A. W. Tozer: Failure and Success: Our God is Too Small

No man is worthy to succeed until he is willing to fail. 

No man is morally worthy of success in religious activities until he is willing that the honor of succeeding should go to another if God so wills.

Born After Midnight, 58.

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Failure and Success: Our God is Too Small

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. --Psalm 34:3

I am positively sure after many years of observation and prayer that the basis of all of our trouble today, in religious circles, is that our God is too small.

When he says magnify the Lord, he doesn't mean that you are to make God big, but you are to see Him big. When we take a telescope and look at a star, we don't make the star bigger, we only see it big. Likewise you cannot make God bigger, but you are only to see Him bigger....

My brethren, God calls us to magnify Him, to see Him big. A meeting is not big because a lot of people are present. A meeting is big because a number of people see a big God in the meeting. And the bigger God is seen, the greater the meeting. A friend of mine has a little saying, 'I would rather have a big, little meeting than a little, big meeting.' There are a lot of big meetings that are little because the God in them is a small God. And there are a lot of little meetings that are big because God is big in the midst of them....

That is the first thing--magnify God. Your ministry will be little, and you will live and die little unless you have a bigger God. Success and the Christian, 36-37,40

"Lord, help me always to not only be satisfied with, but in fact to strive for, that 'big, little meeting' rather than a 'little, big meeting.' Amen."

Streams in the Desert: When God Says No

When God Says No

"There hath not failed one word of all his good promise" (1 Kings 8:56).

Some day we shall understand that God has a reason in every NO which He speaks through the slow movement of life. "Somehow God makes up to us." 

How often, when His people are worrying and perplexing themselves about their, prayers not being answered, is God answering them in a far richer way! Glimpses of this we see occasionally, but the full revelation of it remains for the future.

"If God says 'Yes' to our prayer, dear heart,
And the sunlight is golden, the sky is blue,
While the smooth road beckons to me and you,
And the song-birds warble as on we go,
Pausing to gather the buds at our feet,
Stopping to drink of the streamlets we meet,
Happy, more happy, our journey will grow,
If God says 'Yes' to our prayer, dear heart.

"If God says 'No' to our prayer, dear heart,
And the clouds hang heavy and dull and gray;
If the rough rocks hinder and block the way,
While the sharp winds pierce us and sting with cold;
Ah, dear, there is home at the journey's end,
And these are the trials the Father doth send
To draw us as sheep to His Heavenly fold,
If God says 'No' to our prayer, dear heart."

Oh for the faith that does not make haste, but waits patiently for the Lord, waits for the explanation that shall come in the end, at the revelation of Jesus Christ! 

When did God take anything from a man, without giving him manifold more in return? Suppose that the return had not been made immediately manifest, what then? Is today the limit of God's working time? Has He no provinces beyond this little world? Does the door of the grave open upon nothing but infinite darkness and eternal silence ?

Yet, even confining the judgment within the hour of this life, it is true that God never touches the heart with a trial without intending to bring upon it some grander gift, some tenderer benediction. He has attained to an eminent degree of Christian grace who knows how to wait. --Selected

When the frosts are in the valley,
And the mountain tops are grey,
And the choicest buds are blighted,
And the blossoms die away,
A loving Father whispers,
"This cometh from my hand";
Blessed are ye if ye trust
Where ye cannot understand.

If, after years of toiling,
Your wealth should fly away
And leave your hands all empty,
And your locks are turning grey,
Remember then your Father
Owns all the sea and land;
Blessed are ye if ye trust
Where ye cannot understand.
--Selected

Spurgeon Evening: We are thirsty

“He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.”

John 16:15

There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no avail, unless a gracious hand shall apply them to us. 

We are thirsty, but too faint to crawl to the water-brook. 

When a soldier is wounded in battle it is of little use for him to know that there are those at the hospital who can bind up his wounds, and medicines there to ease all the pains which he now suffers: what he needs is to be carried thither, and to have the remedies applied. 

It is thus with our souls, and to meet this need there is one, even the Spirit of truth, who takes of the things of Jesus, and applies them to us. 

Think not that Christ hath placed his joys on heavenly shelves that we may climb up to them for ourselves, but he draws near, and sheds his peace abroad in our hearts. 

O Christian, if thou art tonight labouring under deep distresses, thy Father does not give thee promises and then leave thee to draw them up from the Word like buckets from a well, but the promises he has written in the Word he will write anew on your heart. He will manifest his love to you, and by his blessed Spirit, dispel your cares and troubles.

Be it known unto thee, O mourner, that it is God’s prerogative to wipe every tear from the eye of his people. The good Samaritan did not say, “Here is the wine, and here is the oil for you;” he actually poured in the oil and the wine.

So Jesus not only gives you the sweet wine of the promise, but holds the golden chalice to your lips, and pours the life-blood into your mouth. The poor, sick, way-worn pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk, but he is borne on eagles’ wings. 

Glorious gospel! which provides everything for the helpless, which draws nigh to us when we cannot reach after it—brings us grace before we seek for grace! Here is as much glory in the giving as in the gift. 

Happy people who have the Holy Ghost to bring Jesus to them.

Spurgeon Morning: I will love them freely.

“I will love them freely.”

Hosea 14:4

This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fulness is a true master in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. 

The sense hinges upon the word “freely.” 

This is the glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the only way in which God can love such as we are. 

The text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: “I will love them freely.” Now, if there were any fitness necessary in us, then he would not love us freely; at least, this would be a mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it stands, “I will love you freely.” 

We complain, “Lord, my heart is so hard.” “I will love you freely.” “But I do not feel my need of Christ as I could wish.” “I will not love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely.” “But I do not feel that softening of spirit which I could desire.” 

Remember, the softening of spirit is not a condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may venture upon the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus, when he said, “He that believeth on him is not condemned.” 

It is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at all times, without preparation, without fitness, without money, and without price! 

“I will love them freely.” 

These words invite backsliders to return: indeed, the text was specially written for such—“I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely.”

Backslider! surely the generosity of the promise will at once break your heart, and you will return, and seek your injured Father’s face.

God Calling: Building up an unshakable faith

You are building up an unshakable faith.

Be furnishing the quiet places of your souls now.

Fill them with all that is harmonious and good, beautiful, and enduring.

Home-build in the Spirit now, and the waiting time will be well spent.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.  Jude 1:20

Daily Strength: Longing for a better country

Don't Look Back

“They were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” Hebrews 11:16

Have you ever felt the pull of past comforts, wishing things could go back to the way they used to be?

Imagine how Abraham felt. Having once lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, a highly sophisticated culture in ancient times, Abraham responded to the call of God to move to Canaan—a journey which, quite frankly, had its fair share of rough moments.

Like the time when there was a great famine (Genesis 12:10) or when Pharaoh took Abe’s wife Sarah into his palace (12:15) or the years that Sarah spent as a barren woman when God had promised to make Abraham’s offspring as countless as the stars (15:5) or (déjà vu) the time when the king of Gerar took Sarah into his harem (20:2) or—the ultimate test—when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his long-awaited son Isaac (22:2).

I can almost picture it: Sarah sitting in her tent sulking, telling Abraham, “Remember back in Ur when I used to meet with all of my friends for tea at 3:00 on Friday? I really miss that. What on earth are we doing out here?”

Imagine if Abraham had said, “I know, I miss tennis with my buddies. Let’s go back.” What if he had caved in to the pull of past comforts and had decided to go back to where life was more familiar and more rewarding? Although God had made some amazing promises to Abraham and Sarah, I can’t help but wonder if in the dark moments they struggled with their decision to follow God.

On our journey of faith, you can count on it—the road will be littered with challenges. And the temptation will be to look back and say, “I wish my life could go back to the way it used to be.”

When someone offends you, maybe you say to yourself:  

I remember when I could not only get mad, I could get even. 

Or when you’re alone at the computer, you think about the rush of adrenalin you used to feel when you looked at forbidden sites. It’s easy to think of how rewarding it would feel to spend all your money on yourself like you used to. The list of things in your past life that beckon you back is long.

But remember who is behind the urge to put your life in reverse. Satan delights to lure us back into the sludge of life the way it used to be—the toxic dump of what ultimately leads to regret, guilt, and brokenness.

So, while life may seem challenging going forward with God, we need to remind ourselves that in spite of the challenges,

God is taking us to a better place. 

The writer of Hebrews sheds some light on this when, speaking of Abraham and Sarah, he tells us, “They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. . . . If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

Remember that you are “aliens and strangers.” You’re on a journey, and you don’t belong here in the first place. And remember where you are headed—to a better place. Don’t let the potholes damage your resolve!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• What are some situations that cause you to feel the lure of past comforts?
  
• Do you feel like an “alien and stranger on earth,” or are you pretty comfortable here? What types of things should make you feel uncomfortable?
• Although they lived thousands of years before us, what can we learn from the journey of Abraham and Sarah? In what ways can you identify with the challenges they faced?
• What are some tangible ways to focus your attention and hopes on what’s ahead, rather than on what’s behind you?

My Utmost for His Highest: Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you?

We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him— we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do.

Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? 

He cannot.

It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself— He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. 

As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. 

Do not quote this or that person to Him. 

Simply obey Matthew 11:28 , "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden . . . ." Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13  ).

The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. 

If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.

Billy Graham : Who is the Holy Spirit?

“Your body is the home of the Holy Spirit . . . ”

-1 Corinthians 6:19 (TLB)

Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God, just as God the Father and God the Son are also God. We speak of them as the Trinity. You ask me to explain the Trinity. Our minds can but dimly grasp these great spiritual facts, because we are finite and God is infinite.

It may help to remember that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have all existed from eternity. The work of creation was given to the Son and we are told that, 

“All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.” But when you read the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis, you will find that the Holy Spirit was also there, moving upon the face of His creation. In time, the Son of God came into the world as a man, to redeem the world which He had created. After His death on the cross, and His resurrection, He went back to the Father in heaven.

During His earthly ministry His work and life were spent within a circumscribed area in Palestine. When He went back to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to exercise a worldwide ministry. 

Today the Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us. All over the world the Holy Spirit is wooing men to Christ, and He lives in the hearts of believers and helps us each day. To be Spirit-filled Christians is to be the kind of Christians that God wants us to be.

Prayer for the day

The knowledge of Your Holy Spirit living in my heart gives me comfort and strength, Lord Jesus.  

Daily Bread: Failing Memory

Failing Memory

Read: Psalm 119:33-40

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. —Psalm 119:37

A New York Times article linked the increase of computer storage with the decrease of data in the human mind. 

Our electronic aids now remember phone numbers, driving directions, and other information we used to learn by repeated use. In schools, memorization and oral recitation are disappearing from the curriculum.

We have become, according to the Times, “products of a culture that does not enforce the development of memory skills.”

Yet never have we as followers of Christ been in greater need of hiding God’s Word in our hearts (Ps. 119:9-11). Scripture memory is more than a helpful mental exercise. The goal is to saturate our minds with God’s truth so that our lives will conform to His ways. The psalmist wrote: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. . . . Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way” (Ps. 119:33,37).

Why not begin committing Scripture to memory? Daily consistency and review are keys to success. And just like physical exercise, this spiritual discipline is enhanced when done with a small group or with a friend.

Let’s not forget to remember and follow the life-giving wisdom of God’s Word.
 —David C. McCasland

Let the Bible fill your mind, rule your heart, and guide your life.

God’s Word will change your life
If you will do your part
To read, to study, and obey,
And hide it in your heart. —Sper

Warren Wiersbe: What do you do when people criticize you?

		What do you do when people criticize you? What goes through your mind when you are in the presence of people who are unkind, especially people who don't believe the Word of God? The psalmist gives one answer: "Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors" (vv. 23,24). Meditate on the Word of God. Get your mind fixed upon what God says. If we ponder and think about the things other people say, we will be agitated and anxious and uptight. But if we meditate on what God says, those things that are true and right and holy and beautiful, His peace will fill us. Delight in the Word of God. "Your testimonies also are my delight" (v. 24). Some people delight in gossip. They enjoy listening to rumors about people. But the psalmist says, "While they were gossiping and telling lies, I was meditating on the Word of God, because I delight in it." Obey the Word of God. "Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors" (v. 24). The Hebrew text means, "the men of my counsel." Authorities, friends and even enemies may want to give you counsel. But get your counsel from the Word of God. * * * Whatever your difficulty today, turn to the Bible and let it counsel you. Let it saturate your mind, heart and will.

Daily Light: This is my beloved Son

Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. - Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. - If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

I and my Father are one. The Father is in me, and I in him. - My Father, and your Father; and ... my God, and your God. - I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.

The Church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Having ... these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

JOHN 1:16. Matt. 17:5. -I John 3:1. Heb. 1:2. -Rom. 8:17. John 10:30,38. -John 20:17. John 17:23. Eph. 1:22,23. II Cor. 7:1.

EVENING

The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

There was ... a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. - Even the Son man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Jesus riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

JOHN 13:16,17. Luke 22:24 27. -Matt. 20:28. John 13:3 5.

A. W. Tozer: Oh that You would bless me

No man is worthy to succeed until he is willing to fail. No man is morally worthy of success in religious activities until he is willing that the honor of succeeding should go to another if God so wills.

Born After Midnight, 58.

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Failure and Success: No Little Failures

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" 

So God granted him what he requested. --1 Chronicles 4:10

When Simpson succeeded it was in a big way. When he failed he made great failures. It had to be so. Men of his caliber do not make little mistakes. They fly too high and too far to steer their courses by city maps. They ask not, "What street is that?" but "What continent?" 

And when they get off of the course for a moment they will be sure to pull up a long way from their goal. 

Their range and speed make this inevitable. Little men who never get outside of their own yards point to these mistakes with great satisfaction. 

But history has a way of disposing of these critics by filing them away in quiet anonymity. She cannot be bothered to preserve their names. She is too busy chalking up the great successes and huge failures of her favorites. Wingspread; A. B. Simpson: A Study in Spiritual Altitude, 108-109.

"Lord, give me the boldness to attempt big things for You-so that whether I succeed or fail it will be in a big way! Amen."

Spurgeon Evening: Why are ye troubled?

“Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?”

Luke 24:38

“Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?” The Lord cares for all things, and the meanest creatures share in his universal providence, but his particular providence is over his saints. 

“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him.” “Precious shall their blood be in his sight.” “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.”

Let the fact that, while he is the Saviour of all men, he is specially the Saviour of them that believe, cheer and comfort you. 

You are his peculiar care; his regal treasure which he guards as the apple of his eye; his vineyard over which he watches day and night.

“The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Let the thought of his special love to you be a spiritual pain-killer, a dear quietus to your woe: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God says that as much to you as to any saint of old. “Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” 

We lose much consolation by the habit of reading his promises for the whole church, instead of taking them directly home to ourselves. 

Believer, grasp the divine word with a personal, appropriating faith. 

Think that you hear Jesus say, “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.” Think you see him walking on the waters of thy trouble, for he is there, and he is saying, “Fear not, it is I; be not afraid.” 

Oh, those sweet words of Christ! May the Holy Ghost make you feel them as spoken to you; forget others for awhile—accept the voice of Jesus as addressed to you, and say, “Jesus whispers consolation; I cannot refuse it; I will sit under his shadow with great delight.”

Spurgeon Morning: Has he forgiven thy sins?

“The love of Christ constraineth us.”

2 Corinthians 5:14

How much owest thou unto my Lord? 

Has he ever done anything for thee? 

Has he forgiven thy sins?

Has he covered thee with a robe of righteousness? 

Has he set thy feet upon a rock? 

Has he established thy goings? 

Has he prepared heaven for thee? 

Has he prepared thee for heaven? 

Has he written thy name in his book of life?

Has he given thee countless blessings? 

Has he laid up for thee a store of mercies, which eye hath not seen nor ear heard? 

Then do something for Jesus worthy of his love. 

Give not a mere wordy offering to a dying Redeemer. How will you feel when your Master comes, if you have to confess that you did nothing for him, but kept your love shut up, like a stagnant pool, neither flowing forth to his poor or to his work. Out on such love as that!

What do men think of a love which never shows itself in action? 

Why, they say, “Open rebuke is better than secret love.” Who will accept a love so weak that it does not actuate you to a single deed of self-denial, of generosity, of heroism, or zeal! Think how he has loved you, and given himself for you! 

Do you know the power of that love?

Then let it be like a rushing mighty wind to your soul to sweep out the clouds of your worldliness, and clear away the mists of sin. “For Christ’s sake” be this the tongue of fire that shall sit upon you: “for Christ’s sake” be this the divine rapture, the heavenly afflatus to bear you aloft from earth, the divine spirit that shall make you bold as lions and swift as eagles in your Lord’s service. 

Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. 

Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, resolute to honour him with a determination that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with an ardour never to be wearied, let us manifest the constraints of love to Jesus. 

May the divine loadstone draw us heavenward towards itself.

Daily Strength: What Do You Think of Jesus?

What Do You Think of Jesus?

“Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:15

When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?”—He wasn’t having an identity crisis nor was He feeling insecure about His reputation. He passed out the quiz to see whether or not the disciples had come to grips with who He really was, or, if they too, like the rest of the crowds, had misperceived His true identity.

It’s a good quiz to take, because if you and I don’t perceive Jesus as He really is, we just may get our Christianity twisted and headed in the wrong direction. 

So ask yourself, “Who do I think Jesus is?”

There are lots of ways to look at the question: theologically, historically, culturally, redemptively, spiritually, or experientially. But for starters, let’s ask in terms of how you perceive Him as a person when He comes to mind. This is not a throwaway issue! How you envision Him has a lot to do with whether or not you’ll want to follow Him. And following Him is at the very heart of a fulfilling relationship with Him.

If you grew up in Sunday school world, you saw a lot of Sunday school papers with pictures of Jesus in a neatly pressed white robe, nice sandals, and a well-trimmed beard. It was easy to draw the conclusion that Jesus is a kind, softhearted, merciful, and deferring kind of guy. And, thankfully, He is all those things. But if that’s all He is to you, He won’t seem very compelling. You might think, “Nice guy, but I’m not sure I’d want to go on a fishing trip with Him!”

Yet a brief look at who found Him to be compelling will correct our often distorted view of Jesus. Rough fishermen like James, John, Peter, and Andrew dropped their nets to follow Him. These were guys who would have had fading tattoos on their bulging biceps, and rugged, sea-worn faces. Simon the Zealot, a member of the underground resistance force, was committed to give his life if necessary to overthrow the oppressive regime of Rome. 

He traded in his Uzis and fatigues to join the Jesus revolution. 

And Matthew, the ruthless tax collector, found Jesus a far more compelling option for life than continuing to get rich at other peoples’ expense. Women felt safe with Him and adoringly followed and supported Him.

So, take it from those who knew Him best. They gave up everything and followed Him to a whole new way of life. A life where the power of love is courageous enough to forgive; where the joy of generosity trumps the withering grip of greed; where others’ needs and interests capture the attention of our hearts; where cross-bearing is an honor; where the poor, marginalized, and oppressed find refuge and significance. 

So, what do you think of Jesus?

Seeing Him as He really is will make you ready to drop “whatever” in order to follow Him. And, come to think of it, I’d love to go fishing with Him! I might just end up being quite different in a lot of good ways if I spent more time with Him! 

  

Your Journey… 

• What has been your impression of Jesus?
• Have you seen Him as so compelling that you are willing to drop anything that gets in the way of following Him?
• Would you forgive for Him? Give your money to the poor and needy for Him? Stop gossiping for Him? Live for eternity for Him? Work well at the office for Him even though your boss is weird and unreasonable?
  

My Utmost for His Highest: Most of us develop our Christianity

There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. 

Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. 

Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. 

Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different.

Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he "followed Him at a distance" on dry land ( Mark 14:54 ). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. 

But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. 

It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.

Billy Graham : God of heaven can live in your heart

“Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory.”

-Colossians 1:27 (TLB)

The age-old issue, “Can man save himself, or does he need God?” is still raging across the world as furiously as ever. 

As long as the world goes on, people will build towers of Babel, fashion their graven images, and invent their own ideologies. Now, as in every period of history, people think they can manage without God.

Economically, they may manage; intellectually, they may manage; socially, they may get by. But down underneath the surface of rational man is a vacuum—a void that can be met only through Jesus Christ. 

 The most astounding fact of all history is that the great and almighty God of heaven can live in your heart. 

 It makes no difference who you are.

Prayer for the day

You fill the emptiness and longing of my soul. I need the presence of Your Spirit, dear Lord.  

Our Daily Bread: Who Goes There?

Who Goes There?

Read: John 10:1-6

When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him. —John 10:4

Last fall my wife, Carolyn, and I were driving up a winding mountain road near our home in Idaho when we came across a large flock of sheep moving down the road toward us. A lone shepherd with his dogs was in the vanguard, leading his flock out of summer pasture into the lowlands and winter quarters.

We pulled to the side of the road and waited while the flock swirled around us. We watched them until they were out of sight, then I wondered: Do sheep fear change, movement, new places?

Like most older folks, I like the “fold”—the old, familiar places. But all is shifting and changing these days; I’m being led out, away from familiar surroundings and into a vast unknown. What new limits will overtake me in the coming days? What nameless fears will awaken? Jesus’ words from John 10 come to mind: “When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them” (v.4).

We may well be dismayed at what life has for us this year and next, but our Shepherd knows the way we’re taking. And He goes before. He will not lead us down paths too dangerous or too arduous where He cannot help us. He knows our limits. He knows the way to green pasture and good water; all we have to do is follow.
 —David H. Roper

Our unknown future is secure in the hands of our all-knowing God.
Child of My love, fear not the unknown morrow,
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee;
Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow
Since what thou knowest not is known to Me. —Exley

Warren Wiersbe: How does a person?

	Read Psalm 119:9-16 How does a person keep clean in this dirty world?  The psalmist asks this question in verse 9: "How can a young man cleanse his way?" The answer: "By taking heed according to Your word." Of course this doesn't apply only to a young man. The same is true for a young woman, a child or an older person.  We are living in a dirty world, and because of the pollution around us, we have to walk in the Word of God. The psalmist gives us several instructions to follow to keep us spiritually clean. First, heed the Word.  We first have to read and study the Word so we know it. And if we know it, we should obey it. Second, hide the Word. "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (v. 11). G. Campbell Morgan used to say of this verse, "It tells us about the best book--'Thy Word'--in the best place--'my heart'--for the best purpose--'that I might not sin' against God."  Are you obeying the Word of God?  Are you treasuring it in your heart? Third, herald the Word by sharing it with others. "With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth" (v. 13). If we have Scripture in our hearts, it has to come out through our lips, because "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34). Finally, honor the Word. "I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways" (v. 15). In other words, "I will honor God's Word. I will respect what He wants me to do. My Father is telling me what to do, and I am going to obey Him."

My Utmost for His Highest: His sacrifice for us

The key to the missionary’s message is the propitiation of Christ Jesus— His sacrifice for us that completely satisfied the wrath of God. 

Look at any other aspect of Christ’s work, whether it is healing, saving, or sanctifying, and you will see that there is nothing limitless about those. But— "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"— that is limitless (John 1:29  ). 

The missionary’s message is the limitless importance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins, and a missionary is someone who is immersed in the truth of that revelation.

The real key to the missionary’s message is the "remissionary" aspect of Christ’s life, not His kindness, His goodness, or even His revealing of the fatherhood of God to us. ". . . repentance and remission of sins should be preached . . . to all nations . . ." ( Luke 24:47  ). The greatest message of limitless importance is that "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins . . . ." 

The missionary’s message is not nationalistic, favoring nations or individuals; it is "for the whole world." When the Holy Spirit comes into me, He does not consider my partialities or preferences; He simply brings me into oneness with the Lord Jesus.

A missionary is someone who is bound by marriage to the stated mission and purpose of his Lord and Master. He is not to proclaim his own point of view, but is only to proclaim "the Lamb of God." It is easier to belong to a faction that simply tells what Jesus Christ has done for me, and easier to become a devotee of divine healing, or of a special type of sanctification, or of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

But Paul did not say, "Woe is me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me," but, ". . . woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" ( 1 Corinthians 9:16  ). 

And this is the gospel— "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Warren Wiersbe: Few people really want to talk about death.

Read Psalm 116:12-19

Few people really want to talk about death. 

Yet verse 15 says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." This statement is often misunderstood, so let's examine it and see what it means to our lives today.

Death is the penalty of sin; God is the Author of life. When God made His original creation, there was no death. But when man sinned, death came on the scene. It now reigns as a king. "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). Certainly God doesn't enjoy it when unsaved people die, because He knows they go to a Christless, dark eternity (Ezek. 18:23). Nor does He enjoy it when His own people die. Jesus stood at the grave of Lazarus and wept (John 11:35).

The death of God's children is so precious to Him that it will not be an accident. The psalmist was brought low and almost died. "The pains of death encompassed me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow" (Ps. 116:3). He was going to die, and then he cried out to God, who replied, "Your death is so precious to me, I will not allow you to die just by accident." 

The death of everyone who goes home to be with the Lord is not an accident--it is an appointment. We are immortal until our work is done. That, to me, is a real encouragement. There's a lot of danger that can come to us in this world. But God says, "Your death is too precious for me to permit it to just happen." Death for the believer is precious because Jesus bore our sins on the cross to give us eternal life.

* * * 

Neither your life nor your death is an accident. Take comfort in the fact that God knew every detail about your life before you were born. You have work to do for Him, and only when that is finished will He take you to be with Himself.