Verse of the day — Ephesians 1:18
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:18(NASB)
Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
The Throne Test
You who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus.... (Hebrews 3:1 ESV)
That heavenly calling is never negative, never neutral, never passive, but always positive. You may not have very much in your daily life to make the calling seem positive. It may be you go to business in the morning and fulfill your daily work, the trivial round, the common task, as we say, with very little variety entering into it. It is the same round day after day, week after week, month after month; the same people, the same surroundings, the same activities very largely. Only on the rarest occasion does something especially interesting come into the daily course. It would be so easy in a situation like that to say: "Well, in my sphere of life there is not much of the glamor of a heavenly calling! My work is plain and simple. I have just to get on with it every day, and I see very little else beyond it." Remember that at all times, in all circumstances, the calling is positive.
Every day will provide some opportunity for you to learn spiritual ascendancy; some occasion for you to bring in the value of your relationship with the Lord; to put to the test the resources which you have in Christ; to grow in grace; to know victories. How do you know but that in that very uninteresting, perhaps unpromising sphere of life you are on test on some of those great matters, such as faith, patience, or patient endurance? It would be interesting to know exactly what the throne of the Lord is made of. When we come to that throne, I wonder whether we shall find a throne of gold in a literal sense, or whether we shall find it made up of many things? When we come to analyze the throne we may find that it is made up of patience, faith, endurance, and all such moral elements, and that these elements constitute the power by which He governs. It is sharing the patience of Jesus Christ which is sharing the throne. There is something mighty in the ultimate outworking of the patience of Jesus, the faith of Jesus Christ, the endurance. These are the constituents of His throne. He is working throne elements into us now in the drab, uninteresting life day by day. You may be on test for the throne. There may be bound up with the least interesting course of life some very, very real intention of the Lord. Let us remember that the heavenly calling is always positive, in all circumstances, in all places. We are on test for the throne, as to whether it shall function through us both here and hereafter.
Morning Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. § You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
I did not say to the seed of Jacob, “Seek Me in vain.” § Therefore … having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. § We may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Heb. 4:16; Phil. 4:6,7; Rom. 8:15; Isa. 45:19; Heb. 10:19,20; Heb. 10:21,22; Heb. 13:6
Evening Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. § The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. § If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. § Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. § Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
John 8:32; 2 Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:2; John 8:36; Gal. 4:31; Gal. 2:16; James 1:25; Gal. 5:1
None but the Hungry Heart by Miles Stanford
Attitude
I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude. . . saying, Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent RElGNETH" (Rev. 19:6).
Once we become aware that our sovereign Father is reigning and is in full control, our faith becomes a set attitude and we are able to honor Him by resting in His faithfulness under all circumstances.
"Joseph gives a wonderful example of a man who does not know what God is doing and yet who by faith cooperates with Him at every step of the way. At each phase of his experience, even when perhaps he was most bewildered, Joseph gave God the cooperation which He requires for the fulfillment of His purpose. This relationship can only come by faith. It does not necessarily entail an understanding of the procedure of things, but it certainly cannot be given unless we are absolutely convinced of the Father's supreme control over all.
"The man who imagines that things have got out of the Father's hands, that they are not working out as He intended, or that Satan or his agents are really in control, is the man who is not in a position to give the Father the required cooperation in it all. This is unbelief. And unbelief is the greatest hindrance we can offer to the Father's working. This cooperation is a matter of heart-attitude, of spirit, and means that we go quietly on, cheerfully and faithfully glorifying the Father where we are, not fretting or praying to be moved somewhere else." -T. A-S.
"The strength of the vessel can be demonstrated only by the hurricane, and the power of the Gospel can be fully shown only when the believer is subjected to some fiery trial. If the Father would make manifest the fact that He giveth songs in the night,' He must first make it night." -W.T.
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him" (Rev. 19:7).
Devotional Studies by Elizabeth Haworth
Quickened by Grace
Even when we were dead in sins, God has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved)
Ephesians 2:5
The Staggering Cross
I wonder if we will ever really appreciate what the Lord has undertaken for us. I wonder if we have even started to really comprehend the enormity of our salvation. It seems that the more we gaze at the cross the more staggering it becomes.
Deceitful Man
One very important step is to come to terms with the baseness of what we were. We need to acknowledge the deceitfulness of our hearts and what we were by nature. It is not a very pretty sight and one we all prefer to sweep away under the carpet.
Carnal Creatures
We were rotten through and through – at enmity with our Creator God and Saviour. We were carnal creatures with degrading desires – with fleshly propensity to filth. We were sin-soaked in trespasses and on the way to an eternal separation from God. We were hopeless and helpless and sick – condemned to a loveless, Godless eternity.
Deserving of Wrath
We were sinners by our actions and attitudes – imputed with sin and inherently sinful. We were dead in our sins, disobedient to God and deserving of wrath and judgement. This is an ugly view of what we were but it’s God’s assessment of our condition.
Reality of Sin
Isaiah’s description of backsliding Israel is equally illustrative of what we used to be: "From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there’s no soundness evident — only bruises, sores, and festering wounds, that haven’t been cleaned out, or bandaged, or treated with oil.” Isaiah 1:6 No! – this is not nice, and it is not how we like to think of ourselves, but it is true. And at times it’s good to be brought face to face with the reality of what we were..
Redeemed Sinners
We were disabled in every way – morally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We were under God’s wrath and condemnation and there was no available remedy.. but when we
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Knowing Jesus Devotional by Elizabeth Haworth
Absolute Fulfilment
As Scripture says: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
God’s Decision
The Father could not have conceived of anything more to save the children of men. He foreknew all that would trust in Jesus and chose them before the world began. He preordained that those chosen would be conformed into the likeness of His Son.. and God took the responsibility to save us body, soul, and spirit by grace – through faith. God Himself decided He would save us totally – for we could not save ourselves. And every promise of God is yours by grace, simply because you trusted His Word.
God’s Grace
He redeemed and enlightened us and opened up to us the mystery of His will. He took upon Himself the responsibility to change us to be just like Christ. He even adopts us as His own children and has scheduled a date for our adoption. His Spirit sealed us as His purchased possession, to protect us from all harm. He accepted us in His beloved Son, making us His church, His body, and His bride. He gave us the indwelling Spirit to guarantee His genuineness and seal of ownership. He gave us a glorious inheritance and made us joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ’s Righteousness
The Father could not have lavished more grace on the undeserving children of men. We are in Christ – complete in Him – accepted in Him, and our reward is in Him. But God desired that whosoever will may come – not one sinner need be excluded, for all who trust in His name will be saved. He ensured that all who trust in Him can know undeniably they’re secure in Christ, for our security does not rely on our righteousness but the righteousness of Christ.
Christ’s Work
Our salvation has nothing to do with our character, but rests on Christ's finished work. Our eternal security is not dependent on our good works, but on Christ’s work alone. Every
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