Daily Devotional

August 9, 2018

Assurance Of Victory

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father. Gal. 1:4.

By giving His life for the life of the world, Christ bridged the gulf that sin had made, joining this sin-cursed earth to the universe of heaven as a province. God chose this world to be the theater of His mighty works of grace. While the sentence of condemnation was suspended over it because of the rebellion of its inhabitants, while the clouds of wrath were accumulating because of the transgression of the law of God, a mysterious voice was heard in heaven, “Lo, I come. . . to do thy will, O God” (Ps. 40:7, 8). Our substitute and surety came from heaven declaring that He had brought with Him the vast and inestimable donation of eternal life. Pardon is offered to all who will return their allegiance to the law of God. But there are those who refuse to accept a “thus saith the Lord.” They will not reverence and respect His law. They make rigorous human enactments in opposition to a “thus saith the Lord,” and by precept and example lead men, women, and children into sin. They exalt human enactments above the divine law. But the condemnation and wrath of God are suspended over the disobedient. The clouds of God’s justice are gathering. The material of destruction has been piled up for ages; and still apostasy, rebellion, and disloyalty against God is continually increasing. The remnant people of God, who keep His commandments, will understand the word spoken by Daniel, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Dan. 12:10).

Satan has called this world his territory. Here his seat is, and he holds in allegiance to himself all who refuse to keep God’s commandments, who reject a plain, “thus saith the Lord.” They stand under the enemy’s banner; for there are but two parties in the world. All rank either under the banner of the obedient or under the banner of the disobedient.

Jesus is now sending His message to a fallen world. He delights to take apparently hopeless material, those through whom Satan has worked, and make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to deliver them from the wrath which is to fall upon the disobedient.

From Devotional: Our Father Cares, p. 230.

Daily Devotional

August 8, 2018

Open The Top Windows!

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. 1 Chron. 16:11.

Now just now is our opportunity to open the windows of the soul heavenward and to close the windows earthward. Now is the time for every church member to say, I will close my heart to everything that would hinder my communion with Christ; I will open the windows of my soul heavenward that I may understand spiritual things.

Believers need to talk with God in regard to their individual need of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God must be their assurance. All heaven is inviting us to receive the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness into our lives. If we will talk faith and hope and courage, our souls will be strengthened, and our hope and courage and faith will increase. Let us seek this great gift of the Sun of Righteousness, that it may shine forth in our lives to others. Let us seek the Lord that we may learn how to work His works in the world. This will make us successful missionaries, able to help others to a hopeful, courageous experience.

In our service for the Master, let not the little things be overlooked. Every human being has a life web to weave, and if the pattern is complete and perfected at last, every thread of the pattern must be carefully and faithfully worked. The grace of Christ will enable us to weave skillfully and well. Day by day we are to put forth personal diligent effort to improve. Every day we are to use our Christian intelligence in the work of strengthening the weak, and encouraging the desponding. A great test is coming to every soul. Shall we not then work and watch and pray and praise the Lord? This will give us a most precious experience. Very much has been lost to many believers because they have neglected to seek the Lord with earnestness and with a faith that will not be denied.

Words spoken and works performed in a simple, humble, encouraging way will inspire faith in other hearts. The Lord is soon to come, and the natural heart must be daily converted. We must learn to speak words in the meekness of Christ; our works and our spirit must testify that we are serving the Lord.

From Devotional: Our Father Cares, p. 229.

Daily Devotional

July 26, 2018

Conditions Of Christian Growth

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; . . . being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Phil. 1:9-11.

Where there is life, there will be growth and fruit-bearing; but unless we grow in grace, our spirituality will be dwarfed, sickly, fruitless. It is only by growing, by bearing fruit, that we can fulfill God’s purpose for us. “Herein is my Father glorified,” Christ said, “that ye bear much fruit” (John 15:8). In order to bear much fruit, we must make the most of our privileges. We must use every opportunity granted us for obtaining strength.

A pure, noble character, with all its grand possibilities, has been provided for every human being. But there are many who have not an earnest longing for such a character. They are not willing to part with the evil that they may have the good. . . . They neglect to grasp the blessings that would place them in harmony with God. . . . They cannot grow.

One of the divine plans for growth is impartation. The Christian is to gain strength by strengthening others. “He that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Prov. 11:25). This is not merely a promise; it is a divine law, a law by which God designs that the streams of benevolence, like the waters of the great deep, shall be kept in constant circulation, continually flowing back to their source. In the fulfilling of this law is the secret of spiritual growth. . . .

If we come to God in faith, He will receive us and give us strength to climb upward to perfection. If we watch every word and action, that we may do nothing to dishonor the One who has trusted us, if we improve every opportunity granted us, we shall grow into the full stature of men and women in Christ. . . .

Christians, is Christ revealed in us? Are we doing all in our power to gain a body that is not easily enfeebled, a mind that looks beyond self to the cause and effect of every movement, that can wrestle with hard problems and conquer them, a will that is firm to resist evil and defend the right? Are we crucifying self? Are we growing up into the full stature of men and women in Christ, preparing to endure hardness as good soldiers of the cross?

From Devotional: Our Father Cares, pp. 217, 218.

Daily Devotional

July 25, 2018

The Christian’s Badge

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Eph. 3:20.

The Lord is waiting to manifest through His people His grace and power. But He requires that those who engage in His service shall keep their minds ever directed to Him. Every day they should have time for reading the Word of God and for prayer. . . .

Individually we are to walk and talk with God; then the sacred influence of the gospel of Christ in all its preciousness will appear in our lives.

There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says.

The officers who were sent to Jesus came back with the report that never man spoke as He spoke. But the reason for this was that never man lived as He lived. Had His life been other than it was, He could not have spoken as He did. His words bore with them a convincing power, because they came from a heart pure and holy, full of love and sympathy, benevolence and truth.

It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ’s grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running current, our own feet must be firmly set upon the Rock, Christ Jesus.

The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the transformation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.

From Devotional: Our Father Cares, pp. 216, 217.

Daily Devotional

July 24, 2018

Angel Reinforcements

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Luke 10:19.

Fallen man is Satan’s lawful captive. The mission of Christ was to rescue him from the power of his great adversary. Man is naturally inclined to follow Satan’s suggestions, and he cannot successfully resist so terrible a foe unless Christ, the mighty Conqueror, dwells in him, guiding his desires, and giving him strength. God alone can limit the power of Satan. . . . Satan knows better than God’s people the power that they can have over him when their strength is in Christ. When they humbly entreat the mighty Conqueror for help, the weakest believer in the truth, relying firmly upon Christ, can successfully repulse Satan and all his host. . . .

Satan will call to his aid legions of his angels to oppose the advance of even one soul, and, if possible, wrest it from the hand of Christ. . . . But if the one in danger perseveres, and in his helplessness casts himself upon the merits of the blood of Christ, our Saviour listens to the earnest prayer of faith, and sends a reinforcement of those angels that excel in strength to deliver him. Satan cannot endure to have his powerful rival appealed to, for he fears and trembles before His strength and majesty. At the sound of fervent prayer, Satan’s whole host trembles.

Nothing but Christ’s loving compassion, His divine grace, His almighty power, can enable us to baffle the relentless foe, and subdue the opposition of our own hearts. What is our strength? The joy of the Lord. Let the love of Christ fill our hearts, and then we shall be prepared to receive the power that He has for us. . . .

Beholding Christ for the purpose of becoming like Him, the seeker after truth sees the perfection of the principles of God’s law, and he becomes dissatisfied with everything but perfection. . . . A battle must be fought with the attributes that Satan has been strengthening for his own use. . . . But he knows that with the Redeemer there is saving power that will gain for him the victory in the conflict. The Saviour will strengthen and help him as he comes pleading for grace and efficiency.

From Devotional: Our Father Cares, pp. 215, 216.