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Divine Sugar Sticks for June 2002Buddy develops these on a daily basis. I'll try to keep up with his creations as often as I can, so check back often for the latest treats of the day.  What's the background behind Sugar Sticks? Click here to find out.
Saturday, June 29, 2002“He Increaseth Strength,” Isaiah 40:29Youths become faint and weary, and utterly fail, but waiting upon the unwearied Lord, strength is renewed (or exchanged) until the strengthened ones have power to mount up with wings of eagles, to run and not be weary, and to walk and not be faint. There is a thought here, however, we must not lose sight of. It is “to them who have no might” He increases strength. If mighty in our own estimation, then God has no strength for us. Can it be that we are too big for God to help? Puffed up with pride over our personal talents and capabilities, there is not the feeling of helplessness driving us to our knees for heavenly strength and Grace. Paul could confess, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” What a paradox! Weak yet strong. And yet, is it not true that if we provide the weakness, the Lord will provide the strength. And strength ever increasing as fuller needs arise? When there is need of much strength, “the Strong One” is near.
“They Go Forth From Strength to Strength,” Psalm 84:7Literally, from troop to troop – alluding to the temple journey three times a year. When travelers had overtaken one troop, they ambitiously strove to overtake another troop. Amid all difficulties or opposition we must persevere. The valley of tears must be fashioned into a well of blessing. Adversities must be made as stepping stones to higher heights. The motto of the Royal Air Force of England in WWII was “through difficulties to the stars.” It may not be easy to climb to God by the path of pain, yet such a heavenly ascent can be ours. Are we going from the strength of yesterday to the greater strength of today? Has the Grace we experienced in past trials girded us with the grim determination to endure the fierce test just around the corner? As soldiers, the Lord’s people are called upon to endure hardness. If our trials are met halfway, or in the spirit of complaint, we will murmur more tomorrow. But rejoicing in tribulation, we make it a servant to minister to us.
“I Will Strengthen Them in the Lord,” Zechariah 10:12God is revealed as the unfailing Source of strength. Apart from Him, Paul tells us that we are “without strength,” Rom 5:6. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, however, we are mantled with strength and can do all things, because He is within to strengthen us. Are we strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? As it takes a living fish to go against the stream, do we resist the strong currents of the world? Others around who are dead in sin have no power of resistance. They easily drift with the stream of worldliness. But if Christ’s, then we dare not be weak and impotent when sin’s seductive charms are presented. Strengthened in and by the Lord, we meet the tempter and triumph gloriously over him. Zechariah goes on to say when the Divine strength is continuously appropriated, Grace is ours “to walk up and down in His name.” Strength means liberty. We can walk up and down the lanes of earth, going and doing, not where and when we like, for such liberty would become license. But our liberty is in His name, which means it bears the fragrance of His character.
“Strengthened in the Inner Man,” Ephesians 3:16In the Colossian letter, Paul asked that the saints might be “strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.” Sufficiency of strength can be expected from One who has unlimited power, both in the heavens and on the earth. But what do we know about the inner hidden reservoir of strength? It is affirmed that deep down below the angry, troubled surface of the sea there is a peace pocket. Above there may be raging storms, tempest-driven waves, and cross currents of every kind. But below is an undisturbed calm which nothing above can affect. Now is this true of ourselves as Christians? Have we the consciousness that the strong Son of God is within, empowering us to stand firm against the turbulent forces of sin and hell? What we are able to do depends upon what we have within. If the outer man is to be brave, courageous, victorious, then the inner man must be dominated by the man Christ Jesus.
“Say to Them That Are of a Fearful Heart, be Strong and Fear Not,” Isaiah 35:4Ministers of the Gospel are here directed to strengthen and comfort the saints. Think of the disturbed feelings we would have if we knew that our town was about to be overrun with brutal forces of terrorists, who have no regard for the sanctities and decencies of life. To know that loved ones are about to be slain and our women raped and our houses destroyed. That would produce terrible fear. And yet, what a baptism of misery multitudes have had. Look at the fear-stricken countenances of people in the Middle East. It is encouraging to have the antidote to fear. What is it? Why the judgment of God upon all the awful, inhuman crimes of rulers who are determined to transform the whole world into a camp of slaves. Vengeance will come, the retribution of God. He will come and deliver you.
“The Lord Will Strengthen Him Upon the Bed of Languishing,” Psalm 41:3The open battle may have more notice and glory about it than a hidden bed of sickness. But surely it is harder to fight on our back than on the battlefield. Courage for Christ is commendable, as with a healthy body we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, in the street, in the factory, or in the office. But to be bright, hopeful, and blissfully submissive to the Lord when the body is riddled with pain or disease is not easy. There may not be much glamour about a sick bed, yet so often the Lord enables His suffering saint so to triumph over physical ailments as to fashion their bed into a pulpit from which His Grace is magnified. Can it be that you are upon a bed of languishing? How active for Christ you used to be. What strength He vouchsafed toward you as you witnessed for Him! Well, your ministry has not yet ended. Its aspect has changed. Now we must make our suffering serve Him, for this altered ministry He waits to strengthen us.
The Secret of StrengthWhen we come to many of the Promises of God, we find ourselves embarrassed with spiritual riches. This is true when dealing with Promises regarding strength and power. There are over 700 references to this possession. In fact, in many cases the same original term is used of both words. Power, for example, Rom 1:16, is the same word given as strength in 2 Cor 12:9, “DUNAMIS.” It would take a very large volume to elucidate and expound all references dealing with the power of God, the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of angels, of believers under God, and of satanic forces.
Thursday, June 27, 2002“As Thy Days, so Shall Thy Strength be,” Deuteronomy 33:25Like those whom Moses led, we too are pilgrims traveling through a dreary wilderness to our promised land. The Promise given to the Israelites is good for our souls, too. Our days may require patience, guidance, great strength, but the Lord offers Himself as our all sufficiency. As we think of personal trials and anticipate the future, sometimes we are apt to give way to despondency and doubt. But God is near, who has promised us inward satisfaction and outward preservation. Therefore “let us be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” He has promised us strength no matter what kind of day we face, strength to encounter the tempest when it rages, strength to breast the foaming surges, strength to grapple when the last enemy meets us. Strength will be given when it is needed.
“No Power, Help Us, O Lord Our God, for we Rest on Thee,” 2 Chronicles 14:11What a plea and Promise for us to claim and make our own! “Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help.” Simple faith becomes fearless as it sees the invisible God at hand to help. How helpless big battalions are when He manifests His strength! Our victory rests not in the arms of flesh or the resources of man, but in the Lord’s readiness to interpose for our deliverance. His arm is never shortened that He cannot save.
“The People That do Know Their God Shall be Strong and do Exploits,” Daniel 11:32How lacking we are in valor and vigor of the saints of old. As Christians, we need more iron in our blood, more courage in our faith, more of the bracing worth of godliness, and more purpose in prayer and service. An old song of the Ashanti warriors as they rushed into battle was, “If I go forward, I die. If I go backward, I die. Better to go forward and die.” Daniel and his friends were valiant for God. Their adversaries were powerful, but the Lord enabled His servants to be strong and defiant. If only we could catch something of their heroic spirit and think of a world of enemies as only a drop in the basket of Him who nerves us for the conflict. “He who comes forth fresh from beholding the face of God will never fear the face of men.”
“Let the Weak Say I am Strong,” Joel 3:10The strength that the Christian receives is not self begotten, but Divinely imparted to be displayed in the sorest trials. Abraham was never so weak, yet so strong as when offering up his beloved Isaac on the mount. Martyrs, as they face terrible deaths, felt their entire weakness, yet prayed for and received strength to depart victoriously. How the Lord magnifies His Grace in giving power to the faint, and increases the strength of the weak. Milton asks, “Shall I abuse this consecrated gift of strength?” Samson was guilty of such abuse and abusing his consecrated gift of strength, he lost it. “But the hair on Samson’s head grew back again.”
“The Lord JEHOVAH is my Strength,” Isaiah 12:2As we pray for strength, what really happens is the fuller possession of our impotent life by the Lord, whose very name means, “the Strong One.” Mighty as He is, He yet stoops to our weakness and clothes us with His omnipotent self. Further it is blessed to realize that all He is, in Himself, is at the disposal of the humblest believer. The gospel of “the personal pronoun” is a sadly neglected gospel. “The Lord JEHOVAH is my strength.” Is He your strength? Simple and weak and unnoticed as we may be, do we constantly appropriate all we have in the Lord Jesus Christ for our very own needs? If the Grace of appropriation is ours and daily we lay hold upon Him who is the unfailing Reservoir of Strength, then we likewise know what it is to have Him as our song, and likewise our salvation. Why the Lord is the Trinity in Himself–strength, song, salvation.
Wednesday, June 26, 2002Power and Strength Passages
“The Lord Will Give Strength Unto His People,” Psalm 29:11All that God has promised He will perform. But the Promises that become a reality to the Christian are those that are believed and received personally. Have you experienced how strong God is to support you in every trial? His strength is ever sufficient, suitable to your circumstances and needs. The saints in every age have found God to be a Truth-telling and Promise-performing God. And in this age He pledges Himself to be your strength. As His strength is appropriated, Grace is given to fight courageously, pray fervently, praise daily, and believe confidently. “Give me Thy strength, O God of power.”
“I Will Go in the Strength of the Lord God,” Psalm 71:16, 2 Chronicles 20:20We can go anywhere when girded with Divine strength. Of ourselves we are weak, and the more conscious we are of our utter weakness, the better, for then God is able to display His power. Apart from Him we have no strength against our foes, no wisdom, no might to encounter difficulties. But in Him our strength is as the strength of ten, if our minds are pure. All necessary power has been promised us. As we appropriate it by faith, we go forth to prove that He is faithful who promised. Relying upon His veracity, we are sure of help and victory. Let us never be guilty of limiting Him. Psa 78:41.
Tuesday, June 25, 2002“Put Thou My Tears in Thy Bottle,” Psalm 56:8There are three thoughts that seem to emerge from what the Bible has to say about sorrows.
“A Man of Sorrows and Acquainted With Grief”
Sorrow
As Christians, we should never cease to thank the Lord because our sorrows and tears are not the sorrows and tears of those without hope. While not immune from sorrow, we do not sorrow as others which have no hope. 1 Thes 4:13.
“The Days of Thy Mourning Shall be Ended,” Isaiah 9:20“The Lord will wipe away tears from off our faces,” Isa 25:8, Rev 7:7, 21:4. No more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain, no more death. How precious have these Promises proved to pilgrims in the valley of tears. Sin, sickness, separation have added their quota to our mournful experience. One tear is scarce dried when another is ready to flow. But the future is bright with the promise and the prospect of dry tears for ever. “For no eyes are wet with tears in summerland.” Sinning, sighing, and sorrow are to cease. Our weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in that glorious morning. The Lord shall wipe away all tears. None else but our Lord of love can bid our weeping and sorrow cease. Tears are only for earth. There is no crying in Heaven. As we await the loving ministry of the Divine Handkerchief, may the apostolic ministry be ours.
Monday, June 24, 2002“The Lord is Faithful...Keep You From Evil,” 2 Thessalonians 3:3The Lord is able to establish us. And faithful to His Promise, He will keep us from known evil if ours is the thirst for holiness. Often He is not able to keep us from some phase of evil simply because we desire it. If we hate what He hates, then He will keep us from it.
“Sin Shall Not Have Dominion Over You,” Romans 6:14Paul describes sin as a sovereign and it will reign over us if we give it any sympathy. How comforting is the Promise and provision Paul speaks of as a Christian. Sin may wound you, but cannot establish sovereignty over you as you obey Him who is able to make you more than a conqueror.
“Thou Lord Art Good and Ready to Forgive,” Psalm 86:5If we have sinned, what a gracious Promise this is to claim. Although a saint, the psalmist cried unto the Lord and was heard. Because of confession, he experienced the Grace and liberality of God. How we should strive to have short accounts to settle. Confession is a daily duty. Short reckonings make long friends.
Sorrows!A comforting thought is that in all our sorrows, we have a Friend who experienced sorrows no others ever have. The Lord Jesus Christ “became a Man of sorrows and carried our sorrows.” Isa 53:3, 4; Lam 1:12. He wept. John 11:35, Luke 19:41, Heb 5:7. Do not His sorrows and tears make Him of great value as a Sympathizer for our sorrow-stricken souls?
“Sorrow is Turned Into Joy Before Him,” Job 41:22, 42:12Here is a glorious Promise that all our sorrows are to be turned to joy. If not here, then hereafter. “No more sorrow.” Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.
“They That Sow in Tears Shall Reap in Joy,” Psalm 126:5, Job 35:10, Psalm 35:5, 42:7, 8For tears, triumph. Such is the Promise for those whose eyes are wet with silver tears. If our sorrow becomes a window bringing to us a clearer vision of our glorious Lord, and God the Holy Spirit sanctifying our grief, then all we endure will bring us a harvest of joy.
Sunday, June 23, 2002“The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of Truth,” 1 Timothy 3:15At the moment of salvation you are placed into the universal church of the Living God. This is not a local church. You can’t get thrown out of this church, but you can get thrown out of a local church. I have. This is an invisible church. Now, there are various ways in which the invisible church of the Living God is described in Scripture. When you review them, you will find security and encouragement and confidence. Can you name the 23 descriptions of the living invisible church?
The Invisible Church
As God’s church, she has her eternal origin in Him, redeemed by His Son. Because the church originated in Him and is the building He is rearing, she is dependent upon Him for provision, which is expressed in her being His field. He it is who cultivates her and augments her fertility. She is His dearest treasure, the apple of His eye, and His choice gift in the world.
Saturday, June 22, 2002“Son, Go Work Today in My Vineyard,” Matthew 21:28-41Many of the Lord’s servants have a larger part of the vineyard to care for than others, and theirs is a greater responsibility. To whom much is given, much is expected. But whether our sphere is conspicuous or obscure makes little difference. What the Lord of the harvest expects is the very best from us wherever in His providence we have been placed. At the Judgment Seat it will be the quality of service, not its quantity that will bring the promised reward, Rev 2:10.
Is Your Place a Small Place?Tend it with care, Is your place a large place? Whatever your place, it is
“Do the Work of an Evangelist”The primary object in all service for the Lord is the winning of others who know Him not. The salvation of lost souls is the fruit He expects, and has promised us all necessary wisdom and patience for. There is, of course, fruit unto holiness without which we cannot win the lost.
“They That Watch for Your Souls,” Hebrews 13:7, 17Among the admonitions of this chapter, none are so forcible as the one found in the above verses, pertaining particularly to pastors. Can we, as pastors, say we are watching for the souls of others, guarding the souls of others, as overseers and bishops of the soul? Do we watch over them tenderly until they are established in the faith and spiritually self sustaining?
“Is Your Soul in My Soul’s Stead?” Job 16:4Obadiah counseled Edom to remember the days when she stood on the other side. Once a captive and a foreigner, Edom was bidden to have sympathy for those whose distress was similar to that which she herself had experienced. As a saved soul, do you remember the day you stood on the other side? The other side of the tracks? Never forget the pit from which you have digged. Think of yourself as a sinner and the misery before the Lord Jesus Christ met you and transformed your life. And then never rest until you have the joy of bringing others a similar joy of sins forgiven.
“The Redemption of Their Soul is Precious, and it Ceaseth For Ever,” Psalm 49:8To redeem the souls of men, God emptied Heaven of the best He could find. In the sacrifice of His Son, the Father went to the limit for a prodigal race. Calvary likewise represents the value God places upon the soul of man. The gain of the whole world is reckoned poor exchange for a soul. But what is it that gives the soul its preciousness? Is it not the fact that it is of Divine creation and is destined to live for ever? And further, such was the stupendous sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that the redemption of souls has ceased for ever. Once for all, and for all, the Lord Jesus Christ died for sin. And now, all that a sinner can do is to accept by faith a completed redemption on his behalf.
“The Soul That Sinneth, it Shall Die,” Ezekiel 18:20Personal accountability is among the ethical instructions set forth by Ezekiel. Eternal death is for the sinner’s own sin, and not another’s. Ezek 31:29-30. Because all have sinned, all must suffer the second death, unless they rest in the death, the Saviour died for sinners. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” This, of course, does not mean cessation of being, or annihilation, because the soul is indestructible. Death means separation of the soul from the body. In spiritual and eternal death, it is the separation of the soul from God, now and throughout eternity. And surely the rescue of souls from such a death is a strong enough incentive for service.
“We Believe in the Saving of the Soul,” Hebrews 10:39Are we among the number who believe that souls can be saved? At times, we hear some degenerates referred to as being beyond redemption. But surely this is not true! No matter how hard and godless a man may be, while there is life, there is hope. To claim that a Gospel-hardened soul is hopeless to win is to limit the power of God. We are encouraged, then, to labor on, even for the very worst, because all the time that the door of mercy stands ajar, the vilest sinner may come in. Paul the chiefest of all sinners...
“Save a Soul and Hide a Multitude of Sins,” James 5:20A strong motive in evangelism is the fact stressed by James. Namely, the rescue of the soul from spiritual and eternal death, and the blotting out of the past sins as such a one converted to God. What an incentive this is! When we think of those conspicuously evil, and who, because of the multitude of their sins, have a terrible eternity awaiting them. Do we not find ourselves laboring unceasingly to bring the sinners to the covering Cross? Solomon reminds us that “love covereth all sin.” May greater Grace be ours to love the lost out of their sins, and lead them to cast a guilty past forever in the crimson stream.
Promises Connected With Deliverance From One’s Own SinIf he says he has no sin, he deceives himself, but nobody else, 1 John 1:8.
Paul addressed himself to the Corinthians when he wrote the above. It was Plato who said, “That the unexamined life was not worth having.” The self examination of the Bible is no morbid introspection. Such an action is necessary to discover whether we are growing or declining, whether we have harbored sin to confess, and whether we are being enlightened as to sin’s nature and subtle workings. While we are to examine ourselves carefully, deliberately, and prayerfully, we must realize that God Himself is the Searcher of the heart (Psa 139:1, 23, 24) and there is no need to be afraid of the revelation. For what the light reveals the Cross can cleanse.
“He Shall Save His People From Their Sins,” Matthew 1:21Our great comfort is that our Lord has made full provision for sins of commission and omission, for unknown as well as known sins. That there are sins of ignorance and the Promise for such is clearly stated.
Because of our ignorance, we are not fully aware of our sins of ignorance. Yet each of us has many such sins. What we may not deem as sin today will, with fuller light tomorrow, be seen as alien to God’s will. But the Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious atonement provided pardon from all sin and in this fact we rejoice.
“If We Sin, We Have...” 1 John 2:1“If we sin.” “If” is a third class condition, which means maybe we will and maybe we won’t. But John’s “if” is of rich encouragement and good cheer. Because... “We have an Advocate.” How sadly disappointing the best of us are to God. Sin is forever casting its shadow over our pathway, but the Promise is that day by day our Intercessor makes no pause. Pleading the merits of His own righteousness and efficacious blood, our desperate case is relieved and all our necessity met. How blessed we are to have such a Paraclete in Heaven. He is our Mediator. Gal 3:20, John 14:6, Eph 2:18, 1 Tim 2:15.
“He Has Saved His People From Their Sins,” Matthew 1:21Note the phrase, “His people.” True, He came to save the lost, 1 Tim 1:15, but Paul also tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour “specially of those who believe,” 1 Tim 4:10. So He is a Saviour of saints as well as sinners. And saints have many sins to be saved from. We are encouraged by the Promise that, having delivered us from the guilt of our sins when we first believed, He is able to deliver us from the government of sin as we keep on believing.
Friday, June 21, 2002“Return Unto Thy Rest, O My Soul,” Psalm 116:7“My peace I give unto you,” John 14:27He who is our Peace makes possible every blessing of peace for those who are at peace with God. The sweetness of this peace was made possible by the shedding of our Saviour’s blood, which is “the way of peace,” Rom 3:17. Such peace is not only reconciliation to God, but tranquility and comfort of mind. As we confide in His Promises and walk in His precepts, undisturbed peace is maintained. “From this day will I bless you,” Haggai 2:19. What day is this? The day we identify ourselves with God’s will and determine to abide in Him will be the day His peace will begin to flow as a river, Prov 16:7. Is this not a promise to claim as each day begins? As we begin and continue the day with Him, He will bless us with peace, contentment, and prosperity. As we seek to live each day in unbroken fellowship with the Lord, we come to experience that prayer is the peace of our souls, the stillness of our thoughts, the evenness of recollection, the seat of meditation, the rest of our cares, and the calm of our tempest. Prayer is the issue of a quick mind, of untroubled thoughts, and it is the daughter of love, and the sister of meekness. Such a constant attitude leads us to feel within us, a peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience.
Satisfaction“He is well paid that is well satisfied,” we are reminded in The Merchant of Venice. The Bible promises the Christian complete satisfaction, a satisfaction without alloy. “To satiate” means to be fully satisfied.
In the Lord we have an unfailing Source of satisfaction. In the pleasures and pursuits of this world there may be temporary satisfaction for the Godless, but no lasting life and joy.
“I Will Awake with Thy Likeness,” Psalm 17:15The Christian’s pure and abiding satisfaction springs from his salvation. And the consummation of his enjoyment will come when, at his resurrection, he awakes in His Lord’s likeness. Psa 17:15. How true it is “that none but Christ can satisfy.”
All our springs are in Him.
Saved to ServeHow resplendent the Bible is with Promises of strength and rewards for service.
“Many Pastors Have Destroyed My Vineyard,” Jeremiah 12:10Are we among the number cultivating “the vineyard of the Lord of hosts,” Isa 5:7? We could fill pages with references taken up with God’s servants and the service they can render Him. The question is, are we serving Him in a way that pleases Him, and serving to the limit of our capacity? Though serving Him faithfully, we may not see immediate results of our labor, but we have this Promise: “After many days our scattered bread will be found,” Ecc 11:1. As the Husbandman, God has planted us in His vineyards and expects us to be fruitful.
When the Lord of the vineyard returns, will He receive of the fruit of His vineyard?
Saved to Serve!What each of us must realize is that when God graciously saved us and made us His own, that He endowed us with gifts to be used in His service, and likewise promised rewards if these gifts were fully and rightfully employed, Rom 12:6-8, Eph 4:7-13. The quality of talents may vary, Matt 25:15-28, Luke 19:12-19, but whether we have a single talent or many, what we have must be on the altar for God and used to the limit for His glory. The boy had little to give to the Lord Jesus Christ, only five small loaves and two fishes. But all he had was fully surrendered and the Lord multiplied and used the gift.
Thursday, June 20, 2002“Esteeming the Reproach of Christ, Greater Riches than the Treasures in Egypt,” Hebrews 11:26In some unrevealed way, Moses, like Abraham, must have rejoiced to see Christ’s day. Looking down the vista of the ages, the deliverer of Israel endured reproach as he saw Him who is invisible. And what a choice Moses made. Refusing all the pomp and privileges of the palace, he surrendered his claim as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter and identified himself with the afflicted people of God. Had he maintained his royal estate, the riches of Egypt would have come his way. But rich in prospect, Moses felt that the reproach of God’s people outweighed any riches he might possess. In modern times too many professing Christians esteem the treasures of greater riches than the reproach of the Lord Jesus Christ. With their eyes on the muckrake, they fail to see the crown of God above their heads.
“My Heart Shall Not Reproach Me as Long as I Live,” Job 27:6Because sin is a reproach to any people, especially the Lord’s people, Prov 14:31, every Christian should strive to emulate the vow of Job. Condemnation in abundance will come to us from a world that is blind to spiritual values. What we must guard against is that of having a heart, a mind, censuring us for our worldly ways. If our heart condemn us not, then we can look a hostile world in the face and bear its reproach courageously. As long as we live as unto the Lord we have nothing to fear.
“When He Giveth Quietness, Who Then Can Make Trouble,” Job 34:29The Bible offers us an imposing number of precious Promises linked to “rest,” “quietness,” “stillness,” “peace,” “repose,” and “serenity.” The supernatural virtue indicated by such is the only perfect antidote to all our anxiety, despondency, and dismay. God Himself is presented as our Fount of spiritual serenity. Shakespeare said, “Our foster nurse of nature is repose.”
God-Given Serenity!
How practical the Bible is when it tells us that if a man will not work he shall not eat.
“There is Sorrow on the Sea it Cannot be Quiet,” Jerermiah 49:23But there is One who can quiet the august sea because He made it and it obeys its Creator.
The Lord Jesus Christ’s miraculous power to calm troubled waters extends to the spiritual realm. Amid all that tends to disturb and upset the mind of the Christian, the Lord Jesus Christ is near to command all that would annoy His peace to be still. Tennyson said as he plucked a daisy from the lawn, “All that the sun is to that flower giving it life and strength and beauty and fragrance, the Lord Jesus Christ is to me.”
“His Soul Shall Dwell at Ease,” Psalm 25:13Here is another aspect of the repose of all the regenerate should realize. Shelley has told us that, “Kings are like stars. They rise, they set. They have the worship of the world, but no repose.” How different it is with ourselves as “kings and priests unto God.” We do not covet the worship of the world, yet amid all the trials and tribulations of the world we have a spiritual repose nothing can destroy. “We dwell at ease,” meaning that we are free from slavish fears, from corroding cares, from all fret and worry. Ours is a state of blissful contentment and solid peace. With God as our Portion, and His eternal covenant as our stay, His precious Promises as our security, His glorious atonement as our plea, His complete salvation as our shield, His unceasing advocacy as our guarantee, His home as our final abode, what else can we do but dwell at ease. Because He is the Storehouse of every blessing, all fears are silenced, unbelieving doubts are contracted, and the Lord is exalted in our lives.
“They Shall Not Satisfy Their Soul,” Ezekiel 7:17, Micah 6:14Here is a telling illustration. There is said to be a strange plant in South America which finds a moist place, sends its roots down, and becomes green for a little while, until the place becomes dry, when it draws itself out and rolls itself up and is blown along by the wind until it comes to another moist place, where it repeats the same process. On and on the plant goes, stopping where it finds a little water until the spot is dry, then in the end, after all its wanderings, it is nothing but a bundle of dry roots and leaves. It is the same of those who only drink of the world’s springs. They drink and thirst again and go on from spring to spring, blown by the wind of passion and desire, and at last their souls are nothing but bundles of unsatisfied desires and burning thirsts. We must find something better than this or perish for ever.
Wednesday, June 19, 2002Thought for the Day!Each person gets a glimpse of the Eternal at least once in a lifetime. Some may call it God consciousness and others may call it the point of Gospel hearing. But it my just be the reflection that “The Lord has set eternity in our minds.”
The Heartless Lack of Remembrance is Described as Being Grievous Both to God and Man
It was lack of remembrance that made hell more terrible for the rich man, “Son remember,” Luke 16:25.
The Bible Provides Us with Sweet Instances of Human Remembrances Found Principally in Paul’s WritingsHe never seemed to forget his friends.
“Remember the Lord,” Nehemiah 4:14Whatever, or whoever, we forget, may we be found always remembering our Lord Who never forgets us. We must have Him in our minds at all times because He is the Source of our supply and the only Proper Object of faith and worship.
“Remember the Lord,” Nehemiah 4:14The ways by which we can remember our Lord.
“He Shall Send From Heaven and Save Me From the Reproach of Him That Would Swallow Me Up. Selah,” Psalm 57:3The title of this Psalm informs us that when David wrote it, he was fleeing from Saul and was obliged to hide in a cave. It must have been humiliating for such a noble soul as David to be hunted as a fugitive. But his faith in God’s protection was strong. If necessary, He would send from Heaven and deliver His servant. No wonder David shouted “Selah,” a word meaning, “think of that,” usually occurring either before or after some glorious truth the writer has uttered. This exclamatory term draws attention to the utterance in question. And to the mind of David, whom Saul derided, it was something to think about that the Lord would deliver him out of the jaws of those who waited to swallow him up. Is your soul among lions? Because of your allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, are you the object of scorn? Well, leave God to deal with those who reproach you. Psa 144:5, 7.
A Prophetic Reproach!“Reproach hath broken my heart,” Psalm 69:20The way in which this Psalm is used in the New Testament proves it to be prophetic of the Lord Jesus Christ’s humiliation and rejection, and that His sensitive soul was ultimately crushed by the shame He endured is evident in His cry of desolation. Full of heaviness, the Lord Jesus Christ looked for some with passion, but there was none. Calling upon God to draw nigh and deliver Him from the reproach and dishonor of His adversaries, He yet knew that the waterflood would overflow Him. Thus, at Calvary, the loving, holy, and kind heart of the Lord Jesus Christ broke. He was saved in His reproach, but not from it. Willingly He bore the terrible load of scorn and shame that His very despisers might have a way to Heaven. Diligently the Lord Jesus Christ had kept the Divine Testimonies, yet reproach and contempt were not removed from Him, Psa 119:22. He died, even as He lived, the Object of derision.
“The Reproaches of Them That Reproached Thee Fell on Me,” Romans 15:3In quoting “the reproach Psalm,” Paul links the believer to the self abnegation the Lord Jesus Christ practiced. Had He wished, the Lord Jesus Christ could have saved Himself a good deal of the derision that came His way, but silently He bore it all.
And as He is, so are we in this world. The offense of His Cross has not ceased. True discipleship involves going to Him without the camp bearing His reproach. Heb 13:13. Do we endure shame for our Saviour’s sake? Because of our allegiance to Him? Are we ostracized by religious, carnal friends? Count it a privilege to be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ in His rejection.
Tuesday, June 18, 2002“No Weapon Formed Against Thee Will Prosper,” Isaiah 54:17What a blessed Promise this is to cling to when the sharp weapons of slander, falsehood, insinuation, ridicule, and hatred are formed against us. God knows how to blunt the instruments of the wicked and stop the mouth of liars. Our heavenly Defense is ever near to deliver.
Think of These Promises!He never forsakes His saints when persecuted. He is able to deliver out of persecution. He assures us of the reward of blessedness if persecuted.
The way of the world is to praise dead saints and persecute living ones. We have the consolation of knowing that as living saints we are not alone. In the furnace of affliction is “Another” whose Grace alone can make saints fearless, and His form is like the Son of God. Dan 3:25.
“I Will Remember My Covenant Which is Between Me and You,” Genesis 9:15, 16; Psalm 105:8; Luke 1:72Divine remembranceWhen “remember” is used by God, it is only in a metaphorical sense, because God never forgets. He condescendedly uses language to assure our finite minds that He ever has His own before Him. When you group the Divine remembrances together, they speak for themselves.
Human RemembrancesMany are the Biblical exhortations urging us to remember all that God has accomplished for us and of the promised blessing of such remembrance. Who loves well is slow to forget. The deeper and the more intense our love for the Lord, the more we are conscience of His Grace. Memory is kept alert by God the Holy Spirit, who never fails to stir up remembrance of Divine Promises and requests. It is interesting to note that two Psalms, 38 and 70, bear the title, “A Psalm of David to bring to remembrance.” The Psalms, therefore, reveal the import of such a unique “dedication.” Night and day there were those aspects of Divine Grace which David did not want to forget.
Human Remembrances
Monday, June 17, 2002“The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and the Ground of truth,” 1 Timothy 3:15Specific Promises of Protection and Provision for the Living Church of God.
Thought for the Day!I have reached my 80th birthday and I am “giving God time” to fulfill a Promise in my life of “bearing fruit in an old age.”
Thursday, June 13, 2002“It is Not in Man That Walketh to Direct His Steps,” Jeremiah 10:23
How necessary it is to trust the Guide with the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly about present matters and future decisions, and then joyfully following Him wherever He may lead. If this is our unvarying attitude, then we shall prove that “The path of the just is a shining light,” Prov 4:18. There may be occasions because of our finite understanding Divine leadings seem so contrary to reason. The Israelites thought it strange that the roundabout route was the quickest way to reach the promised land.
“God Led Them Not Through the Land of the Philistines, Although That Was Near; But God Led the People About Through the Wilderness of the Red Sea,” Exodus 13:17, 18, Deuteronomy 32:10Had Israel tried to go through the land of the Philistines, as an unarmed people, they would have been completely discouraged, so it was quicker to skip the short cut and take the long way around. Our Heavenly Guide knows best. He always knows best.
“The Lord Alone Did Lead Them,” Deuteronomy 32:12, Nehemiah 9:19
Here we have a clear expression of the idea of Divine leadership. But rest and guidance are also involved in such a gracious Promise. In the cloud for a covering and a fire to give light, at night we have the further provision of shelter and illumination. Light in the night is something from, yet in addition to, the light of guidance. The Lord does not leave His people in gloom and distress. He is a light to them amid darkness.
“Lead Me, O Lord, in Thy Righteousness Because of Mine Enemies,” Psalm 5:6, 23:2, 25:2, 70:20
Amid all the wonders and glories of Heaven, our Heavenly Guide will still have the full control of us. For the blessed Promise is that He will not only protect and provide, but “He shall lead them into living fountains of waters,” Rev 7:17. What a contrast He is to those He described as, “blind leaders of the blind,” Matt 15:14, Acts 1:16, Rom 2:19.
Wednesday, June 12, 2002“Lacketh Ye Anything,” Luke 22:35If there is constant thanksgiving for what the Lord has bestowed, doubt never lurks in the mind regarding God’s ability to undertake for us. Thanksgiving has a way of feeding faith. “In everything give thanks.” The Promise is that they who seek Him and bless Him shall not want any good thing. He knows all about our needs and remembers His Promises, and is always at hand to undertake.
“Thou Shall See Greater Things Than These,” John 1:50Here we have the Promise of an ever-expanding experience of God’s power. No matter how great the things we have seen, greater manifestation of Divine provision is ahead. Greater heights of fellowship and deeper depths of experience await us. The best is yet to be. The Divine law of growth.
“Bless the Lads...Let Them Grow into a Multitude in the Midst of the Earth,” Genesis 48:16The Promise given by Jacob to Joseph concerning the progeny of his two sons can be used spiritually. Are there, as a part of our growth, others who through us come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour?
“Groweth Unto a Holy Temple in the Lord,” Ephesians 2:21
Are we growing Christians? As the days and the years go by, do we find ourselves as Christians having a deeper love for the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we have an ever-increasing desire to live the Christian way of life? Do we, as Christians, have a greater passion for the souls of others, and a cleaner separation from the entanglements of this world system? All promised Grace and power are at our disposal for the increase of our spirituality, to be ever pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, June 11, 2002What to be Thankful for!
“Every Creature of God is Good, if it be Received With Thanksgiving,” 1 Timothy 4:4Gratitude produces contentment in all conditions and places a bridle on one’s desires. It checks gloom, destroys envy, and returns with blessings in the head of the thankful one. We taste the sweetness of any Divine mercy twice over when we are sincerely grateful for it.
“Oh That Men Would Praise the Lord for His Goodness,” Psalm 107:31With amazing regularity God meets the need of all. Provisions are poured down, but praises seldom rise. Men fail to think of what they owe, and therefore forget to thank. The common ordinary blessings of life are received as a matter of course. Mercies, spiritual and material, come our way, but the Hand that provided them is forgotten. The poet speaks about the winter wind as being kinder than man’s ingratitude. But if man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn, what must God’s feelings be like when He blesses so much and is blessed so little? His compassions, which fail not and are new every morning, are of greater worth when, in receiving them, we instinctively and immediately say, “Thank you, Father.” Like an earthly parent, God too loves grateful children.
“I Will Declare What He Hath Done for My Soul,” Psalm 66:16Think of what He has done for your soul! It was He who saw you lost and helpless and in His love and Grace provided a way of deliverance. It was our sinful condition that brought our Saviour from above to die on Calvary. By His blood, sweat, and tears, He only saved your soul. He has made it safe forever. And day by day, as we realize that the responsibility of our saved life is upon His shoulders, He meets our every need. We may not be able to reason and debate, we may have little skill in logic and apologetics, our words may be destitute of the orator’s passion, poetry, and color. But at least we can say, “Come and ye shall see; Come and you will find for yourself how good He is.”
“Neither Were Thankful,” Romans 1:21Heathenism, with its absence of the clear knowledge of God, is destitute of thankfulness. The heathen have no songs of praise. We have multitudes all around us who know not God. Or, if they do profess a knowledge of Him, glorify Him not as God, and who consequently seldom pause to praise the Giver of all. Such gratitude arises from a Spirit-filled life and expresses itself as psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody. However the vast majority of church-going people know little of this outburst of praise. Thanks are seldom expressed for food, raiment, health, and other common mercies without which they could not live. There is not that thanksgiving leading to thanks-living. The soul is empty of that gratitude for spiritual and secular blessings which ever results in a life of complete surrender to the Lord. Let us shun the company of the thankless. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift,” 2 Cor 9:11-15.
Monday, June 10, 2002God’s Word is Like Himself!
God the Son is Likewise Good!
God the Holy Spirit is Also Described as Good!
How full of promise are all these manifestations of Deity. We were created and redeemed that we might possess and exhibit such Divine goodness. Run your eye over the hundreds of references where “goodness” is related to the Christian and you will be deeply impressed with your high and holy calling.
“Be Ye Followers of That Which is Good,” 1 Peter 3:13, Romans 13:3
If the good Lord has the full control of your life and mine, that goodness becomes both a possession and an expression.
Sunday, June 9, 2002Friendship!We often think of Abraham as one of the most privileged men in the Bible because of his friendship with the Eternal.
Friendship!Moses was another who experienced similar, intimate, friendship, for it is said of him that, “The Lord spake unto Moses face-to-face, as a man speaketh unto his friend,” Exodus 33:11. But the patriarchs are not alone in such a blessed, heavenly friendship. Did not the Lord Jesus Christ describe those who love and trust Him as His friends?
But this promised exalted friendship carries the condition of obedience to our heavenly Friend’s wishes and commands.
“The Rich Have Many Friends,” Proverbs 14:20, 19:4These so-called friends often vanish with the riches, as the prodigal discovered when all was spent and not one companion in his riotous living days was at hand to give him a meal. A friend like this is like having a body without a soul–quoted from an old Italian proverb.
“Faithful Are the Wounds of a Friend,” Proverbs 27:6
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