Gems from June 2015

“Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:2)  

UNTO JESUS and not at our doubts.

The more we look at them the larger they appear,

until they can swallow up all our faith, 

our strength, and our joy.

But if we look away from them to our Lord Jesus,

Who is the truth (John 14:6) the doubts will scatter 

in the light of His presence like clouds before the sun.

(Theodore Monod - 1874 

Translated from French by Helen Willis)

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June 1

“And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, 

of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, 

heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, 

that she attended unto the things 

which were spoken of Paul.”

(Acts 16:14-24)

Though Paul’s visit to Thyatira was outwardly characterized by great weakness 

(sitting outside the city, preaching to the women who had assembled to pray),

he was faithful in “that which is least.”  

God blessed the Apostle’s words to the heart of Lydia, and,

from that seemingly insignificant beginning,

a mighty work began to unfold, 

and thus Paul was found 

“faithful in that which is . . . much” (Luke 16:10). 

May each believer — young and old — 

be faithful in the special ministry 

the Lord desires each one to carry out for Himself!

(Doug Nicolet)

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June 2

“This is a desert place . . . send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. “

(Matthew 14:15)

“And straightway . . . He (Jesus) sent the multitudes away.”

(Matthew 14:22)

“The Saviour can solve every problem, the tangles of life can undo;

There is nothing too hard for Jesus, there is nothing that He cannot do."

The first urging above came from the disciples, 

who would have sent the hungry throng away, unfed and empty.

A few verses later, our Lord first sent off the disciples, then sent the multitudes away.

But He sent them away satisfied and filled, by His own caring hand.

He is still the same: never sending the needy away empty;

always feeding the hungry soul.

Out of the endless bounty that is in Him, He satisfies. 

Someone said it well: “I have Christ.  What want I more?”

(Doug Kazen)

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June 3

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.”

(Hebrews 12:1)

Cares are most subtle things, 

because they enter as necessary duties,

and there is no sin in doing one’s duty.

But if these duties choke the word and a man loses his soul through it — 

What then?

Common duties do not rob us of Him;

from these the heart returns with fresh delight into its own centre.

It is the heart clinging to vanity that spoils our joy;

it is anything which exalts self and lowers Christ — 

an idle thought, even, if allowed in the heart.

(Footprints for Pilgrims — JND) 

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June 4

KEEP  STEP  WITH  GOD

“Enoch walked with God.”

(Genesis 5:24)

ENOCH DID NOT run ahead of God or lag behind Him.  He walked with Him.

Some go too fast, they hasten to an immature and superficial experience with God, 

and their consecration is not thorough. 

They make a mechanical “decision,” but the depths have never been stirred.

Or else in a spell of emotion they make a hurried covenant with God but have no root or depth. 

Others go too slowly.  They are so afraid of a false decision that they make none.

They spend nights praying for what is already theirs in Christ.

They go into vagaries and extremism of “seeking,” and sometimes become unbalanced.

There is a happy balance here.  All that we need is in Jesus.

Let us make no cheap and quick committals until all has been laid at His feet and we really mean business.

Long hours of prayer are necessary only if we are stubborn, God is not slow to hear and answer.

If we really mean business we need not tarry.

Christ is here now, immediately accessible.  No use wasting time — afraid we are not “sure.”

We can never be sure of ourselves; He is the sure One!

Walk with God.  “Run not before Him.”  Lag not behind Him.

(Day By Day - Vance Havner) 

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June 5

“If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.”

(Romans 8:17)

We cannot be children of God without suffering with Christ.

But the measure of our suffering with Him will entirely depend upon the degree in 

which we are under the governance and power of the Holy Spirit.

A child of God who is walking faithfully before God with an ungrieved 

Spirit will thus suffer with Christ more than one who is walking carelessly.  . . . 

But it should never be forgotten that the suffering as well as the glory is with Christ.

This blessed companionship is never wanting.

(Edward Dennett)

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June 6

“I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

(Job 42:5-6)

There is no evidence that Job learned all the secrets that brought about the loss 

of his possessions, family, and health.

At that time God simply revealed Himself — 

omnipotent, omnipresent — sufficient for Job.

It would only be from eternity that Job could understand how many lives his life touched.

Many a child of God is beset with an outrageous calamity and 

no answers to the natural “why” it occasions.

Then comes the Lord’s consolation,

“What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter” 

(John 13:7).

Someday we will understand, but for today,

 He is enough.

(E. Fesche)

O God of the impossible! Since all things are to Thee

But soil in which Omnipotence can work almightily.  

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June 7

“Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart;

inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of 

the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.”

(Philippians 1:7)

Why was it right or just?

The answer may be equally rendered, “Because you have me in your heart”,

or, “Because I have you in my heart."

Which did the Spirit of God intend the Philippians to understand?

We do not know: but perhaps, since both are true, and the words may mean both;

the Spirit intended them to understand it in both ways.

A dear little boy was sitting on his mother’s knee, gazing into her eyes.

The child said, “Mother, you must love me very much because you carry 

round a little picture of me in your eyes: I can see it there.”

His mother replied, 

“And I can see a little picture of me in your eyes:

how much you must love me!”

It was mutual: with Paul and the Philippian saints.

But let this remind us of Him Who has us in His heart.  

(G.C. Willis)

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June 8

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,

Wherewithal shall we be clothed? . . . for your heavenly 

Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

(Matthew 6:31-32)

“God is in every tomorrow, therefore I live for today,

Certain of finding at sunrise, guidance and strength for the way;

Power for each moment of weakness, hope for each moment of pain,

Comfort for every sorrow, Sunshine and joy after rain.”

(Michael O’Brien - with thanks)

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June 9

“That ye may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe,

which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.”

(Ephesians 1:18-20)

What is our reaction when we come face to face with those whose lives 

are ruined by Satan — drugs, alcohol, immorality, etc?

Do we write them off with the feeling that “there is no hope for them”?

Remember that the gospel is the “power of God unto salvation.”

The power which raised Christ from the dead, is able to overcome all the 

Satanic forces which are ruining that life.

(David Croudace)

“Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,

Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave,

Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,

Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.”

(F.J. Crosby)

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June 10

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33)

We would frequently desire to be allowed to pass on our way 

without trial, but this would involve serious loss.

The Lord’s presence is never so sweet as in moments of appalling difficulty.

It is when the people of God are brought into the greatest straits and difficulties,

that they are favoured with the finest displays of God’s character and actings;

and for this reason, He ofttimes leads them into a trying position,

in order that He may the more markedly show Himself.

(Food for the Desert)

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June 11

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,

that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

(James 4:3)

Lord, grant us all aright to learn the truth Thy Word imparts;

And to its heavenly teaching turn with simple, childlike hearts.

No one plans to fail.

But sometimes we do.

Our text warns us about how to avoid failure, by showing us how it happens (James 4:1-4), 

and focusing us on the only One who can make a difference — God, of course.

There are four things that will bring failure in our Christian life:

(v. 2a)  We could let wrong thoughts become wrong actions.

(v. 2c)  We could simply not pray about the matter.

(v. 3) We could actually pray about it but only with mixed or corrupt motives.

(v. 4)    And finally, We can flirt with the world. 

It is said that if we fail to plan, we actually plan to fail.     

We need to guard against every subtlety that will make us spiritual failures.

(Craig Funston)

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June 12

“Thy God hath commanded (sent) thy strength.”

(Psalm 68:28)

“The Lord is my strength” to go on.

He gives us power to tread the dead level, to walk the long lane that seems never to have a turning,

to go through those long reaches of life which afford no pleasant surprise, 

and which depress the spirits in the sameness of a terrible drudgery.

“The Lord is my strength” to go up.

He is to me the power by which I can climb the Hill Difficulty and not be afraid.

“The Lord is my strength” to go down.

It is when we leave the bracing heights, where the wind and the sun have been about us,

and when we begin to come down the hill into closer and more sultry spheres,

that the heart is apt to grow faint.

I heard a man say concerning his growing physical frailty, “It is the coming down that tires me!”

“The Lord is my strength” to sit still. 

And how difficult is the attainment! Do we not often say to one another, 

in seasons when we are compelled to be quiet, “If only I could do something!” 

When the child is ill, and the mother stands by in comparative impotence, how severe is the test!

But to do nothing, just to sit still and wait, requires tremendous strength.

“The Lord is my strength!” (Ephesians 6:10)

“Our sufficiency is of God." (2 Corinthians 3:5).

(The Silver Lining)

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June 13

Joseph’s Separation

“Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and . . .  Zilpah, his fathers wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.”

(Genesis 37:2)

Service with his brethren, however, does not necessarily imply fellowship with their evil.

As the obedient servant he is very near them; as a man of integrity he is entirely apart from them.

His service brought him into the company of others, his character made him a man apart from others,

his very presence exposing their wickedness, so that he can but bring to his father “their evil report.” 

And thus it was with Christ the perfect Saviour;

His grace brought Him very near to us in all our need, His holiness kept Him entirely apart from all our sin.

Our desperate needs, and His infinite grace, made Him a Servant moving amidst the needy crowds,

and yet our sin and His holiness made Him a lonely Stranger in the land.

As the perfect Servant He was accessible to all, as a holy Man He was apart from all.

His service of love took Him into many a needy home,

His holiness left Him without a home. 

(Hamilton Smith)

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June 14

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts 

sprinkled from an evil conscience,and our bodies washed with pure water.  

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;

(for He is faithful that promised.)” 

(Hebrews 10:22-23) 

Some people claim to have accepted Christ as Saviour, yet they live in the tragic uncertainty of doubting their personal relationship with God.  The Scriptures teach, however, that we can know with absolute confidence that we have the life of God within us.

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have 

eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:13). 

This confidence is not based on inner feelings or outer signs.  Rather, this assurance is founded upon the promises of a faithful God and His inspired Word.  It depends not on the amount of our faith but on the object of our faith — Christ Himself.

Though blinded at six weeks of age through improper medical treatment, Fanny J. Crosby wrote more than 8000 gospel songs texts in her lifetime of 95 years.  Her many favourites such as “Blessed Assurance” have been a blessing to many for over a century.  Only eternity will disclose the host of individuals whose lives have been spiritually enriched through the texts of Fanny Crosby’s many hymns.

Engraved on Fanny Crosby’s tombstone are these words taken taken from our Lord’s remarks to Mary, the sister of Lazarus, after she had anointed Him with costly perfume — 

“She hath done what she could” (Mark 14:8).

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! 

Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Perfect submission, perfect delight!  Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission — all is at rest, I in my Saviour am happy and blest;

Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Chorus:  This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long.

(Fanny J. Crosby)

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June 15

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

(2 Timothy 2:3)

“Die hard, my men, die hard!” shouted Col. Inglis to his men as they fought

one of the fearful battles of the Peninsular War.  

Fifteen thousand men were wounded or killed in four hours that day, 

and the regiment was known as the Die-hards ever after.

Are we die-hards?  It is extraordinarily easy to soften.  

Sometimes we hardly know that we are yielding till some little thing happens that we dislike, 

and we find ourselves unwilling or unable to go through with it. 

 If this be so, we are not die-hards.

Paul was a die-hard.  His whole life and above all his prison letters show that die-hard quality.  

When he wrote to Timothy "endure hardness",  what he meant was “remain under it.”  Don’t slip from under it.  

Don’t try to shuffle it off.  And hardness to him did not mean some trivial little trouble.  It meat to suffer evil.

How little we know of that.  But our Saviour knew all that ever could be known, and He endured to the end.

Are we in earnest in wanting to be His die-hards?  If so let us take with confidence His word:

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive”(Matthew 21:22).

(Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael 1867-1951) 

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June 16

“All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, 

but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,

 and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.”

(Matthew 11:27)

The Lord Jesus was down here as the open book to reveal the Father.

There is not so much known about the Son as about the Father.

In all the actions, words, and ways of the Son in dealing 

with man He was showing forth the Father:

“. . . he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father . . .” (John 14:9)

And if He was the open book to reveal the Father to us,

so is He the open door by which to lead us to the Father;

and the Father whom He came down to declare, would point to that 

Son on the cross as the open door to 

“ . . . bring  many sons to glory" (Hebrews 2:10).

(Gleanings - G.V. Wigram)

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June 17

WHERE THERE’S LIFE THERE’S RENEWING

My speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb,

and as the showers upon the grass.”

(Deuteronomy 32:2)

Sometimes God’s dew goes on falling through many hours of the night.

But none of it is lost; some is already doing a hidden work as it 

falls around the very roots of our being,

and some is ready to be revealed in sparkling brightness when the night is over.

Lessons learnt among the shadows will be lived out in the sunshine.

The object of the dew is to maintain life in dry places and seasons.

Dew does nothing for the stones.

You would not know there ever was any at all if you only look at the gravel path.

And it makes no difference at all to a dead leaf.

But if it falls on the little fading plant that could hardly 

have lived through many more days of July sunshine,

the weak little stem straightens up as the leaves absorb the life-renewing moisture, 

and the closed blossom can open out again with fresher fragrance than before.

So God keeps on distilling His speech into our frail spiritual life,

or it would soon wither up.

Dryness is more to be dreaded than darkness. 

(Opened Treasures - Francis Ridley Havergal — 1836 - 1879)

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June 18

“Work out (cultivate) your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

(Philippians 2:12)  

It is more than 50 years since I worked on a farm, so I asked a dear farmer brother to help me out about “cultivating.”  This is what he says:  “I have much enjoyed the thoughts you brought out about Philippians 2:12, and I’m sure it is a verse that has been a puzzle to many, and has been perhaps used in a wrong way by those who think Salvation is by works.

"I believe the word cultivate means just what you said, to loosen the soil so the rain and air can get to the roots so the plant may grow strong and bear fruit.  One of the main purposes in cultivating too is to get rid of the weeds, for if they are allowed to grow, the tender plant is robbed of its vigour and cannot bear much fruit.

“Yes, I have followed the old horse drawn cultivator you speak of and sometimes the sun was pretty hot, and often it was dusty.  Of course corn and soybeans were the main crops we cultivated, and we nearly always cultivate them three times during the season.

“Father always said the first cultivation was the main one, when the plants were young and tender, to get rid of the weeds while they were young, for when they get well rooted it is almost impossible to get rid of them unless by the hoe, which on big acreage is almost never done being impracticable; but the hoe is a tool for cultivation, and a good one too, as one can get close to the plants without harming them.

"In a crop like strawberries it is about the only tool one can use and very important, for weeds and grass will soon take the strawberries if they aren’t hoed.

"It seems to me very interesting, and makes the passage much easier to understand, when you see that ‘work out’ means to cultivate.  The more valuable the crop is, the more carefully the farmer will cultivate it. How carefully and diligently we should cultivate salvation. 

(G. Christopher Willis - Sacrifices of Joy)

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June 19

The Bowed Head

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.”

(John 19:30) 

MEEKLY He bows His sacred head to die.

The agony, the shame, are almost o’er,

The parched lips have framed their last lone cry.

The tender heart of Christ can bear no more.

But yet He bows the head, submissive still,

E’en at the hour of death, to all the Father’s will.

Be still, proud heart! How can I stand and gaze

Upon that Head, so meekly bending low,

And not lament, with tears and shame of face,

Thy wilful ways, rebelling, murmuring so?

O for the grace, in every earthly loss,

To bow the head to God.  So Christ did on the Cross.

(Bells & Pomegranates - James S. Tait)  

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June 20

“Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.”

(Psalm 116:2)

I can take my telescope and look millions of miles into space;

But I can go away to my room and in prayer get nearer to God and heaven

than I can when assisted by all the telescopes of earth.

(Sir Isaac Newton)

The mother of Madame Chiang Kai-shek had the custom of retiring to the the third floor

of her home to a room she kept for the purpose of tarrying long for 

God’s daily instructions.  

When sought for advice, her answer would be, 

“You must wait until tomorrow so that I can ask 

my Master all about it and get His guidance.”

Asking God was not a matter of spending five minutes asking 

God to bless her children and grant her requests.

It meant waiting upon 

God until she felt His leading.

(Traveling Toward Sunrise)

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June 21

“Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.”

(Psalm 139:5)

We are told that just before a very critical operation, the late eminent surgeon, Dr Theophilus Parvin, 

read to to the assembled physicians Psalm 139, and then said: “It is a great literary document;

but even more it is a wonderful spiritual treasure. 

It can be heartily commended for your study, for its message is greatly needed.

After all, there is nothing which will effectually drive out fear, except a living faith in a living, loving God;

and the 139th Psalm should be a great help to those who would do the thing most needed — 

practise the presence of God.

‘Thou hast beset me behind,’ — that takes care of my past.

‘Thou hast beset me before.’  — that takes care of my future.

‘Thou hast laid Thine hand upon me.’ — that takes care of the present (verse 5).”

(Heaven’s Cure for Earth’s Care - George Henderson)

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June 22

“And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. . . . “

(Genesis 1:31)

I do not know why God does some things, but I am convinced that nothing is accidental in His universe.

In the creation chapters of Genesis there is a beautiful exercise in utility — 

God making an orderly world for a purpose, with everything having a reason for existence.

If I am allowed to go into a hospital operating room, 

I am completely ignorant about the uses for most of the strange and complex facilities.

But the surgeon knows each one and none of those instruments is there by accident.

If I could step into the cab of one of the great, powerful diesel locomotives, 

I would be perplexed by the many buttons and handles and bars.

I could wreck the whole thing in a few minutes.

But the engineer knows — and he gets the proper results when he 

pushes the proper switches and the right buttons.

So, when God Almighty stepped into the cab of His locomotive, which we call the cosmos,

He was at the controls and He has always pushed the right buttons.

Just because there are things in the universe beyond my human explanation does not allow me to accuse 

God of making a lot of unnecessary truck to clutter up the universe.

God made everything for some purpose!

(Renewed Day By Day - A.W. Tozer)

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June 23

“Whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to His months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary.”

(Ezekiel 47:12)

We do not want to become jaded in our service for the Lord, 

to wilt and fade, our ministry becoming dry and powerless.

To avoid this, we need to spend time drinking deeply of the waters that issue from the sanctuary.

So often we can become so busy giving out,

that we forget the importance of taking in.

May the Lord give us the wisdom to retire often into the sanctuary,

there to find that life-giving drink that will keep us fresh, fruitful, and fragrant for Him.

(W.H. Burnett)

“When all created streams are dry,

Thy fulness is the same,

May I with this be satisfied,

And glory in Thy name."

(J. Ryland)

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June 24

“. . . the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

And Moses laid up the rods before the 

Lord in the tabernacle of witness.”

(Numbers 17:6-7)

No one but yourself can rob you of the fulness of blessing.

No man is deprived of any spiritual gift because of the failings and faults of others.

Aaron’s rod budded, blossomed, and gave fruit, even when tied up with a bundle of dry sticks.

(This Day is the Lord’s - Corrie Ten Boom)

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June 25

“They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with 

Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit,

so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.”

(Psalm 106:32-33)

“His love has no limit, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”

(Annie Johnson Flint)

Of similar import is the message of Amy Carmichael. 

When tempted to utter a flashing retort, she said to herself: “See in this a chance to die”; 

and as she turned to commune with the risen Lord, the temptation to read the riot act disappeared.

"There is one admonition ever in place, not exactly in Scripture language, but absolutely in line with its spirit - keep sweet.   

It is well for the Christian to make it the rule of his life, under all circumstances, in all duties, in all vexations,

in all trials and grievances, and privations and sorrows, and in all and through all, to keep sweet.  

Everyone engaging in any sort of business will find daily trials.

There will be need of patience.  There will be many difficulties.  Men will come short.

There will be those who disappoint, and those who seek to take advantage of you.

Do not let them rob you of your true dignity, and repose of sprit.

In patience possess ye your souls.

You will do but little that will have paid you for the doing, if it rob you of your peace and quietness of heart.

And so, in all your daily work and duties, Keep sweet. "

(Winsome Christianity)

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June 26

"The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." 

(Acts 11:26)

In July 1860, the world’s first nursing school opened at St. Thomas Hospital in London.  Today that school is part of the King’s College, where nursing students are called Nightingales.  The school - like modern nursing itself - was established by Florence Nightingale, who revolutionized nursing during the Crimean War.

When prospective nurses complete their training, they take the “Nightingale Pledge”  a reflection of her ongoing impact on nursing. 

Many people, like Florence Nightingale, have had significant impact on our world.  But no one has had a greater effect than Jesus, whose birth, death, and resurrection have been transforming lives for 2,000 years.  

Around the world, Christ’s name marks those who are His followers, going back to the earliest days of the church.  “When he (Barnabas) had found him (Saul) he brought him unto Antioch.  And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people.  And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). 

Those who bear Christ’s name identify with Him because we have been changed by His love and grace.  We declare to the world that He has made an eternal diffence in our lives and we long for that in the hearts of others too.  (Bill Crowder)

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“Our daily Bread”, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2014), Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted Permission) 

June 27

If Only…

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory,

the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

(John 1:14) 

A scoffing, unbelieving husband and father was gently asked by his wife, “Wouldn’t you like to go with us to the Christmas Eve service?” She had asked often before. Again, his response was something like, I don’t believe any of that hogwash – why would I go?

There was a blizzard-like snowstorm that night. As he sat through the evening he heard a thump against his window. He looked out to see what had made the thump, and he saw, fluttering in the snow, a little bird that had been injured.

He felt sorry for the bird, so he went outside with the thought of bringing it into the safety of the house. But every time he tried to get close to it it would move away. He spoke softly and moved slowly so as not to scare it further but to no avail.

In desperation, he said, “If only I could become a bird like him he would understand that I want to help him, not hurt him.”

Suddenly, it dawned on him the magnitude of what he had just said!  He finally realized the wonder of what had happened two thousand years before, that God the Son had become a man so that He might bring us to the Father.

The man’s stubborn and rebellious heart was broken and he surrendered to God, finally realizing and confessing that he had been rejecting the very God who so loved him and had given Himself for him.

What a joyous reunion awaited the dear wife and children when they returned home that night!

(LIFElines F. Pratt)

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

 (1 John 4:9). 

  Have you surrendered your heart?

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June 28

“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him,

Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.”

(Luke 19:5)

Zacchaeus was seeking.

In fact, he went to great lengths to secure just a view of the passing Lord Jesus.

What he didn’t realize was that the Lord was seeking, too.

The Lord stopped under the very tree that Zacchaeus had climbed,

looked up at him, and called him by name.

What a moment!

Perhaps you are seeking too, trying any number of things to satisfy your longing soul.

Be assured that the Saviour is still seeking as well.

Put your faith in Him and He will come into your life as He did with Zacchaeus.

(John Clegg)

“Jesus, my Saviour, to Bethlehem came, born in a manger to sorrow and shame;

Oh, it was wonderful, blest be His name, seeking for me, for me!”

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June 29

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” 

(Philippians 3:7-8)

Paul counted “all things” (natural and religious. — Ed.) not only as useless, but as real “loss.” 

They kept him back from Christ.

Sorrows, trials, and exercises here are our income, so to speak.

We learn on one side the utter insufficiency of self — and on the other the perfect sufficiency of God.

The strength given is not to deliver us out of the difficulties, but “unto all patience.”

(Hunt’s Sayings)

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June 30

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; 

who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising 

the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:2)  

UNTO JESUS and not at our meditations and our prayers, 

our pious conversations and our profitable reading, 

the holy meetings that we attend,

nor even to our taking part in the supper of the Lord.

Let us faithfully use all these means of grace,

but without confusing them with grace itself; 

and without turning our gaze away from Him

Who alone makes them effectual, 

when, by their means, He reveals Himself to us. 

(Translated from the French of Theodore Monod by Helen Willis)

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