic toward your infirmities, never to the sins you commit, but always to the sufferings of your body and distresses of your soul. He has been through it all. He not only has the grace to save you; he also has the heart to sympathize with you.

December 23

“Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.” Song of Songs 6:4

It is in the heavenly realm that the saints have their union with Christ, but there too they meet the real force of the enemy's attacks. God never intended believers to possess heavenly beauty merely and be without the spiritual stamina to fight his battles. Unfurled banners denote victory. It is the defeated who have to roll them up. Christ’s beloved people are meant to make an impact in the heavens, marching on triumphantly as an army.

Yet when that is said, they are at the same time likened to Tirzah, a place renowned for its beauty, and are described as being comely as Jerusalem, the city of God. There is no contradiction here. The Church which is beautiful to God will be a challenge to his enemies.

December 22

“Having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

What does it mean to be a stranger and a pilgrim? Let me use an illustration. During my stay in England, shortly before the Munich crisis, I noticed people preparing for war by digging trenches. preparing shelters, and distributing masks for poisonous gas. My feelings at that time were entirely different from those of the Englishmen. I watched them prepare for war until the news came that a pact had been signed.

Many could not sleep that night. They sang and they shouted. But what was my reaction? I watched unmoved. While they had been busily preparing for war, I had watched coldly; now when they rejoiced over peace, I still watched coldly. I was a sojourner. I would soon go away. In their joy and in their sorrow I was merely an observer. So it was that I realized what it means to he an alien. My attitude toward England was neutral. I hoped for her good; I wished her peace; but my interests lay elsewhere.

December 21

“But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.” Revelation 2:4

The expression “first love” refers not only to primacy in time but also in quality. The story of the prodigal son’s return home tells us that the father called for “the best robe” to be brought to replace the penitent’s rags. This is the same word. The first love is the best love.

The tragedy in this church at Ephesus was that it had left or moved away from that devotion which gave the Lord the first place in their affections. There was, however, a hope. It is not always possible to recover what has been lost, but it is always open to us to return to a position from which we have strayed. The Lord calls each of us who has wandered to come back to the experience of loving him best, to return to our first love.

December 20

“I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears.” 2 Kings 20:5

How good it is to know that God sees our tears. As Hezekiah prayed, he also wept; and God answered him. Such tearful prayers can move God’s heart. It seems that whatever cannot move your heart cannot move God’s heart either. A weeping before men may reveal your weakness and lack of manly strength, but a weeping before God is different.

Yet be clear about this, that tears are futile if they are not shed before God. There are people who are prone to weeping, but if a man's cry simply expresses his own sorrow and distress, it will not produce any positive results. Tears accompanied by prayer, however, are effective. Every time you cry in distress, why not therefore add prayer? The supplications of the Lord Jesus went up to God with strong crying and tears, and he was heard because he feared.

December 19

“Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

We never cease to need God’s cleansing of our spirits. As his children, we come often face to face with the cross of Christ and it never confronts us in vain. Each time some new defect in us is brought to light and dealt with, often painfully, and we are cleansed once again and our spirits are purified.

If the Spirit of the Lord were to reject every man who had some defect, things would be much simpler. It would be easy to draw a clear line between what is the work of the flesh and what of the Spirit. The problem is compounded, however, because God does not reject us outright, even though our spirit is not pure and our flesh may be active. Instead he uses us, and next time deals with us afresh by his cross. Although he uses us, let us be careful that we never lose sight of our own impurity. And the more he uses us, the more willingly let us subject ourselves again to his cleansing work.

December 18

“And she said, thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” 2 Kings 4:2

The work of the Holy Spirit is not “once empty, always full”; it is “keeping on being empty to keep on being full.” The woman’s difficulty was having too few vessels. She was told to borrow “not a few.” which is to say “the more the better.” The greater the space, the greater will be the fullness. This is the rule which God wants us to learn.

He waits for us to be empty. If you have an unlimited vacancy, the Holy Spirit will occupy it all, dispensing to you his unlimited fullness. Let me repeat; our emptying needs to be continuous. To the degree that we empty ourselves. God can fill us. The emptying is our responsibility, just as the filling is his. God wants to see the hungry filled with good things. Only those who presume to be rich will he send away empty.

December 17

“In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away.” Hebrews 8:13

In Acts 21 Paul went into the Temple to perform a vow. Let us not hastily conclude that he was wrong to do so. We dare not apply God’s ultimate standards to his saints in every age, since his movement toward the final goal is progressive. What is required of you and me today is not that we attain to God’s ultimate but that we keep in step with him now. At that period of his life, it may have been perfectly right for Paul to purify himself in the Temple in accordance with the Old Covenant, but what was fitting then could have been wrong at a later time.

From beginning to end, the book of the Acts is a progressive narrative. Even when the record closes with chapter 28, the movement of the Spirit does not cease. The tide flows on throughout succeeding generations, and all the while God keeps raising up those who will make their specific contribution to each stage of his onward move.

December 16

“How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight . . .” Deuteronomy 32:30

Christianity is unique in that it is not only individual but corporate in nature. It stresses the coming together of the saints. Other religions advocate piety; Christianity alone calls people to assemble.

It is promised here that whereas one chases off 1,000 foes, two put to flight ten times that number. We do not know how this is possible, for the arithmetic seems wrong, but it is a fact. We would calculate that if one can chase 1,000, then two will dispose of 2,000. But God says NO. Eight thousand more will flee when two of his children unite. This added effectiveness is the surplus gained from meeting and working together. Let us not, therefore, be content with personal grace alone. God has so much more he can do with us together.

December 15

“If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself.” John 7:17

God grants us light to the degree that he sees we genuinely desire to know his will and do it. A heart that is hardened or self-seeking or self-reliant may shut out God’s light, If we truly want him to illumine us, we must be tender, unselfish, dependent on him, in short, we must be humble, for we are subject to error. What we judge as right may not necessarily be right; what we judge as wrong may not be wrong at all.

We may see darkness as light, or see light and think it darkness. It is so easy for us to act overconfidently and in haste on these mistaken grounds. It is only the light of God that can show us the true character of a thing. Let us ask for that light out of a pure desire for his will, for the Christian life should not be filled with problems, doubts, hesitations, and mistakes.

December 14

“But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting.” James 1:6

I once had a Christian friend who was in urgent need of $150. At that time we lived in a riverside village where no ferryboat operated on Saturdays or Sundays. It was already Saturday and he needed the money for the following Monday. He prayed to God and became assured that the money would come to him on the Monday. As he went out to preach the gospel, he met his window-cleaner who reminded him that he owed him a dollar for work done; so he paid him from the remaining two dollars which he had in his pocket. Going on further he met a beggar who asked for alms. His remaining dollar seemed very precious to him, but he felt that he must give it all to the beggar.

As his last dollar went out, God came in. He became exceedingly happy, having nothing now to depend on but God alone. He returned home and slept peacefully. On the Lord’s day he was occupied as usual in his service. Monday came, and sure enough $150 arrived by telegram, even though this means of remittance was very costly. God may not be early, but he is never late! Only he is always right on time.

December 13

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy love is better than wine.” Song of Songs 1:2

A kiss is an act of personal, wholehearted committal. It means that all the attention is centered on the one person. (No one kisses two persons at the same time!) Of course there can always be the hypocritical kiss of a Judas, or the merely formal salutation which Simon the Pharisee failed to give to Jesus; but these have no place here, for the words are spoken by one whose heart has been captivated by the Lord and who forgets everybody else in the act of devotion which makes everything of him. Such a one longs for the closest communion with God. The Father's kiss of forgiveness was sweet, but this is something more. It is the Lord’s response to an outgoing of devotion from one who finds his love better than all else.

December 12

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27

Jesus has just stated that if it is absolutely impossible for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye, then it is even more impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. We Christians are all like camels; big or small ones, maybe, but still camels. So when Peter heard this statement, he was uneasy. If eternal life is to be obtained by such impossible contortions, then who can be saved? Have we all to set to work to impoverish ourselves before we are saved?

The Lord Jesus answered Peter’s problem with one sentence: “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” What was wrong with the young ruler was not his wealth so much as the fact that he went away sorrowful. Why did he not cry out for grace? Why did he not ask God to do the impossible for him? Man's failure is not due to his weakness, but to his unwillingness to let God deliver him.

December 11

“For to you is the promise, and to your children.” Acts 2:39

The biblical view of children is always that they are God’s gift to us. They are ours on trust from him. You cannot say, “This child is mine,” as if he were exclusively yours, giving you unlimited rights over him until he becomes a man. Such a concept is heathen, not Christian. Christianity never recognizes one’s children as one’s private property. They are a divine trust, to be held for the Giver.

From the first God sees the child as a person with his own rights and privileges. He does not deny the child’s self-respect, nor violate his freedom, nor erase his independent personality when he places him in your hand. He trusts you with him for his good and yours. I would tell parents to be slow in demanding strict obedience from their children, and ask them first to set themselves to be good parents before the Lord.

December 10

“And Enoch walked with God after he begot Methuselah.” Genesis 5:22

We do not know anything about Enoch before he was sixty-five years old, but after he begat Methuselah we discover something special: we learn that he walked with God for 300 years before he was taken up. This is very significant. When the burden of having a family came upon Enoch, he became aware of his unfitness. He felt the responsibility heavy on him, so he came near to God.

The record does not say that he walked with God only when Methuselah was born, but that he individually maintained this personal association as though convinced that unless he was intimate with God, he could not lead his son. Nor does it say that children distracted him from his course. He begat many sons and daughters during those three centuries, but all the while he continued to walk with God. Parenthood itself should not hinder people from this walk of faith; rather, since the bearing of family responsibilities reveals one’s true spiritual state, should it constrain them so to walk. And when the pilgrimage was completed, Enoch was not; for God took him.

December 9

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” John 4:14

The Lord Jesus gives people permanent satisfaction. Why then are we so often unsatisfied? Why is there yet a craving within us for something else? We are attentive enough to the promise of this verse, but have we overlooked the declaration which preceded it? Pointing to the well of Sychar, Jesus had said, “Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again.” It is “this water” that has reawakened our cravings and that fails to satisfy them. It never will. Our mistake is to build our hopes—even Christian hopes—on the fleeting things of time. That explains the disappointment. The first clause, “shall thirst again,” was necessary to drive us to the second, “shall never thirst." We, whom the Lord intends to satisfy fully, often need reminding not to drink from other sources.

December 8

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger . . . be put away from you.” Ephesians 4:31

I am a Christian, and I feel an outburst of temper rising within me. I cannot repress it by merely repeating such Scriptures as “My old man was crucified with Christ,” “I have died to sin,” for afterwards I have to admit that if I were really dead I could not have lost my temper anyway! No, the simple recital of Bible words produces no result.

The cross of Christ is not meant to relieve our symptoms, but rather to deal with our disease. The disease which causes the temper has to do with our “self.” Let no one excuse himself by saying that it is his disposition to be quick-tempered, for the slow can equally lose his temper, though he may manifest it in a different way. We need to know how to deny our self. This is where the death of Christ is effective. If self is being dealt with before God, then our explosive ill temper will naturally fade away.

December 7

“Surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, and my recompense with my God.” Isaiah 49:4

Our Lord Jesus is never discouraged. He was sent here to bring Jacob again to God, to gather Israel to him; but with what result? He did not appear to have been successful. Indeed. by man’s estimate, he was totally defeated, for Jacob did not return to God. Israel did not accept him. Instead, the Jews rejected Jesus and slew him as a criminal.

Had we to live on earth rejected by men and apparently fruitless in service, it is more than likely that we should become aggrieved and cry out for justice. Not so the Lord. He had committed himself to the Father, and neither gain nor loss was able to touch him. He was careful about one thing only: to leave the vindication and the reward to the Father. If our justice is safe with God, our recompense from him is also sure.

December 6

“They washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14

We can only be made righteous by being cleansed through the blood. God offers us this way and no other. Not only our sins, but our behavior also must be cleansed. Not a single deed of any Christian is originally white. Even if we have some righteousness, it is mixed and not pure. Often we may have been outwardly kind to others, but were inwardly resentful. Often we have been patient with someone, only to go home and moan about him. Even after doing some righteous deed, therefore, we still need the cleansing of the blood.

So no Christian can ever weave himself a robe which is purely white. If he could make one that was 99 percent pure (and who can’t), there would still be one percent of mixture. Even our good deeds, done out of love to the Lord, need the cleansing of the precious blood. But thus cleansed, we shall find ourselves arrayed in heavenly whiteness.

December 5

“And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go . . . and Jehovah will be my God . . . ” Genesis 28:20, 21

Now is it not true that you vowed a vow when you were first saved? Although you may have bargained with God while doing so. as Jacob did, your heart was right. As you set out upon his pathway, your desire toward him was good.

But have you been like Jacob? The morning after, he put that vow behind his back. He traveled eastward and far from relying on God, he began at once to maneuver his way to success. He put his trust, not in the One whom he had asked to keep and clothe and feed him, but wholly in himself. How well he represents us! He looked to God, but he relied on his own cleverness.

In Laban, however, God had prepared for this clever Jacob someone even cleverer. Step by step he was brought back by adversity to his vow, until at length he could only confess himself unworthy of the least of God’s mercies.

December 4

“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

In this experience, the discipline of the Holy Spirit leads Paul to a new discovery. He has gone through a lot already, and he is not one to fear danger or sickness; yet now he is being sore tried. The thorn in the flesh is no ordinary thorn. If Paul says it is painful, then it must be very painful indeed. He is weakened by it. But at the very point God gives him grace which he affirms is “sufficient.” Paul has thus made a dual discovery. He recognizes not merely God’s strength but also his own weaknesses—and not ashamed to tell us so.

Countless saints in the Church have been carried through trial and testing by means of the revelation of God to Paul. Oh, if we ourselves only knew how weak we are! For as soon as weakness leaves us, power likewise departs. But like Paul, the testings you and I go through perfect the words we utter. As we then rise up and admitting our own weakness, speak words that are tempered through trial, our brothers and sisters, themselves under testing, are given by God the grace and the strength to carry them through also.

December 3

“For where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

A brother once said to me, “My treasure is on earth, but my heart is in heaven.” Such a brother should be exhibited in a Christian museum as rarity! This is greater than a miracle, for it is something which the Lord said is quite impossible.

Mammon (or riches) is an idol which many have served over the past years and have found that such service gets a grip on the heart. The Lord’s Word is both candid and sure: the heart always follows the treasure. There is no escape from this fact. No matter how one reasons, a man cannot serve both God and mammon. We must choose either one or the other.

December 2

“Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee.” Psalm 141:2

True prayer comes from the desire of the heart, not from the imagination of the mind. It arises from a deep inner longing for the will of God. For this reason, the psalmist asked that his prayer might be offered to God as incense. All Old Testament incense came from the frankincense trees. To obtain it, successive incisions were made in the bark, and the tree then oozed a white resin from which the incense was manufactured. Hence prayer is not the offering of just anything that might be at hand; it is the presenting of something drawn painfully out of the innermost heart, as though it seeped from our very wounds.

How different is this from the easygoing prayers that we sometimes offer—prayers good to listen to, but all too empty of content! God answers these too, but let us remember well that our prayers are for God to hear, not for pleasing the ears of our fellow Christians. And God looks on the heart.

December 1

“But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:39

What is taught us in the Sermon on the Mount? Is it not this—that within us, his sons, God has planted a new life; that that life makes upon us its own unique demands; and that in our conduct toward men we dare not be satisfied with anything less than what fulfills those demands. The Sermon does not tell us that provided we do what is right, then all is well. Men would protest, “Why present the other cheek? Surely it is enough if we accept the blow meekly without retaliating!” But God says otherwise. If when you are smitten on the one cheek, you do no more than bow your head and depart, you will find that the inner life will not

be satisfied.

Many people tell us that the standards of Matthew 5—7 are too difficult; they are quite beyond us. I admit this. They are impossible. But here is the point: you have an inner life, and in a given situation that life gives you no rest until you do as the Sermon on the Mount requires. If the demands of his Son’s life in you are met, God will take care of the consequences. We dare not stop short of his satisfaction.

November 30

“Being justified freely by his grace.” Romans 3:24

The word here translated “freely” is the same as is translated “without a cause” in Jesus’ quotation from the Psalms: “They hated me without a cause” (John 15:25). Thus to say that God’s grace justifies us freely means that he justifies us without any cause or reason. Since grace is gratuitous, it is not at all conditional on the recipient's state. Those who consider themselves fairly good stand just as much in need of the grace of God as those who see themselves, like Paul, as “the chief of sinners.”

God will not give less grace to those who have sinned more, and more grace to those who have sinned less. In no sense at all is grace a reward. In the realm in which grace operates, both the sinner and his works are completely set aside. God saves us without a cause.

November 29

“Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.” John 12:24

“If it die . . . ” What is this death? It is the cracking open of the shell by the working of temperature and humidity, so that the true life within the grain can express itself. It is all too possible for a Christian to have the Lord’s life in him and yet for that life to be confined and suppressed by the hard shell of nature. So we have the sad fact of a fruitless Christian. In this case it is not a matter of obtaining life, for that came at conversion, but of the release of that life so that it can grow and be fruitful.

If we wrap ourselves in our natural shell and resist Christ’s call to share his cross and be broken open, we will hinder the possibility of God-glorifying fruit. We may enjoy some inward blessing ourselves, but it is only when that inner life is dispersed around us that others can benefit from our lives.

November 28

“Ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

We must remember that for Christ’s sake we are the servants of others, and we should not only devote our time and strength to them, but also let our affections go out to them. God’s demands of those who serve him are very exacting. They allow us no leisure for self-occupation. If we cling to our pleasures and griefs, grudging to let go of our own interests, we shall be like a room that is too full of furniture to accommodate anything more.

To put it differently, we shall have expended all our emotions on ourselves and will have none to spare for others. We need to realize that there is a limit to our soul-strength,  just as there is to the strength of our bodies. Our emotional powers are not boundless. If we exhaust our sympathies in one direction, we shall have none to give in another. Let us learn to enter into the feelings of others for the sake of him who entered into ours.

November 27

“Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam.” 2 Peter 2:15

Balaam was a prophet who worked for reward; he commercialized the prophetic ministry. He was not ignorant of the mind of God and was well aware that Israel was a people whom God would bless. Moreover. God had plainly forbidden him to comply with Balak’s request and go and curse them. But the great reward lured him. How could he possibly obtain it? He decided that he would try to get God to reverse his decision.

The plan was carried into effect and at first seemed successful. God actually granted him the permission he had earlier refused. In fact, he simply let Balaam go his own self-chosen way, which according to the above verse was not “the right way” at all. How terrible to be released by God to go one’s own greedy way instead of walking in the way of the Lord!

November 26

“And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5

You will discover that spiritual progress in your life before God is invariably preceded by dissatisfaction with your current condition. All progress starts from dissatisfaction. You must be pressed to a point where you feel that you have come to an end, that a way out must be found.

Christ is our way out. Christ in us reacts on our behalf to every kind of outside requirement. When my temptation is pride, Christ will be my humility if only I will make room for him at that hour. When passion is aroused, Christ will express himself as my patience. Every one of life’s daily demands is met by the many virtues that spring from this one Life, and it is these fresh discoveries of Christ in my hour of need that mark my spiritual progress before God.

November 25

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.” Psalm 32:8

The horse and the mule can be made to obey their owner‘s will, though to realize his purpose he may have to use on them the bit and bridle and even the lash of the whip. God, however, never intended to direct his children in that kind of way. The horse and the mule “have no understanding,” but his children can enjoy such an intimate relationship with him that a mere hint of his wishes will suffice to bring a response from them.

Knowledge of the will of God is not so much a matter of finding the right method as of being the right man. If the man is not right with God, no method will avail to make that will clear to him. If the man is right, then the knowledge of God's will is a comparatively simple matter. This does not rule out methods, but we would emphasize that with the fullest knowledge of all the methods by which it may please God to make his will known, we shall remain in ignorance of it if we are not walking in quiet intimacy with him.

November 24

“Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood . . . to him he the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5,6

Every time we are reminded of our redemption through the precious blood of Christ, our hearts well up with thanksgiving and praise. Indeed, that is all we can say, since in this matter there is no need to ask for anything; and in fact it would be unfitting to do so. We cannot invite the Lord to do what he has already done; we can only thank him for it from our hearts.

Thanksgiving takes account of the Lord's work for us, but praise goes further. We praise him for what he is. At the outset gratitude overwhelmed us, but as the novelty faded a little it left no vacuum; for we deal not with an event but with a Person, not with an action merely but with the Doer of it. Gradually the Lord himself comes to fill our vision, and thanksgiving gives way to praise. “What a wonderful Savior,” we cry, “is Jesus our Lord!”

November 23

“The cup that I drink ye shall drink; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized.” Mark 10:39

James and John longed to sit on either side of the Lord Jesus in his glory. Knowing, however, the inappropriateness of such a request, they dared not come out with it, but subtly suggested that he give them anything they might ask for. Jesus did not at once comply; instead he asked what they wanted. Their request carried two meanings: one a desire to he near the Lord, the other an ambition to wield more authority than the rest.

It was quite right for them to desire nearness to Christ, and he did not reject their desire. He simply assured them that to see it fulfilled they must drink his cup of suffering and he baptized with his baptism of death and resurrection. These two brothers did not know what they were asking, but neither did Jesus find fault with them for doing so. He did not even rebuke them personally for their ambitions. but replied that what they sought was not to be had for the asking. Nearness to Jesus in the future requires one condition only: nearness to him now.

November 22

“Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?” John 12:27

The prayers of our Lord were always perfect prayers. Entering Jerusalem and facing the cross, he stopped to ask himself the questions, “What shall I say?” Jesus had no fear of death; yet at the same time he had his own feelings. He turned the matter over carefully and thought, “Shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No!” He could not pray that prayer, for he knew for what purpose he had arrived at that hour. So he prayed, “Father, glorify Thy name!” That prayer was answered immediately.

If our Lord, as Man on the earth and possessing the key to prayer, had in this deliberate way to set aside his own will and seek the will of God, how dare we, on the impulse of the moment, open our lips to utter words at random in our prayers to God? Let us ask ourselves, “What shall I say?” and then let us answer that question in terms consistent with the answer of Jesus. So shall we prove and experience the perfect will of God.

November 21

“Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches.” 2 Kings 3:16

The history of Israel illustrates again and again how at any time man's unbelief can limit the omnipotence of God. Of course, man has no right to take what God has not given him, but how often do we find, rather, that what he takes possession of is but a fraction of what he might have had! It is a solemn fact that God’s exercise of power can be limited by his people's unbelief.

On this occasion of the defeat of Mesha and the Moabites, the situation was otherwise. Faith prevailed and there was a wonderful display of divine power, but only because, in obedience to Elisha's instructions, men had got down to the monotonous task of digging. The trenches which his people prepared opened up the way for God to pour in his miracle-working power. Often. even today, the water of divine blessing finds its release through human channels.

November 20

“The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14

From the standpoint of God's choice of us, we are “taken out of” the world; but from the standpoint of our new life, we are not of the world at all, but from above. As the people of God, heaven is not only our destiny, but our place of origin. This is an amazing thing, that in you and me there is an element that is essentially other-worldly. So other—worldly is it that no matter how this world may progress, that element in us can never become like it. The life we have as God’s gift has no correspondence with the world, but is in perfect correspondence with heaven.

Though we may mingle with the world daily, it will never let us settle down and feel at home there. As soon as the world meets in us that which is of the divine nature, its hostility is at once aroused. This is not surprising, for let the world evolve how it will, it can never produce one Christian.

November 19

“For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” 1 Corinthians 2:2,3

The first of these statements applies to Paul's message, the second to his person. God requires that those who proclaim the message of the cross should have suffered the cross—should know themselves to be, in Paul's own words, crucified with Christ. We often think that when a person like Paul got up to speak, he must have felt confident in the strength of his own resources. But Paul's theme was Jesus Christ “crucified through weakness,” and it was necessary, therefore, that he should tell it in conscious weakness himself.

We must allow God to cancel our self-sufficiency. When we confess before him that we can do nothing in our own strength, then Christ will be able to manifest his power upon us. That which passes through the death of the cross and rises up again in life is of God, and being so will count mightily for him.

November 18

“Therefore the sons are free, But, lest we cause them to stumble. . .give unto them for me and thee." Matthew 17:26. 27

God had never laid it down that his Son must pay the Temple tax, and as Son of God there was no necessity for him to do anything whatever about it. Indeed, we might feel that for him to do so would be to put himself in the wrong position of the "stranger" (verse 25). Then why did he do it? “Lest we cause them to stumble."

Has it occurred to you that the very Son of God himself uttered these words? There could of course be no question at any time of his evading a duty; but that was not the point at issue here. It was a question rather of his discarding a privilege. This is the way of the cross, and the principle is a significant and searching one. The cross of Christ presents us with this expression of God's will: namely, that like him, we are required to forego what we might enjoy, in order that others be not offended.

November 17

“Ye are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.” Isaiah 44:8

To witness is not to disseminate knowledge which everyone already has, but to point to truth that few are aware of. Because of conditions generally in the ancient world, God wanted within it a witness—a people and a land where things were different. Through them, he would bring the Good News of his justice and lovingkindness to all the nations of the earth.

Our commission is the same. Unclouded fellowship with God, faithful exhortation of one another, beautiful Christian lives, all are not enough. There must be witness. The Church is likened to a golden lampstand, not an ornament. Nor is it enough that it should be of gold: it must shed forth the light of God into every corner of this dark world.

November 16

“I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut.” Revelation 3:8

If God is going to have a witness in the earth today, he must have the service of all his less-gifted servants, his “one-talent” men. We might imagine that if he were gracious to his Church, he would give us more people like Paul and Peter; but in fact he seldom does so. The Church of God is full of ordinary, one-talented believers, and if only we would abandon our personal ambitions and seek instead ways for them to serve him, wonderful things would happen.

The Church needs leaders, but it also needs brothers. I believe in authority, but I believe also in brotherly love. In Philadelphia they respected authority, for they kept the Lord‘s word and did not deny his name. But philadelphia in Greek means “brotherly kindness.” It was to these caring brothers and sisters that the door was opened. Let them set out to serve him together and not wait for the specialists; then we shall begin to see what the Church’s service really is.

November 15

“Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

The divine life planted in us, itself so utterly alien to the world around it, is a light-source designed by God to illuminate the world’s true character. It does this by emphasizing through contrast the world’s inherent darkness. From this it is clear that to separate ourselves from the world today, and thus deprive it of its own light, is no way to glorify God. It merely thwarts his intention of serving mankind through us.

The Church, to use another metaphor, is a thorn in the side of God's adversary, a source of constant annoyance to him. We make a heap of trouble for Satan simply by being in the world. So why leave it? The Church glorifies God, not by getting out of the world but by radiating his light in it. Heaven is not the place to glorify God; it will be the place to praise him. The place to glorify him is here.

November 14

“And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God’s host; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.” Genesis 32:2

This glimpse of the angels of God should have sufficed to reassure Jacob on his return to Canaan. The verses which follow, however, tell how fear of his brother overcame him and led him to divide his people and possessions into “two companies.” Here we find in Hebrew the same word Mahanaim, two hosts, that Jacob had used before. Now, though, he had substituted his own mahanaim for God’s. Where there had been “two hosts” before—namely one heavenly company and one earthly, his own—he now forgot the former and divided his earthly company into two. He then prayed his first real prayer.

In Jacob’s early years it was all scheming and bargaining, and no prayer. Now it was both scheming and prayer. Yet if we pray, we need not scheme. If we scheme, there is no meaning in our prayer. Jacob, however, did both: on the one hand he trusted God, and on the other hand he did the work himself. Happily for him, it was on that night that God met him.

November 13

“He was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.” 1 John 3:5, 6

Some of us force ourselves to do things we don’t want to do and to live a life we cannot in fact live, and think that in making this effort we are being Christians. That is very far removed from what God offers us in Christ. The Christian life is lived when I receive the life of Christ within me as a gift. to live by that life.

It is the nature of the life of Christ not to love the world but to be distinct from it, and to value prayer and the Word and communion with God. These are not things I do naturally; by nature I have to force myself to do them. But God has provided another nature, and he wants me to benefit from the provision he has made. God sets up a standard, but Christ shows us his storehouse. Strength, life, grace from God, all are ours to receive that we may measure up to the divine standard.

November 12

“Each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it.” 1 Corinthians 3:13

If wood and hay are unsuitable building materials, how much more so is stubble. It seems to represent what is least reliable of all in the unsubstantial realm of man’s efforts. Whenever we build for God according to our feelings, according to the whim of the moment or the applause of the crowd, we are building with stubble. The day will declare it.

Labors that are governed, not by God’s program but by our own fickle emotions, may seem to make such progress at times, but may just as easily fade out. It is so possible to reflect the changing moods of the weather, depending on the wind of revival to arouse an emotional effort that is here today and gone tomorrow. God has made provision in Christ for better, more solid construction than that, as the day will ultimately declare.

November 11

“And behold, I am with thee; . . . I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” Genesis 28:15

God is an acting God. We may think that hearing sound doctrine is the only means of grace; but his means are practical, the chastening of experience, the provision of a host of different circumstances in our lives for training and profit. We may, like Jacob, represent unpromising material for him, but he works on patiently with us. He is more tenacious than we are in the pursuit of his goal.

And here is further ground for encouragement. We do not have to know what work is needed or how it is to be realized in order that God may effect what he has set out to do with us. The most unpromising people of all are those who are wrong but who do not know it; yet even so God has his own way of bringing light into their darkness. In his own time and his own way he will finish the task he has set himself.

November 10

“Arise, get thee to Zarephath: . . . behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.” 1 Kings 17:9

Because of our proneness to look at the bucket and forget the fountain, God has frequently to change his means of supply to keep our eyes fixed on the source. So the heavens that before sent us welcome showers become as brass, the streams that refreshed us are allowed to dry up, and the ravens that brought our daily food visit us no longer. But then God surprises us by meeting our needs through a poor widow woman, and so we prove the marvelous resources of God.

We are the representatives of God in this world, and we are here to prove his faithfulness. Our attitudes, our words, and our actions must all declare that he alone is our source of supply, or he will be robbed of the glory that is his due. He who sees in secret will take note of our needs, and he will meet them, not in stinted measure, but “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

November 9

“And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18

Remember that shortly after this the Lord had to say to Simon Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.” How could a man overcome by Satan be used to build up a Church against which the gates of Hades were to prove ineffective? We know he could not. Although Simon had received the name Petros, “a rock," his character did not correspond to his name; so as yet he was unable to use the keys of the kingdom.

No one who is of an irresolute temperament can exercise a ministry of opening the doors to welcome men into life. There must be a correspondence between the character of the minister and the confident, even defiant, truth he ministers; namely, that Jesus has died and risen again victorious over death. For Peter, that still lay ahead. But alas, death’s gates do prevail over much Christian work, because his servants lack that confidence! Praise God—the cross of Christ released resources enough to transform Peter and to deliver from death all who place their trust in Christ.

November 8

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

We find in John chapters 14, 15, and 16 that the Lord constantly uses the phrase “in my name.” Not only does this indicate to us that he will receive from the Father a name above all names. It tells us also that his name is something which his disciples may use. The name of Jesus is what he has received from God: “in the name of Jesus” is what the children of God share. He has trusted us with something of tremendous value. Do we recognize it as the greatest trust which he could have committed to us? Sometimes we say to a friend, “Go and tell so and so to do this or that,” adding, “If he questions it, tell him I say so.” This is what is implied by “in my name.” It simply means using the name with the power behind it. You give your name with its authority to a certain person; and you are then responsible for whatever he does using your name. The name of the Lord Jesus is unique, a name above all names, nevertheless, he is willing to entrust his name to us, and himself to take responsibility for our use of it. Do we truly appreciate the honor he does

us?

November 7

“And David danced before Jehovah with all his might and David was girded with a linen ephod.” 2 Samuel 6:14

Michal, the daughter of Saul, saw her husband dancing before the ark of God and despised him in her heart. He ought, she believed, to maintain his dignity as king, just as her own father had tried to do. But David viewed things differently. In the presence of God he saw himself as base and contemptible, having no special standing whatever. Though on the throne he was Israel’s king, before the ark of God he was on the same level as his subjects.

Even after God had rejected him, King Saul had sought to save his face by asking Samuel the prophet to honor him before the nation. Now Michal was making the same mistake. Born in the palace herself, she considered that David merited the dignity of king in God's presence. Perhaps, like her father, she too had her own majesty to think of. That way lies fruitlessness. The one who wields true authority is otherwise. He will not be high-minded, grasping to serve his position, but meek and humble before God, a model to his people.

November 6

"But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me . . ." Galatians 1:15-16

God had set Paul apart before he was born. Even the profession he learned before his conversion was preplanned. God works like that. All that happened to you before you were saved, as well as after, has some definite meaning. Whatever your character and temperament, whatever your strengths and weaknesses, all are pre-known by God and prepared by him with future service in view. There is no accident, for everything is within God's providence. Nothing comes by chance.

Having been thus set apart from birth, none of us can afford to be casual or frivolous in our attitude to life. Each one of us must expect to discover what God has planned for us, and in his time and way to enter into it. God does not write off as valueless our unregenerate days. He does not want us to deny the very human elements in our makeup by presenting instead a false, because unreal, front. He has a use for the persons we are and intends to use the real us, purified by the cross, and not some pretense, in his service.

November 5

"For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." Ezekiel 36:37

God is here expressing his purpose to increase the house of Israel like a flock. Those unacquainted with him will ask why, if he wants to do this, he does not himself simply give the increase. Surely no one could stand in his way! But here he states his condition. He will do it for them if he is inquired of concerning it by the house of Israel. The principle is unmistakable: God has a purpose already determined, but he will not force it.

From this we can move to the Church's function before God today. Never let us think of the Church simply as a place for meetings. No, the Church is a group of people, redeemed by the precious blood, regenerated by the Spirit, and committed into God's hand for the role of inquiry of him in prayer until his will in the earth is brought to pass. The smallest group of Christians praying contributes to that. God will do whatever he has set himself to do, through the Church's prayer.

November 4

"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." John 14:9

The great message of the Bible is that the Word became flesh. There was a time when we did not know what grace and truth were. But today grace is no longer an abstraction, for in the life of the Lord Jesus we have seen how grace lives and walks among men. It has, as it were, become flesh. Similarly, we did not know truth or holiness or patience until we saw them in the Lord Jesus.

God is love, yet we are ignorant of how he loves. Now we have beheld this love come down to us in Jesus of Nazareth. We misunderstood spiritually, thinking that a spiritual man should neither smile nor weep, but be totally devoid of any human feelings. How wrong we were! For in the smiles and tears of the Lord we comprehend what spiritually in fact is. In God, these things were too far off for us to apprehend them. In Jesus, they are close at hand.

November 3

"And he put the whole upon the hands of Aaron, and upon the hands of his sons, and waved them for a wave-offering before Jehovah." Leviticus 8:27

In this sacrificial ritual, the blood so placed on Aaron and his sons was taken from "the ram of consecration." When this had been done, then into Aaron's hands were placed "the wave offering." Aaron's action in lifting up this offering to God is what was then called "consecration." Can we now put this in New Testament terms?

According to the acceptance which Christ has before God, I now stand in the position of a servant who hears God's voice, does his will, and walks in his path. Hereafter my ears, my hands, and my feet belong to exclusively God. No one can borrow my ears to listen to another's voice, or my hands to do another's bidding, or my feet to walk in another's path. I even take a further step. I fill my two hands with Christ and uplift him. This means that I am here for the service of God and my body is devoted to that service.

November 2

"Suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: and he fell upon the earth." Acts 9:3-4

Real light from heaven is more than knowledge. It is the discovery of the Lord himself. Whoever sees him, sees light; and if we really see light, we will fall to the ground. Instruction does not have this effect. We may listen to any number of instructive sermons and even memorize their content, and still remain unchanged.

But that never happens when true light comes from God. When that light dawns, it blinds our eyes to one whole world that they may be opened to another. It does indeed cause us to see, but first it blinds and prostrates us. When Paul saw the light, he was smitten to the ground and for three days could see nothing.

Light is rigorous. It can do to a man what he himself can never do. Like Paul, who truly thought he ought to oppose Jesus, we may be rigid and inflexible, resistant to all persuasion; but when that light shines we are softened, weakened, broken. Light has to humble us before it enables us to see.

November 1

"For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified." 1 Corinthians 4:4

"Who can disarm his errors?" asks the psalmist. The answer is, no one. By ourselves we cannot accurately know our faults. If, as Jeremiah said so forcefully, our hearts are deceitful above all things, then how can our attempts at introspection be trustworthy?

Examining ourselves with a deceitful heart, we will inevitably be deceived. Our thoughts and emotions are highly complex in their working, so the knowledge derived from them is undependable. We cannot be accurate in our self-judgments.

For this reason, introspection is not a virtue but a huge mistake. Only when the light of the Lord shines in is one able to discern what is right and what is wrong. If a Christian considers his defects overmuch, he is downcast; if he thinks upon his virtues, he grows proud. The only knowledge of self which is safe and healthy comes from the shining in of the light of God.

October 31

"Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable . . . that the man of God may be complete." 2 Timothy 3:16,17

From beginning to end the Bible maintains an organic unity. It is no disorderly compilation of human minds, but is bound together by the working of the Holy Spirit of God, so that what we have today is fully at one with its origins. The five books of Moses stand at the beginning of the record–and this is the significant point: all who wrote afterward built upon them; they did not write independently. Joshua builds on the foundation of the Pentateuch, and so does the author of the books of Samuel.

Though the writers are various, every book in the Old Testament builds on what went before. And when we reach the New Testament the same is true: the New uses the Old as its springboard. You cannot discard the Old Testament and retain only the New Testament; neither can you cut out the four Gospels and keep only the letters of Paul. God does not say one thing yesterday and another thing today. His Word is one. From start to finish, it lives and speaks to our need.

October 30

"And he went out, and wept bitterly." Matthew 26:75

In affirming that he would never be offended in Christ, Peter was contradicting his Lord; yet his doing so was no mere bravado. He was confident that he spoke the truth. It was because Peter so firmly believed in himself that Jesus reinforced his general statement regarding all his disciples by adding details of the depth to which Peter would fall in desertion of him.

Yet so deep-rooted was Peter's self-confidence that all the Lord's assertions failed to convince him. More vehemently than ever he promised his loyalty. He meant every word. He loved Jesus and wanted to follow him unreservedly; and when he spoke as he did, he was expressing the intention of his heart. But he mistook himself for the man he desired to be. Thank God that Peter was brought through breakdown to discover his own weakness. If there was sincerity in his self-confidence, there was sincerity too in his weeping. From that hour of his self-discovery, God was able to fashion him anew.

October 29

"Adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue." 2 Peter 1:5

Peter is telling us here that a continual "adding" should characterize every Christian. We should cultivate a disposition which never ceases to explore fresh territory in the realm of divine things. Although Peter is an old man when he writes this, divine energy pulsates in him and is communicated to his readers.

He urges us that as soon as we have possessed one Christian virtue, we should seek to supplement it with another; and having acquired that, we should heap on yet more. Diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly love, divine love: Peter's list is long and summarized by his key word, "abundance." Press on and on, he says, never resting content with your present attainment, never ceasing from this holy task of adding, until the goal of God's purpose for you is reached.

October 28

"Did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith?" James 2:5

The goal and reward of temporal poverty is eternal enrichment. God never intended that tribulation and poverty should have no fruit. His purpose is that all pressure should lead to enlargement and that all poverty should lead to wealth. His destiny for his people is not continuous poverty. Straightness and poverty are not an end; they are the means to an end.

There is much that we do not understand in John's revelation of the New Jerusalem, but we do see there a city of infinite wealth. There is, however, not a nugget of gold in that city which has not been tried in a furnace of affliction, not a precious stone which has not passed through the fires, and not a pearl that has not been born of suffering. To be "rich in faith" is surely justified, therefore.

October 27

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich." Revelation 3:18

If we desire to continue on the course of Philadelphia and not slip back into that of Laodicea, then we must learn to be humble before God. Sometimes I have heard brothers say, "The blessing of God is in our midst." I acknowledge the truth of this, yet I feel we need to exercise extreme caution in saying it. If one day we incline to say that we are rich and have gotten riches and have need of nothing, we are very close to the condition of Laodicea.

Remember–there is nothing we possess which we did not first receive from God. He who stands before the Lord is not conscious of his own wealth, but only of him. He who comes forth from the Lord's presence is rich, yet he is not aware of his riches. The radiance on Moses' countenance faded, and for him it was better so, for once it became known to him he might have ended up in lukewarmness.

October 26

"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it." Ephesians 5:25

The theme of this verse is not so much the coming of Christ to die for sinners as the giving of himself to them in love. John tells us how at the cross the soldiers came to examine Jesus. They found to their surprise that he was already dead, but they pierced his side and there flowed out blood and water. This suggests symbolically the two aspects of the work of Christ; namely, the shedding of blood to redeem us from our sins, and the flowing of the water of life.

To die for sins is one thing, but to die for love is more. Christ died for us in order to give himself to us. The vital issue of our new birth lies just here. It is not repentance which makes us a part of Christ, neither is confession of our sins, nor even our faith. It is the life of Christ imparted to us by a divine act, which alone makes us a part of the Church which he loved and gave himself up for.

October 25

"A new spirit will I put within you ... And I will put my Spirit within you." Ezekiel 36:26, 27

Note here how after the promise of a "new spirit" there immediately follows the allusion to "my Spirit." The first statement signifies the renewal of the dead spirit by an incoming of life in one who believes. The second goes further and points to the indwelling Holy Spirit of God resident withing the man's renewed spirit.

But the two are one experience. Christians do not live for many years after new birth in a first phase of Christian life and then suddenly wake up and, seeking the Holy Spirit, enter on a second phase. They have his entire personality abiding in them—not just visiting them—the moment they are saved.

The apostle exhorted us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. By using the word "grieve" and not "anger," he reveals the Holy Spirit's love. Moreover, he certainly never says, "Do not cause him to depart." It may be the plight of the Spirit to be either grieved or gladdened, but he abides within us forever. There is no question of his leaving.

October 24

"For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17

The Bible allows us great latitude in external things such as food. Why is it that you may eat or not eat as you like? Because from God's viewpoint this is only a minor matter. God attaches no great importance to prohibitions. Instead, he lays stress on what is positive. The life of the Son of God on earth, and Christ's risen life in us–these are the essentials. Having that glory among us, such matters as food and clothing become very minor indeed. That is why the Christian life, as set forth in the Bible, is never legalistic but wonderfully flexible.

If you wish to dress more moderately and eat less costly food, it is good. But if you have more money and feel like eating better or spending more on clothes, you may do it. The pivotal question is how much spiritual reality is manifested in your life. Do remember that a Christian is not an ascetic. He lives an adaptable life, sensitive always to him who in us is exceedingly great and glorious, and who is ruled not so much by abstinence as by transcendence.

October 23

"The fear of man bringeth a snare." Proverbs 29:25

Once there were two men who worked in the same firm. One of them found Christ as his Savior; but it happened that both men were extremely timid. The one who was saved dared not tell the other that this had happened, while the other could not work up enough courage to ask the converted man what had occurred, though he could see the change.

They shared the same table at work. Daily they faced each other, yet one dared not tell and the other dared not ask. At last the one who had believed could stand it no longer; so after much prayer, he went to his friend and said, "I am a most timid man. For at least three months I have not dared to tell you that I have believed in the Lord Jesus." Then his friend answered, "All these three months I have been longing to ask you what has happened." If you live in fear of others, it may help you to remember that perhaps others fear you. Take courage and speak.

October 22

"He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen." 1 John 4:20

We might perhaps add to the Apostle John's words. "If we cannot love our brothers whom we see, how can we love the brothers whom we cannot see?" Paul wrote to the Corinthians about love, because love unites. In Corinth there was envy and strife; so Paul told them that love envies not, seeks not her own, thinks no evil of others; in other words, love does not divide and separate. All this was an exhortation to the believers in Corinth to love one another at close quarters.

Many of us are good at brotherly love so long as the brethren concerned are faraway and unseen. It is loving those whom we see everyday that really tests our love for God. The Corinthians were to love their brothers in Corinth first of all. Later, perhaps, they might go to Ephesus and love the members of Christ there. Only later still would they ascend into heaven to see the Body of Christ in its wholeness. This is the right order and the most difficult, for it tests our sincerity.

October 21

"But one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:42

Jesus never implied that Martha should not work. Indeed, the Bible elsewhere tells us that the man who does not work should not eat. Nor did he propose to Martha that she should spend half her time serving and the other half dealing with matters of the spirit. He never suggested that doing her "many things" was wrong, but he reminded her that she should not let them fret and irritate her. Martha did not engage in too many tasks; she indulged in too many worries.

Thank God that there was also a Mary. She had chosen the best portion, which is communion with the Lord, and she represents the other half of the picture. What Jesus wanted was that Martha would follow her sister's example of peace of heart, even while she worked. We can all be like Martha, occupied with outward things; but at one and the same time we must be like Mary, in fellowship with Christ within. Any man or woman may be outwardly busy while inwardly sitting at the feet of Jesus. That is true service.

October 20

"Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper." 1 Corinthians 16:2

The first day of the week spoken here is different from the Sabbath of the Old Testament. It is not a day of assessment nor is it merely a day for physical rest. It directs us rather to two things we especially ought to do. One is to come together to the Lord God in order to receive grace from him, and the other is to offer to him our gifts. It is a day for us to rejoice in the Lord.

Is it not surprising to find that our gifts are to be made weekly and not monthly? Many wait until the end of the month, and some may even wait until year's end, to give their gifts to God, but Paul tells us we must balance our accounts before him on the first day of each week. Let us note too that each one is free to decide on his own percentage. Give more if you can give more, less if you have less. The important thing is that you should give your portion joyfully.

October 19

"Whosoever would become great among you shall be your servant [margin]." Matthew 20:26

We who would be leaders must learn not to lord it over those entrusted to our care nor to lead them on faster than their ability to follow. If we have a word from the Lord for them, we should be faithful in sharing it; but we dare not insist that they accept its message. Let us remember that God approves the free will he has given to man; and if he never coerces man, how dare we? Let us learn to walk softly before him and to be very slow to put ourselves up before men in the role of leader.

It should be no matter for self-gratification that people are ready to learn what we have to say. Rather should it drive us to the Lord in fear and trembling. No matter how strong our convictions, we must learn to distrust ourselves, for we are prone to err; and the more we are liable to go astray. The danger is that the greater the following we attract, the more our self-confidence is fed and the less we are able to receive help from others.

October 18

"In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

Desire for haste bespeaks an emotional nature. Emotion is usually hasty. It is extremely hard for the hasty Christian to wait on the Lord, to know his will and knowing it, to walk a step at a time in that will. Indeed we who are his own are incapable of following the Spirit until our emotions are truly yielded to the cross. We need first to learn there the "patience of Jesus Christ," for let us remember that out of a hundred impatient actions, scarcely one is in the will of God.

Because he knows the impetuosity of our nature, God frequently uses our fellow workers, brethren, family, or environment to put the brake on us. For God never performs anything hurriedly; consequently, he will rarely entrust his power to the impatient.