Verse of the day — Ephesians 2:18
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Ephesians 2:18(HCSB)
Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
Work. Tested By Fire
The fire will test the quality of each person work. (1 Corinthians 3:13 NIV)
I have no doubt that you love the Lord. I am not raising any question about that. But, I do say again, we are involved in a great system which is a very complicated thing, and a great deal of it is not of the Lord. It is something that man has brought in. Man has put his hand upon the things of the Lord, and man has made things according to his own mind, and therefore a great deal has come in which is of man and not of the Lord. And when we say that, we are not only thinking of Christianity in general, we are thinking of ourselves. This is true of ourselves. We have all come into something called Christianity, and we have all taken on something of Christianity, and there may be a great deal that we have to get rid of, and come back to the simple fundamental reality. And the fundamental reality of all realities is the presence of the Lord. We have got to know that the Lord is with us, and that the Lord is with us in all that we do, that this did not originate in our mind. It did not originate in our will, it did not originate in our emotion. It did not come from our soul, this thing has come from the Lord in every detail, like the tabernacle. Just like Jesus Christ, in every detail it has to come to us from God.
That ought to send us back to our knees to go through all our work. It may be necessary for us, from time to time, to stand back and ask the Lord about all that we are doing. 'Is this out from God, or is it something out from ourselves? Is this way of doing things the mind of God, or is it our mind? Is the Lord in this, or have we come into it?' You see, that is a great deciding matter. Make no mistake about it! Everything that is only of man is going to perish. Sooner or later it will be shaken. Every man's work shall be tried in the fire, says the Word of God.
Morning Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. § He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. § If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. § For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. § Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Christ… suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. § Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
In their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Prov. 10:19; James 1:19; Prov. 16:32; James 3:2; Matt. 12:37; Ps. 141:3; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 2:22: 1 Peter 2:23; Heb. 12:3; Rev. 14:5
Evening Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Teach me Your way, O Lord.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. § Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” § 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.
Let us … pursue the knowledge of the Lord. § All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
Ps. 27:11; Ps. 32:8; Ps. 25:8,9; John 10:9; John 14:6; Heb. 10:19,20; Heb. 10:21,22; Hos. 6:3; Ps. 25:10
None but the Hungry Heart by Miles Stanford
Inwrought For Outreach
Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (Col. 2:7).
At first our concern is to be used, to serve; but it is our concern. Then He begins to impress His concern upon our hearts, that we be like Him. Finally, it is His concern and ours that others may be reached by Him and established in Him.
"The Holy Spirit indwells us and thereby accomplishes our sanctification - an adjustment of our personal lives to His own person and character, to the dropping away of sin's power over us and the implanting of His Christ-imparting attributes in us. But to what purpose is all of this? For the beautifying of our personal lives? To terminate upon us? Not at all. His work in us is that He may have an instrument adjusted to His use, thus to work through us to the blessing of others. -N.B.H.
"It is not so much a matter of our attainments or full conformity to Christ, but rather our progressive movement towards the final goal. Even if we were perfect in ourselves, that would not make us ministers, for ministry consists in the Spirit's manifesting in our lives something more of Christ that was not there before, and then making it shine out for the blessing and transformation of others." -H.F.
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men" (1 Thess. 3:12).
Devotional Studies by Elizabeth Haworth
Progression or Regression - Growing In Grace (3)
Growing In Grace - STUDY
They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Acts 17:11
Facts Not Feelings
Many passages in scripture are given unscriptural interpretations. Many sections are misunderstood or distorted and many are not rightly divided, resulting in much confusion, which often reflect a deep-rooted adherence to man-made religion. Many read into the Scriptures what they think it says, while others are moved by imaginings. If only we would believe what the Word of God actually says.
Believer’s Privileges
For instance, when a man is born again he receives tremendous privileges, but how few understand or even accept this. He is made a child of God, a citizen of heaven and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. He is placed in union with Christ, receives the Spirit of God into his heart and is given eternal life. He is accepted by the Father, clothed in Christ’s righteousness, eternally secure and loved by the Father.
Scriptural Facts
These incredible privileges are scriptural facts, found in the Bible and resting on God’s unchangeable nature. How foolish to defer to man-made doctrines, unscriptural traditions or false imaginings in preference to God’s Word. These unchangeable truths cannot be lost, or affected by feelings or imaginings. How strange that so few take the truth of Scripture literally, distorting God’s character in the process.
No Partiality
At four years old my little granddaughter received Jesus as her Saviour because she believed the gospel of salvation. She received the same privileges as spiritual giants like Peter, Paul, John and James, for along with every born-again child of God, there is no partiality or favouritism with Him – we are all one in Christ, and yet we all have to mature in the faith.
Believer’s Journey
Rebirth into the family of God is the first step on the journey of a lifetime that requires us to grow in grace and spiritual maturity. As new believers, we all set out on a journey from time into eternity. Though there is no partiality in our positional status and
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Knowing Jesus Devotional by Elizabeth Haworth
Knowledge of the Holy
Explosion of Knowledge
We live in a day and age where everyone has an opportunity to find out anything about everything. There has been an explosion of knowledge in every area of life and a multiplication of ways and means to access that knowledge. We discover an overabundance of books and papers, magazines and journals, computers and electronic systems, audios and videos.. together with a multiplicity of information about the latest e-readers; e-mails; e-teaching; e-learning and online e-courses. No wonder the average man in the street is left reeling with sheer exhaustion.
Lack of Understanding
And yet the average man in the street is painfully ignorant of the God of the universe and of His Christ, Who for thirty-three years lived on the very earth He created, and went about doing good – full of grace and truth. The majority of men know little of the God Who created them and of the eternal Son of God Who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And He came to earth to suffer and die as the sacrifice the their sins and the sins of the whole world – so that all who believe on Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.
Witness of the Holy
It was John the Baptist that proclaimed that One stood among them Whom they did not know, and yet knowledge of this Holy One of God, was the key to life everlasting, for in Him was the light of life, and that light shines in the darkness, and the darkness would not overcome it. In Him was the key to peace and the passport to joy – and the greatest need in a world that is drowning in information is an experiential knowledge of the Holy – for only He can open eyes of the spiritually blind; only He can unlock the ears of the spiritually deaf and only He can answer to the deepest cry of the hurting, human heart,
Apostle of the Holy
It was the self-righteous Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus – who became
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