He will also cleanse us from all our idols, whether of gold or of clay: our impure lives and our excessive love of that which in itself is impure.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (Ezekiel 36:25)

What an exceeding joy is this! He who has purified us with the blood of Jesus will also cleanse us by the water of the Holy Spirit. God hath said it, and so it must be, "Ye shall be clean." Lord, we feel and mourn our uncleanness, and it is cheering to be assured by Thine own mouth that we shall be clean. Oh, that Thou wouldst make a speedy work of it!

He will deliver us from our worst sins. The uprisings of unbelief and the deceitful lusts which war against the soul, the vile thoughts of pride, and the suggestions of Satan to blaspheme the sacred name - all these shall be so purged away as never to return.

He will also cleanse us from all our idols, whether of gold or of clay: our impure lives and our excessive love of that which in itself is impure. That which we have idolized shall either be broken from us or we shall be broken off from it.

It is God who speaks of what He Himself will do. Therefore is this word established and sure, and we may boldly look for that which it guarantees to us. Cleansing is a covenant blessing, and the covenant is ordered in all things and sure.

He will also cleanse us from all our idols, whether of gold or of clay: our impure lives and our excessive love of that which in itself is impure.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. (Ezekiel 36:25)

What an exceeding joy is this! He who has purified us with the blood of Jesus will also cleanse us by the water of the Holy Spirit. God hath said it, and so it must be, "Ye shall be clean." Lord, we feel and mourn our uncleanness, and it is cheering to be assured by Thine own mouth that we shall be clean. Oh, that Thou wouldst make a speedy work of it!

He will deliver us from our worst sins. The uprisings of unbelief and the deceitful lusts which war against the soul, the vile thoughts of pride, and the suggestions of Satan to blaspheme the sacred name - all these shall be so purged away as never to return.

He will also cleanse us from all our idols, whether of gold or of clay: our impure lives and our excessive love of that which in itself is impure. That which we have idolized shall either be broken from us or we shall be broken off from it.

It is God who speaks of what He Himself will do. Therefore is this word established and sure, and we may boldly look for that which it guarantees to us. Cleansing is a covenant blessing, and the covenant is ordered in all things and sure.

Rest assured, tried believer, that though you have your troubles you are saved from swarms of worse ones,

And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be. (Exodus8:23)

Pharaoh has a people, and the Lord has a people. These may dwell together and seem to fare alike, but there is a division between them, and the Lord will make it apparent. Not forever shall one event happen alike to all, but there shall be great difference between the men of the world and the people of Jehovah's choice.

This may happen in the time of judgments, when the Lord becomes the sanctuary of His saints. It is very conspicuous in the conversion of believers when their sin is put away, while unbelievers remain under condemnation. From that moment they become a distinct race, come under a new discipline, and enjoy new blessings. Their homes, henceforth, are free from the grievous swarms of evils which defile and torment the Egyptians. They are kept from the pollution of lust, the bite of care, the corruption of falsehood, and the cruel torment of hatred, which devour many families.

Rest assured, tried believer, that though you have your troubles you are saved from swarms of worse ones, which infest the homes and hearts of the servants of the world's prince. The Lord has put a division; see to it that you keep up the division in Spirit, aim, character, and company.

His servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their forehead. (Revelation 22:3-4)

His servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their forehead. (Revelation 22:3-4)

Three choice blessings will be ours in the gloryland.

"His servants shall serve him." No other lords shall oppress us, no other service shall distress us. We shall serve Jesus always, perfectly, without weariness, and without error. This is heaven to a saint: in all things to serve the Lord Christ and to be owned by Him as His servant is our soul's high ambition for eternity.

"And they shall see his face." This makes the service delightful: indeed, it is the present reward of service. We shall know our Lord, for we shall see Him as He is. To see the face of Jesus is the utmost favor that the most faithful servant of the Lord can ask. What more could Moses ask than-"Let me see thy face?"

"And his name shall be in their foreheads." They gaze upon their Lord till His name is photographed upon their brows. They are acknowledged by Him, and they acknowledge Him. The secret mark of inward grace develops into the public sign-manual of confessed relationship.

O Lord, give us these three things in their beginnings here that we may possess them in their fullness in Thine own abode of bliss!

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

See how the Bible opens: "In the beginning God." Let your life open in the same way. Seek with your whole soul, first and foremost, the kingdom of God, as the place of your citizenship, and His righteousness as the character of your life. As for the rest, it will come from the Lord Himself without your being anxious concerning it. All that is needful for this life and godliness "shall be added unto you."

What a promise this is! Food, raiment, home, and so forth, God undertakes to add to you while you seek Him. You mind His business, and He will mind yours. If you want paper and string, you get them given in when you buy more important goods; and just so all that we need of earthly things we shall have thrown in with the kingdom. He who is an heir of salvation shall not die of starvation; and he who clothes his soul with the righteousness of God cannot be left of the Lord with a naked body. Away with carping care. Set all your mind upon seeking the Lord. Covetousness is poverty, and anxiety is misery: trust in God is an estate, and likeness of God is a heavenly inheritance. Lord, I seek Thee; be found of me.

they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; (Jeremiah 15:20)

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 15:20)

Stability in the fear and faith of God will make a man like a wall of brass, which no one can batter down or break. Only the Lord can make such; but we need such men in the church, and in the world, but specially in the pulpit.

Against uncompromising men of truth this age of shams will fight tooth and nail. Nothing seems to offend Satan and his seed like decision. They attack holy firmness even as the Assyrians besieged fenced cities. The joy is that they cannot prevail against those whom God has made strong in His strength. Carried about with every wind of doctrine, others only need to be blown upon and away they go; but those who love the doctrines of grace, because they possess the grace of the doctrines, stand like rocks in the midst of raging seas.

Whence this stability? "I am with thee, saith the Lord": that is the true answer. Jehovah will save and deliver faithful souls from all the assaults of the adversary. Hosts are against us, but the Lord of hosts is with us. We dare not budge an inch; for the Lord Himself holds us in our place, and there we will abide forever.

Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever. (2 Samuel 7:29)

Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever. (2 Samuel 7:29)

This is a promise pleaded, and so it yields double instruction to us. Anything which the Lord God has spoken we should receive as surely true and then plead it at the throne.

Oh, how sweet to quote what our own God has spoken! How precious to use a "therefore," which the promise suggests, as David does in this verse!

We do not pray because we doubt but because we believe. To pray unbelievingly is unbecoming in the Lord's children. No, Lord, we cannot doubt Thee: we are persuaded that every word of Thine is a sure foundation for the boldest expectation. We come to Thee and say, "Do as Thou hast said." Bless Thy servant's house. Heal our sick; save our hesitating ones; restore those who wander; confirm those who live in Thy fear. Lord, give us food and raiment according to Thy Word. Prosper our undertakings; especially succeed our endeavors to make known Thy gospel in our neighborhood. Make our servants Thy servants, our children Thy children. Let the blessing flow on to future generations, and as long as any of our race remains on earth may they remain true to Thee. O Lord God, "let the house of thy servant be blessed."

Luke 14:26: "If any one comes to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife [!] and children ... he cannot be My disciple."

Jesus said something that appears on the surface to be a "hard saying." We are tempted to think it's impossible. But we don't want to turn away from Him without seeking to understand; it may be a nut that is hard to crack but has a sweet kernel inside. It's Luke 14:26: "If any one comes to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife [!] and children ... he cannot be My disciple."

Most other translations don't help much. The word "hate" is there; and what He calls for seems contrary to family love. Love for wife or husband is what makes the world go round; must we give up that love for Jesus? Anyone who we think does so becomes a fanatic in our eyes.

First, what is the meaning of "hate" here? It's to love less, to put in second place. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," the Lord says (Mal. 1:2, 3; Rom. 9:13). In other words, Jacob was #1, Esau was #2. When you marry a spouse, you make that spouse #1, everybody else is #2.

So, Jesus says, if you follow Me, you put Me first, every other "love" is now second. And this brings us to the sweetness that's in the kernel:

The Son of God, "the Savior of the world," loved us more than His own eternal life. He chose to go to hell, to die our second death, "to pour out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12), so that we might not perish. And not only did He do it for the whole of humanity, but He did it for you and me individually, personally; He is intimately closer to me than anyone else could ever be. If I simply believe the truth, every other human love immediately becomes secondary.

But wonder of wonders, in the process every other love becomes purified, ennobled, more precious because now it has found its place "in Him." It is sanctified by the law of heaven. It becomes true love. And now every other love that once seemed so precarious has a new quality: it "never faileth" (1 Cor. 13:8).

This is another way of telling us what faith is: it's getting to know the Son of God whose love for you took the initiative, like a man initiates the love between man and woman; he woos her. She responds to his love; and so we respond to Christ's first love. And that brings us back again to Calvary. Survey that wondrous cross and all the tangled confusion that has been your heart becomes clear at last.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. (Psalm 126:5)

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. (Psalm 126:5)

Weeping times are suitable for sowing: we do not want the ground to be too dry. Seed steeped in the tears of earnest anxiety will come up all the sooner. The salt of prayerful tears will give the good seed a flavor which will preserve it from the worm: truth spoken in awful earnestness has a double life about it. Instead of stopping our sowing because of our weeping, let us redouble our efforts because the season is so propitious.

Our heavenly seed could not fitly be sown laughing. Deep sorrow and concern for the souls of others are a far more fit accompaniment of godly teaching than anything like levity. We have heard of men who went to war with a light heart, but they were beaten; and it is mostly so with those who sow in the same style.

Come, then, my heart, sow on in thy weeping, for thou has the promise of a joyful harvest. Thou shalt reap. Thou, thyself, shalt see some results of thy labor. This shall come to thee in so large a measure as to give thee joy, which a poor, withered, and scanty harvest would not do. When thine eyes are dim with silver tears, think of the golden corn. Bear cheerfully the present toil and disappointment; for the harvest day will fully recompense thee.

There is a very sober warning in the Bible that it seems easy for us to forget. It's in Revelation14:9-12

There is a very sober warning in the Bible that it seems easy for us to forget. It's in Revelation14:9-12: "If any person worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God."

Then chapter 15 goes on to speak of those who have met this great challenge and have accepted that third angel's message, and have "gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name" who stand on the sea of glass singing the song of the Lamb forever and ever. In fact, the entire Book of Revelation is concerned about this issue--the mark of the beast.

Chapter 7 describes that same group who sing the song of the Lamb as those who have received the seal of God, who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

In the Bible, a "seal" is interchangeable with a "mark." So the Book of Revelation tells us that in the last days just prior to Jesus' return in the clouds of heaven, the entire population of the earth will be divided into two groups: those who receive that "seal of God" and those who accept that "mark of the beast." Pretty serious, isn't it? This requires VERY careful study. Revelation 13:8 says that "all that dwell upon the earth" will worship the beast with the sole exception of those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. It's another crisis which in principle is the same that the people faced when Jesus was here on earth. They were divided into two groups--those who believed He was the true Messiah as He claimed, and those who rejected Him. He asked them, "What think ye of Christ?" (Matt. 22:42). They HAD to decide!

And so today, we HAVE to decide between the mark of the beast and the seal of God. But the issue is far, far deeper than a superficial, skin-deep outward sign. "The third angel's message in verity" is the true message of righteousness by faith; it will lead to receiving the seal of God. A false, legalistic view will lead to the mark of the beast. It's time for serious study!

Because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:19)

Because I live, ye shall live also. (John 14:19)

Jesus has made the life of believers in Him as certain as His own. As sure as the Head lives the members live also. If Jesus has not risen from the dead, then are we dead in our sins; but since He has risen, all believers are risen in Him. His death has put away our transgressions and loosed the bonds which held us under the death sentence. His resurrection proves our justification: we are absolved, and mercy saith, "The Lord hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die."

Jesus has made the life of His people as eternal as His own. How can they die as long as He lives, seeing they are one with Him? Because He dieth no more, and death hath no more dominion over Him, so they shall no more return to the graves of their old sins but shall live unto the Lord in newness of life. O believer, when, under great temptation, thou fearest that thou shalt one day fall by the hand of the enemy, let this reassure thee. Thou shalt never lose thy spiritual life, for it is hid with Christ in God. Thou dost not doubt the immortality of thy Lord; therefore, do not think that He will let thee die, since thou art one with Him. The argument for thy life is His life, and of that thou canst have no fear; wherefore rest in thy living Lord.

By His sacrifice in which He "poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12) Jesus has won the hearts of honest people everywhere.

The towering and "wondrous cross" of Christ is the great truth around which all truths mankind can know are clustered. It validates the prophecies of Daniel, which in turn validate the prophecies of Revelation. All that makes any sense in world history finds its focal point in that cross. Its truth is proclaimed in every seed which is cast into the earth and grows: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ... This He said signifying by what death He would die" (John 12:24-33).

By His sacrifice in which He "poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12) Jesus has won the hearts of honest people everywhere. He has ascended His throne not by military conquest but by the power of love (agape). He did the unthinkable: He died the second death, which "every man" has earned for himself (Heb. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 3:13).

But does the world know about what He has accomplished? Two millennia after He demonstrated His love in His life and death, does mankind know and understand? Since "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," shouldn't people everywhere know the reality of that truth?

Take for example the Muslim world of a billion souls: the faith of Jesus has been distorted and misrepresented to them by and large. The history of the Crusades still rankles in their hearts, and the Crusades were for sure a distortion of that genuine love of Christ. By and large the Hindu world sees the cross of Christ as just another icon to be reverenced and knelt before. And more than a billion professing Christians have yet to "survey that wondrous cross and pour contempt on all their pride," discerning its "width and length and depth and height," anagape that re-motivates selfish, world-loving human hearts as nothing else can. They all must have a chance!

The human souls distressed by our plague of innate selfishness, longing for deliverance, for freedom to escape the tyranny of self-love, the allurement of illicit sex, the plague of this world, cannot despair when they "behold the Lamb of God" enduring the "curse of God" so that we might live. "Pour contempt on [our] pride," yes; but let's not pour contempt on that cross and its divine Sufferer. That would be a sin with the dimensions of eternity--unpardonable.

Godly sorrow worketh repentance."-2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow worketh repentance."-2 Corinthians 7:10

Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If thou hast one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh."

True repentance has a distinct reference to the Saviour. When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and another upon the cross, or it will be better still if we fix both our eyes upon Christ and see our transgressions only, in the light of His love.

True sorrow for sin is eminently practical. No man may say he hates sin, if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory, but experimentally-as a burnt child dreads fire. We shall be as much afraid of it, as a man who has lately been stopped and robbed is afraid of the thief upon the highway; and we shall shun it-shun it in everything-not in great things only, but in little things, as men shun little vipers as well as great snakes. True mourning for sin will make us very jealous over our tongue, lest it should say a wrong word; we shall be very watchful over our daily actions, lest in anything we offend, and each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcoming, and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God would hold us up that we may not sin against Him.

Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time, but this dear sorrow grows with our growth, and it is so sweet and bitter, that we thank God we are permitted to enjoy and to suffer it until we enter our eternal rest.

And I will strengthen them in the Lord: and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord. (Zechariah 10:12)

And I will strengthen them in the Lord: and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord. (Zechariah 10:12)

A solace for sick saints. They have grown faint, and they fear that they shall never rise from the bed of doubt and fear; but the Great Physician can both remove the disease and take away the weakness which has come of it. He will strengthen the feeble. This He will do in the best possible way, for it shall be "in Jehovah." Our strength is far better in God than in self. In the Lord it causes fellowship, in ourselves it would create pride. In ourselves it would be sadly limited, but in God it knows no bound.

When strength is given, the believer uses it. He walks up and down in the name of the Lord. What an enjoyment it is to walk abroad after illness, and what a delight to be strong in the Lord after a season of prostration! The Lord gives His people liberty to walk up and down and an inward leisure to exercise that liberty. He makes gentlemen of us: we are not slaves who know no rest and see no sights, but we are free to travel at our ease throughout Immanuel's land.

Come, my heart, be thou no more sick and sorry; Jesus bids thee be strong and walk with God in holy contemplation. Obey His word of love.

Soon shall I see an open door into heaven: the pearl gate will be my way of entrance, and then I shall go in unto my Lord and King and be with God eternally shut in.

I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. (Revelation 3:8)

Saints who remain faithful to the truth of God have an open door before them. My soul, thou hast resolved to live and die by that which the Lord has revealed in His Word, and therefore before thee stands this open door.

I will enter in by the open door of communion with God. Who shall say me nay? Jesus has removed my sin and given me His righteousness; therefore I may freely enter. Lord, I do so by Thy grace.

I have also before me an open door into the mysteries of the Word. I may enter into the deep things of God. Election, union to Christ, the Second advent - all these are before me, and I may enjoy them. No promise and no doctrine are now locked up against me.

An open door of access is before me in private and an open door of usefulness in public. God will hear me; God will use me. A door is opened for my onward march to the church above, and for my daily fellowship with saints below. Some may try to shut me up or shut me out, but all in vain.

Soon shall I see an open door into heaven: the pearl gate will be my way of entrance, and then I shall go in unto my Lord and King and be with God eternally shut in.

He sees the blood of His own Son and therefore accepts our homage.

And the priest shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord. (Leviticus 4:7)

The altar of incense is the place where saints present their prayers and praises; and it is delightful to think of it as sprinkled with the blood of the great sacrifice. This it is which makes all our worship acceptable with Jehovah: He sees the blood of His own Son and therefore accepts our homage.

It is well for us to fix our eyes upon the blood of the one offering for sin. Sin mingles even with our holy things, and our best repentance, faith, prayer, and thanksgiving could not be received of God were it not for the merit of the atoning sacrifice. Many sneer at "the blood"; but to us it is the foundation of comfort and hope. That which is on the horns of the altar is meant to be prominently before our eyes when we draw near to God. The blood gives strength to prayer, and hence it is on the altar's horns. It is "before the Lord," and therefore it ought to be before us. It is on the altar before we bring the incense; it is there to sanctify our offerings and gifts.

Come, let us pray with confidence, since the Victim is offered, the merit has been pleaded, the blood is within the veil, and the prayers of believers must be sweet unto the Lord.

But what must it be to feel forsaken by God?

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken. (Isaiah 62:4)

"Forsaken" is a dreary word. It sounds like a knell. It is the record of sharpest sorrows and the prophecy of direst ills. An abyss of misery yawns in that word forsaken. Forsaken by one who pledges his honor! Forsaken by a friend so long tried and trusted! Forsaken by a dear relative! Forsaken by father and mother! Forsaken by all! This is woe indeed, and yet it may be patiently born if the Lord will take us up.

But what must it be to feel forsaken of God? Think of that bitterest of cries, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Have we ever in any degree tasted the wormwood and the gall of "forsaken" in that sense? If so, let us beseech our Lord to save us from any repetition of so unspeakable a sorrow. Oh, that such darkness may never return! Men in malice said of a saint, "God hath forsaken him; persecute and take him." But it was always false. The Lord's loving favor shall compel our cruel foes to eat their own words or, at least, to hold their tongues.

The reverse of all this is that superlative word Hephzibah "the Lord delighteth in thee." This turns weeping into dancing. Let those who dreamed that they were forsaken hear the Lord say, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

Let's look more deeply into what it means to "believe," according to John 3:16

Let's look more deeply into what it means to "believe," according to John 3:16. There are people who are afraid they don't know how to believe sufficiently well to receive the blessing promised in that verse.

(1) Be careful. Don't boast, "Yes, I believe with all my heart!" You don't actually know your own heart. Peter thought he knew his heart when he told Jesus he would not deny Him. He was sure that he believed.

(2) There is a prayer that is so important to know, that it could mean eternal salvation to us. It is the prayer of the distraught, worried, fearful father in Mark 9:24: "Lord, I believe; help Thou my unbelief!" A wise writer has said, "You can never perish if you pray that prayer."

(3) God is delighted to see in us even the tiniest evidence that a living, genuine faith has begun to spout in us. Jesus tells us that if we have "faith as a grain of mustard seed," our prayers will be answered (Matt. 17:20). But you MUST act on that tiny beginning of faith; risk something on it. If you have that tiny little speck of genuine faith, you will certainly trust your Lord. Trust is a part of faith; but trust is impossible unless there is some goodness in the person who has promised you something. Faith is therefore recognizing that goodness in God, and confessing it openly.

(4) Which brings us to the clearest definition of faith: faith is a heart-appreciation of God's character of agape. Thus John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish," that is, whosoever's heart appreciates that "loving" and that "giving," who at least begins to "comprehend" it (see Eph. 3:14-21). There you have the beginning of true faith.

(5) Such faith has dynamite built into it, because it begins to "work" right away (Gal. 5:6). It produces obedience to all the commandments of God. It is not motivated by raw fear (agape casts out fear; 1 John 4:18). The "works" are motivated by that heart-melting appreciation for what it cost the Son of God to save us. (You know, He went to hell in order to find us. That's what moves your heart forever!)

If you have been drawn to religion by anything else, you will soon be drawn away from it

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)

Come, ye workers, be encouraged. You fear that you cannot draw a congregation. Try the preaching of a crucified, risen, and ascended Savior; for this is the greatest "draw" that was ever yet manifested among men. What drew you to Christ but Christ? What draws you to Him now but His own blessed self? If you have been drawn to religion by anything else, you will soon be drawn away from it; but Jesus has held you and will hold you even to the end. Why, then, doubt His power to draw other? Go with the name of Jesus to those who have hitherto been stubborn and see if it does not draw them.

No sort of man is beyond this drawing power. Old and young, rich and poor, ignorant and learned, depraved or amiable--all men shall feel the attractive force. Jesus is the one magnet. Let us not think of any other. Music will not draw to Jesus; neither will eloquence, logic, ceremonial, or noise. Jesus Himself must draw men to Himself; and Jesus is quite equal to the work in every case. Be not tempted by the quackeries of the day; but as workers for the Lord work in His own way, and draw with the Lord's own cords. Draw to Christ, and draw by Christ, for then Christ will draw by you.

Christ died for the world, the death that "every man" would die were it not that He gave Himself for every man,

Just before His crucifixion, the Son of God made a promise: He will "draw" all men to Himself, that is, He will reconcile all men to the Father, He will give all who are thirsty to drink of the water of life, and He will give all who are hungry to eat of the bread of life, IF ... His people will lift Him up to be seen crucified for all men and crucified by all men (cf. John 12:32, 33).

Christ died for the world, the death that "every man" would die were it not that He gave Himself for every man, and yes, to every man.

All that the fallen Adam did to bring a condemnation upon every man, Christ as our second or "last Adam" did to bring a verdict of acquittal to the same every man. He reversed what Adam did; Adam cursed, Christ blessed; Adam brought us eternal death, Christ brought us eternal life. Adam brought darkness, Christ brought us light.

Adam alienated us all from God, brought us into the world separated from Him; Christ brought us into the world reconciled to Him IF we will receive His message of atonement. (He has already done the reconciling in principle.) He will force no one against his free will, but He says, "Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).

"Whosoever will." That includes every Muslim who "will" let his heart "come." They may have been taught to deny He died on His cross; but their conscience cannot deny that love for every man in that He died his second death. This truth of life only in Christ is free for all to believe. Those who choose to disbelieve, bring eternal separation upon themselves, while those who believe the News of His love already receive the gift of eternal life in Him.

The much more abounding grace of the Lord is stronger than mistaken information imbibed in childhood and youth; when the angel of Revelation 18 lightens the earth with glory, truth will cut through long held prejudice; God knows how to speak to His "other sheep ... which are not of this fold" (John 10:16), and they will hear His voice and their prejudices will disappear like morning dew. He will have a people who can lift up "Christ and Him crucified" and can reach those hearts.

A visit from Jehovah!

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Genesis 50:24)

Joseph had been an incarnate providence to his brethren. All our Josephs die, and a thousand comforts die with them. Egypt was never the same to Israel after Joseph was dead, nor can the world again be to some of us what it was when our beloved ones were alive.

But see how the pain of that sad death was alleviated! They had a promise that the living God would visit them. A visit from Jehovah! What a favor! What a consolation! What a heaven below! O Lord, visit us this day; though indeed we are not worthy that Thou shouldest come under our roof.

But more was promised: the Lord would bring them out. They would find in Egypt a cold welcome when Joseph was dead; nay, it would become to them a house of bondage. But it was not to be so forever; they would come out of it by a divine deliverance and march to the land of promise. We shall not weep here forever. We shall be called home to the gloryland to join our Saviour forever. Wherefore, "comfort one another with these words."

Have you ever tried to hug someone to express your love and found that person like a stone or a telephone pole, no responsive hug given back?

Have you ever tried to hug someone to express your love and found that person like a stone or a telephone pole, no responsive hug given back? Maybe as a parent you are concerned about emotional frigidity in your child. This person is like a statue, no response to you.

Welcome to God's "club"! This is His problem with the human race--massive alienation. We are born separated from Him; "the carnal mind is enmity against God," which is "death" (Rom 8:7, 6). We can go from our cradle to our grave in coldness and aloneness. God Himself tries in a myriad of ways to "hug" us, but we don't know how to hug Him back. It's a problem!

We are described in Hebrews 2:14, 15 as "children ... who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Ever since sin invaded planet earth with the fall of Adam and Eve, God has wrestled with this most serious problem He has ever faced. He is handicapped in that He cannot force anyone. He has to obey the rules, to stand back; a human heart can only be "won." All He can do is "hug" us and keep hoping that somehow His love can get through, and those barriers will come down. It's like waiting for a whole new creation, and that is precisely what it is: "Henceforth ... if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things [coldness] are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17, 18).

Here we catch a glimpse of Christ as our great High Priest in the Most Holy Apartment of the heavenly sanctuary--working night and day to woo us, to win us. When you hug someone you try to look in his/her eyes, to "hug" with your eyes, to say, "I love you" that way, hoping you can arouse something warm in response, hoping to provoke some little response of a choice, "Yes, I choose to respond; I don't know how, but I choose to be reconciled to you." When that happens, how happy you are! Welcome to the Most Holy Apartment of Christ's heavenly sanctuary!

You can sympathize with Him as He wrestles with His problem worldwide. But don't give up on Him. He has resources to accomplish His objective. But the struggle is intense. If He fails to win the heart of His Bride-to-be, to melt that icy coldness in Laodicea, He will be forever pained and humiliated.

Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. (Psalm 81:10)

Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. (Psalm 81:10)

What an encouragement to pray! Our human notions would lead us to ask small things because our deservings are so small; but the Lord would have us request great blessings. Prayer should be as simple a matter as the opening of the mouth; it should be a natural, unconstrained utterance. When a man is earnest he opens his mouth wide, and our text urges us to be fervent in our supplications.

Yet it also means that we may make bold with God and ask many and large blessings at His hands, Read the whole verse, and see the argument: "I am Jehovah, thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Because the Lord has given us so much He invites us to ask for more, yea, to expect more.

See how the little birds in their nests seem to be all mouth when the mother comes to feed them. Let it be the same with us. Let us take in grace at every door. Let us drink it in as a sponge sucks up the water in which it lies. God is ready to fill us if we are only ready to be filled. Let our needs make us open our mouths; let our faintness cause us to open our mouths and pant; yea, let our alarm make us open our mouths with a child's cry. The opened mouth shall be filled by the Lord Himself. So be it unto us, O Lord, this day.