March 1932
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Ephesians 3:14, where he says, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be”—filled with? No; “that ye might be filled into all the fulness of God.” Do you not see the difference ? Here are empty ves sels. You say, “First get yourself empty and then full.” I may dip out and fill these ves sels; but put an empty vessel into the ocean, and it quickly fills itself. This seems to be Paul’s thought. Archbishop Leighton makes a beautiful comment on the words of Christ, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” The archbishop, lifting up his eyes to heaven, said, “Lord Jesus, it is only a little1joy that now enters into us; but by and by we shall enter into joy as vessels put into a sea of happiness.” Cast yourself into the great deeps of the Spirit, then there will be no trouble in getting them filled.—-A. J. G ordon . MARCH 19 B a l m for T roubled H earts “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). “Let not your heart be troubled . . . believe in me,” is the appeal of the heart of Christ to ours. He has not hidden from us that in the world we may expect tribula tion ; He has spoken to us openly of the “yoke” and the “cross” ; then, looking on ward to those darker shadows which may yet, perhaps, precede the dawn, He gives, as the brightest hope of all, the certain assurance of His coming again to receive us to Himself. “If it were not so, I would have told you,” He adds—an appeal which any friendship based on unswerving fidel ity, unimpeachable veracity, would allow to be final and unanswerable. Shall it not satisfy us, coming from Him who is “the Truth” ? The King of Glory has gone in through the eternal gates, and that alone is enough to make heaven. “We shall see him,” meets the supreme yearning of all the new creation within us. “We shall be changed,” holds in it, undoubtedly, a promise; but perhaps when our thoughts cling to the memory of beloved ones “lost awhile,” we could scarcely rejoice to think of change were it not for that all-satisfy ing word, “we shall be like him.” Between us and that glory how thin the partition may be! May we press onward with un faltering faith in the Unchanging One, till we pass beyond the clouds and the shadows to see Him as He is! “One day of sorrow, Then such a long tomorrow!” — L u cy A. B e n n e t t MARCH 20 C h r is t a n d t h e C o m m o n p l a c e “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). We are always tempted to ‘think that this moment is commonplace and insignificant. Yesterday lies consecrated in memory, to morrow radiant in hope; but today then we need look back to no purple distance, farthest away from us right over our heads; behind arid in front it seems t'o touch the earth. But if we will only real ize that all of that sparkling luster and all that more than mortal tenderness of pity and of love with which Jesus Christ has irradiated and sweetened any past are
CDailyCDevoitonalc^^eachings A M E S S A G E F O R E V E R Y DAY OF T H E M O N T H
given to see. . . . Our Lord says: “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” That is God’s word: God’s infallible promise. But you must take it as your own; you must grasp it by faith. God says, “Sin shall not have dominion over you,” and you must say so, too, and accept the Word. This blessing goes down to the roots; extends to all the needs, influences all the work, oc cupies all the life, lights up every eye, re veals itself in every feature. It affects the life of the man. It is so strong that no evil habit is unaffected by it. It avails to remove those weaknesses from which we suffer, to smooth away those petty cares which are so often the bane of the spirit ual condition; little sins, little cares, which, in the hearts of. so many, are eating out the life of Christianity. Christ lays His hand on every sin and care, and says, “My child, this should not be !’U Jesus Christ asks for all the heart, just as it is. His in finite love yearns for all, will not be satis fied with less than all, will not be satisfied till He receives all. He gives you all Him self. He will not be satisfied till you take all.— E lder C u m m in g . MARCH 18 D iv in e F u l n e s s “That ye might be filled with all the ful ness of God" (Eph. 3:19). We talk about being “filled with the Spirit,” yet Paul goes beyond that, in
MARCH IS A pp r o a c h in g t h e T h r o n e
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy” (Psa. 86:5). Brethren, make all your wishes and all your annoyances into prayers. If a wish is not fit to be prayed about, it is not fit to be cherished. If a care is too small to be made a prayer, it is too small to be made a burden. Be frank with God, as God is frank with you, and go to His throne keep ing back nothing of your desires or of your troubles. To carry them there will take the poison and the pain out of wasp stings, and out of else fatal wounds. We haVe a Name to trust in, tenderer and deeper than those which evoked the psalm ist’s triumphant confidence. Let us see to it that, as the basis of our faith is firmer, our faith be stronger than his. We have a plea to urge, more persuasive and mighty than those which he pressed on God and gathered to his own heart. “For Christ’s sake” includes all that he pled, and stretches beyond it. If we come to God through Him 'who declares His name to us, we shall not draw near to the throne with self-willed desires, nor leave it with empty hands. “If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it.” -—A l ex a n d e r M a c l a r e n . MARCH 16 R e st in t h e L ord “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” (Psa. 23:2). I have experienced the old song which the soul enjoys when it quietly rests in God. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength,” says the prophet. Yes, there is a power in this rest in God, of which the men who are rushing along the broad and dusty highway can form no con ception. The meadows on which the soul refreshes itself are ever green; these sa cred, truths are continually new. The path of those who have found the only Good Shepherd leads indeed through a rocky and narrow yalley, where the crags are united overhead, so that the light of the sun can no longer shine upon the road, But even in the gloomy shade I will not fear. I know that, although I cannot be hold it, the sun is still shining. He is with me. What clouds are scattered by this sin gle thought! “O gentle Shepherd, guided by Thy hand, My soul hath found her everlasting rest; Thou leadest me onward toward my Fa therland, And on the way Thy presence makes me blest! — ‘T h o l u c k . MARCH 17 A ppr o pr ia t in g G od ’ s B est "God Almighty . . . give thee the blessing o f Abraham" (Gen. 28:4). It was the spiritual blessing in Christ which was bestowed, as Esau, too late, was
Where Dwellest Thou, Lord? B y D in n ie M c D ole H a y e s “Where dwellest Thou, Lord?” “Come and see.” So questioned the men, And so answered He. They came and saw, And they heard His word; And told out the news, “We have found the Lord.” And men are asking again, “Oh, tell, Where does the Lord of Glory dwell ? Where is the One who shall make us free?” And again He answers, “Come and see. “See in My children’s faithful life, Free from envy and greed and strife See in My loved ones’ shining face; Full of My Spirit’s power and grace. “See in the Christian’s walk of love; Blessing and blest from heaven above; Living the gospel of peace to tell; There is where I, the Master, dwell.”
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