Tuesday Feb 28 2012

And now we are at the end of February, but this year we have tomorrow, a leap year day, a leap day.  To bring balance to our year, to adjust our seasons and days.  


Our God created all and knows all is all present and is all knowing.  That is part of the basic creed of belief.  We all know that we must have foundational beliefs and creeds.  These lead to absolute values and thinking.  Finally, our actions and destiny comes from this thinking.  So, think about these hard truths:


From James Ryle:



February 28


The Faithful God (Part 2)
"They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.” (Joshua 5:12)
Joshua was born a captive in Egypt, and as a young boy watched with wonder as God parted the Red Sea and made a way in the wilderness. He was with Moses as a young man throughout the wilderness wanderings, all the while being groomed by God for his future assignment. Perhaps even now the Lord is grooming you for some future mission.
It was Joshua who led the spies into the Promised Land and saw for himself what others only dreamed about. He alone, with Caleb, argued the case for Faith when all others caved in to doubt, fear, and unbelief. And it was Joshua, the man of faith, whom God anointed to lead the children of Israel into Canaan to experience the fulfillment of promises made by the Faithful God, and to finish the business at hand of reclaiming the Land from those who had been stolen by the powers of darkness.
These recollections serve as a great encouragement to us today as we face a similar opportunities for making progress in the things of God. Just as the Lord rescued His people from Egyptian bondage, so He has marked us by His love and redeemed us unto Himself out of the fallen and faulted world system, wherein we were held captive under the heavy hand of task-masters who drove us with whip and stick in the lustful pursuit of power, sex, and money. Our lives were marred by corruption, stained with shame, and marked for death. But God, who is rich in mercy and unfailing in His faithfulness, redeemed us!
And now the Faithful God stands before us, and beckons us to follow Him onward and He takes us inward that we might go upward. The challenges are not over, nor are the changes complete, but our hearts are lifted with a sense of imminent breakthroughs; things oft dreamed about, and long-awaited, seem to be so very close at hand. The smell of rain is in the air. Come, friend, take heart and renew your trust in the Faithful God. For it will be said of us as it was of our predecessors — "They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year" (Jos.5:12).
From Egyptian bondage, through desert dryness and testing, to a land that flowed with milk and honey — the Faithful God has ever been there for us, as He was with them.


From Bob Hoekstra:



February 28


The Crucial Choice: Flesh or Spirit
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  (Rom_8:5-6)
The crucial choice that believers in Christ face day by day is between living by the flesh or living by the Spirit. The difference concerns facing life by our resources and perspectives or by God's. "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." When a Christian deals with life by his flesh, he typically thinks about "what I want out of my life" or "what I can accomplish with my life." Conversely, when a Christian deals with life by the Spirit, he typically thinks about "what God wants for my life" or "what God can accomplish through my life." 
The consequences related to this choice are monumental. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." When a believer allows his mind to be set in a carnal direction, he will be thinking about worldly self-indulgence ("what I can get out of this") or religious self-accomplishment ("what I can do for God"). The result of either carnal perspective is "death" (spiritual deadness). On the other hand, when a follower of Jesus sets his mind on heavenly matters, he will be considering issues of humility ("how much I need the Lord") or faith ("how great the Lord is"). The results of such spiritual thoughts are "life and peace" (spiritual vitality and spiritual tranquility). 
Another analysis of these two options can be seen in the contrast between the "works of the flesh" and the "fruit of the Spirit." 
When we put our hope in our own capabilities, our flesh produces deeds such as "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" (Gal_5:19-21). 
Contrariwise, when we place our expectations upon the Lord, His Spirit brings forth through us fruit like "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal_5:22-23). 
Consider this fundamental truth. These "flesh-Spirit" choices are what all of us will face every day of our lives. The persistency of these issues is inherent in the fact that God only offers two options for every issue of life; namely, "live according to the flesh" or "live according to the Spirit."
O Sovereign Lord, I bow to Your wisdom and authority that offers these two choices alone. Lord, I renounce the natural path of my flesh which brings severe, but deserved, consequences. I gladly embrace the supernatural path of Your Spirit, which brings the undeserved results of Your grace at work in me, Amen.

And now from Charles Spurgeon:

February 28

Morning

“My expectation is from him.”

- Psa_62:5

It is the believer’s privilege to use this language. If he is looking for aught from the world, it is a poor “expectation” indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his wants, whether in temporal or spiritual blessings, his “expectation” will not be a vain one. Constantly he may draw from the bank of faith, and get his need supplied out of the riches of God’s lovingkindness. This I know, I had rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds. My Lord never fails to honour his promises; and when we bring them to his throne, he never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at his door, for he ever opens it with the hand of munificent grace. At this hour I will try him anew. But we have “expectations” beyond this life. We shall die soon; and then our “expectation is from him.” Do we not expect that when we lie upon the bed of sickness he will send angels to carry us to his bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint, and the heart heaves heavily, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us, and whisper, “Sister spirit, come away!” As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be amongst the multitude of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord-for “We shall see him as he is.” Then if these be thine “expectations,” O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and calling, it is that thou hast any “expectation” of coming glory.

Evening

“The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”

- 1Ki_17:16

See the faithfulness of divine love. You observe that this woman had daily necessities. She had herself and her son to feed in a time of famine; and now, in addition, the prophet Elijah was to be fed too. But though the need was threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted not, for she had a constant supply. Each day she made calls upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the same. You, dear reader, have daily necessities, and because they come so frequently, you are apt to fear that the barrel of meal will one day be empty, and the cruse of oil will fail you. Rest assured that, according to the Word of God, this shall not be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble, shall bring its help; and though you should live to outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as many as the sands of the seashore, yet shall God’s grace and mercy last through all your necessities, and you shall never know a real lack. For three long years, in this widow’s days, the heavens never saw a cloud, and the stars never wept a holy tear of dew upon the wicked earth: famine, and desolation, and death, made the land a howling wilderness, but this woman never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance. So shall it be with you. You shall see the sinner’s hope perish, for he trusts his native strength; you shall see the proud Pharisee’s confidence totter, for he builds his hope upon the sand; you shall see even your own schemes blasted and withered, but you yourself shall find that your place of defence shall be the munition of rocks: “Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure.” 

Better have God for your guardian, than the Bank of England for your possession. You might spend the wealth of the Indies, but the infinite riches of God you can never exhaust.

So, then that is the simple choice, God or the world.  What you choose will give you the desired result. 

God bless you today with grace and insight and truth.

Saturday Feb 25 2012

Well, here we are, the last Saturday of February 2012.  Soon, March comes in and we are into Spring.  The planet will change again as the earth revolves and the sun's rays move north to warm the northern hemisphere.  Life moves on in its infinite cycles.  


How are you living?  What is the measure of your life?  I hope you have found joy and some happiness along with meaning and purpose for your life.  
My God and my Savior Jesus have given me all that and more.  God's love allows me to move on in the face of incredible setbacks and hurts.  
Thank you my God and my Savior, Thank you Jesus.


Today's meditation from Bob Hoekstra:



February 25


Walking in the Spirit
Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh . . . If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  (Gal_5:16, Gal_5:25)


The term "walk" is used dozens of times in the New Testament to describe the manner of life that a person is leading. Many of these occurrences depict the Christian life; for example, "walk in love . . .  walk as children of light . . .  walk circumspectly" (Eph_5:2, Eph_5:8, Eph_5:15). In our passages, we are told to "walk in the Spirit." 
Walking is a very insightful description of spiritual life. A walk has a beginning and a destination. Our beginning was in new birth: "born of the Spirit." (Joh_3:6). Our destination is heaven forever with our Lord and Savior: "And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1Th_4:17). A good walk is steady and progressive. We are called to be faithful: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Mat_25:21). We are called to press ahead: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal" (Phi_3:13-14). 
In addition, a walk has many potential adventures along the way. We are likely to encounter stretching challenges and paradoxical blessings: "in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness. . . as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2Co_6:5, 2Co_6:10). 
Ultimately, a walk must have an available resource that provides sufficient vitality, strength, guidance, and assurance. Here, our passages offer special hope through the injunction to "walk in the Spirit." Day by day, each step of the way, we are to rely upon the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Every issue of life (whether at home, office, school, or church) is to be faced in this manner. Otherwise, the influence of our flesh (our natural humanity) will prevail. "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." We are not able ourselves to overcome the inadequacies and improper tendencies of the flesh. However, the Holy Spirit is more than able to become our sufficient provider of whatever we need for an effective and fruitful walk. 
This perspective on Christian living makes complete biblical sense, when we connect our daily walk to how we found spiritual life in the first place. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit," It was strictly by the work of the Spirit that we received life initially; therefore, let's take each step of life "[walking] in the Spirit."
Lord God Almighty, I am so weak and so easily enticed in my flesh. I cannot produce what is needed for the spiritual walk to which I am called. O Lord, I cry out to You for the indispensable work of Your Spirit within me. Lord, teach me to walk day by day by the grace that Your Spirit alone can provide, Amen.

Friday Feb 24 2012

God is good.
God is love.
God is all powerful, all knowing, all present.  
God is.


So, from these basic definitions and foundations of Faith, we move on to the big and small questions of life.  
God can and will do all He says He will.  That too is a foundation stone of our Faith.


Consider today's meditation from Charles Spurgeon:



February 24


Morning
“I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”
- Eze_34:26
Here is sovereign mercy-”I will give them the shower in its season.” Is it not sovereign, divine mercy?-for who can say, “I will give them showers,” except God? There is only one voice which can speak to the clouds, and bid them beget the rain. Who sendeth down the rain upon the earth? Who scattereth the showers upon the green herb? Do not I, the Lord? So grace is the gift of God, and is not to be created by man. It is also needed grace. What would the ground do without showers? You may break the clods, you may sow your seeds, but what can you do without the rain? As absolutely needful is the divine blessing. In vain you labour, until God the plenteous shower bestows, and sends salvation down. Then, it is plenteous grace. “I will send them showers.” It does not say, “I will send them drops,” but “showers.” So it is with grace. If God gives a blessing, he usually gives it in such a measure that there is not room enough to receive it. Plenteous grace! Ah! we want plenteous grace to keep us humble, to make us prayerful, to make us holy; plenteous grace to make us zealous, to preserve us through this life, and at last to land us in heaven. We cannot do without saturating showers of grace. Again, it is seasonable grace. “I will cause the shower to come down in his season.” What is thy season this morning? Is it the season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. “As thy days so shall thy strength be.” And here is a varied blessing. “I will give thee showers of blessing.” The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God’s blessings go together, like links in a golden chain. If he gives converting grace, he will also give comforting grace. He will send “showers of blessing.” Look up to-day, O parched plant, and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering.


Evening
“O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy upon Jerusalem? ... And the Lord answered the angel ... with good words and comfortable words.” - Zec_1:12,Zec_1:13


What a sweet answer to an anxious enquiry! This night let us rejoice in it. O Zion, there are good things in store for thee; thy time of travail shall soon be over; thy children shall be brought forth; thy captivity shall end. Bear patiently the rod for a season, and under the darkness still trust in God, for his love burneth towards thee. 
God loves the church with a love too deep for human imagination: he loves her with all his infinite heart. Therefore let her sons be of good courage; she cannot be far from prosperity to whom God speaketh “good words and comfortable words.” What these comfortable words are the prophet goes on to tell us: “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.” The Lord loves his church so much that he cannot bear that she should go astray to others; and when she has done so, he cannot endure that she should suffer too much or too heavily. He will not have his enemies afflict her: he is displeased with them because they increase her misery. When God seems most to leave his church, his heart is warm towards her. History shows that whenever God uses a rod to chasten his servants, he always breaks it afterwards, as if he loathed the rod which gave his children pain. “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.” God hath not forgotten us because he smites-his blows are no evidences of want of love. If this is true of his church collectively, it is of necessity true also of each individual member. 
You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is not so: he who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting his own children. 
He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature he ever made, or the only saint he ever loved. Approach him and be at peace.

Thursday Feb 23

Thursday, definitely one of my favorite days... the last real productive day of the week.  Day to wrap up and close any strong activities before the TGIF syndrome.  


How's your life going so far?  Consider these thoughts from some of the great minds of history:


First, this from Bob Hoekstra:

February 23


The Holy Spirit and Starting Out with God


Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit . . . You must be born again.  (Joh_3:5-7)
The new life that allows us to start out with God comes through a spiritual birth that is brought forth by the Holy Spirit. "Unless one is born of . . . the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Just as man must be physically born into the human family, so man must be spiritually born into God's family. There is no other option. That is why Jesus said,"You must be born again." 
The reason spiritual new birth is a necessity is because "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." Natural human birth brought about by natural human resources can only produce a life that is natural. Being a child of God involves a supernatural life that God alone can provide. 
When Jesus came to secure our redemption, He was generally rejected. "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." (Joh_1:11). Nevertheless, some realized that he was Messiah, the Anointed King and Savior sent from the Father. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (Joh_1:12). 
Believing in Jesus name involves trusting in His person and His work. It encompasses relying upon who He is, what He says, and what He has done and can do. Such faith brings a unique new birth. "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,  nor of the will of man, but of God" (Joh_1:13). This birth is from God. It cannot come by inheritance or genetics through our human bloodline. It is not available through an exercise of our human will. Neither can we have it pronounced upon us by some religious leader. 
The Lord desires for us to walk in a heavenly, spiritual life, not a mere earthly, human existence. Only a birth from the Spirit of God could bring us this type of life.  "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." All genuine spirituality must come from a work of the Holy Spirit on our behalf. This is true concerning our starting out with God in new birth and justification. "You . . . were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1Co_6:11).  We will see in subsequent meditations that this is true concerning our going on with God in growth and sanctification.


Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for making me Your child, through faith in Your Son, Jesus. I praise You  for the new life Your Holy Spirit has brought to me. Help me to understand from Your word that the entire Christian experience is to be as supernatural as being born again was. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.


F. B. Meyer writes this for today:



February 23


THE LESSON OF THE THORN-BUSH


"The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush .... And God called unto him, and said, Moses, Moses, and he said, Here am I."-- Exo_3:2-4.


MOSES was an old man of eighty years! For forty years--the spring-tide of his life--he had basked in Court favour. The son of the palace, though born in a slave-hut. According to Stephen, renowned in deed and word, eloquent in speech, learned in the highest culture of his age, accustomed to lead victorious armies in the field, or to assist in raising pyramids or treasure-cities in peace--all that the ancient world could offer was at his feet (Act_7:22; Heb_11:24-27). But this had been followed by forty other years---of exile, poverty, and heart-break. Instead of the riches of Egypt, he was engaged in tending the sheep of another and the years slowly passed away in obscurity. He was a disappointed and perplexed man. His own record was that when a man's life reaches four-score years, it is labour and sorrow, and he welcomes the cutting off of the web (Psa_90:10).
One afternoon suddenly a common thorn-bush seemed wrapt in flame. The blaze was pure and clear, and as he watched, "Behold! the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." Small wonder that he arose from the shelter which screened him from the sun, and drew near to "see this great sight." Then was heard that inner Voice, familiar to all pure and humble hearts, which bade him realise that the fire was no ordinary flame, but the pledge and sign of God's Presence.
We must not suppose that there was more of God in that common bush than in the surrounding landscape. It was simply the focusing of His Presence which had always been there, as it is always everywhere. God is as near to each reader of these pages as He was to Moses at that moment! Take this to heart, you most forlorn, most down-hearted, most helpless soul! Be of good cheer! God comes to you, though humbled and scorched, and at the end of yourself! He wraps you around, interpenetrates you, and concentrates Himself on your need, saying: "I AM"--leaving you to fill in His blank cheque, and to claim what you most need. "For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but His kindness shall not depart from you."


PRAYER
Some of us sorely need Thee, O God; we have been disappointed many times in the things we thought would yield us profit and satisfaction. When we are most absorbed in our necessary business, may Thy Presence be manifested to us. May we realise that we are not wandering aimlessly upon the trackless desert, because Thou art leading us. May every common bush be aflame with God. AMEN.


And this wonderful meditation from Charles Spurgeon:



February 23


Morning
“I will never leave thee.”  - Heb_13:5
No promise is of private interpretation. Whatever God has said to any one saint, he has said to all. When he opens a well for one, it is that all may drink. When he openeth a granary- door to give out food, there may be some one starving man who is the occasion of its being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed too. Whether he gave the word to Abraham or to Moses, matters not, O believer; he has given it to thee as one of the covenanted seed. There is not a high blessing too lofty for thee, nor a wide mercy too extensive for thee. Lift up now thine eyes to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west, for all this is thine. Climb to Pisgah’s top, and view the utmost limit of the divine promise, for the land is all thine own. There is not a brook of living water of which thou mayst not drink. If the land floweth with milk and honey, eat the honey and drink the milk, for both are thine. Be thou bold to believe, for he hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”In this promise, God gives to his people everything. “I will never leave thee.” Then no attribute of God can cease to be engaged for us. Is he mighty? He will show himself strong on the behalf of them that trust him. Is he love? Then with lovingkindness will he have mercy upon us. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side. 
To put everything in one, there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text-”I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”


Evening
“Take up the cross, and follow me.” - Mar_10:21
You have not the making of your own cross, although unbelief is a master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross, although self-will would fain be lord and master; but your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to his easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; he leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if he carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.
Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet, it is heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders; but it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colours, it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of sorrows tried the load. Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. 
The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with to-morrow’s sun, you may go forth to the day’s cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified.


It is not a simple path but it is the real path to God.  Take Jesus and follow Him!

Friday Feb 17 2012

Life is all about constant change.
Change can be both positive and negative.
We want to grow and become - what?  Happier? more peaceful? more...
So, we go through life looking for answers, for peace, love, joy, happiness, wealth, health, kindness, goodness, and all the other things and qualities that bring us what we think we want.  


So, what do you want?  do you know?  have you set the boundaries of your joy and peace?  what do you think you need and what would it take for you to be totally at peace and love and joy and happiness?


May I offer to you the only real source - Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God Himself incarnate, who came to us and showed us the one real, true path to reconnecting with the Eternal Heavenly God, our Father and Creator.  Accept Jesus and all else will work out.  Accept Christ and all your paths will lead you to your ultimate becoming a true child of God.


Consider today's meditation:



February 17


The Unflappable Champion
"He gathered up His courage and steeled Himself for the journey...” (Luke 9:51, The Message)
There are some things that require little effort, and yield small results. Many people content themselves to spend their days in just such trivial pursuit. Will you settle for being one of them? 
F. W. Boreham wrote, "There is no intellectual stimulant so intoxicating as the formation of a noble purpose, the conception of a sudden resolve, the making of a great decision.”
We are partakers of an upward call, and as such strain constantly against the downward pull of lesser things. "I am doing a great work," Nehemiah said, "why should the work stop while I come down to you?" (Neh.6:3). Thus did he silence those who tempted him to ease off from his quest. The truly heroic moments in life demand something far more than a casual commitment.
Christ Himself set his face to Jerusalem, and resolved to go the full length of God's will. He gathered up His courage and steeled Himself for the journey. He was, and forever will be the unflappable Champion.
There is talk these days of vision. But vision is much more than a good idea that stirs the soul to temporary endeavors. 
Vision is the ability to see it, the faith to believe it, the courage to do it, and the hope to endure until it happens. 
Take any of these components away and vision fails. Each is vital, and indispensable.


Destiny has a way of summoning our hearts to rise to the calling God has placed on our lives. It also supplies us with the grace to pace ourselves to go the full distance, regardless of the difficulties that await us. Courage is the mental and moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.
The journey we have undertaken as followers of Christ demands all the courage we possess. It requires of us a steely, unwavering resolve to meet whatever seeks to delay us, defeat us, detour us, or deny us – to meet such things with a faith that says, "Nevertheless!" Courage is one of the distinguishing marks of true faith.
God's Spirit has given us an ingrained capacity to face the strain and stress of faithfulness with fortitude, patience, and joy. Thus did Jesus walk up Calvary's mountain one dreadful morn, and there face unflinching the dark trinity of Satan, Sin, and Death. And there, on a hill far away, our Lord did win a resounding victory. And, be sure of this one fact – He did it for you!
That victory is now yours. Lay claim to it by faith, and you, like Jesus, can gather up your courage and steel yourself for the journey of a lifetime.

Thursday Feb 16, 2012

What is important to you?  
There are so many answers, but one of the most important thing to you must be yourself.  Without your own reality, nothing else exists or matters for you.  So you must take good care of yourself.  And never quit!
Consider today's meditation from James Ryle:



February 16


The Crown of Life
"Blessed is the man who perseveres." (James 1:12)
James tells us that if we hold up under pressure and stay the course when others are dropping out, we receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. Did you catch that? It's the crown of life — that means we get to wear it here, not when we get to heaven. There are plenty of other crowns for that occasion.
One of the most stirring examples of persevering until the crown is given is found in the story of a man we all know. His first attempt at business failed. He tried politics and within only one year failed there also. He went back to the business sector for yet another try, and failed again. That's three failures in three years.
He struggled for the next two years and then suffered a nervous breakdown. After taking two years to recover, he tried once again in the political world and was defeated in his bid to be elected as Speaker of the House. Two years later he made his bid to be appointed as the Elector and was again defeated.
Three years after this he ran for a seat in Congress and was defeated. He waited five years to run for office again, and was again defeated. He spent the next seven years as a relative unknown in the private sector and then ran yet again for a political office — this time in the Senate. Again, he was defeated. The following year he was nominated by his party to be the candidate for Vice-President, but was defeated along with his running mate in the general election.
After two more years he tried again for the Senate seat but again was defeated. Then, after another two years later, in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States!
Twenty four years of sheer endurance! What if he had quit twenty three years into the process?! It would have been a great loss to everyone. And why on earth should you quit – seeing you have already come this far?
Stay with it, my friend; there is a crown of life awaiting you. And we will celebrate your success!

Wednesday Feb 15 2012

Faith is a marvelous, mysterious thing.  It is what moves us on and keeps us in the times of troubles.  That is our half, but Grace is the gift of God.  God blesses you and me with Grace, His undeserved beneficence to us so that we can... do all things through Him.


Consider today's meditation by Bob Hoekstra:

February 15


More on Grace and Good Works
From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. And when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.  (Act_14:26-27)
When the Apostle and his team left their home church of Antioch, they were commended to the grace of God." The believers at Antioch trusted in the Lord to impart sufficient grace for this demanding mission. 
What an amazing journey it was. They encountered a false prophet early in the trip, as they attempted to reach a local official. Paul boldly confronted his opponent, by the power of the Spirit. "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? " (Act_13:10). When the Lord struck this sorcerer blind, the civic leader believed. 
Then, in Perga, Paul effectively preached the risen Christ in the synagogue. "And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God" (Act_13:44). When Jewish opposition arose, the team offered the gospel to the Gentiles. "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord . . . And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region" (Act_13:48-49). 
Next, in Iconium, much fruit ensued, in spite of substantial opposition. "A great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace" (Act_14:1-3). 
Later, at Lystra, Paul was stoned by those who resisted the gospel. Yet, he would not be silent, continuing to Derbe and other towns. "And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned . . . strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith" (Act_14:21-22). 
Now, the missionaries are back at their home church of Antioch. The work God intended was finished, because His grace brings His work to completion. "They had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed." Then, when they brought their report, they spoke of what God did, not what they did. "They reported all that God had done with them."
Dear Father, please teach me to rely upon Your grace for the tasks to which You are calling me. Lord, I too easily trust in myself, and end up with an unfinished job. Also when the responsibilities are completed, may all glory go to You, and not to me, Amen.


Thank you Heavenly Father for Your Grace.

Tuesday Feb 14 2012

Happy Valentine's Day.  
A day of happiness for many, of remembering Love and Loved ones.  I hope you have a wonderful day of love and good feelings.


Today's meditation, from James Ryle:



February 14


Sounds Like a Plan to Me
 "Be it unto me according to Your word.” (Luke 1:38).
Of the many grand declarations in scripture, few are more wondrous than this – "If any one be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Co. 5:17).
It is true. God can change any life and alter the course of history by so doing. "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you," God said to Jeremiah. "Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you.”
Do you suppose that God might have known all about you before He shaped you in your mother's womb? Of course He did! And in the same way He had holy plans for Jeremiah, so also He has holy plans for you. But the problem is that there are two other sets of plans competing against God's will.
There are your plans, and the devil's plans. Neither of these can compare with the first, yet most of us choose either of them instead of going God's way. And the results are always disastrous in the end.
The best thing you can do for your life, and for the future generations that come from you, is to answer the call God has upon your life.
It is a call to a person, Jesus Christ; a call to give your life over to Him by faith, trusting Him to make you the person God created you to be. It is also a call to a purpose greater than yourself; a purpose for which you are gifted, and in which you will be empowered once you say yes.
"I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer.29:11).
Sounds like a plan to me!

Monday Feb 13 2012

February 13


Once More on Grace and Spiritual Fruit
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering . . . .  (Gal_5:22-23 and Phi_1:11)
As the Holy Spirit works the grace of God in our hearts, the various aspects of spiritual fruit are manifested through us. "The fruit of the Spirit is  . . . kindness." Kindness is moral goodness and integrity conveyed toward others. It includes showing concern and consideration to people, desiring not to offend them. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another" (Eph_4:31-32). 
"The fruit of the Spirit is  . . .  goodness." Goodness is quite similar to the preceding term, kindness. The additional perspectives contained in goodness would be acts of generosity and beneficence. This somewhat repetitious concept indicates the high priority that God places upon our treatment of others. 
"The fruit of the Spirit is  . . . faithfulness." Faithfulness embodies responsibility and loyalty. It also comprises reliability and consistency. "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1Co_4:2). 
"The fruit of the Spirit is  . . . gentleness." Gentleness is explained by such terms as meekness and lowliness. Such quality of character takes on special significance when we recall these words of Jesus. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Mat_11:29). 
"The fruit of the Spirit is  . . . self-control." Self-control is a fascinating subject, because it is not what it seems to be at first. Natural human thinking would assume it refers to self keeping self under control. Such a description would have to be listed under the previous verses pertaining to "the works of the flesh" (Gal_5:19). Here, it describes the Spirit of God maintaining control over our lives. 
When we reflect upon the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ typically comes to mind. This is appropriate, since godly fruit comes to us through the presence of Jesus in our lives. "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." When we depend upon the Holy Spirit, He imparts the life of Jesus, our true vine, into and through our experience. The character of Christ is then seen in us. Consequently, all glory and praise goes to God!
Dear Lord Jesus, how I long to be more like You. I can easily be selfish, inconsistent, or out of control. I see that  only Your Holy Spirit working in me can bring the necessary fruit. Lord, I pray, work deeply in me by Your irreplaceable grace, for Your glory and praise, Amen.

'Nuf said!

Wednesday Feb 8 2012

May you have a wonderful day in the Lord.



February 8


Morning
“Thou shalt call his name Jesus.”
- Mat_1:21
When a person is dear, everything connected with him becomes dear for his sake. Thus, so precious is the person of the Lord Jesus in the estimation of all true believers, that everything about him they consider to be inestimable beyond all price. “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,” said David, as if the very vestments of the Saviour were so sweetened by his person that he could not but love them. Certain it is, that there is not a spot where that hallowed foot hath trodden-there is not a word which those blessed lips have uttered-nor a thought which his loving Word has revealed-which is not to us precious beyond all price. And this is true of the names of Christ-they are all sweet in the believer’s ear. Whether he be called the Husband of the Church, her Bridegroom, her Friend; whether he be styled the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world-the King, the Prophet, or the Priest-every title of our Master-Shiloh, Emmanuel, Wonderful, the Mighty Counsellor-every name is like the honeycomb dropping with honey, and luscious are the drops that distil from it. But if there be one name sweeter than another in the believer’s ear, it is the name of Jesus. Jesus! it is the name which moves the harps of heaven to melody. Jesus! the life of all our joys. If there be one name more charming, more precious than another, it is this name. It is woven into the very warp and woof of our psalmody. Many of our hymns begin with it, and scarcely any, that are good for anything, end without it. It is the sum total of all delights. It is the music with which the bells of heaven ring; a song in a word; an ocean for comprehension, although a drop for brevity; a matchless oratorio in two syllables; a gathering up of the hallelujahs of eternity in five letters.
“Jesus, I love thy charming name,
‘Tis music to mine ear.”


Evening
“He shall save his people from their sins.”
- Mat_1:21
Many persons, if they are asked what they understand by salvation, will reply, “Being saved from hell and taken to heaven.” This is one result of salvation, but it is not one tithe of what is contained in that boon. It is true our Lord Jesus Christ does redeem all his people from the wrath to come; he saves them from the fearful condemnation which their sins had brought upon them; but his triumph is far more complete than this. He saves his people “from their sins.” Oh! sweet deliverance from our worst foes. Where Christ works a saving work, he casts Satan from his throne, and will not let him be master any longer. No man is a true Christian if sin reigns in his mortal body. Sin will be in us-it will never be utterly expelled till the spirit enters glory; but it will never have dominion. There will be a striving for dominion-a lusting against the new law and the new spirit which God has implanted-but sin will never get the upper hand so as to be absolute monarch of our nature. Christ will be Master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. The Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail, and the dragon shall be cast out. Professor! is sin subdued in you? If your life is unholy your heart is unchanged, and if your heart is unchanged you are an unsaved person. If the Saviour has not sanctified you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of holiness, he has done nothing in you of a saving character. The grace which does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves his people, not in their sins, but from them. “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” If not saved from sin, how shall we hope to be counted among his people. 


Lord, save me now from all evil, and enable me to honour my Saviour.

Tuesday Feb 7 2012

What a wonderful life we all have... no matter who or what we are, from the richest to the poorest!  Really!  We are all given an opportunity to Find God!  
For many it is easy, all they have to do is believe what they are told to believe.  God does show Himself to us in that way.  For the blessed few, God shows Himself through the pains, trials, tribulations, challenges, and other difficulties of life.  In the end, we all have to come to a moment when we decide to accept the reality of God or deny Him.  
I pray that you are filled with His Grace and He opens your eyes, the "eyes of your heart" to see His Love and Salvation waiting for you.  I hope you find GOD!  


Consider today's meditation by Bob Hoekstra:

February 7


Faith and Grace
Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand . . . therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace . . . the just shall live by faith.  (Rom_5:2,  Rom_4:16, and Rom_1:17)
As noted previously, faith accesses the grace of God. "Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." When we trusted in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were born again and enjoyed our initial access to grace. God's intends for His children to continue accessing grace day by day throughout their years of growth and service here on earth. Every time that we face any matter in our lives with dependence upon the Lord Jesus, we are drawing from the bottomless ocean of God's grace. Thereby, His grace becomes our resource for living. 
The resources of God's grace cannot be earned, deserved, or produced by man. They must be freely provided by the Lord. From beginning to end, the saving, rescuing, transforming work of God's grace is "the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph_2:8-9).
This truth highlights the strategic nature of faith. Only faith accords with grace. "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace." Faith alone is compatible with grace. Any other approach will not fit with grace. 
This marks another profound distinction between law and grace. "Yet the law is not of faith, but 'The man who does them shall live by them' " (Gal_3:12). The law is about performance. Those who live by the law are left to their own resources to work up a life that measures up to the perfect standards of God.
Those who daily put their faith in the Lord Jesus for the issues of life access grace for godly living. 
It is God's will that we live our entire lives by faith, which accesses grace. "The just shall live by faith." This truth is comprehensive. It applies to every aspect of our lives. When we arise in the morning, entrust the day into the Lord's care and guidance. 
As we communicate with our families, depend upon Jesus for love and patience. In our drive to the office, pray in faith concerning the opportunities and challenges that may await us. If a crisis develops unexpectedly, immediately cry out to the Lord for peace and direction. When times of Bible study and worship approach, exercise faith toward God to make them spiritually genuine and personally effective. Whatever, whenever, whoever," The just shall live by faith."


Dear faithful Lord, I long to live by faith more and more as each day dawns. I see that this is the only way I can access Your glorious grace. Lord, I need Your grace constantly. No other resource will suffice. Too often I am striving by my best performance. What weariness and failure always results. Show me the areas of my life where I am not trusting in You, that I might look to You anew. In Your gracious name I pray, Amen.

Monday Feb 6 2012

Another manic Monday.
Another day to either -
shine or shut up
do or drop out
love or leave


So, what do you want to be today?  
Winner or loser?
Does it make a difference?


Consider today's meditation by F.B. Meyer:



February 6


THE CHRISTIAN IDEAL
"One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."-- Phi_3:13-14.


AN IDEAL is a mental conception of character after which we desire to shape our lives. It is the fresco which we paint on the walls of our soul, and perpetually look at in our lonely hours; and since the heart is educated through the eye, we become more and more assimilated to that which we admire.
Our Ideal should be distinctly beyond us. We must be prepared to strain our muscles and task our strength, attempting something which those who know us best never thought us capable of achieving. Like St. Paul, we must count the ordinary ambitions of men as dung, must forget the things which are behind and press forward to those before.
We should choose as an objective some ideal which is manifestly, in our own judgment or that of others, within our scope. It is a mistake to set before our minds an ideal which is altogether out of harmony with the make-up of our nature. Therefore we should learn, to say with the Apostle: "I follow on to apprehend that for which I was apprehended by Christ Jesus." Be sure that God created and redeemed you for a definite purpose. Discover that purpose, and set yourself to make it good.
Our Ideal should give unity to life. Happy is the man who is able to prosecute his ideal through each hour of consciousness, and who can say: "This one thing I do!" Such people are the irresistible ones. Those who know one subject thoroughly, or who bend all their energies in the prosecution of one purpose, carry all before them. The quest for a holy character may be prosecuted always and everywhere. In every act and thought we may become more like Christ.
The Christ ideal is the highest ideal. "That I may gain Christ, and be found in Him." But such an ideal will only be realised at the cost of self-denial. You must put aside your own righteousness to get His; you must be willing to count all things loss; you must ignore the imperious demands of passion. So shall you be prepared for the hour when even "the body of your humiliation" shall be transformed to the likeness of the glorious body of Christ. His working is on your side; in you and for you He will subdue all things to Himself.


PRAYER
Thou, O Christ, art all I want. May Thy grace abound towards me, so that having all sufficiency in all things, I may abound unto every good work. AMEN.

Saturday Feb 4 2012

Good morning,
Saturday is here, and we have a whole day to do what we choose.  Freedom! 
But what do we choose?  We choose things that are of benefit to us.  Things that we want to do, that make us feel better.
So, today, choose Christ, the Lord.  


Consider this from Bob Hoekstra:

February 4


Living by Grace: Humility and Faith
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble . . . through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.  (Jam_4:6 and Rom_5:2)
How does a believer in Jesus Christ access the ongoing, sanctifying grace of God for daily godliness? It is accessed the same way that the initial, justifying grace of God was acquired - - by humility and faith. We were justified, declared righteous in God's sight, when we humbly trusted in the Lord Jesus. We humbly agreed with the Lord's account of our guilty condition. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . For the wages of sin is death" (Rom_3:23; Rom_6:23). We also put our trust in Christ concerning His offer of life (based upon His death and resurrection on our behalf). "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom_6:23). Thereby we partook of the justifying grace of God, through humility and faith.This is how the Lord wants us to continue to relate to Him for sanctifying grace. 
Our God wants us to walk in humility, because grace is what we need for growth in godly living. Remember this great truth of grace: "But grow in the grace . . .  of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2Pe_3:18). If we are unwilling to walk in humility, we will not enjoy this wondrous sanctifying impact of grace, because "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." When we live by self-sufficiency, God's resists us. When we function in humility, God gives us grace for living. 
Our God also wants us to walk in faith, because faith accesses grace. "Through whom [Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." We now stand in a kingdom that offers "grace upon grace" (Joh_1:16). Abundant grace is available for every step we are to take. This grace is partaken of by faith. Whenever we trust in the Lord Jesus concerning any issue of life, we are reaching by faith into God's unlimited resources of grace, by which we are enabled to live effectively. 
Hereby we see that living by grace involves two relational realities: humility and faith. We do not produce either. Neither are a work. Humility admits we cannot do the work (of being holy, loving, perfect). Faith relies upon the work of another, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are both relational realities, since they become real in our lives through a growing relationship with the Lord. The more we get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, to that degree humility and faith will become realities in our lives.
O Lord, You are my salvation, from justification throughout a lifetime of sanctification. Forgive me for underestimating my need for You. Forgive me concerning the self-sufficient, self-confident ways by which I have often lived. I humble myself before You. I want to live by trust and confidence in You. I long to live by Your grace, not by my best efforts. Help me to know You, that humility and faith might develop in my life, Amen.

Friday Jan 3 2012

I just love Fridays, how about you?  It's the All American day!  We work all week and look forward to a two days of "us" and choices.  


How's your life?  How are you doing?  Life is so tough sometimes, seems that the rewards are not there.  We work and struggle and put up with the daily demands of life so that we can... what?  Be free?  Have choices?  


I witness to you that nothing has meaning until you come to a personal relationship with Jesus as your Savior, Redeemer, and personal God.  Then all will make sense.


Consider today's mediation by Bob Hoekstra:



February 3


Access to Grace
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all . . . And God is able to make all grace abound toward you.  (2Co_8:9, 2Co_9:8, and Rev_22:21)
We have seen that abundant grace is available from the Lord, not only for justification, but also for sanctification. Yet, how does a person access the sanctifying grace of God? How does one actually live day by day by grace? Soon, we will consider the two relational realities that God wants to develop in our lives that we might live daily by His grace. First, a reminder of where that grace is, and the ability upon which it all depends. 
The grace we need is always found in a person, not a procedure. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ." Consequently, in order to access this grace, we must be seeking after the person in whom the grace resides. No wonder that many of the letters of the New Testament end with "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all" (Rev_22:21). 
Our God is not one who wastes words. He does not speak vainly. Nor does He stand on human formalities. These repetitious conclusions are an emphasis from the heart of God. When all is stated on any subject to any people, the ongoing need will ever be that they learn to live by the grace that is found in Jesus Christ. 
Furthermore, upon whose ability does the grace of God depend?  We so easily become preoccupied with our own ability. "Will I be able to please and serve God?" "Will I be able to be an effective witness?" The focus of the word of God is on His ability, not ours. "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace" (Dan_3:17).  "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him" (Heb_7:25). "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling" (Jud_1:24). "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph_3:20). 
Concerning grace we may even be thinking, "Will I be able to live by God's grace?"Again, God's ability is the issue, not ours. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you."  If we are willing to rely upon the one who is able, God, we will experience His sanctifying grace abundantly in our lives.
Dear Lord, Teach me these great matters of access to Your grace. Remind me often that grace is found in Jesus. I confess my tendency to explain the Christian life by a formula, instead of by a person. Help me to remember that living by grace depends upon Your matchless ability. I admit my inclination to hope in my inept ability. So, Lord, I now look to You to abundantly pour out Your grace upon my life, through Christ Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Wed Feb 1

February 1st already.  
Praise God for His loving kindnesses and His Grace unto us.  In this month of Love, may you and I find all the love and goodness we need to love others as God loves us.


Today's meditations, from Charles Spurgeon:



February 1


Morning
“They shall sing in the ways of the Lord.” - Psa_138:5
The time when Christians begin to sing in the ways of the Lord is when they first lose their burden at the foot of the Cross. Not even the songs of the angels seem so sweet as the first song of rapture which gushes from the inmost soul of the forgiven child of God. You know how John Bunyan describes it. He says when poor Pilgrim lost his burden at the Cross, he gave three great leaps, and went on his way singing-
“Blest Cross! blest Sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!”
Believer, do you recollect the day when your fetters fell off? Do you remember the place when Jesus met you, and said, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; I have blotted out as a cloud thy transgressions, and as a thick cloud thy sins; they shall not be mentioned against thee any more for ever.” Oh! what a sweet season is that when Jesus takes away the pain of sin. When the Lord first pardoned my sin, I was so joyous that I could scarce refrain from dancing. I thought on my road home from the house where I had been set at liberty, that I must tell the stones in the street the story of my deliverance. So full was my soul of joy, that I wanted to tell every snow-flake that was falling from heaven of the wondrous love of Jesus, who had blotted out the sins of one of the chief of rebels. But it is not only at the commencement of the Christian life that believers have reason for song; as long as they live they discover cause to sing in the ways of the Lord, and their experience of his constant lovingkindness leads them to say, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” See to it, brother, that thou magnifiest the Lord this day.
“Long as we tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand.”


Evening
“Thy love to me was wonderful.” - 2Sa_1:26
Come, dear readers, let each one of us speak for himself of the wonderful love, not of Jonathan, but of Jesus. We will not relate what we have been told, but the things which we have tasted and handled-of the love of Christ. Thy love to me, O Jesus, was wonderful when I was a stranger wandering far from thee, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Thy love restrained me from committing the sin which is unto death, and withheld me from self-destruction. Thy love held back the axe when Justice said, “Cut it down! why cumbereth it the ground?” Thy love drew me into the wilderness, stripped me there, and made me feel the guilt of my sin, and the burden of mine iniquity. Thy love spake thus comfortably to me when, I was sore dismayed-”Come unto me, and I will give thee rest.” Oh, how matchless thy love when, in a moment, thou didst wash my sins away, and make my polluted soul, which was crimson with the blood of my nativity, and black with the grime of my transgressions, to be white as the driven snow, and pure as the finest wool. How thou didst commend thy love when thou didst whisper in my ears, “I am thine and thou art mine.” 
Kind were those accents when thou saidst, “The Father himself loveth you.” And sweet the moments, passing sweet, when thou declaredst to me “the love of the Spirit.” Never shall my soul forget those chambers of fellowship where thou has unveiled thyself to me. Had Moses his cleft in the rock, where he saw the train, the back parts of his God? We, too, have had our clefts in the rock, where we have seen the full splendours of the Godhead in the person of Christ. Did David remember the tracks of the wild goat, the land of Jordan and the Hermonites? We, too, can remember spots to memory dear, equal to these in blessedness. 
Precious Lord Jesus, give us a fresh draught of thy wondrous love to begin the month with. Amen.