Verse of the day — Matthew 28:20
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:20(NASB)
Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
The Object of your Occupation
When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:16,17)
Liberty from what? Well, if we turn to the Lord, and are occupied with Him in the way we have indicated, the Holy Spirit sets us free. It may be you are struggling, striving, fighting, wrestling, praying, pleading, longing, yearning, asking the Lord to set you free from condemnation, free from fear, from those paralyzing bonds in which Israel was when the glory appeared. Do you want to be free from fear, from dread, from terror, from condemnation? What are you doing to get free? There is one simple, direct way, namely, to be occupied with the Lord, to turn to the Lord. Get Christ as God's satisfaction in your view, and cease trying to satisfy God yourself. Faith in Christ is all God's requirement. How deeply true were His words, "Apart from Me ye can do nothing." "Abide in Me. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me." That is only figurative language, which means be occupied with Him, set your mind on Him, dwell in Him, rest in Him, abide in Him; or, as Paul would say, "Gaze on Him, behold Him," let Him be the object of your occupation, and the Spirit will make you free.
More than that, this beholding of Christ means that the Holy Spirit changes you into God's likeness: "Beholding... we are changed." It is not said, "Beholding, we begin to change ourselves," and we embark upon self-transformation with all its struggle, and conflict, and battle. We are changed by the Lord the Spirit. Be occupied with Christ, and the Spirit takes up the matter of transforming into His image. Be occupied with yourself, and you will see that the law of conformity to type operates. If you are the type, then you will conform to that type. If Christ is the type, then the Holy Spirit will conform to His likeness. Then this being occupied with Christ means that the Holy Spirit makes us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant. I do not think that ministry is such an onerous thing after all. We need to come back to the simplicity and the spontaneity of ministry. Be occupied with Christ, and the Holy Spirit will show you more and more in Christ with which to be occupied, and as He makes that livingly real, you will have something to give to others.
Morning Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Christ . . . loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.
Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. § Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. § Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. § Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. § Your word has given me life.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Eph. 5:25,26; Eph. 5:2; 1 Peter 1:23; John 17:17; John 3:5; Titus 3:5; Ps. 119:50; Ps. 19:7,8
Evening Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it … And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. § There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. § When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven.
Brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way …, let us draw near.
Eph. 2:18; John 17:23; John 14:13,14; John 14:16,17; Eph. 4:4; Eph. 4:5 Eph. 4:6; Luke 11:2; Heb. 10:19,20; Heb. 10:22
None but the Hungry Heart by Miles Stanford
Personal Repose
"Come unto Me. . . and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).
We rest in the One upon whom the universe rests.
"I find when I sit down with people quietly to have a talk that they begin at once to speak of the trials of the way. And after that, if I say, Suppose we change the subject and talk of the things of God - then I find that they can talk of nothing but His mercies to themselves, but it is all His temporal benefits they talk of. And they go no higher than this. How few can say, The Father has shown me wonderful things lately about the Lord Jesus Christ." -J.B.S.
"In everything ye are enriched by Him' (1 Cor. 1:5). The favor of the Father is given to us in His Beloved Son, and in everything we are enriched in Him. If we are not happy it is because we have lost sight of the favor given us in the Lord Jesus. In our foolishness we turn to the world or look into our own hearts, instead of keeping our eyes upon the Lord Jesus, the risen and exalted Man in whom the Father has given us His favor." -C.A.C.
"The Lord Jesus Christ, as Man, has glorified the Father on the earth. The Father rests in that; as Man having accomplished redemption, He has passed into the heavens, now to appear in the presence of God for us.' It is the glorified Lord Jesus who gives abiding rest to our souls, and not what our thoughts about ourselves may be.
"Faith never thinks about that which is in ourselves as its ground of rest; it receives, loves, and apprehends what the Father has revealed in His Word, and what are His thoughts about the Lord Jesus, in whom is His rest." -J.N.D.
"Take My yoke upon you. . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matt. 11:29).
Devotional Studies by Elizabeth Haworth
I AM that I AM
When Jesus told them, “I AM,” they backed away and fell to the ground
John 18:6Jesus said, “I AM, and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power.. and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.
Mark 14:62
An Unveiling
The Scriptures are themselves an unveiling of God’s character and God’s purpose. As we move from Genesis to Revelation God opens more things to our understanding. God chose when to reveal, or to concealed, biblical truths, as His word unfolded. The apostle Paul was the man through whom God revealed many hidden truths.
The Mysteries
There’s the mystery of the kingdom; the mystery of the church; the mystery of Israel. There’s the mystery of Christ and the mystery of God’s will – His plans and purposes. There is the mystery of godliness; the mystery of lawlessness; the mystery of faith.. and John unfolds the mystery of the seven stars and the seven candlesticks.
Chosen Vessel
Many are revealed to our understanding by the apostle and prophet Paul. Paul was God’s chosen vessel to convey many concealed truths to the church. At God’s appointed time – through His appointed messenger these were unveiled. They are not mysterious, esoteric secrets – for a few enlightened people. They are Scriptural truths that remained undisclosed until God’s appointed time.
Mystery of Mysteries
The Scriptures not only unveil God’s plans but also His character and attributes, and yet the Mystery of mysteries, that baffles the minds of men, is God Himself. God is the self-existent One, Who alone can claim I AM that I AM. God has no origin, distinguishing Him from anything created or brought into being. How can this be... for all created things have a genesis and a genealogy?
Uniqueness of God
There is a time before time began. There is a place before space existed. There is Life before all things created were spoken into being, There is God – Who alone can claim I AM that I AM. All things that exist have a cause that antedates it... except God. Everything has a
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Knowing Jesus Devotional by Elizabeth Haworth
A Possible Impossibility
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5
Humble Obedience
Christ came to earth as a man and in obedience to God, voluntarily emptied Himself. He did not cease to be fully God, but put aside His right of deity for a time. He obediently set aside all the privileges, prerogatives and power of Godhead. In accepting God’s position of manhood, He utterly depended upon God – demonstrating a perfect life of humble obedience to the Father in every realm.
A Submitted Man
Every sign, miracle, and work of grace was performed by the Father through the Son. Every action, attitude, move, and motive showed a man submitted to the Spirit of God. This is the impossible perfection God demands from all His blood-bought children. This is the unattainable ideal way to live that God demands from all His disciples – and His disciples (those who are under discipline) are to learn this Christ-life.
Unattainable Christ-likeness
God first brings His bond-slave to a realisation that His standard unachievable.. that Christ-likeness is unattainable through the efforts and attempts of man. He makes us understand that this is impossible apart from a miracle of God within. This is a lesson we learn over decades:- that self must decrease to nothing. But it’s a hard-fought fight against the flesh, which so often leads to despair. This has been the experience of countless godly men throughout this dispensation.
The Mind of Christ
John the Baptist cried: "He must increase but I must decrease." John 3:30. Christ in His ministry to Israel encourages them to "learn of Me". Matthew 11:29 – but Paul exhorts us to think with the mind of Christ in all things: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus ." Philippians 2:5. We are simply to learn Christ – to live the way that Christ lived.
Christ in Me
And so it is with all believers who desire to live godly – until Christ is all in all in me. A point of crisis.. illumined by the Spirit of
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