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The Lord’s Battle

My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

Dear friends, if any truth has the effect of turning you in upon yourself, making you introspective, self-occupied in a spiritual way, that truth has been wrongly apprehended. You may assume the position of the most spiritual, but you are all wrong in your apprehension. This great work which Christ did in His Cross was never intended to make anybody miserable. Of course, that goes without saying; yet there are multitudes who are miserable after trusting the Lord, miserable over the sin question in their lives; and the number, I am afraid, is increasing. Always keep a very distinct and broad line between fuller revelation, deeper truth (whatever you may term it all that going-on-to-full-growth realm of things) and this whole matter of introspection.

Some people seem to think that to become more spiritual we must become more intense and tied-up and occupied with this whole matter of the spiritual life, and really they are the most unbearable people, the joy has gone out of them. I am certain of this, that nothing will ever come to you, however deep, however mighty, however tremendous, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, that will make you miserable. The revelation of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and there is no other revelation will never make a soul miserable. There is something wrong if a Christian is miserable on spiritual matters, and it is either failure to apprehend the one great, absolute reality that the victory was God and that He won it in Christ, fully and finally, and we are not called to share at all in that battle; or the truth which has come subsequently has been misapprehended and has become something that is a burden grievous to be borne. The Lord Jesus said, y yoke is easy, and My burden is light(Matt. 11:30).

When you have eaten and are full … you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God. § One of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. § He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. § The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul … who forgives all your iniquities … who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.

Deut. 8:10; Deut. 8:11;  Luke 17:15,18;  1 Tim. 4:4,5;  Rom. 14:6;  Prov. 10:22;  Ps. 103:1,2;  Ps. 103:3,4

Jesus … was moved with compassion for them.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. § We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. § He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray. § Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your maidservant.

Matt. 14:14;  Heb. 13:8;  Heb. 4:15;   Heb. 5:2;  Mark 14:37,38;  Ps. 103:13,14;   Ps. 86:15,16

Grow To Share

For they disciplined us only a short time, as it seemed proper to them; but He does it for our good, in order that we may share His holy character" (Heb. 12:10, Wms.).

It is only natural to feel that our need requires immediate victory, but the truth is that we cannot come to maturity apart from the Holy Spirit's processing and development of our life, day by day. A quick and easy victory would cripple our usefulness in these two ways: we would not understand the all-important principle of processing; we would not appreciate the needs of others. If we are unable to share, we abide alone like the grain of wheat that does not die.

"So often in the battle we go to the Lord, and pray, and plead, and appeal for victory, for ascendancy, for mastery over the forces of evil and death, and our thought is that in some way the Lord is going to come in with a mighty exercise of power and put us into a place of spiritual maturity as in an act. We must have this mentality corrected. What the Lord does is to enlarge us to possess. He takes us through some exercise, through some experience, takes us by some way which means our spiritual expansion, an increase of spirituality so we occupy the larger place spontaneously because of our growth I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased' (Exod. 23:29, 30)." -T. A-S.

"Now for the time being no discipline [child-training] seems to be pleasant; it is painful; later on, however, to those who are trained by it, it yields the fruit of peace which grows from upright character" (Heb. 12:11, Wms.).

Have You Considered Leviathan? (JOB-study 17)

The Highest Love