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Wednesday 29 February 2012

Knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. (Hebrews 10:34)


Knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. (Hebrews 10:34)

This is well. Our substance here is very unsubstantial; there is no substance in it. But God has given us a promise of real estate in the gloryland, and that promise comes to our hearts with such full assurance of its certainty that we know in ourselves that we have an enduring substance there. Yes, "we have" it even now. They say, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," but we have our bird in the bush and in the hand, too. Heaven is even now our own. We have the title deed of it, we have the earnest of it, we have the firstfruits of it. We have heaven in price, in promise, and in principle; this we know not only by the hearing of the ear but "in ourselves."

Should not the thought of the better substance on the other side of Jordan reconcile us to present losses? Our spending money we may lose, but our treasure is safe. We have lost the shadows, but the substance remains, for our Savior lives, and the place which He has prepared for us abides. There is a better land, a better substance, a better promise; and all this comes to us by a better covenant; wherefore, let us be in better spirits, and say unto the Lord, "Every day will I bless thee; and praise thy name for ever and ever."

Tuesday 28 February 2012

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7)

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7)

Suspense is dreadful. When we have no news from home, we are apt to grow anxious, and we cannot be persuaded that "no news is good news." Faith is the cure for this condition of sadness; the Lord by His Spirit settles the mind in holy serenity, and all fear is gone as to the future as well as the present.

The fixedness of heart spoken of by the psalmist is to be diligently sought after. It is not believing this or that promise of the Lord, but the general condition of unstaggering trustfulness in our God, the confidence which we have in Him that He will neither do us ill Himself nor suffer anyone else to harm us. This constant confidence meets the unknown as well as the known of life. Let the morrow be what it may, our God is the God of tomorrow. Whatever events may have happened, which to us are unknown, our Jehovah is God of the unknown as well as of the known. We are determined to trust the Lord, come what may. If the very worst should happen, our God is still the greatest and best. Therefore will we not fear though the postman's knock should startle us or a telegram wake us at midnight. The Lord liveth, and what can His children fear.



Monday 27 February 2012

He promised to come back; why doesn't He come?"


Thoughtful Christians of all churches have one common question: "What is Jesus Christ doing? He promised to come back; why doesn't He come?"
Yes, He promised, "As the lightning ... so shall the coming of the Son of man be. ... But of that day and hour knoweth no man. ... As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ... They ... knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matt. 24:27-39). The angels promised the disciples, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner" (Acts 1:11). That literal, personal return of Christ has not yet taken place.
The only answer as to why He hasn't come back yet that can possibly make sense is that His people are not yet ready for Him to come. The harvest is not yet ripe (see Mark 4:26-29). And what special ministry can make a people to be ready? Only the ministry of Christ as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary (see Heb. 8-10). There was an earthly high priest in the ancient sanctuary--so there is a divine High Priest in the heavenly; there was an earthly lamb offered in the ancient sanctuary--Christ is the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). As there was an annual day of atonement in the earthly sanctuary, so there is a cosmic Day of Atonement in the heavenly when the High Priest ministers in the Most Holy Apartment, the second apartment, of the heavenly sanctuary. The specific purpose of that ministry is to prepare a people for the second coming of Jesus.
Daniel understood there is a heavenly sanctuary--all the Israelites who were true to God understood it; it is natural then that when the angel in Daniel 8:14 answered the question "how long ...?" by saying "unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed," it's natural that Daniel understood it was the heavenly sanctuary.
That great Day of Atonement ministry is the most important activity going on today in the heavenly universe. Keep in tune with it.


Friday 24 February 2012

lf ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)


lf ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)

Of necessity we must be in Christ to live unto Him, and we must abide in Him to be able to claim the largesse of this promise from Him. To abide in Jesus is never to quit Him for another love or another object, but to remain in living, loving, conscious, willing union with Him. The branch is not only ever near the stem but ever receiving life and fruitfulness from it. All true believers abide in Christ in a sense; but there is a higher meaning, and this we must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne. "Ask what ye will" is for Enochs who walk with God, for Johns who lie in the Lord's bosom, for those whose union with Christ leads to constant communion.

The heart must remain in love, the mind must be rooted in faith, the hope must be cemented to the Word, the whole man must be joined unto the Lord, or else it would be dangerous to trust us with power in prayer. The carte blanche can only be given to one whose very life is, "Not I, but Christ liveth in me." O you who break your fellowship, what power you lose! If you would be mighty in your pleadings, the Lord Himself must abide in you, and you in Him.

Thursday 23 February 2012

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished" (Proverbs 22:3, NKJV).


"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished" (Proverbs 22:3, NKJV).
The thought came to me this morning that all of us often run ahead of even our best thoughts. And too often forget simple truths that could save us from real heartaches!
It is one thing to have our heads full of knowledge, even precious knowledge of "last-day events," but what shall it profit us if we lose our focus on the One who really matters! Sometimes, it is easier to think about Him in our heads but forget about Him in our hearts!
If you are like I am, almost unconsciously, we can go for hours, or days, or longer, wrapped up in our neat understanding of "end-time" issues--and act out as if all this knowledge doesn't really make any difference in the way we spend our money or our time--or how often we neglect the ache in the hearts of those nearest us.
Every once in awhile I am reminded of those precious insights that one writer, Bob Wieland, wrote regarding those precious Ten Commandments. He said that if you memorize the Ten Commandments but omit the Preamble, you have a stern code of law, that is, Old Covenant in nature. But If you keep the Preamble where it belongs, you have a "New Covenant set of ten delightful promises." In the Hebrew, "Thou shalt nots" are the simple future tense indicatives: Believe the Preamble and "you will never steal!" Or, "you will never commit adultery"! (That's really Good News!)
What does the Preamble say (Ex. 20:1, 2)? It's New Testament, New Covenant, Good News: "I am the LORD …" That holy name of infinite mystery--we know Him today as "our Father in heaven" (Matt. 6:9), your intimate best Friend who's on your side. Your Creator God, your Powerful Savior … He's yours; He actually gave Himself to you. But there is more ...
"Who brought [past tense] you out of the land of Egypt"--in other words, "REMEMBER THE RED SEA! For us today, REMEMBER the darkness of discouragement or shame THAT HE BROUGHT YOU OUT OF. He brought you into the Light; He ALEADY has saved you from hell, having taken Himself in His own experience the darkness of your second death; and REMEMBER THAT THE SAME blessed Holy Spirit THAT BROUGHT COURAGE TO THOSE ISRAELITES is today ministering the sunshine of grace upon your soul 24/7.
Keep reading the Preamble: "Out of the house of bondage" He is leading you today! "Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14; sums up the Ten Commandments!). Christ redeemed you before you were born; don't throw your birthright away as Esau did! The Holy Spirit is telling your heart about it right now--don't despise or sell it! NOW, BELIEVE THE PREAMBLE as the Israelites did and remember the Red Sea and what kind of God is asking for your trust!


Wednesday 22 February 2012

He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great. (Psalm 115:13)


He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great. (Psalm 115:13)

This is a word of cheer to those who are of humble station and mean estate. Our God has a very gracious consideration for those of small property, small talent, small influence, small weight. God careth for the small things in creation and even regards sparrows in their lighting upon the ground. Nothing is small to God, for He makes use of insignificant agents for the accomplishment of His purposes. Let the least among men seek of God a blessing upon his littleness, and he shall find his contracted sphere to be a happy one.

Among those who fear the Lord there are little and great. Some are babes, and others are giants. But these are all blessed. Little faith is blessed faith. Trembling hope is blessed hope. Every grace of the Holy Spirit, even though it be only in the bud, bears a blessing within it. Moreover, the Lord Jesus bought both the small and the great with the same precious blood, and He has engaged to preserve the lambs as well as the full-grown sheep. No mother overlooks her child because it is little; nay, the smaller it is, the more tenderly does she nurse it. If there be any preference with the Lord, He does not arrange them as "great and small" but as "small and great."


Tuesday 21 February 2012

It's time to become conscious.


In case any of us has difficulty understanding how the Good Shepherd "seeks" us "until [He] finds [us]," we have these illustrations in the entire Bible: God sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke King David for his horrible crime, sin of adultery and murder, that's the Good Shepherd seeking him; He sends Jeremiah to rebuke King Zedekiah for his rebellion against God and King Nebuchadnezzar (God's temporary servant); and all the prophets and apostles were His agents in seeking to save us from ourselves.
Today the same dear Lord "seeks" the soul of the cigarette smoker, using all the warnings published against smoking; the alcoholic, through the almost daily horror stories of the evils of drinking; and of us, from the sin of abusing our health and shortening our lives through intemperance of many kinds.
The Lord Jesus sought the soul of Saul of Tarsus while he was "persecuting" Him; all the while the Lord made his way "hard" like kicking against goads (Acts 26:12-15). Every time you go to the refrigerator when you shouldn't, He is seeking for you like the Good Shepherd seeking His lost sheep to save you from ending your life and health too soon.
The illustration fits, except that Jesus did not tell of a sheep fighting the Shepherd when He came to rescue it. Hard to imagine! But that's what we have all done, time and again (or at least, I have). That's what it means, to be a sinner--resisting the grace of God.
Saul of Tarsus learned, however, and he tells us, "I do not frustrate the grace of God" (Gal. 2:21). He is, at last, "crucified with Christ" (vs. 20). The Good Shepherd seeking His lost sheep and all these prophets and apostles rebuking us for our sin, even giving their lives in being "crucified with Christ" in order to be faithful, are identical with the ministry of that much more abounding grace of God (cf. Rom. 5:21).
We had some friends who adopted a cat that was headed for the pound and early death; they cared for it, fed it, and bought an expensive cage to transport it in comfort when they went on long trips; but it snarled and hit at them when they tried to put him in the cage. The ungrateful pet "frustrated" their "grace" but didn't know what it was doing.
The Lord says to us, "Thou … knowest not" what we are doing (Rev. 3:17). It's time to become conscious.

Monday 20 February 2012

marriage- (trust ,faithfulness, conduct and any other issues to keep it going)


One of our recipients of this “Thought for the day” has requested me to send something on marriage- (trust ,faithfulness, conduct and any other issues to keep it going). Below is an article that I feel will help us as a people created to the glory of God and a service to fellow man:


“Those who were engaged in this work were not a superficial, immoral class, but persons who had been the most devoted workers. Satan saw an opportunity to take advantage of the state of things, and to disgrace the cause of God. Those who thought themselves able to bear any test without exciting their carnal propensities, were overcome, and several unmarried men and women were compelled to be married. I am afraid of those who feel so great a burden to labor in this direction. Satan works upon the imagination, so that impurity is the result, instead of purity”.—Letter 103, 1894.
Jesus did not enforce celibacy upon any class of men. He came not to destroy the sacred relationship of marriage, but to exalt it and restore it to its original sanctity. He looks with pleasure upon the family relationship where sacred and unselfish love bears sway.—The Adventist Home, 121.
The Expenditure of Vital Energy—Many parents do not obtain the knowledge that they should in the married life. They are not guarded lest Satan take advantage of them and control their minds and their lives. They do not see that God requires them to control their married lives from all excesses. But very few feel it to be a religious duty to govern their passions. They have united themselves in marriage to the object of their choice, and therefore reason that marriage sanctifies the indulgence of the baser passions. Even men and women professing godliness give loose rein to their lustful passions, and have no thought that God holds them accountable for the expenditure of vital energy, which weakens their hold on life and enervates the entire system.
Excessive Sexual Indulgence—The marriage covenant covers sins of the darkest hue. Men and women professing godliness debase their own bodies through the indulgence of the corrupt passions, and thus lower themselves beneath the brute creation. They abuse the powers that God has given them to be preserved in sanctification and honor. Health and life are sacrificed upon the altar of base passion. The higher, nobler powers are brought into subjection to the animal propensities. Those who thus sin are not acquainted with the result of their course.
Could all see the amount of suffering that they bring upon themselves by their own sinful indulgence, they would be alarmed; and some, at least, would shun the course of sin that brings such dreaded wages. So miserable an existence is entailed upon a large class that death would be preferable to life; and many do die prematurely, their lives sacrificed in the inglorious work of excessive indulgence of the animal passions. Yet because they are married, they think they commit no sin.
Men and women, you will one day learn what is lust, and the result of its gratification. Passion of just as base a quality may be found in the marriage relation as outside of it.—The Review and Herald, September 19, 1899.
The Wife’s Dignity and Self-Respect—Many professed Christians who passed before me seemed destitute of moral restraint. They were more animal than divine. In fact, they were about all animal. Men of this type degrade the wife whom they have promised to nourish and cherish. She is made an instrument to minister to the gratification of low, lustful propensities. And very many women submit to become slaves to lustful passion; they do not possess their bodies in sanctification and honor. The wife does not retain the dignity and self-respect which she possessed previous to marriage.

Friday 17 February 2012

Why do good people have to suffer? What was Adam's and Eve's sin in Eden?


Why do good people have to suffer? What was Adam's and Eve's sin in Eden? What did Jesus give up when he became our Savior? And, why did He have to die? These are questions we can't answer in this short message, but we can note that the answers are important to understand if we are to have a happy life following Jesus.
The reason He died? People murdered Him! And they included you and me. "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" The answer is yes. Why did He allow humans to murder Him? No other way could they understand the depth of their sin and rebellion against God, but to let them do it. And only through the cross could they be "drawn" to repentance and reconciliation with God (John 12:31, 32).
Yes, He died as our Substitute to satisfy the legal claims of the broken law; but unless your heart appreciates what it cost Him to save you, unless you identify with Him, unless you are "crucified with Christ," your heart remains alienated and cold.
And what did He give up for us? Philippians 2:5-9 answers: it cost Him everything, and that includes the reality of His surrendering Himself to die our second death. He "poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12) like you empty a watering can to the last drop. You will never be the same after you realize what that last drop meant.
Faith becomes the white-hot heat of a welding process that welds your heart to Him forever; thus we become "one" with Him like two pieces of steel welded.
Adam and Eve's sin was far deeper than reaching for a delicious dessert. They chose to dis-believe God, the active voice of the verb for which the noun is "unbelief." They chose alienation from God--the very problem Jesus came to solve by the sacrifice of Himself. For us now to learn to trust God involves for us to take up our cross on which self is crucified--with Christ. The reason? Up to the point where we join Him on His cross in sacrificing even our hope for immortality, there will remain deep within us a residual layer of doubt that will manifest itself openly in the final test of the mark of the beast. Now is a good time for us to learn well the lesson of the cross.

Thursday 16 February 2012

You may be sick in the hospital, or a prisoner on Death Row, but no one can deprive you of the holy hours of the true Lord's Day, the Sabbath.


Millions this week are studying about the "Lord of the Sabbath," and no matter who you are or where you are, the Sabbath is a blessing that God does not merely offer you, but gives you. You may be sick in the hospital, or a prisoner on Death Row, but no one can deprive you of the holy hours of the true Lord's Day, the Sabbath.
You don't have to be converted, or be a good person, to receive this "gift" of the Sabbath. It's like the "gift" of justification that Romans 5 says five times God has given to the world "in Christ," not just offered us. You may have spent your whole life in disregarding this gift of the Sabbath; if so, you have deprived yourself of blessings you could have enjoyed immensely. The one who disregards the holy Sabbath day is like Esau, the man to whom God gave the inestimable blessing of the birthright but "despised" it and "sold" it for a trifle of worldly pleasure (Gen. 25:34; Heb. 12:16, 17).
When the Sabbath begins at sundown, welcome its holy hours. Kneel and thank its Giver for it. Turn off the voices of the world so you can hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Don't reduplicate Esau in yourself--don't "sell" even a few moments of this holy time for a worldly indulgence of godless amusement, whether TV, CDs, DVDs, novels, newspapers, or what. Demonstrate that you cherish and treasure God's gift of the holy Sabbath--how else can you demonstrate that you cherish and treasure the sacrifice of the Son of God which Sabbath-keeping "signifies"? (That's how the Sabbath is a "sign" of sanctification, Ezek. 20:12.)
Of course, neither you nor I are the least bit worthy of this gift of the Sabbath. Our hearts are by nature carnal; the holy hours of the seventh day find us contaminated with worldly thoughts and desires. Hence, a sincere, honest, thoughtful prayer that the same "Lord of the Sabbath" who created the gift may hallow our soiled hearts, cleanse us, and grant us in these holy hours to be a student in the "school of Christ" for this one day.
You'll be sorry to see the Sabbath "go" when again the sun goes down and you'll immediately look forward to another Sabbath to come. We live the six days for this tête-à-tête with our Savior. Which is what it means to "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."

Wednesday 15 February 2012

He that trusteth m the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. (Psalm 32:10)


He that trusteth m the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. (Psalm 32:10)

O fair reward of trust! My Lord, grant it me to the full! The truster above all men feels himself to be a sinner; and lo, mercy is prepared for him: he knows himself to have no deservings, but mercy comes in and keeps house for him on a liberal scale. O Lord, give me this mercy, even as I trust in Thee!

Observe, my soul, what a bodyguard thou hast! As a prince is compassed about with soldiery, so art thou compassed about with mercy. Before and behind, and on all sides, ride these mounted guards of grace. We dwell in the center of the system of mercy, for we dwell in Christ Jesus.

O my soul, what an atmosphere dost thou breathe! As the air surrounds thee, even so does the mercy of thy Lord. To the wicked there are many sorrows, but to thee there are so many mercies that thy sorrows are not worth mentioning. David says, "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." In obedience to this precept my heart shall triumph in God, and I will tell out my gladness. As Thou hast compassed me with mercy, I will also compass Thine altars, O my God, with songs of thanksgiving!

Tuesday 14 February 2012

How can evil people become good people?


How can evil people become good people?
The problem of evil is with us worldwide; and we in all lands and in all cultures wrestle with it.
The common solution adopted in all time and in all cultures is the motivation of fear. What's constantly proclaimed is, Do what's right and you won't have to suffer. So we have policemen everywhere, and "the law." In some lands, including the U.S., the jails are full.
But the problem of evil and evil people continues. So people say, Let's be practical: fear has to be the motivation that works. Fill the prisons! But the gospel of Jesus Christ is based on a different motivation: the power of God's "much more abounding grace." That only can change human hearts from evil to righteousness.
John the Baptist told the people, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). John was right in what he said! Jesus does "take away" the sin of the world! By His sacrifice on His cross He has redeemed the entire world. The Father sent Him to "give life unto the world" (John 6:33). Even our daily bread which we eat is purchased for us by His sacrifice. Jesus accomplished something for every one, even though most people disregard Him!
But if we "eat" without acknowledging our indebtedness to Him, we "eat ... damnation" to our souls because of our unbelief (see 1 Cor. 11:29).

Monday 13 February 2012

I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.


I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. (Isaiah 44:3)

Our dear children have not the Spirit of God by nature, as we plainly see. We see much in them which makes us fear as to their future, and this drives us to agonizing prayer. When a son becomes specially perverse, we cry with Abraham, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before thee!" We would sooner see our daughters Hannahs than empresses. This verse should greatly encourage us. It follows upon the words, "Fear not, O Jacob, my servant," and it may well banish our fears.

The Lord will give His Spirit; will give it plentifully, pouring it out; will give it effectually, so that it shall be a real and eternal blessing. Under this divine outpouring our children shall come forward, and "one shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob."

This is one of those promises concerning which the Lord will be inquired of. Should we not, at set times, in a distinct manner, pray for our offspring? We cannot give them new hearts, but the Holy Spirit can; and He is easily to be entreated of. The great Father takes pleasure in the prayers of fathers and mothers. Have we any dear ones outside of the ark? Let us not rest till they are shut in with us by the Lord's own hand.

Friday 10 February 2012

The Lord is my God.


And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:9)

Grace transmutes us into precious metal, and then the fire and the furnace follows as a necessary consequence. Do we start at this? Would we sooner be accounted worthless, that we might enjoy repose, like the stones of the field! This would be to choose the viler part--like Esau, to take the pottage and give up the covenant portion. No, Lord; we will gladly be cast into the furnace rather than be cast out from Thy presence!

The fire only refines; it does not destroy. We are to be brought through the fire, not left in it. The Lord values His people as silver, and therefore He is at pains to purge away their dross. If we are wise, we shall rather welcome the refining process than decline it. Our prayer will be that our alloy may be taken from us rather than that we should be withdrawn from the crucible.

O Lord, Thou triest us indeed! We are ready to melt under the fierceness of the flame. Still, this is Thy way, and Thy way is the best. Sustain us under the trial and complete the process of our purifying, and we will be Thine forever and ever.

Thursday 9 February 2012

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up


If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. (Job 22:23)

Eliphaz, in this utterance, spoke a great truth, which is the summary of many an inspired Scripture. Reader, has sin pulled you down? Have you become like a ruin? Has the hand of the Lord gone out against you so that in estate you are impoverished and in spirit you are broken down? Was it your own folly which brought upon you all this dilapidation? Then the first thing to be done is to return to the Lord. With deep repentance and sincere faith find your way back from your backsliding. It is you" duty, for you have turned away from Him whom you professed to serve. It is your wisdom, for you cannot strive against Him and prosper. It is your immediate necessity, for what He has done is nothing compared to what He may do in the way of chastisement, since He is Almighty to punish.

See what a promise invites you! You shall be "built up." None but the Almighty can set up the fallen pillars and restore the tottering walls of your condition; but He can and He will do it if you return to Him. Do not delay. Your crushed mind may quite fail you if you go on to rebel; but hearty confession will ease you, and humble faith will console you. Do this, and all will be well.

Tuesday 7 February 2012

If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, blessed shalt thou be in the city. (Deuteronomy 28:2-3)


If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, blessed shalt thou be in the city. (Deuteronomy 28:2-3)

The city is full of care, and he who has to go there from day to day finds it to be a place of great wear and tear. It is full of noise, and stir, and bustle, and sore travail; many are its temptations, losses, and worries. But to go there with the divine blessing takes off the edge of its difficulty; to remain there with that blessing is to find pleasure in its duties and strength equal to its demands.

A blessing in the city may not make us great, but it will keep us good; it may not make us rich, but it will preserve us honest. Whether we are porters, or clerks, or managers, or merchants, or magistrates, the city will afford us opportunities for usefulness. It is good fishing where there are shoals of fish, and it is hopeful to work for our Lord amid the thronging crowds. We might prefer the quiet of a country life; but if called to town, we may certainly prefer it because there is room for our energies.

Today let us expect good things because of this promise, and let our care be to have an open ear to the voice of the Lord and a ready hand to execute His bidding. Obedience brings the blessing. "In keeping his commandments there is great reward."

Monday 6 February 2012

) when we pray to Him, we are to "enter into thy closet, … shut thy door, [and] pray to thy Father which is in secret"; (f) then "thy Father which seeth in secret ... shall reward thee openly."


When Jesus gave us permission to address His Father as "our Father which art in heaven," He gave us complete confidentiality with Him.
He emphasized secrecy (Matt. 6:1-6): (a) We are not to make our acts or gifts of worship to be "seen of men"; (b) we are not to seek "glory of men"; (c) we are not to let our left hand know what our right hand does--here again is ultimate secrecy; (d) thy " Father … seeth in secret"; (e) when we pray to Him, we are to "enter into thy closet, … shut thy door, [and] pray to thy Father which is in secret"; (f) then "thy Father which seeth in secret ... shall reward thee openly."
The word "Father" brings up the most tender memories of our childhood, yes, babyhood. The first syllable we could utter as a baby was "ba"--which became our "Ba-ba."
We revered our earthly father; as children he stood to us in the place of God. Yes, his task was to reveal the heavenly Father to us, and to interpret to us aright His love, His fidelity.
This is the idea in Romans 8 where we read, "Ye have not received the spirit of bondage ... to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (vs .15).
Our first cry as a baby is not "Abba, Father," but "abba, father." We don't know yet to cry to God; our earthly father interprets God to us.
If he is a God-reverencing person, kind, unselfish, loving, then he is interpreting the love (agape) of the heavenly Father to us. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; you are very fortunate.
Sometimes an earthly father does not know how to interpret to the child the love (agape) of the heavenly Father. In those cases it can become emotionally difficult for the person to learn to be happy "in Christ"; but don't turn away, never, not for a moment. Let your heavenly Father intervene: He is much, much greater than your earthly father; His influence in your life is out of all bounds far greater than the influence your earthly father was to you; yes, let Him into your life.
Share with Him alone (that's what it means that Jesus said, "shut your door to your closet"), open your heart with all your shame and guilt. Your heavenly "Father seeth in secret." He alone is your true "Father-Confessor." Pour it all out to Him "in secret"; He will reward thee "openly," that is, with full salvation, healing, in Christ.

Friday 3 February 2012

The Lord will not accept the offering of those who choose to remain proud and self-sufficient.


Many church members are broken-hearted, dismayed, and discouraged by apostasy they see overwhelming their church; they are tempted to stay home on Sabbath.
The Enemy seems to be coming in as "a flood," but the Lord has promised, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). That is happening today! The Lord is faithful!
The church where they were baptized seems to have departed from the faith. There is now a new meaning to the solemn words of Jesus: "On the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26).
It's those "powers of heaven" being "shaken" that so distresses sincere, honest-minded people. The Psalmist anticipated this when he said, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3).
Answer: They must stand firm even if the foundations around them crumble. The Lord has placed these messages in His Bible to alert us of the terrible "shaking" that must come. The answer to the Psalmist's question is clear: stand for the "truth of the gospel." Bear witness of your faith; the Protestant Reformation was a work of the Holy Spirit, but even Protestantism has now crumbled, and no longer is protestant; but nevertheless the Holy Spirit keeps the spirit of "protest" alive. Truth has not died.
In the final "shaking" everything that has been built up may crumble around us like ashes after a fire. "Think it not strange," says the apostle Peter, "concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you."
The Lord is a jealous God, He has tremendous Self-respect, determined not to let the Jews crucify Christ again, and also determined not to let His glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain to be "insulted" again. When Laodicea lays her self-righteous, proud offering on His altar, "rich and increased with goods," when in reality she is of all the seven churches of history the most "wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind and naked," He will treat her offering as He treated the offering of Cain--just walk away until it withers and becomes garbage that the janitor has to cart away. The Lord will not accept the offering of those who choose to remain proud and self-sufficient.
It's time to let the Lord have all there is of us; share the cross of Jesus with Him (that's where we belong, you know). "Humble [ourselves] under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6). Get down to rock bottom.

Thursday 2 February 2012

Our one point of inquiry should be--"Do we fear the name of the Lord? Do we reverence the living God and walk in His ways?"


But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4.2)

Fulfilled once in the first advent of our glorious Lord, and yet to have a fuller accomplishment in His second advent, this gracious word is also for daily use. Is it dark with the reader? Does the night deepen into a denser blackness? Still let us not despair: the sun will yet rise. When the night is darkest, dawn is nearest.

The sun which will arise is of no common sort. It is the Sun--the Sun of Righteousness, whose every ray is holiness. He who comes to cheer us, comes in the way of justice as well as of mercy, comes to violate no law even to save us. Jesus as much displays the holiness of God as His love. Our deliverance, when it comes, will be safe because he is righteous.

Our one point of inquiry should be--"Do we fear the name of the Lord? Do we reverence the living God and walk in His ways?" Then for us the night must be short; and when the morning cometh, all the sickness and sorrow of our soul will be over forever. Light, warmth, joy, and clearness of vision will come, and healing of every disease and distress will follow after.

Has Jesus risen upon us? Let us sit in the sun. Has He hidden His face? Let us wait for His rising. He will shine forth as surely as the sun.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

The question is, will God be judged by the universe, or is "judgment" all one-sided with Him arbitrarily judging us?


The question is, will God be judged by the universe, or is "judgment" all one-sided with Him arbitrarily judging us? This is a serious issue because a mistaken idea here can influence a person's spiritual experience and motivate him or her to serve "God" because of fear. If such craven fear becomes the deepest motivation of our hearts, then our "Christianity" degenerates to become little more than paganism.
Someone may ask, What difference does it make whether "obedience" is motivated by fear or by love so long as it "obeys the law"? The difference will show up in the final test of the "mark of the beast." All fear-motivation will then program us to accept the mark of the beast rather than the seal of God because the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:13-18; 16:2) will be based entirely on fear (the ultimate root of paganism). We MUST find a better motivation. And that will require a clearer understanding of the character of God.
He does not want anyone to serve Him because of fear, because such fear would be for Him a hollow victory. Billions of people bowing low before Him because they are afraid of Him and His retributive judgment would bring Him no joy. He wants deep sincerity. Therefore Christ as the Son of God must humble Himself, make Himself vulnerable, become open and transparent, surrender Himself to the judgment of His creatures, in short, die upon a cross apparently forsaken by God, suffer the pangs of hell itself, drain the last drop of fear in order to disarm and condemn it forever.
According to Revelation 14:6-15, God must submit Himself to the judgment of the universe, "for the hour of His judgment is come." Only thus can Satan, sin, and fear be finally and totally conquered, "because fear hath torment." The universe at last will see that "God is agape," and "agape casteth out fear" (1 John 4:8, 18). You and I can overcome it only by permitting the Holy Spirit to "shed abroad in our hearts" this "agape of God" (Rom. 5:5). Each must ask himself, Am I pagan or Christian?