January 1931
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these four marvelous distinctions: First of all, a life in which the will of God the Father is your only law; a life in which the love of Jesus is your only mo tive; a life in which the grace of the Holy Spirit is your only strength; and a life in which the glory of the entire Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost— is your supreme end and aim. This is not possible to any of us so long as we look at it apart from God. But when I re member that God is the worker, and that God is -present to do His work, then I .say tbat-nothing within the limit of His promise is impossible. •lilt -Charles Inwood. — o — January 19— “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). If your need is great, expect Him to meet it. If your service is difficult, re member that He can empower you in any sphere. If your dearth of spiritual life is most urgent of all, expect Him to fill you . . . Dare to pray for the unprece dented 1 “All things are possible to God; • To Christ the power of God in me ; Now shed Thy mighty self, abroad, Let me no longer live, but Thee. •, Give me this hour in Thee to prove The sweet omnipotence of love.” — W. Y, Fullerton. January 20— “He that hateth his life in this' world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12:25). Until we have had some clear, vision of the self-life we shall never know what it is' to hate it. Virgil describes the tyran nous conduct of Mezentius, who was so unnaturally cruel in his punishments that he used to chain a dead man to a living one. It was impossible for the poor wretch to separate himself from his dis gusting burden; and, when death came to his relief, no visitor was more welcome. Happy are we if God has given us such a sight of the loathsomeness of self as will lead us to cry ou t: “O wretched' man that I am! Who shall deliver me?” It is our life in this world, our own life, which we are called upon to hate: the life which in its activities, aims, and necessities has nb relation to Christ, which is bound up with that which is outward and transitory in stead of that which is inward and per manent. A sacrifice is not a complete sacrifice until the life has been consumed —it is one thing to have placed every thing upon the altar, bound there by the cords of love and obedience; and it is another thing to know that the consuming fire of God’s love has so destroyed the egoism of our being that we can sing: “Higher than the highest heaven, Deeper than the deepest sea; Lord, Thy love at last has conquered, None of self, and all of Thee.” Mg—/ . Gregory Mantle. — o — January 21 —“Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). This life of joy of which our Lord speaks is made certain by the promise of a faithful Christ: “Verily! verily! I say unto you.” He was accustomed to use that impressive and solemn formula when He was about to speak words beyond the
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these? Think of the word “circum stances”—those things th a t'“stand” round us. If they stand round, they cannot keep but the sky. We must not trouble about the things around us, but keep looking up. — W .'H . Griffith Thomas. —-o— January 17—“My voice shalt thou hear m the morning, O Lord; in'.the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee” (Psa. 5:3). To pray is the greatest thing we can do; and to do it well there must be calm ness, time, and deliberation; we must de mand and hold with iron grasp the best hours of the day for God and for prayer. “I see Thee, pot, I hear Thee not, ?. Yet Thou'art oft With me; And earth has ne’er so dear a spot As when I meet with Thee.” - I — Selected, i —o— January 18— “My soul, wait thou only upon God (Psa. 62:5). When the stress and strain is greatest on your soul, God is able to deal effectual ly with your difficulties. They may rjse like mountains, but the mountains flow down at His presence. ■ .“He toucheth the hills, and they smoke.” And So, however grave, or intense, or complex, or new your difficulty may he, keep your eye on God, and God will let you see that He is able to .interpret your difficulty and able to remove it. Think what is yours in the gospel of Jesus Chfist—a life which has
January 15— “Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad o f all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few" (2 Ki. 4:3). Here was a woman in dire straits. She was unable to meet her difficulty, so she went to God through His prophet, and she was gloriously delivered . . . God is able, in all circumstances, to deliver His people . . . He will deliver them, .and if the ordinary means do not suffice, God is the God of the extraordinary. The prom ise that Paul was inspired to send to the Philippians is still true: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” I never think of that verse without also thinking of the boy that the farmer sent to gather his cherries. He made him promise that he would not eat one. This was a very rigorous thing for a boy under the cir cumstances. When the work was done, he asked the boy if he had eaten any of the fruit,, and he replied that he had not eaten a single cherry. Then the farmer said, “You may take a handful for your self.” But the boy did not move. The farmer said, “Didn’t you hear what I said?” “Yes,” replied the boy, “but please, sir, I would rather you gave them to me.” You see, the farmer’s hand was so much bigger than his own! When God supplies our need, it is not according to our need that He supplies it, but it is according to the riches of His grace. ■:[LHW. Y. Fullertff^JI. January 16-- "Saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvdtipn” (Isa. 45:17j. This is the Neiy TestamentHifes—per fect safety, perfect standing, perfect strength, and perfect satisfaction. Per fect safety—saved in the Lord with a per fect salvation; perfect standing—“accept ed in the beloved” ; perfect strength-« “strong in the Lord and in the power of his might” ; perfect satisfaction—“satisr fied with favor, full with the blessing of the Lord.” Let us rejoice in these, be cause they, are ours in Christ. But now comes the . question whether we “know” thèse things. Are they ours? Does any thing hinder us from enjoying this Chris tianity? Shall we not ask ourselves this question? We havè our needs and our difficulties, but God will meet and over come our difficulties and satisfy all our needs if we will just face this question and get right with Him. There are pos sibilities in explanation of the reason why we do not enjoy our Christian religion. The first „ . . is sin. “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” The Lord Jestus Christ is able to deal with “sins” (Rom. 3:25), and also with “sin”— the root of sin and its fruit in sins. He can deal with every one of them under all circumstances. Then there are some peo ple whom circumstances keep from en joyment of religion. And yet what are
Resignation “Though He slay me," I would rest In His sovereign will, For the joy to feel His arms . Wrapped about me still. “Though He slay me,” I would sing Alleluia'lays, For the Master’s slaying-place Is the gate of. praise. “Though He slay me,” I would cry, “Lord, our wills are one; Spare or slay me as Thou wilt; Let Thy will be done!" “Though He slay me,” yet in Him All my. soul would trust, Not alone because it may, But because it must! —Lucy A. Bennett.
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