February 14

“All these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36

We must not imagine that Jacob no longer needed God’s discipline after Peniel. He did, and he got it. From the time that Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, he experienced all sorts of family troubles. His beloved Rachel was taken from him. Simeon and Levi made the family name stink. Reuben, his eldest son, grievously wronged him.

Then Joseph also disappeared, and Jacob had every reason to think he was dead and anticipated that he would go down to the grave mourning for this dear son of his. Only little Benjamin had been left to him, but now the time came when Benjamin, his last treasure, had to go. Everything seemed to be against him.

In fact, Jacob was just about to enter into his brightest period. His last days were not days of decline, but compare quite favorably with those of Peter and Paul and John. In some ways Abraham and Isaac faded away, whereas Jacob became quietly, blessedly fruitful.

February 13

“The friends solute thee. Salute the friends by name.” 3 John 14

Do you see that friendship is something vary special? To he friends is a relationship which transcends rank or position. It is neither formal nor legal, but breaks through all barriers of status. Impossible as it must seem, a man may become the friend of God. Abraham did. If Abraham had acted only formally as a man. And if God acted formally as God, the two could never have become friends.

How rich in spirit was the aged Apostle John! Yet he had walked so far with God that when writing this letter, he did not speak of brothers and sisters but of friends. He who had arrived at the zenith of richness was so full of years that he could very well have patted the head of a sixty or seventy-year-old and called him "My child.” But he did not do this. Seniority was forgotten. and instead he addressed him as “My friend.” Someday, when you are very mature, you may make little children your friends!

February 12

“The riches of the glory of this mystery. . . is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

Frequently we listen to someone’s account of an experience that has brought him blessing, and sense how precious it was, but we make the mistake of fixing our eyes on the event instead of seeing the Lord who brought it about.

As a result, trying ourselves to reproduce the situation, we suffer only defeat. Let us be quite clear that trusting in the Lord himself and following a formula are two totally different things. The testifying brother had, by the grace of God, known living contact with Christ, and as a consequence had found release and full satisfaction in God. We, however, attempting to imitate his methods, end up with an ineffectual copy of his experience.

Neither formula nor method works, but only the living Christ. The reason for many unanswered prayers and feeble Christian lives is found in the lack of this personal touch with the Lord, Merely to copy methods is not enough. Go to him who is the only source of vital experience!

February 11

“Today is salvation come to this house.” Luke 19:9

When God is at work, the camel passes through the needle's eye. In Luke 18 a camel came hesitantly to the needle’s eye and failed to go through; but here at Jericho a camel passed right through.

How could Zacchaeus give as he did? Because that day salvation had come to him. He yielded, not because it was easy, nor because he had cried and prayed and then with a tremendous struggle given in. He did not surrender a bit today and a bit tomorrow until he was forced finally to surrender all. He who had hoarded for decades, risking many dangers and falling into great disrepute in order to build up his wealth, now let it all go—because God had brought salvation to his house.

February 10

“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38

If I am thirsty, I can come to the Lord Jesus and drink of him. But if I meet others in need, I cannot pour out a cupful and hand it to them, but can only minister to their need as Christ is a spring of water in me. So I must keep on drinking if the needs of others are to be met through me.

This verse describes a true ministry of Christ that is open to us all. The Word of Christ, the living water, first enters our hearts and satisfies us. From there it wells up again to spread life around. The trouble is that the Word often ceases to live after it has passed through you and me.

For it is not a matter of how many Scriptures we can quote to other people; rather it is the outflow from us of Christ indwelling. And for that we must be ever drinking of him. No thirst will be quenched otherwise.

February 9

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands. and that he came forth from God. . . took a towel, and girded himself.” John 13:3-4

In Revelation 9 we read of a development which, to the author of that book, lay far in the future. “I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace.” This is figurative language, but the falling star is obviously Satan, and we know that the bottomless pit is his domain—his storehouse, we might say. This suggests that the end-time is to be marked by a special release of his powers, and men will find themselves up against spiritual forces in a new way.

The greatest need of the saints at such a time is spiritual refreshment. The incident at the supper declares that it was to refresh the disciples that Jesus came forth from God. I think that in a befouled world there is no greater power for God today than to come forth from him fresh with the clean air of heaven.

February 8

“Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house. . . and prove me now herewith.” Malachi 3:10

The people of Israel were in deep poverty. If they had contemplated practicing this command, they would doubtless have protested that since their ten loads of rice were insufficient, how could nine loads possibly suffice? Since their ten bags of flour were not enough, how could they conceivably manage with nine bags?

This is the foolish reasoning of natural man, and God reproved his people. He offered to open to them the very windows of heaven if only they would believe that the things impossible with men are possible with God.

May I tell you that having ten loads is the reason for your poverty, while nine loads could ensure your abundance. A man may reckon that the more he has in hand, the better is his financial condition. Such a man does not know that this is how his poverty came about. To bring to God is to enter into blessing; to retain in our hand may be to invite the curse of hunger.

February 7

“And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.” Luke 24:31

Though the hearts of these two burned with warm appreciation of the truth about Christ, they had no inkling of how close and how intimate was their experience of him personally. Like Mary, who had joyfully announced his resurrection to them before they set off on their journey, they completely failed to recognize him when he drew near. Unlike her, however, they found nothing in his voice which enlightened them.

The Lord spent a lot of time with these two. All of it he occupied in the most profitable exercise of expounding the Scriptures. Yet still they did not know him, though they must by then have been intellectually convinced that Jesus was the Christ and that he had risen from the dead. There are, however, two kinds of knowledge. One comes from study, the other from an inward seeing, and we need them both. Christianity is built on more than a Book: it is built on the spiritual revelation which comes with that Book.

February 6

"What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears?" 1 Samuel 15:14

The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul because he did not follow out his explicit leading. Saul’s pious protestation to Samuel that he had fulfilled the command of God shows how he tried to deceive himself. The phrase “utterly destroy” comes seven times in this chapter in regard to Amalak. God had made his meaning clear as could be. Saul, however, illustrates how the deceitful heart can argue its way out of the challenge of full obedience.

He did this first by yielding to his own judgment as to what was good or bad, rather than subjecting it to God’s expressed verdict. Secondly, he did so in offering to put the matter right by making a sacrifice to God. For God is not to be bought off in that kind of way. There is no easy alternative to obedience to his expressed word—not even a sacrificial one. To obey is always better.

February 5

“Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward.” 2 John 8

It seems that at the end of the New Testament period, the enemy of souls found entry into the house of God and caused God’s own people to turn aside from his ways. So John’s ministry is not so much to lead further but to restore. John does not say anything startlingly new and original. All he does is to carry what has already been revealed to its consummation. What distinguishes him is his concern to bring the people of God back to a position they had lost.

The Lord’s words about John were, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” Till I come! The ministry of the Spirit of truth set forth by John will go on until the story is completed. The purpose of God in his Church is going to be accomplished, for nothing can thwart God. Let us learn from John, therefore, to be faithful until the Lord Jesus comes again.

February 4

“My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah.” Psalm 34:2

We boldly claim that sin is beneath our feet, yet we tremblingly confess that as long as we live we may readily fall again. These contrasting experiences run parallel throughout the Scripture and are integral to our Christian life. The trouble is that we are apt to give our attention to only one of the two.

There are, on the one hand, some very strong, almost extreme words of confidence in Scripture: “God . . . always leadeth us in triumph," and “sin shall not have dominion over you.”

These are bold, boastful affirmations. Yet the same people who say these things also say with the utmost humility: “l am chief of sinners," and “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” If these opposite statements are to be reconciled, then we must conclude that the two experiences together comprise the life of the Christian. We must know Christ’s fullness, but we must also know our own corruption.

February 3

“When I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, I coveted them, and took them.” Joshua 7:21

The principle of Babylon is to pretend in order to receive glory from men. When Achan took the Babylonish garment, it could only be because he wanted to adorn himself, to outshine others. We find a similar sin in the New Testament when Ananias and Sapphire offended by lying to the Holy Spirit. Their devotion to the Lord was partial, but they wanted it to seem complete. They wanted to be looked upon by others as those who loved him greatly. They were acting a part.

Here is a real danger to God’s children—to pretend to be spiritual. Whenever in spiritual matters we put on a garment which does not match our actual condition, we are not being true worshipers but are following the principle of Babylon. The Father seeks those who, however simply, worship him in spirit and in reality.

February 2

“Behold, I have given you authority. . . over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.” Luke 10:19

Everyone who is called by the name of the Lord is, here on earth, his representative. We are God’s ambassadors. Delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of his dear Son, we carry with us at all times the authority of heaven.

But a serious warning goes with this: that we ourselves must be subject to the authority of God. We know that the creation was originally placed under the control of man. Why, then, does the creation not listen to man’s command today? Because man himself has failed to heed God's Word. Why did the lion slay the man of God from Judah? [1 Kings 18:26] Because he had disobeyed God's command.

But on the other hand, how was it that the lions did not hurt Daniel? Because he was innocent before God. Or again, in the book of Acts worms consumed proud Herod, whereas a viper could not hurt the hand of Paul. Here at last the creation is once more subject to the ambassador of Christ. It all turns on the ambassador’s own obedience.

February 1

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11

When you see the significance of the blood of Christ before God, you will have boldness before him and a testimony before man. Not only will you affirm confidently that sinners can be forgiven and accepted because of Christ, but you will further testify about God's kingdom. “Testimony” means telling others what God has secured in Christ. It is a fact that Christ is King; it is a fact that he is victorious and will be so forever; it is a fact that he destroyed all the works of Satan on the cross; and it is a fact that the kingdom of heaven will come here upon this earth.

Satan does not fear when we try to reason with him, but he does fear when we proclaim these facts concerning Christ. He does not mind our knowledge of the Bible or our theology, but he has to yield when, out of hearts committed to Christ, we declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.