Verse of the day — 2 Samuel 22:3
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.
2 Samuel 22:3(NASB)
Open Windows by T. Austin-Sparks
The Living Letters
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6)
If you want to know the mind of the Spirit about anything, you will know it by quickening, byLife in that direction. If you want to know what the Spirit is against, you will know it because there is death in that direction in your spirit, you have no Life, you say, in that direction. All right, that means you know the Lord, you know the spirit, you know what it is to move on the basis of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. The Father governed Him by that law. He governs us by exactly the same law when we are joined to the Lord, one spirit. Guidance, direction, is a matter of Life in the Spirit, Life by the Spirit. The Lord Jesus had His life ordered, governed, conducted, arranged in every detail by the quickening Spirit; the Spirit of Life in Christ.
These Jews came along and said: "Here is theScripture, and the Scripture says You ought not to do certain things, and You are doing them; You are all wrong because theScripture says this!" When Christ so acted was He violating theScripture? Or was He giving God's meaning to the Scripture? When God gave that law, did He not have a fuller meaning than what men see just on the surface? Was there not a spiritual interpretation? Was it not pointing on to something, which when it came was to supersede I do not mean break, but transcend imply because higher, fuller, deeper meaning was reached? Christ is God's Sabbath. It is in Christ that God comes to rest in allHis works; His new creation. But they said, "You must abide by the letter!" We put it in that way to show the difference between taking the letter and having the Holy Spirit's illumination of the letter. Life and the letter are often contrasted in the Word. The letter killeth, the Spirit maketh alive.
Morning Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; and he will answer from within and say, “Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you”? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. § [Pray] always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
“I will not let You go unless You bless me!” . . . “You have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” § Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Luke 18:1; Luke 11:5,8; Eph. 6:18; Gen. 32:26,28; Col. 4:2; Luke 6:12
Evening Daily Light by Samuel Bagster
Forgive all my sins.
Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you. § I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. § In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. § 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, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. § He has … forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us … He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, . . . who forgives all your iniquities.
Ps. 25:18; Isa. 1:18; Matt. 9:2; Isa. 43:25; Matt. 9:6; Eph. 1:7; Titus 3:5,6; Col. 2:13,14; Ps. 103:2,3
None but the Hungry Heart by Miles Stanford
Proffered Provision
We have known and believed the love that God hath to us" (1 John 4:16).
The Spirit convicts us of sins that we may be convinced of God’s cleansing. We do not deserve to be forgiven, but the Lord Jesus deserves to be trusted.
"We find the greatest difficulty often in bringing our sorrow to God. How can I do so, some may be saying, as my sorrow is the fruit of my sin? How can I take it to God? If it was suffering for righteousness' sake, then I would, but I am suffering for my sin; and can I, in the integrity of my heart towards God, take my sorrows to Him, knowing I deserve them?
"Yes: the Lord Jesus has been to God about them. This, then, is the ground on which I can go. There has been perfect atonement for all my sins; Christ has been judged for them. Will God judge us both? No; I go to Him on the ground of atonement, and God can justly meet me in all my sorrow, because Christ's work has been so perfectly done." -J.N.D.
"The guilt which the throne detects, the altar removes. If in the light of the throne one object is seen, namely, ruined, guilty, undone self; then, in the light of the altar, one object is seen, namely, a full, precious, all-sufficient Christ. The remedy reaches to the full extent of the ruin, and the same light that reveals the one reveals the other likewise. This gives settled repose to the conscience. God Himself has provided a remedy for all ruin which the light of His throne has revealed."
"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Devotional Studies by Elizabeth Haworth
God’s Gift of Love - Man’s Nature and Destiny (32)
A Study:- Man’s Nature and Destiny
Life of Faith
God has given us the gift of faith and the righteous are to live their life by faith. We are to live by faith and not by sight – by the faith of the Son of God Who loved us and gave Himself for us. A past faith when we were born from above, (a saving faith in the Lord Jesus). A present faith when we are being sanctified (a living faith through Christ the Lord). But what of a future faith? Well, it will be the realisation of faith: when Christ is all in allCol.3:11. Faith will effectively be replaced with sight: for we shall see Him as He is. 1John.3:2.
Future of Hope
God has also given us the gift of hope – a kingdom hope reaching into the eternal future. A future hope – an expectant hope when God’s promises reach their climax. That future hope is a time that the believer looks towards, through a lifetime of pain. That blessed hope.. the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Titus.2:13
Eternal Love
And God has given us the gift of love.. a love that passes understanding – a perfect love, for love is the very nature and character of God. A pure love, that will no longer be hidden by the clouds of doubt and fear – a wonderful love, for God is love and God is eternal. His is a love that is eternal. Yes, a perfect love: for perfect love casts out all fear. 1John.4:18. These three gifts.. these three promises: but the greatest of the three is love.
Powerful Love
How fundamental to accept without question this astonishing love of God. A love so incomprehensible, in that He loved so much, that He died for you and me; a love for us that was conceived by God before the foundation of the world; a love so deep that it spans from eternity past into eternity future – a love so intense that He
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Knowing Jesus Devotional by Elizabeth Haworth
Watch and Pray
Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14:38Be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
1 Peter 4:7Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man
Luke 21:36
Call to Watchfulness
Throughout the Word of God, from beginning to end, there is a call to watchfulness. From Genesis to Revelation there are warnings to be vigilant; cautious; awake! The Christian is a pilgrim passing through seriously hazardous, enemy territory. Perils and dangers lurk all along the way and nets and traps litter the path we walk.
Lapse of Fatih
The enemy comes in many garbs and disguises in an attempt to shipwreck our faith. Foes slink in the shadows, lying in wait for that distracted moment. They play their waiting game, biding their time for that lapse of faith. This was not just for biblical days of yore, when “the Philistines are upon you, Samson” – or when the Assyrians descended upon the cities of Israel “like a wolf on the fold” – or when the enemy “vexed and oppressed the children of Israel without cause.”
Spiritual Enemy
This is as true today as it was in those distant days – when the enemy was physical, except that today, the enemy is invisible and more subtle – and in the spiritual realm: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, physical weapons, but mighty through God to the pulling down of spiritual strongholds. 2Cor.10:4
Spiritual Armour
So we have been been equipped with every necessity if we would but access it: put on the whole armour of God, we are told, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil Eph.6:11 .. every part of the armoury is a part of Christ:- for as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts
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