53. Devotional: Importunity And Perseverance

Importunity And Perseverance

by J. C. Philpot 

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9)

    Wherever there is true prayer, there is importunity. Wherever the Lord brings trials upon the soul, he pours out upon it the spirit of grace and supplications. He thus encourages and enables the soul to be importunate with him. The blessings and benefits of perseverance and importunity in prayer the Lord has brought prominently before us in two parables - one, of the man in bed with his children, who would not get up and relieve his friend, but yet was overcome by his importunity. And the other, of the woman, who had a legal issue, and went before the judge, who feared not God, neither regarded man; yet by her continual going to him, overcame him at last by her importunity (Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-7).  

    Thus importunity and perseverance form the very character of true prayer. If the child of God has a burden - if he is laboring under a strong temptation - if his soul is passing through some pressing trial - he is not satisfied with merely going to a throne of grace and coming away. There is at such times and seasons, as the Lord enables, real importunity; there is a holy wrestling; there are fervent desires; there are unceasing groans; there is a laboring to enter into rest; there is a struggling after deliverance; there is a crying unto the Lord, until he appears and manifests himself in the soul.

52. Devotional: We Are Thought Of By God

We Are Thought Of By God

by C. H. Spurgeon

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God. (Ps. 139:17)

    Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking upon us, never turns aside his mind from us, has us always before his eyes; and this is precisely as we would have it, for it would be dreadful to exist for a moment beyond the observation of our heavenly Father. His thoughts are always tender, loving, wise, prudent, far-reaching, and they bring to us countless benefits: hence it is a choice delight to remember them. 

    The Lord always did think upon his people: hence their election and the covenant of grace by which their salvation is secured; he always will think upon them: hence their final perseverance by which they shall be brought safely to their final rest. In all our wanderings the watchful glance of the Eternal Watcher is evermore fixed upon us—we never roam beyond the Shepherd's eye. In our sorrows he observes us incessantly, and not a pang escapes him; in our toils he marks all our weariness, and writes in his book all the struggles of his faithful ones. These thoughts of the Lord encompass us in all our paths, and penetrate the innermost region of our being. Not a nerve or tissue, valve or vessel, of our bodily organization is uncared for; all the littles of our little world are thought upon by the great God.          

    Dear reader, is this precious to you? then hold to it. Never be led astray by those philosophic fools who preach up an impersonal God, and talk of self-existent, self-governing matter. The Lord liveth and thinketh upon us, this is a truth far too precious for us to be lightly robbed of it. The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinketh upon us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore.

51. Hymn: O For A Closer Walk With God

O For A Closer Walk With God

Author: William Cowper

Tune: BEATITUDO, by John B. Dykes

(Vocal)

(Melody)

1. Oh for a closer walk with God,

    A calm and heavenly frame, 

    A light to shine upon the road 

    That leads me to the Lamb!  

2. Where is the blessedness I knew 

    When first I saw the Lord? 

    Where is the soul-refreshing view 

    Of Jesus and His word?  

3. What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! 

    How sweet their memory still! 

    But they have left an aching void 

    The world can never fill.  

4. Return, O holy Dove! return, 

    Sweet messenger of rest; 

    I hate the sins that made Thee mourn, 

    And drove Thee from my breast.  

5. The dearest idol I have known, 

    Whate'er that idol be; 

    Help me to tear it from Thy throne, 

    And worship only Thee.  

6. So shall my walk be close with God, 

    Calm and serene my frame; 

    And purer light shall mark the road 

    That leads me to the Lamb.

50. Devotional: Forget And Forgive

Forget And Forgive

by C. H. Spurgeon 

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee. (Prov 20:22)

    Be not in haste. Let anger cool down. Say nothing and do nothing to avenge yourself. You will be sure to act unwisely if you take up the cudgels and fight your own battles; and, certainly, you will not show the spirit of the Lord Jesus, It is nobler to forgive and let the offense pass. To let an injury rankle in your bosom and to meditate revenge is to keep old wounds open and to make new ones. Better forget and forgive.  

    Peradventure, you say that you must do something or be a great loser; then do what this morning’s promise advises: “Wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.” This advice will not cost you money but is worth far more, Be calm and quiet. Wait upon the Lord; tell Him your grievance; spread Rabshakeh’s letter before the Lord, and this of itself will be an ease to your burdened mind. Besides, there is the promise “He shall save thee.” God will find a way of deliverance for you. How He will do it neither you nor I can guess, but do it He will, If the Lord saves you, this will be a deal better than getting into petty quarrels and covering yourself with filth by wrestling with the unclean, Be no more angry. Leave your suit with the Judge of all.

49. Hymn: Zeal And Patience

Zeal And Patience

Author: John H. Newman

1. O COMRADE bold of toil and pain!     

    Thy trial how severe, 

    When sever'd first by prisoner's chain     

    From thy loved labour-sphere!  

2. Say, did impatience first impel     

    The heaven-sent bond to break? 

    Or, couldst thou bear its hindrance well,     

    Loitering for Jesu's sake?  

3. Oh, might we know! for sore we feel     

    The languor of delay, 

    When sickness lets our fainter zeal,     

    Or foes block up our way. 

4. Lord! who Thy thousand years dost wait     

    To work the thousandth part 

    Of Thy vast plan, for us create     

    With zeal a patient heart.

48. Hymn: At The Approach Of Temptation

At The Approach Of Temptation

Author: Charles Wesley

1. God of my life, whose gracious power     Through various deaths my soul hath led,     Or turn’d aside the fatal hour,     Or lifted up my sinking head;

2. In all my ways Thy hand I own,     Thy ruling providence I see:     O, help me still my course to run,     And still direct my paths to Thee.

3. On Thee my helpless soul is cast,     And looks again Thy grace to prove:     I call to mind the wonders past,     The countless wonders of Thy love.

4. Thou, Lord, my spirit oft hast stay’d,     Hast snatch’d me from the gaping tomb,     A monument of mercy made,     And rescued me from wrath to come.

5. Oft hath the sea confess’d Thy power,     And gave me back to Thy command:     It could not, Lord, my life devour,     Safe in the hollow of Thy hand.

6. Oft from the margin of the grave     Thou, Lord, hast lifted up my head:     Sudden I found Thee near to save;     The fever own’d Thy touch, and fled.

7. But, O the mightier work of grace,     That still the life of faith I live,     That still I pant to sing Thy praise,     That still my all I gasp to give!

8. Pluck’d from the roaring lion’s teeth,     Caught up from the eternal fire,     Snatch’d from the gates of hell, I breathe,     And, lo to heaven I still aspire!

9. Whither, O, whither should I fly,     But to my loving Saviour’s breast?     Secure within Thy arms to lie,     And safe beneath Thy wings to rest.

10. I see the fiery trial near;     But Thou, my God, art still the same:     Hell, earth, and sin I scorn to fear,     Divinely arm’d with Jesu’s Name.

11. I have no skill the snare to shun,     But Thou, O Christ, my wisdom art:     I ever into ruin run,     But Thou art greater than my heart.

12. I have no might to oppose the foe,     But everlasting strength is Thine.     Show me the way that I should go,     Show me the path I should decline.

13. Which shall I leave, and which pursue?     Thou only my Adviser be;     My God, I know not what to do;     But, O! mine eyes are fix’d on Thee!

14. Foolish, and impotent, and blind,     Lead me a way I have not known;     Bring me where I my heaven may find,     The heaven of loving Thee alone.

15. Enlarge my heart to make Thee room;     Enter, and in me ever stay:     The crooked then shall straight become.     The darkness shall be lost in day!

47. Devotional: Come Away

Come Away

by C. H. Spurgeon

Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.
         (Song of Solomon 2:10)          

    Lo, I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and he would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me “Rise up,” and well he may, for I have long enough been lying among the pots of worldliness. He is risen, I am risen in him, why then should I cleave unto the dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations, I would rise towards him. 

    He calls me by the sweet title of “My love,” and counts me fair; this is a good argument for my rising. If he has thus exalted me, and thinks me thus comely, how can I linger in the tents of Kedar and find congenial associates among the sons of men? He bids me “Come away.” Further and further from everything selfish, grovelling, worldly, sinful, he calls me; yea, from the outwardly religious world which knows him not, and has no sympathy with the mystery of the higher life, he calls me. “Come away” has no harsh sound in it to my ear, for what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin? 

    O my Lord, would that I could come away, but I am taken among the thorns, and cannot escape from them as I would. I would, if it were possible, have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin. Thou callest me to thyself by saying “Come away,” and this is a melodious call indeed. To come to thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes. But Lord, how can a stone rise, how can a lump of clay come away from the horrible pit? O raise me, draw me. Thy grace can do it. Send forth thy Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away.

46. Hymns: Quiet, Lord, My Froward Heart

Quiet, Lord, My Froward Heart

Author: John Newton

1. Quiet, Lord, my froward heart;
    Make me teachable and mild,
    Upright, simple, free from art;
    Make me as a weaned child,
    From distrust and envy free,
    Pleased with all that pleases Thee.

2. What Thou shalt to-day provide
    Let me as a child receive;
    What to-morrow may betide
    Calmly to Thy wisdom leave:
    'Tis enough that Thou wilt care;
    Why should I the burden bear?

3. As a little child relies
    On a care beyond his own,
    Knows he's neither strong nor wise,
    Fears to stir a step alone,
    Let me thus with Thee abide,
    As my Father, Guard, and Guide.

4. Thus preserved from Satan's wiles,
    Safe from dangers, free from fears,
    May I live upon Thy smiles
    Till the promised hour appears,
    When the sons of God shall prove
    All their Father's boundless love.

45. Hymn: And Can My Heart Aspire So High

And Can My Heart Aspire So High

Author: Anne Steele

1. And can my heart aspire so high
    To say—My Father, God?
    Lord, at Thy feet, I fain would lie,
    And learn to kiss the rod.

2. I would submit to all Thy will,
    For thou art good and wise;
    Let every anxious thought be still,
    Nor one faint murmur rise.

3. Thy love can cheer the darksome gloom,
    And bid me wait serene,
    Till hopes and joys immortal bloom,
    And brighten all the scene.

4. My Father, O permit my heart
    To plead her humble claim,
    And ask the bliss those words impart,
    In my Redeemer's name.

44. Devotional: The Warning Against Wantoning

The Warning Against Wantoning

by Oswald Chambers

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you.
(Luke 10:20)

    As Christian workers, worldliness is not our snare, sin is not our snare, but spiritual wantoning is, viz.: taking the pattern and print of the religious age we live in, making eyes at spiritual success. Never court anything other than the approval of God, go “without the camp, bearing His reproach.” Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice in successful service, and yet this seems to be the one thing in which most of us do rejoice. We have the commercial view—so many souls saved and sanctified, thank God, now it is all right. Our work begins where God’s grace has laid the foundation; we are not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God’s sovereign grace; our work as His disciples is to disciple lives until they are wholly yielded to God. One life wholly devoted to God is of more value to God than one hundred lives simply awakened by His Spirit. As workers for God we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, and that will be God’s witness to us as workers. God brings us to a standard of life by His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that standard in others. 

    Unless the worker lives a life hidden with Christ in God, he is apt to become an irritating dictator instead of an indwelling disciple. Many of us are dictators, we dictate to people and to meetings. Jesus never dictates to us in that way. Whenever Our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced it with an ‘IF,’ never with an emphatic assertion—‘You must.’ Discipleship carries an option with it.

43. Devotional: The Worship Of The Work

The Worship Of The Work

by Oswald Chambers

Labourers together with God. (1 Cor. 3:9)

    Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child—a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn, dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God’s blessing cannot rest. 

    But the other side is just as true—when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living, constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only—to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker. 

    We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”

42. Devotional: Trust Him Fully

Trust Him Fully

by A. B. Simpson

Fret not thyself in any wise. (Ps 37:8)

    A life was lost in Israel because a pair of human hands were laid unbidden upon the ark of God. They were placed upon it with the best intent to steady it when trembling and shaking as the oxen drew it along the rough way, but they touched God's work presumptuously, and they fell paralyzed and lifeless. Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone. If we wholly trust an interest to God we can keep our hands off it, and He will guard it for us better than we can help Him. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Fret not thyself in any wise because of him that prospereth in the way, because of the man that bringeth wicked devices to pass. Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will.

41. Devotional: He Will Do The Impossible

He Will Do The Impossible

by David Wilkerson

    God can restore whatever has seemed dead in our lives with just a single word. Are you having financial problems, unable to pay your bills? So it was with the Lord’s disciples—and He fixed their situation supernaturally. When tax time came around, Christ and His disciples had no money to pay the needed amount. So how did the Lord fix the situation? He sent Peter out to catch a fish. Jesus told him he would find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he caught, and that coin would cover their tax bill. “Go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish . . . and when thou has opened his mouth, thou shalt fine a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee” (Matthew 17:27).  

    I can only imagine what Peter must have thought; “Tax money in a fish’s mouth? This I’ve got to see. I’ve been a fisherman all my life, and I’ve seen a lot of things inside fish—worms, hooks, seaweed. But I’ve never seen a coin inside one.” Yet, when Peter reeled in the fish, he opened its mouth to find a gleaming coin. The amount was enough to pay their taxes, just as Jesus had said.  Why did the Spirit move upon the gospel writers to record this story? And why did Jesus choose to fix their situation through a miracle? Why didn’t He just take up an offering, or send the disciples out to work for a day to bring in wages for the tax?  

    I believe Jesus moved supernaturally here because He wanted to prove to His children that He will do the impossible for us. He can fix any financial problem, any family crisis, any overwhelming need. He wanted us to know that He is the same God who fed Elijah with bread delivered by ravens (see 1 Kings 17). He fed a crowd of 5,000 (see Mark 6:34-44) and another crowd of 4,000 (Mark 8:1-9) with a few fishes and loaves of bread. He knows that at certain times in our lives only a miracle will do. And He wants to assure us that He can do the impossible for us, in any situation!

40. Devotional: It's Never Too Late

It's Never Too Late

by David Wilkerson

    Mark 5 tells the story of Jairus, the desperate synagogue ruler who asked Jesus to heal his daughter. The twelve-year-old girl was dangerously near death, and Jairus pleaded with Christ to come to his house and lay hands on her. Jesus agreed to go with him. But first He stopped along the way to minister to a woman with a blood disease. (This was the woman who was healed when she touched the hem of His garment.) Yet, while Jesus tarried, a messenger came with tragic news: Jairus’ daughter had already died. The messenger told the synagogue ruler, “Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?” (Mark 5:35).  

    Jairus’ heart was gripped with grief. He thought, “If only we had gotten there on time. Now it's too late. My daughter is gone.” But Jesus assured him, “Be not afraid, only believe” (verse 36). As the group approached Jairus’ home, they heard sounds of wailing and mourning. It was Jairus’ family and neighbors, grieving over the girl. Picture the contrast in this scene: Here was God in flesh, Creator of the universe, able to perform any work imaginable—yet the people were weeping in His presence. In short, they were testifying, “God can only help as long as there is some sign of hope left. But once all life is gone, there is no need to call on Him anymore. Even He can't restore this kind of situation.”

    How many Christians today no longer call upon the Lord because they think their problem is hopeless? Multitudes trust God only to the point that something in their life dies. I’m not referring to the death of a person but rather the death of a marriage, a relationship, a dream, your hope for an unsaved loved one—anything in your life you think is impossible to fix, change or restore.  

    Jesus rebuked such unbelief. He said to the weeping crowd at Jairus’ home, “Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth” (verse 39). He was stating, “This situation is not what you see or think. You think all hope is gone but I say there will be restoration.” He then went to the little girl’s room and, speaking a mere word, He brought the child to life. “Straightway the damsel arose, and walked” (verse 42). Why did the Holy Ghost include this story in Mark’s gospel? He did it to show us that nothing is too “dead” or too far gone for Him to restore to life. He is saying, “Put your trust in Me to fix your problem. It’s never too late for Me to work.”  

39. Hymn: There's A Wideness In God's Mercy

There's A Wideness In God's Mercy

Author: F. W. Faber

Tune: ST. HELENA, by Calvin Hampton

(Vocal)

1. There's a wideness in God's mercy, 

    Like the wideness of the sea, 

    There's a kindness in His justice, 

    Which is more than liberty.  

2. There is welcome for the sinner, 

    And more graces for the good; 

    There is mercy with the Savior, 

    There is healing in His blood.  

3. There is no place where earth's sorrows 

    Are more felt than up in heaven. 

    There is no place where earth's failings 

    Have such kindly judgment given.

4. There is plentiful redemption 

    In the Blood that has been shed; 

    There is joy for all the members 

    In the sorrows of the Head.

5. But we make His love too narrow 

    By false limits of our own; 

    And we magnify His strictness 

    With a zeal He will not own.

6. For the love of God is broader 

    Than the measures of man's mind; 

    And the heart of the Eternal; 

    Is most wonderfully kind.  

7. If our love were but more simple, 

    We should take Him at His word, 

    And our lives be all sunshine 

    In the sweetness of our Lord.

38. Ministry: A. B. Simpson

1. Christ In The Bible Commentary
     http://www.biblesupport.com/e-sword.....

2. Worthy Christian Library
     http://www.worthychristianlibrary.com

3. E-Books
     http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books.....

37. Devotional: Comforted

Comforted

by J. R. Miller

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matt 5:4)

    We do not usually regard sorrowing people as blessed. Here, however, is a special beatitude for mourners. In particular, Jesus probably meant penitent mourners. In all this world there is nothing so precious before God as tears of contrition; no diamonds or pearls shine with such brilliance in His sight. It was Jesus Himself Who said, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth”. Truly blessed, therefore, are those who in true penitence grieve over their sins; a holy light shines from heaven upon all such mourners. They are comforted with God’s pardon and peace.  

    But no doubt the beatitude refers also to those children of God who are in sorrow, from whatever cause. Blessing is never nearer to us than when we are in affliction. If we do not get it, it is because we will not receive it. Some day we shall see that we have gotten our best things from heaven, not in the days of our earthly joy and gladness, but in the times of trial and affliction.  

    Tears are lenses through which our dim eyes see more deeply into heaven and look more fully upon God’s face than in any other way. Sorrows cleanse our hearts of earthliness and fertilize our lives. The days of pain really do far more for us than the days of rejoicing. We grow best when clouds hang over us, because clouds bear rain, and rain refreshes. Then God’s comfort is such a rich experience that it is well worth while to endure trial, just to enjoy the sweet and precious comfort which God gives in it.  

    But to receive from our sorrows their possibilities of blessing, we must accept the affliction as a messenger from God, and pray for true comfort, not the mere drying of our tears, but grace to profit by our affliction, and to get from it the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

36. Hymn: Wait Patiently For Him

Wait Patiently For Him

by Frances R. Havergal

1. God doth not bid thee wait, 

    To disappoint at last; 

    A golden promise, fair and great, 

    In precept-mold is cast. 

    Soon shall the morning gild 

    The dark horizon-rim, 

    Thy heart's desire shall be fulfilled. 

    "Wait patiently for Him."  

2. The weary waiting times 

    Are but the muffled peals, 

    Low preluding celestial chimes, 

    That hail His chariot-wheels. 

    Trust Him to tune thy voice 

    To blend with seraphim; 

    His "Wait" shall issue in "Rejoice!" 

    "Wait patiently for Him."  

3. He doth not bid thee wait, 

    Like drift-wood on the wave, 

    For fickle chance or fixed fate 

    To ruin or to save. 

    Thine eyes shall surely see,

    No distant hope or dim, 

    The Lord thy God arise for thee: 

    "Wait patiently for Him."

35. Devotional: God's Training

God's Training

by J. R. Miller

The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king. (2 Samuel 2:4) 

    David had been a long time in preparation for his place.  

   When only a boy he was anointed, but he was not fit then to be a king. He was taken to Saul’s court, where he learned much about the ways of kings. The envy of Saul seemed a bitter thing to break into such a happy career as David’s. But this too had its place in his training. It taught him patience and self–control. It forced him out among the people, away from luxury and refinement, into caves and mountains, where he learned how the common people lived, and was taught sympathy with men in their hardships and trials.  

    He was a better king afterward, because of his long years of persecution and exile. In these and in other ways was David made ready for his duties as king. We must not think it strange if we are called to endure trials, temptations, hardships, and suffering in our earlier years, for it is in this way that God would train us for noble character and for larger usefulness.

34. Devotional: Learn To Be A Good Soldier

Learn To Be A Good Soldier

by J. C. Philpot

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
(2 Timothy 2:3)

    We often get into states and frames of mind, where we need something else besides consolation. A child would not grow, if it were always fed upon sweetmeats. It must have exercise, and be exposed to the weather, and have the cold winds blow upon its face, and be hardened, so as to enable it to bear the chill winter and the nipping frosts. 

    So the child of God is not always petted, and fed upon love-tokens. He is not always carried in the warm bosom, or sucking the breasts of consolation, but he has to learn lessons to fit him to be a soldier. The soldier, we know, has to endure hardships. He has to lie all night upon the wet grass; to be pinched with hunger, parched with thirst, and nipped with cold; to make harassing marches; to hear the roar of the cannon and the whistling of the bullets, "the thunder of the captains and the shouting;" to see the flash of the sabre uplifted to cut him down, and the glitter of the bayonet at his breast, aye, and to feel painful and dangerous wounds. 

    So with the spiritual soldier in God's camp. He has to hunger and thirst, to suffer cold, nakedness, and hard privations, to be shot at by the arrows of calumny and the fiery darts of Satan, to make harassing marches through an enemy's country, to suffer painful wounds, and by these very exercises learn to be a soldier. Only so far as he is thus exercised spiritually can he learn the art of war, can he know how to fight and make effectual battle under the banners of the Lord against the enemies of his salvation. 

33. Hymn: Be Still My Soul

Be Still My Soul

Author: Kathrina von Schlegel

Tune: FINLANDIA, by Jean Sibelius

(Vocal)

(Melody)

1. Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
    Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
    Leave to thy God to order and provide;
    In every change, He faithful will remain.
    Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
    Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
    To guide the future, as He has the past.
    Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
    All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
    Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
    His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
    And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
    Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
    Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
    Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
    From His own fullness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
    When we shall be forever with the Lord.
    When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
    Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
    Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
    All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

5. Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
    On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
    Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
    So shall He view thee with a well-pleased eye.
    Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
    Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

32. Hymn: God Moves In A Mysterious Way

God Moves In A Mysterious Way

Author: William Cowper

Tune: DUNDEE, Arr. by Thomas Ravenscroft

(Vocal)

(Melody)

1. God moves in a mysterious way 

    His wonders to perform, 

    He plants His footsteps in the sea, 

    And rides upon the storm.   

2. Deep and unfathomable mines 

    Of never-failing skill, 

    He treasures up his bright designs, 

    And works his sov'reign will.  

3. Ye fearful saints! fresh courage take: 

    The clouds ye so much dread 

    Are big with mercy, and will break 

    In blessings on your head.  

4. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 

    But trust Him for His grace; 

    Behind a frowning providence 

    He hides a smiling face.  

5. His purposes will ripen fast, 

    Unfolding ev'ry hour. 

    The bud may have a bitter taste, 

    But sweet will be the flow'r.  

6. Blind unbelief is sure to err, 

    And scan His work in vain. 

    God is His own interpreter, 

    And He will make it plain.

31. Devotional: It Is Well

It Is Well

by C. H. Spurgeon

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him. (Isaiah 3:10)          

    It is well with the righteous ALWAYS. If it had said, “Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in his prosperity,” we must have been thankful for so great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares: or if it had been written, “It is well with him when under persecution,” we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, for persecution is hard to bear; but when no time is mentioned, all time is included. God's “shalls” must be understood always in their largest sense. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions and under all circumstances, it shall be well with the righteous. 

     It is so well with him that we could not imagine it to be better, for he is well fed, he feeds upon the flesh and blood of Jesus; he is well clothed, he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; he is well housed, he dwells in God; he is well married, his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; he is well provided for, for the Lord is his Shepherd; he is well endowed, for heaven is his inheritance. 

     It is well with the righteous—well upon divine authority; the mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance. O beloved, if God declares that all is well, ten thousand devils may declare it to be ill, but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God for a faith which enables us to believe God when the creatures contradict him. It is, says the Word, at all times well with thee, thou righteous one; then, beloved, if thou canst not see it, let God's word stand thee in stead of sight; yea, believe it on divine authority more confidently than if thine eyes and thy feelings told it to thee. Whom God blesses is blest indeed, and what his lip declares is truth most sure and steadfast.

30. Devotional: Inspired Invincibility

Inspired Invincibility

by Oswald Chambers

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me. (Matthew 11:29)

    "Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth." How petty our complaining is! Our Lord begins to bring us into the place where we can have communion with Him, and we groan and say - "O Lord, let me be like other people!" Jesus is asking us to take one end of the yoke - "My yoke is easy, get alongside Me and we will pull together." Are you identified with the Lord Jesus like that? If so, you will thank God for the pressure of His hand.
   "To them that have no might He increaseth strength." God comes and takes us out of our sentimentality, and our complaining turns into a psalm of praise. The only way to know the strength of God is to take the yoke of Jesus upon us and learn of Him.

    "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Where do the saints get their joy from? If we did not know some saints, we would say - "Oh, he, or she, has nothing to bear." Lift the veil. The fact that the peace and the light and the joy of God are there is proof that the burden is there too. The burden God places squeezes the grapes and out comes the wine; most of us see the wine only. No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God in a human spirit, it is an inner unconquerableness.

    If you have the whine in you, kick it out ruthlessly. It is a positive crime to be weak in God's strength.

29. Devotional: My Choice Is His Choice

My Choice Is His Choice

by C. H. Spurgeon

He shall choose our inheritance for us. (Psalm 47:4)

    Our enemies would allot us a very dreary portion, but we are not left in their hands. The LORD will cause us to stand in our lot, and our place is appointed by His infinite wisdom. A wiser mind than our own arranges our destiny. The ordaining of all things is with God, and we are glad to have it so; we choose that God should choose for us. If we might have our own way we would wish to let all things go in God's way.          

    Being conscious of our own folly, we would not desire to rule our own destinies. We feel safer and more at ease when the LORD steers our vessel than we could possibly be if we could direct it according to our own judgment. Joyfully we leave the painful present and the unknown future with our Father, our Savior, our Comforter.          

    O my soul, this day lay down thy wishes at Jesus' feet! If thou hast of late been somewhat wayward and willful, eager to be and to do after thine own mind, now dismiss thy foolish self, and place the reins in the LORD's hands. Say, "He shall choose." If others dispute the sovereignty of the LORD and glory in the free will of man, do thou answer them, "He shall choose for me." It is my freest choice to let Him choose. As a free agent, I elect that He should have absolute sway.

28. Hymn: Yea My Spirit Fain Would Sink

Yea My Spirit Fain Would Sink

by Johann Joseph Winckler

1. Yea my spirit fain would sink
    In Thy heart and hands, my God,
    Waiting till Thou show the end
    Of the ways she here hath trod;
    Stripped of self, how calm her rest
    On her loving Father's breast!

2. And my soul repineth not,
    Well content whate'er befall;
    Murmurs, wishes, of self-will,
    They are slain and vanquished all,
    Restless thoughts, that fret and crave,
    Slumber in her Saviour's grave.

3. And my soul is free from care,
    For her thoughts from all things cease
    That can pierce like sharpest thorns
    Wounding sore the inner peace.
    He who made her careth well,
    She but seeks in peace to dwell.

4. And my soul despaireth not,
    Loving God amid her woe;
    Grief that wrings and breaks the heart
    Only they who hate Him know:
    They who love Him still possess
    Comfort in their worst distress.

5. And my soul complaineth not,
    For she knows not pain or fear,
    Clinging to her God in faith,
    Trusting though He slay her here.
    'Tis when flesh and blood repine,
    Sun of joy, Thou canst not shine.

6. Thus my soul before her God
    Lieth still, nor speaketh more,
    Conqueror thus o'er pain and wrong,
    That once smote her to the core;
    Like a silent ocean, bright
    With her God's great praise and light.

27. Devotional: What To Do Under The Conditions

What To Do Under The Conditions

by Oswald Chambers

Cast thy burden upon the Lord. (Psalm 55:22)

    We must distinguish between the burden-bearing that is right and the burden-bearing that is wrong. We ought never to bear the burden of sin or of doubt, but there are burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off, He wants us to roll them back on Him. "Cast that He hath given thee upon the Lord." (R.V. marg.) If we undertake work for God and get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility will be overwhelmingly crushing; but if we roll back on God that which He has put upon us, He takes away the sense of responsibility by bringing in the realization of Himself.

     Many workers have gone out with high courage and fine impulses, but with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, and before long they are crushed. They do not know what to do with the burden, it produces weariness, and people say - "What an embittered end to such a beginning!"

    "Roll thy burden upon the Lord" - you have been bearing it all; deliberately put one end on the shoulders of God. "The government shall be upon His shoulder." Commit to God "that He hath given thee"; not fling it off, but put it over on to Him and yourself with it, and the burden is lightened by the sense of companionship. Never disassociate yourself from the burden.

26. Devotional: Our Faithful High Priest

Our Faithful High Priest

by C. H. Spurgeon

My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (Psalm 22:14)

    Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?" Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; all besides is as nothing. Well might the suffering Saviour cry to his God, "Be not far from me," for above all other seasons a man needs his God when his heart is melted within him because of heaviness. 

     Believer, come near the cross this morning, and humbly adore the King of glory as having once been brought far lower, in mental distress and inward anguish, than any one among us; and mark his fitness to become a faithful High Priest, who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Especially let those of us whose sadness springs directly from the withdrawal of a present sense of our Father's love, enter into near and intimate communion with Jesus. 

      Let us not give way to despair, since through this dark room the Master has passed before us. Our souls may sometimes long and faint, and thirst even to anguish, to behold the light of the Lord's countenance: at such times let us stay ourselves with the sweet fact of the sympathy of our great High Priest. Our drops of sorrow may well be forgotten in the ocean of his griefs; but how high ought our love to rise! 

     Come in, O strong and deep love of Jesus, like the sea at the flood in spring tides, cover all my powers, drown all my sins, wash out all my cares, lift up my earth-bound soul, and float it right up to my Lord's feet, and there let me lie, a poor broken shell, washed up by his love, having no virtue or value; and only venturing to whisper to him that if he will put his ear to me, he will hear within my heart faint echoes of the vast waves of his own love which have brought me where it is my delight to lie, even at his feet forever.

25. Hymn: O Doubting, Struggling Christian

O Doubting, Struggling Christian

Author: A. B. Simpson 

(Melody)

1. O doubting, struggling Christian,   

    Why thus in anguish pray? 

    O cease to doubt and struggle,   

    There is a better way.  

Refrain: 

O settle it all with Jesus,   

O settle it all today; 

O cease to doubt and struggle,   

O cease to plead and pray; 

O rest in His word forever,     

And settle it all today. 

2. Give up thy will to Jesus,   

    And trust Him though He slay; 

    Hush all thy fears and questions,   

    And settle it today. 

3. O soul so tossed with tempest,   

    Upon His promise stay; 

    Cast out faith’s strong sheet anchor,   

    And settle it today. 

4. Lord, I give up the struggle,   

    To Thee commit my way; 

    I trust Thy word forever,   

    And settle it today.

24. Hymn: Like A River Glorious

Like A River Glorious

Author: Frances R. Havergal (1836-1879)

Tune: WYE VALLEY, by James Mountain

(Vocal)
(Music)

1. Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
    Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
    Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
    Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.

Refrain: 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.  

2. Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
    Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
    Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
    Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.  

3. Every joy or trial falleth from above,
    Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
    We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
    They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

23. Hymn: Jesus, My Strength, My Hope

Jesus, My Strength, My Hope

by Charles Wesley

1. Jesus, my strength, my hope, 

    On thee I cast my care, 

    With humble confidence look up, 

    And know thou hear’st my prayer; 

    Give me on thee to wait, 

    Till I can all things do, 

    On thee, Almighty to create. 

    Almighty to renew.  

2. I want a sober mind, 

    A self-renouncing will, 

    That tramples down, and casts behind 

    The baits of pleasing ill. 

    A soul inur'd to pain, 

    To hardship, grief, and loss; 

    Bold to take up, firm to sustain, 

    The consecrated cross.  

3. I want a godly fear, 

    A quick-discerning eye, 

    That looks to thee when sin is near, 

    And bids the tempter fly; 

    A spirit still prepar'd, 

    And arm'd with jealous care, 

    For ever standing on its guard, 

    And watching unto prayer.  

4. I want a heart to pray, 

    To pray and never cease, 

    Never to murmur at thy stay 

    Or wish my suff'rings less. 

    This blessing, above all, 

    Always to pray I want, 

    Out of the deep on thee to call, 

    And never, never faint.  

5. I want a true regard, 

    A single, steady aim, 

    Unmov'd by threat'ning or reward, 

    To thee and thy great name; 

    A jealous just concern 

    For thine immortal praise: 

    A pure desire that all may learn, 

    And glorify thy grace.

22. Devotional: Worshiper Or Worker?

Worshiper Or Worker?

by A. W. Tozer

Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:10)

    I think that God has given me a little bit of a spirit of a crusader and I am crusading where I can that Christians of all denominations and shades of theological thought might be restored again to our original purpose. 

    We're here to be worshipers first and workers only second. We take a convert and immediately make a worker out of him. God never meant it to be so. God meant that a convert should learn to be a worshiper, and after that he can learn to be a worker. Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15). Peter wanted to go at once, but Christ said, "Don't go yet. Wait until you are endued with power." (See Luke 24:49) 

    Power for service? Yes, but that's only half of it; maybe that's only one-tenth of it. The other nine-tenths are that the Holy Ghost may restore to us again the spirit of worship. Out of enraptured, admiring, adoring, worshiping souls, then, God does His work. The work done by a worshiper will have eternity in it.

21. Hymn: Waiting! Yes, Patiently Waiting!

Waiting! Yes, Patiently Waiting!

by J. Danson Smith

1. Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting! 

    Till next steps made plain shall be; 

    To hear, with the inner hearing, 

    The Voice that will call for me.  

2. Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting! 

    With hope that need not grow dim; 

    The Master is pledged to guide me, 

    And my eyes are unto Him.  

3. Waiting! Expectantly waiting! 

    Perhaps it may be today 

    The Master will quickly open 

    The gate to my future way.  

4. Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting! 

     I know, though I’ve waited long, 

    That, while He withholds His purpose, 

    His waiting cannot be wrong.  

5. Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting! 

    The Master will not be late: 

    He knoweth that I am waiting 

    For Him to unlatch the gate.

20. Hymn: Step By Step

Step By Step

by Frank J. Exley

As thou goest, step by step, I will open up the way before the thee.
(Proverbs 4:12, Hebrew Translation)

1. Child of My love, fear not the unknown morrow, 

    Dread not the new demand life makes of thee; 

    Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow 

    Since what thou knowest not is known to Me.  

2. Thou canst not see to-day the hidden meaning 

    Of My command, but thou the light shalt gain; 

    Walk on in faith, upon My promise leaning, 

    And as thou goest all shall be made plain.  

3. One step thou seest—then go forward boldly, 

    One step is far enough for faith to see; 

    Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee, 

    For step by step thy Lord is leading thee.  

4. Stand not in fear thy adversaries counting, 

    Dare every peril, save to disobey; 

    Thou shalt march on, all obstacles surmounting, 

    For I, the Strong, will open up the way.  

5. Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee, 

    Having My promise, needing nothing more 

    Than just to know, where'er the future find thee, 

    In all thy journeying I go before.

19. Devotional: Shut In With God

Shut In With God

by G. D. Watson

Thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons" (2 Kings 4:4).  

    They were to be alone with God, for they were not dealing with the laws of nature, nor human government, nor the church, nor the priesthood, nor even with the great prophet of God, but they must needs be isolated from all creatures, from all leaning circumstances, from all props of human reason, and swung off, as it were, into the vast blue inter-stellar space, hanging on God alone, in touch with the fountain of miracles. 

    Here is a part in the programme of God's dealings, a secret chamber of isolation in prayer and faith which every soul must enter that is very fruitful. There are times and places where God will form a mysterious wall around us, and cut away all props, and all the ordinary ways of doing things, and shut us up to something Divine, which is utterly new and unexpected, something that old circumstances do not fit into, where we do not know just what will happen, where God is cutting the cloth of our lives on a new pattern, where He makes us look to Himself.  

    Most religious live in a sort of treadmill life, where they can calculate almost everything that will happen, but the souls that God leads out into immediate and special dealings, He shuts in where all they know is that God has hold of them, and is dealing with them, and their expectation is from Him alone. Like this widow, we must be detached from outward things and attached inwardly to the Lord alone in order to see His wonders.

18. Hymn: My Faith Has Found A Resting Place

My Faith Has Found A Resting Place

Author: Eliza E. Hewitt

Tune: LANDÅS, by André Grétry

(Vocal)

(Melody)

1. My faith has found a resting place, 

    Not in device nor creed; 

    I trust the Everliving One, 

    His wounds for me shall plead.  

Refrain: 

I need no other argument, 

I need no other plea, 

It is enough that Jesus died, 

And that He died for me.  

2. Enough for me that Jesus saves, 

    This ends my fear and doubt; 

    A sinful soul I come to Him, 

    He’ll never cast me out.   

3. My heart is leaning on the Word, 

    The written Word of God, 

    Salvation by my Saviour’s name, 

    Salvation thro' His blood.   

4. My great Physician heals the sick, 

    The lost He came to save; 

    For me His precious blood He shed, 

    For me His life He gave.

17. Devotional: Those Borders Of Distrust

Those Borders Of Distrust

by Oswald Chambers

Behold, the hour cometh, . . . that ye shall be scattered. (John 16:32)

    Jesus is not rebuking the disciples, their faith was real, but it was disturbed; it was not at work in actual things. The disciples were scattered to their own interests, alive to interests that never were in Jesus Christ. After we have been perfectly related to God in sanctification, our faith has to be worked out in actualities. We shall be scattered, not into work, but into inner desolations and made to know what internal death to God’s blessings means. Are we prepared for this? It is not that we choose it, but that God engineers our circumstances so that we are brought there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is bolstered up by feelings and by blessings. When once we get there, no matter where God places us or what the inner desolations are, we can praise God that all is well. That is faith being worked out in actualities. 

    “. . . and shall leave Me alone.” Have we left Jesus alone by the scattering of His providence? Because we do not see God in our circumstances? Darkness comes by the sovereignty of God. Are we prepared to let God do as He likes with us—prepared to be separated from conscious blessings? Until Jesus Christ is Lord, we all have ends of our own to serve; our faith is real, but it is not permanent yet. God is never in a hurry; if we wait, we shall see that God is pointing out that we have not been interested in Himself, but only in His blessings. The sense of God’s blessing is elemental.

    “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Spiritual grit is what we need.

16. Link: Bible Study Software

1. e-Sword
     http://www.biblesupport.com

2. the Word
     http://www.wordmodules.com

15. Bibliography: A Guide To Build A Personal Religious Library

1. Commenting And Commentaries By C. H. Spurgeon
     https://archive.org/details/commentpastors00spuruoft

2. Commenting And Commentaries Website
     http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/c&c.htm

3. Tools for Building a Theological Library
     http://www.theosource.com/p/tools-for-".....

4. The Minister's Library by Cyril J. Barber
     http://www.theministerslibrary.org/Home_3.html

5. A Guide To Christian Classics by Chinese Brother Christian Chen
     http://www.librarything.com/work/13940141

6. 屬靈古典名著評介, 陳希曾編著 (For Chinese Christians)
     http://www.livingword.com.tw/cc.htm