Bible Study Hungry Heart Daily Devotional Anthology -mjs

[God's_gift]

source of hope thanks for this

“the glory which shall be revealed in us†(Rom 8:18), for being with God on the Earth is a lesser position of glory than being in Him in Heaven.

 

[netchaplain]

5-12. TRUSTED TRAINER

"He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

In every field, whether the arts, industry, sports, or the Christian life and service in general, the necessary training goes far deeper and is much more rigorous than the actual performance. "Now, at the time, discipline seems to be a matter not for joy, but for grief; yet it afterwards yields to those who have passed through its training a result full of peace--namely, righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11, Wey.).

"The Father chooses the servant who is suited to carry out His will; but though that servant be endowed by Him with power to do so, yet unless he be controlled and disciplined by the Spirit of God he will continually fall into the devisings of his nature, no matter how godly and divine may be his intent. For we greatly err if we think that having the divine thought is all that is necessary as to our service; we must truly and efficiently be expressive of the thought; and this subjects us, as servants of God, to discipline which we often cannot understand.

"Discipline for known faults or shortcomings we can easily comprehend; but when it is that peculiar order of training which fits a man to be God's instrument and witness, we can no more understand it than the plants of the earth can understand why they must pass through all the vicissitudes of winter in order to bring forth a more abundant harvest." -J.B.S.

"God leaves us in the world that we may learn the sufficiency of His grace in practice, as we know the triumph of it in Christ."

"Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

NOTE TO ADMIN: Please inform me if any of my materials become excessive. God's blessings to your Families for your labors!


5-13. FREE, TO SERVE

"No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4).

God has a unique plan concerning each one of us. The secret of realizing our personal calling is not to look at others, but simply to walk in close fellowship with the Father. "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5).

"No one Christian has a right to stop on his way for another; he must go forward himself in individual faithfulness. The effort to drag others along with us is in reality but a device of Satan to keep ourselves back. Note Jehovah's word to Jeremiah, 'Let them return unto thee; but return not thou to them' (Jeremiah 15:19). Are any desirous of going forward, let them not stop to carry along with them 'the men of Ephraim.' Far better is it to go on with but a few to follow, than to get numbers with us who are only halfhearted."

"You may say, 'Show me a pattern man.' We all like to copy; but there is no gain in copying. You have to learn the Lord for yourself. All you learn for yourself will remain, and nothing else. Every one has his own history."

"It is plain enough that every believer is called of God to something definite. The real difficulty is to ascertain the specialty, and this I do not think can be discovered but in nearness to the Lord, and when you are interested in His interests. We first learn that He is interested in us, and then we gradually become interested in His interests. It is then you apprehend your mission in life." -J.B.S.

"And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully" (2 Timothy 2:5).
MJS/WithChrist

 

[netchaplain]

5-14. FULL PROVISION

"Let him ask in faith and have no doubts; for he who has doubts is like the surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed into spray. A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes" (James 1:6-8, Wey.).

First, we are to rest in the fact that our Father has made full provision for all our needs; positionally, we are complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then it is that we can trust Him daily for His "exceeding abundantly above." "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19)

"It is true that all God requires of us we lack; but it is also true that all we need He supplies. The believer can give thanks that God has supplied all his need as to standing, and He engages to supply all his need as to walk. But while we see our Father's requirement, and recognize His provision, let us not overlook our responsibility.

"When we fail it is to this our failure may be traced. It is not because the provision has been insufficient, or unavailable, or afar off--but because the channel has been obstructed, the avenues of the soul have been closed, so that the need has remained unsupplied. Our responsibility lies in the exercise of faith." -E.H.

"I will not think of the infinities of my need, except to lead me to the divine simplicity of the infinity of His supply." -H.C.G.M.

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (1 John 5:14, 15).

 

[netchaplain]

5-15. THE FIRST CAUSE

"A man's goings are established of Jehovah; and he delighteth in His way" (Psalm 37:23, ASV.) .

Throughout time and eternity the God of circumstances has every situation planned for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28, 29). That is all that should matter to us. "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee" "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God" (Psalm 76:10; 2 Corinthians 4:15).

"What the other person said or did to you was undoubtedly wrong and cannot be justified. Nor did he do it at God's direction; but God permitted him to do it for some wise reason which will yet prove to have been abundantly worthwhile for you. By the time that action reached you it had become the will of God for you, since to a yielded believer there are no second causes.

"He believes the Psalmist's declaration that every step of his life's pathway has been ordered by the Lord. No trial or affliction can reach you who are abiding in Him, without His permission. You can, therefore, be confident in every circumstance of life, however baffling, that it has been permitted in your own best interest by the wisest and most loving of fathers, who knows our 'load-limit' (1 Corinthians 10:13)." -O.S.

"All that we pass through is that we may get a fresh view of the Lord Jesus, or a deepening of a former one; but often we are so occupied with ourselves and the circumstances, that we fail to 'behold the glory of the Lord.'" -C.T.
"If the external plannings of men or Satan further God's plans, they succeed; if not, they come to nothing." -J.N.D.

"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand" (Psalm 37:24).
MJS/Withchrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

The strongest love treats each person as if they were the only one in existence - because they are! Each person is the only one in existence like their self, because there is only one of you. We may have similar characters, desires and habits, but each is unique in identity, the same as no two fingerprints are alike; similar but not identical.

This surely is how God’s love is to all and is our goal in His neighborly-love training class. This lesson is reciprocal when we “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves†(Phil 2:3). A common acronym for “joy†represents Scripture’s order of priority – Jesus, others then you. Love is selfless, but pride is self-first and there is no single individual who does not need to realize the latter and practice the former.

As the result of selflessness can be reciprocal, so is the method in its lesson. We become increasingly selfless when we persevere in the mindset of self-last. It’s not to avoid thinking of self at all, just last. Every time the Spirit causes us (Phil 2:13) to put others before ourselves, we place Christ first.

This is the crux of the “two commands†of Christ (Mat 22:36-40), which are reciprocal, in that we keep the first by keeping the second; “For he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
-NC

5-16. SELFLESS SERVICE

"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will!" (Ephesians 1:11).

It is easy to just "let George do it," but it is so unrewarding. There is a Christ-honoring ministry of being and sharing awaiting each believer, and the secret is to let Christ do it!

"Our Father has a different line of things for everyone, and each of us has been sent into this world for some special mission. It is not a question whether it is great or small; it may be only a flower to shed fragrance, though this is really the greatest of all.

"There is no higher service than moral influence, 'thy whole body . . . full of light'; and this, of all the highest moral order, is within the compass of all. 'Christ shall be magnified in my body whether by life or by death' (Philippians 1:20)." -J.B.S.

"A mark of the true servant is that he is consciously nothing. John could speak of himself as only a 'voice,' and a greater than John was consciously 'less than the least of all saints.' The moment we think ourselves to be anything, we are out of the servant's true position and spirit. There is a beautiful contrast between John's account of himself, and the Lord's description of him (John 1:22-27; Luke 7:26-28). The more worthy we are of the Lord's commendation, the less do we think of ourselves." -C.A.C.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

Our battle of “wrestling†(Eph 6:12) is not a matter of winning or losing the war of sin, for the believer fights an already won war (John 19:30). Our battles involve the issue of our posture in our salvation; “that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day [trialing times]†(v 13). We can go through crawling or standing, but regardless of how we respond to our trials, He’s taking us through; “and having done all, to stand†(v 13). Of course, the goal is to endure the trials (2 Tim 2:3) and not allow them to “trouble†you (John 14:1, 27) and in doing so can teach us to grow in our faith in Christ.

Like the story of the women on a ship at sea in a storm, she became so fearful that she ran to the wheelhouse and asked the captain concerning their seemingly dilemma. The captain pointed out to her the large shaking plank in the port side and said, “If that board falls off, we’re going down.†Then he pointed out the billows of smoke from the boiler stack and said, “If that boiler blows, we’re going up.†Then he finished with, “But unless either one occurs, we’re going through!â€

Let it be known that the Enemy will not be allowed to overcome the believer, as evidenced in Job’s case, but beware that the Enemy is allowed to use his primary devices (old self, society in general - 2 Cor 2:11) and can distractingly trouble you, but “He is able to keep you from falling†(Jude 1:24).
-NC

5-17. FRUSTRATED ENEMY

"Then saith Jesus unto him, Begone, Satan" (Matthew 4:10).

There is a great difference between a foe, and; defeated foe. A conquered enemy can be put to valuable use in the hands of the victor, and that is exactly what God is doing with that old serpent. Satan is allowed to sift, and try the believer; he is used of God as a winnowing machine to clear away the chaff in us.

"No power in present things allowed to Satan annuls the will of the invisible God." -W.K.

"The story of Job shows clearly that it is God who sets the limit to the extent of the devil's activities and power. From the human viewpoint the Cross looks like a colossal failure. In it the victory of the power of evil seemed complete. But 'the weakness of God is stronger than men' or the enemy, and by the power of weakness having 'spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it' (Colossians 2:15)." -C.J.M.

"It is inevitable that in a world like this the faith of Christians must be tried. For we are in an enemy's land, and he resents our presence. And we have an enemy within our gates--the old man--that opposes us too. But take heart fellow believer, the trials of your faith will be 'found unto praise, honor and glory at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Peter 1:7). The happy outcome is a foregone conclusion. Trials work patience, experience, hope--and these are abiding qualities. Satan, as it were, is God's scavenger, and all he can do is to remove out of your life those things that mar your joy, your growth, and your service."

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy [undo] the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

5-19. ABIDING PRAYER

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us" (1 John 5:14).

In order for us to pray according to His will, we must first know His will; not only that, but His blessed will must become our will. "If ye abide in Me . . . ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). Prayer is the fellowship of an intimate, living union; as with all of the Christian life, it must be carried on in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. He is known as "the Spirit of grace and of supplications" (Zechariah 12:10).

"If I ask anything of God, and have received His answer, I then act with assurance, with the conviction that I am in the path of His will; I am happy and contented. If I meet with some difficulty, this does not stop me; it is only an obstacle which faith has to surmount.

"But if I have not this certainty before I begin, I am in indecision, I know not what to do. There may be a trial of my faith, or it may be that I ought not to do what I am doing. I am in suspense, and I hesitate; even if I am doing the will of God, I am not sure about it, and I am not happy. I ought therefore to be assured that I am doing His will before I begin to act." -J.N.D.

"All flows from the soul being consciously in the place where it is set, in Christ risen. He can then trust us with the knowledge of His will; He can trust the sons of the family with the family affairs."

"And if we know that He hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (1 John 5:15).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

5-20. SPIRIT-MOTIVATED SURRENDER

"Keep on seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:7, Wms.).

When the Spirit of Christ has the hungry heart prepared, there will be surrender. No struggle; no questions. "We reason when we ought to repose; we doubt when we ought to depend. Confidence in our Father's love is the true corrective in all things.""For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him" (2 Timothy 1:12).

"If a believer surrenders or lays aside anything without an adequate divine motive, he will either secretly hanker after it, and probably long to return to it, or he will take credit to himself for having given it up, and will thus reveal self-righteousness and spiritual pride.

"A certain school of religious teachers make much of 'surrender' as the way to attain blessing, but it ends in self-sufficiency, because the only motive that is presented for it is the acquisition of a better spiritual state, or power for service, or something of that kind. A divine motive and attraction is needed if souls are to be drawn into the race and prepared to surrender in a truly spiritual way, and this divine motive and attraction is our risen Lord in Glory." -C.A.C.

"Communion with the Lord Jesus requires our coming to Him in the Word. Meditating upon His person and His work requires the prayerful study of His Word. Many fail to abide in Him because they habitually fast instead of feast." -J.H.T.

"Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us; for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us. O Lord our God, other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us; but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name" (Isaiah 26:12, 13).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

5-21. FULLNESS OF LIFE

"To know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19).

Our Father's fullness of supply infinitely exceeds the sum of our needs. Positionally it is so: "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." Conditionally it is so: "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Colossians 2:9, 10; Romans 8:32).

"As to the Gospel and the work of the Lord Jesus, I do not find that it is adequately apprehended that the benefit conferred by the Father is far beyond the need of the sinner. You cannot measure the benefit by the need. You may ask, 'Does it not cover the need?' It does; but you get no clue to the benefit from the measure of the need. You cannot find it in your own thoughts or expectations; it cannot be found anywhere save in our Father's heart. It is 'above all that we ask or think. . . . '

"How little, indeed, do we enter into the fullness of the benefits of the Gospel! The elder brother in Luke 15 did not object to his brother being forgiven, but it was unwelcome to him to see the wonderful excess of grace bestowed on him by the Father. 'Thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.' Many have the sense of forgiveness without the knowledge of His abundance." -J.B.S.

"We shall never be able to glorify God, if we only take what we need."

"Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory" (Ephesians 3:20, 21).

 

[netchaplain]

5-23. GOD WILL DO IT

"For it is God who works in you both will and deed" (Philippians 2:13, Cony.)

As we mature we come to see more and more clearly that our Father just as fully controls our lives as He does the universe. As C.A. Fox said, "Climb on, and you will find the correcting, the chastening, the cleansing, the calming of the deep affection of God."

"All the testing and trying is to first deal with, by the Cross, that which can never stand the stress and which must be forever failure to the Lord, and then to develop that which is Christ within us. That is the spiritual life--Christ in us in all His fullness. 'I will make him a pillar.' 'I will write upon him the name of my God.' He is going to do it. All the striving will never bring that end about, but He will do it.

"The great majority of us would say, 'If it all depends on me, then it is a bad lookout!' Well, of course, that is true, but let us look at the blessing of Joseph--'The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob . . . even by the God of thy father' (Genesis 49:24, 25)." -C.O.

"Let a man renounce himself, and see himself as crucified with Christ, and soon another Himself--the Lord Jesus Christ--will take the central place in the heart, and quietly bring all things under His sway."

"It is a great thing to offer the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour to sinful man, but it is still greater to express Him in a world where He is rejected." -J.B.S.

"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[Mitspa]

5-23. GOD WILL DO IT

"For it is God who works in you both will and deed" (Philippians 2:13, Cony.)

As we mature we come to see more and more clearly that our Father just as fully controls our lives as He does the universe. As C.A. Fox said, "Climb on, and you will find the correcting, the chastening, the cleansing, the calming of the deep affection of God."

"All the testing and trying is to first deal with, by the Cross, that which can never stand the stress and which must be forever failure to the Lord, and then to develop that which is Christ within us. That is the spiritual life--Christ in us in all His fullness. 'I will make him a pillar.' 'I will write upon him the name of my God.' He is going to do it. All the striving will never bring that end about, but He will do it.

"The great majority of us would say, 'If it all depends on me, then it is a bad lookout!' Well, of course, that is true, but let us look at the blessing of Joseph--'The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob . . . even by the God of thy father' (Genesis 49:24, 25)." -C.O.

"Let a man renounce himself, and see himself as crucified with Christ, and soon another Himself--the Lord Jesus Christ--will take the central place in the heart, and quietly bring all things under His sway."

"It is a great thing to offer the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour to sinful man, but it is still greater to express Him in a world where He is rejected." -J.B.S.

"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
MJS/WithChrist.org

Good Post Chaplain! God Bless

 

[netchaplain]

5-24. GRACE CROWN

"The God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect (mature), establish, strengthen, settle you" (1 Peter 5:10).

At first, the old nature hides from us. Then, we try to hide from it. But when we begin to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, we are able to face up to the awful facts concerning the old man and his condemnation at the Cross. As the Holy Spirit reveals the old man (Colossians 3:9), we count upon death; as He reveals the new man (Colossians 3:10), we count upon life (Romans 6:11).

"The believer, at the opening of his course, never knows his own heart; indeed, he could not bear the full knowledge of it; he would be overwhelmed thereby. 'The Lord leads us not by the way of the Philistines lest we should see war, and so be plunged into despair. But He graciously leads us by a circuitous route, in order that our apprehension of His grace may keep pace with our growing self-knowledge." -C.H.M.

"It was not for nothing that God let Satan loose upon His dear servant, Job. God loved Job with a perfect love; a love that could take account of everything, and, looking below the surface, could see the deep moral roots in the heart of His servant--roots which Job had never seen, and, therefore, never judged. What a mercy to have to do with such a God! to be in the hands of One who will spare no pains in order to subdue everything in us which is contrary to Himself, and to bring out in us His own blessed image!"

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Peter 5:6, 7).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

I wanted to mention, which I think I should have done at the outset of these messages, that those who would like to reply with comments or questions may please feel free to do so and it's also fine if you have no questions or comments! God's blessings to your Families and "Blessed be God"!

5-22. FROM MILK TO MEAT

"By people who live on milk I mean those who are imperfectly acquainted with the teaching concerning righteousness. Such persons are mere babes" (Hebrews 5:13, Wey.).

Promises and blessings have mainly to do with the milk of the Word. In order for a believer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, he must fellowship with Him in the Word. There is general Bible study, and there is feeding upon the Lord Jesus in the Word of life. The former serves for foundation, the latter is needed for growth.

"People may receive 'blessings' and temporary 'deliverances' in answer to prayer, for God is merciful to His children and His Spirit refreshes and blesses us even apart from the real walk of faith ("real walk" meaning "a mature walk" - comment - NC). But it is of greater benefit finally to us, and much greater glory to God, if we simply accept His Word and learn to walk in the power of it by naked faith; which asks no longer certain ecstasies, but being sure of God's truth because it is His truth, maintains an attitude of faith therein; attitude--a fixed heart.

"Faith, when once we see the truth, consists of a believing attitude of the will toward God. This involves a negative attitude toward all doubt of His promises or anything that would raise a doubt; and it also involves a continued refusal to rest upon appearances or feelings, even though these may come in great abundance. It is God's written Word that supplies strength to the heart of faith." -W.R.N.

"It is an easy thing to set sail and get fairly out into the ocean; but when many days have passed and no land is in sight, one is apt to weary. If the heart is not fully occupied with the Lord in the Word, something is taken on board to fill up the void."

"Nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:6).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

5-25. STAND WHERE YOU ARE!

"God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us . . . hath made us alive together with Christ . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Believers are not occupying their position! At best, most are trying to attain a victorious position by means of prayer, Bible study, commitment, reconsecration, surrender, and so forth. But the answer is simply to abide where we have already been placed--in our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Abide above, and keep looking down!

"Our Father has taken us over Jordan and placed us in Canaan, but the reality of it is never known until by faith we accept the fact on the basis of having died with Christ, and that therefore heaven is our place, and we know it to be our place now; and that this side is not our place, and we know that it is not.

"The more we abide in the Lord on the other side, the less disappointed we will be here, for when we are there we import new joys and new hopes into this old world, from an entirely new one, and we therefore in every way surpass the inhabitants of this lost world."
-J.B.S.
"You must abide in Christ in heaven before you can descend with heavenly ability to act for Him down here. The great secret of all blessing is to come from the Lord. Most Christians go to Him."

"Christian experience is our measure of apprehension of that which is already true of us in the Lord Jesus Christ." -A.J.

"Stand fast in the Lord" (Philippians 4:7).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[Mitspa]

5-25. STAND WHERE YOU ARE!

"God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us . . . hath made us alive together with Christ . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Believers are not occupying their position! At best, most are trying to attain a victorious position by means of prayer, Bible study, commitment, reconsecration, surrender, and so forth. But the answer is simply to abide where we have already been placed--in our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Abide above, and keep looking down!

"Our Father has taken us over Jordan and placed us in Canaan, but the reality of it is never known until by faith we accept the fact on the basis of having died with Christ, and that therefore heaven is our place, and we know it to be our place now; and that this side is not our place, and we know that it is not.

"The more we abide in the Lord on the other side, the less disappointed we will be here, for when we are there we import new joys and new hopes into this old world, from an entirely new one, and we therefore in every way surpass the inhabitants of this lost world."
-J.B.S.
"You must abide in Christ in heaven before you can descend with heavenly ability to act for Him down here. The great secret of all blessing is to come from the Lord. Most Christians go to Him."

"Christian experience is our measure of apprehension of that which is already true of us in the Lord Jesus Christ." -A.J.

"Stand fast in the Lord" (Philippians 4:7).
MJS/WithChrist.org

Great post! "set your mind on things above where Christ is seated"! "I will keep him in perfect peace whos mind is set upon Me"

 

[netchaplain]

5-26. "GOOD GROUND"

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee" (John 1:48).

"And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bore fruit an hundredfold" (Luke 8:8). The more fully and thoroughly hearts are cultivated before conversion the more healthy and fruitful they will be after conversion. Many Christians hurriedly seek to plant the seed in unprepared soil, and then wonder why it is so soon withered, choked, or snatched away. "Good ground are they who. . . having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).

"I believe that a work of God sometimes goes on behind a particular man or family, village or district before the knowledge of the truth ever reaches them. It is a silent, unsuspected work, not in mind and heart, but in the unseen realm behind these. Then, when the light of the Gospel is brought, there is no difficulty, no conflict. The battle has been won.

"It is, then, simply a case of 'stand still and see the salvation of God.' This should give us confidence in praying intelligently for those who are far from Gospel light. The longer the preparation, the deeper the work. The deeper the root, the firmer the plant when once it springs above the ground. I do not believe that any deep work of God takes root without long preparation somewhere." -J.O.F.

"Concentrate your prayers on behalf of some soul or souls and pray for such, night and day, until they come to Christ. Then continue to pray for them until Christ is formed in them!" (Galatians 4:19).

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me" (Malachi 3:1).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

5-27. SLOW BUT SURE

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself" (Psalm 37:7).

Our Father moves on the basis of His finished work, therefore hurry is not a factor with Him nor should it be with us. We are to 'walk in the Spirit,' and the blessed Holy Spirit will see to it that we obtain all that our Father has for us, step by step. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in His way" (Psalm 37:23). Don't be discouraged--Enoch walked with God for three hundred years before he was translated!

"We cannot become spiritual all at once; we must be content to begin as babes. Spiritual maturity and strength do not come by effort but by growth; and growth is the result of being nourished by proper food. But if we do not grow by effort it is important to remember that we do not grow without exercise.

"God begins by giving our hearts a sense of the blessedness of the grace in which He has called us, that we may be awakened and enhungered to pursue the knowledge of all this with purpose of heart and prayerful study." -C.A.C.

"Whatever we do accurately must take time and collectedness of mind, and there is no accuracy in all the world like keeping company with God, and yet nothing so free from bondage or tediousness. By going slow with the Lord we accomplish more than by going with a rush, because what we do is done so much better and does not have to be undone. It is done in a better spirit, with deeper motives, and bears fruit far out in the future, when all mushroom performances have been dissipated forever." -G.B.W.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

I've heard it said that "one can be too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly good". On the other hand, I've also heard it said that "one can be too earthly-minded to be of any heavenly good".

I'm my opinion, one cannot be "too heavenly-minded" because we're to contemplate it as much as lies within us (Col 3:2), and to be truly "heavenly-minded" is to be focused on neighborly-love, “especially unto them who are of the household of faith†(Gal 6:10), and neighborly-love is the primary maturity-gauge (1 John 4:20).

Every growth-hungry Christian is aware that the more we think on the Lord, the more we are comforted. No thought on the heart of a believer can surpass that of the one which is fixed on Him who won it. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You†(Isa 26:3).

Our Father has so identified us with His Son that They are here with us in our condition, while we are there with Them in our position. So when we pray, instead of going to the Throne, we can come from it. Therefore—“Keep Looking Downâ€!
-NC

5-28. HEAVEN NOW AND FOREVER

"[God] hath raised us up together; and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).

In the first stage of our Christian life we seek to bring the Lord Jesus down to our level, for our use; later on we learn to take our position in Him at His level, for His use.

"The desire of many and the tendency of all is to connect the Lord Jesus with ourselves on this earth, instead of accepting that we are in living union with Him in heaven. The Lord give us to apprehend the reality of our true position; that we are outside this scene when we are in our true place. We are thankful that Christ was here, and that He made a pathway through the wilderness, but we have properly to come from Him in glory to learn the path and to find His succor in it."

"If you do not know your union with the Lord Jesus in heaven, you cannot come out in the power of the heavenly Man to act from Him on earth, to be descriptive of Him. You can never be heavenly by effort. Many seek to be heavenly by prayer, reading the Word, devotedness, but the only pathway to it is to be brought by the Holy Spirit to realize union with our risen Lord. You are heavenly by union, by nature. Abide in Him."

"Are we prepared to accept our union with the crucified and risen Lord, not only as the basis of being received by the Father, but also as the way we walk day by day? If this question was honestly faced, and answered affirmatively by the members of our churches, there would be no need to endeavor to whip up a 'revival.' There would be a spontaneous upsurge of life and blessing--the direct work of the Spirit of God Himself." -J.C.M.
"Risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12).
MJS/WithChrist.org

 

[netchaplain]

5-29. CHRISTO-CENTRIC

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).

Just whose side are we on? The enemy who would occupy us with ourselves, or the Comforter who would occupy us with the risen Lord Jesus? The spirit of death, or the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus? "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16).

"If we have only learned the Lord at our own side, the tendency is to be occupied with ourselves, or to seek to be an object of consideration; whereas if we have been led by the Spirit to His side, His interests and concerns will singularly occupy us."

"The natural inclination is to make oneself the center of everything passing, how it pains or cheers oneself, even musing on oneself as if one were the one solitary object for the sunshine or the cloud to rest on. If I am a hero, or a martyr to myself, I look at and regard divine things as they suit my thinking about myself, and not as answering to what He is thinking of me. I am confining the Lord to myself instead of rising up and seeing myself lost in Him, and then following Him in all the greatness and blessedness of His work and ways down here." -J.B.S.

"We may love as Jonathan, and follow as Ruth, but until we know that we are united to the Lord Jesus Christ in glory, we will not be free enough from our own interests, to take up His."

"[Who] made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7).
MJS/WithChrist.org