God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. He stands at the heart’s door in sunshine and rain, patiently waiting to gain an entrance. Sometimes His patience extends over many years. Dwight L. Moody illustrated this with an unforgettable example.
One night he had preached on Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” At the close of the meeting, a man came up to him in extreme agitation.
“Mr. Moody,” he said, “when I was leaving home, my mother pled with me to trust Christ but I said, ‘I can’t think of that now. I have to go out and make a living.’ But I promised her that I would go to church every Sunday.
“When I settled in my new accommodations, I found that my mother had put a Bible in my bag with Matthew 6:33 marked, ‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.’
“On the first Sunday, I went to church. The preacher took as his text Matthew 6:33. I thought it was more than a coincidence. I wanted to trust Christ but I didn’t do it. I slipped out.
“The next Sunday I went to a different church. The text that day was Matthew 6:33. I knew that God was chasing me down. I knew that He was speaking to me. I was greatly stirred. But I said I would come to Christ some other time.
“Some weeks later I was in another town. Would you believe it? — the minister spoke from Matthew 6:33. Some people sitting near me questioned me and found that I wasn’t saved. They urged me to receive the Lord Jesus. But I said, ‘No, if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to do what I want to do.’ And so I went out, rejecting Christ.
“Mr. Moody, I have attended church for forty years. I wanted to keep that promise to my mother. But in all those forty years, I have never heard that text again.
“Then tonight I came into your meeting and you preached on Matthew 6:33, ‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.’ Mr.
Moody, do you think that God will still forgive me and save me?”
Moody assured him that the door of salvation was still open, and that night the penitent entered in. God’s patience had extended over forty years, and a mother’s prayers had followed for that long, too.
~ From William MacDonald’s The Wonders of God, pg.85
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I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule. – Psalm 32:8-9
Regarding God’s guidance most of us fall into one of two types. There are those who are similar to the mule. Slow and often reluctant to move forward; frequently needing extra prodding. Then there are those who could be described as a horse. Impetuous and impatient, often anxious to get going and frequently moving ahead of the Lord’s will and timing. Whatever type we are, let’s keep our eye on the Master and be ready to stop or go at His command. —Sid Halsband
Gladly I yield obedience now; in all things to Thy will I’d bow; I’ll follow where my Saviour led, and humbly in His footsteps tread. —Author Unknown
With the Summer Olympics now happening in Brazil, many are watching their countries compete for a gold medal. It’s an exciting time for many – but what about spiritual relevance? In My Heart, My Life, My All, William MacDonald writes about the spiritual applications that can be gleaned from the games.
While I was writing the previous chapter, the Summer Olympics were going on in Atlanta. The world was witnessing some superlative examples of commitment from an earthly standpoint.
Every four years athletes from about 197 countries gather for the Summer Games. Mostly young people, they are the best that these countries can send to compete in the various sports. As far as physical prowess and skill are concerned, they are world class. Countries don’t waste their money on second-rate athletes. They want the best.
Preparation
How are these exceptional young people sorted out from the common herd? No doubt, they have natural ability in their sports. Their bodies were created with just the right coordination of mind and muscles. But that is not enough. Before coming to the Games, they have practiced almost interminably. For example, one swimmer is reported to have practiced ten hours a day, six days a week, for seventeen years. The U.S. women’s synchronized swimming team practiced swimming six hours every day and did aerobic exercises every day for a full year. That kind of discipline is typical of the winners. Behind every gold, silver, or bronze medal are years of disciplined practice.
Motivation
These athletes have enormous motivation. They are going for the gold. They are forever looking forward to the time when they will appear before the judges and when the victor’s medal will be draped around their neck. They dream of the fame that could come to them, and of the money they might receive from lucrative endorsement deals. They anticipate the tumultuous cheers of the crowd.
Their minds are focused. They do not waste their time on trivia. If they are gymnasts, they are dedicated to refining their routines. No pain or weariness is allowed to interfere with their goal. Many of the normal relationships of life have to take second place. One thing and only one thing occupies their minds—that gold medal.
They have disciplined their bodies and brought them into subjection. They could have “pigged out” with favorite foods and drinks, but they knew that if they did, they couldn’t win. They realized that they had to be temperate in all things.
Every sport has its own language, and the athletes master that language. They add new words to their vocabulary. They consider it a small price to pay.
Then come the eliminations. One by one the aspirants are dropped until the best person or team has proved itself.
Competition
Finally the Olympic games arrive. This is the moment of a lifetime, the goal toward which the athletes have striven, worked, practiced, dreamed. As they come front and centre, we notice the determined look on their faces. No silly, sickly smiles. They are going to give it all they have.
Every nerve is stretched. Every muscle is tense. They’re off! With all the determination of which they are capable, they give it their best.
Of course, they must observe the rules of the contest. Any deviation will result in a loss of points, and could cost them the prize. They divest themselves of everything unnecessary. This is not the time to wear attention-getting clothing or burden themselves with accessories that would add to their weight load.
Many of the sports require enormous endurance. Those bodies take a terrible pummeling. But there is no holding back. No pain, no gain. No price is too great to pay. Oceans of emotions flow. Often those who fail to win break down in anguished sobbing. It seems that years of preparation have gone down the drain in a moment of time. For some, hopefully, there may be another chance.
One young gymnast performed her final vault in the team competition with a sprained ankle. She did it voluntarily. And it was worth it when she won the gold medal for her team.
The winners experience a moment of exhilaration when they stand as their national anthem is played. They walk away with their medal, the coveted prize.
Christians who watch the games cannot help seeing spiritual applications. The similarities and contrasts are striking.
God is looking for the best contestants. In His case, however, the best are not the ones that the world would choose. They may be the ones whom the world considers foolish, weak, base, despised—the nobodies (1 Cor. 1:27-28). The ones who are the best for God are the ones who give Him their best, who consider Him worthy of all they have and are.
Youth is God’s best time with the soul. It is when the metal is still molten and can still be shaped. It is the time when energy is high and when mental faculties are sharpest.
Christians, too, must practice. God calls us to the practice of holiness. “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy” (Ps. 147:10-11). Our practice is not physical; it is spiritual. For the believer, “…bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). This means shutting ourselves off from the noise pollution of the world to spend time in the Word, in prayer, in meditation, and in study. It means a life of consistent obedience to the Word.
Paul was probably thinking of the original Olympic Games when he wrote: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it…Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:24, 26-27, NKJV).
Read the rest of the story in My Heart, My Life, My All by William MacDonald.
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14
A light must burn brightly before it can show the way. A candle under a bucket is useless; it must be clearly seen to be of use. So we must be a light to others, pointing the way by our deeds and words. We have been called by the Lord out of darkness to His marvelous light so that He can be glorified. As He is the Light of the world, so we too must reflect His light. —G. Frear
No darkness have we who in Jesus abide; The Light of the world is Jesus! We walk in the light when we follow our Guide! The Light of the world is Jesus! —Philip P. Bliss
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. Isaiah 40:16
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12
Lebanon was known for two things: its cedar trees and its livestock. Isaiah says here that if all the cedar trees of Lebanon were used for firewood and all its beasts burned on the ensuing flames, it would not be enough. There is only one offering that satisfies the heart of God for all eternity. It is the once for all sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. God is satisfied with that finished work of Christ. Are you?—Paul Robertson
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. —Elvina M. Hall
“The Publishers describe Out of Egypt as “a devotional study of Exodus”. Certainly the author in his Preface suggests that there are in this volume 100 brief devotions; he adds that they can be “a reference source for deeper studies”, with which view the reviewer is pleased to concur. Out of Egypt would be a good starting point for any reader seeking to grasp the lessons of Exodus. The author sets out clearly the teaching of Exodus relating to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the nation’s first year in the wilderness. He deals clearly with the key events and their significance for Israel and the lessons they contain for Christians today.
Out of Egypt provides a commentary on the 40 chapters of Exodus, so the exposition does not deal with every verse in detail. Its purpose is not to consider minutely the laws Israel were to keep, the liturgy that would mark the Tabernacle which was to be the focal point of their religious observances, or the materials and construction of the Tabernacle itself. He follows the advice of another author writing on another book: “…we must not attempt to allegorise every detail here: that would…involve us in hopeless difficulty”. However, the author does deal with intriguing matters such as the Book of Life, or of the Living (Ex 32.32), and the Tabernacle pitched outside the camp (Ex 33.7).
Warren Henderson quotes much from Mackintosh, F W Grant, William Kelly, J N Darby, J B Bellett, and other authors of a past day as well as authors of the present day such as William MacDonald and Warren Wiersbe. He does not cite John Ritchie with whose Egypt to Canaan many readers of this Magazine will be familiar.”
Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge [vindicate] me by thy strength. Psalm 54:1
The Oxford Dictionary defines vindication as “justification by evidence or argument”. For the believer, Christ is our argument. The arc of His salvation work stretches from His incarnation, to His death and then to His resurrection. We remember Him today. And in our remembrance our minds are drawn to His body and His blood, viewing them symbolized in the bread and wine. Praise Him, Christ Jesus our justification. —George Ferrier
I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me. —Eliza Hewitt
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished. John 19:30
The story is told of a Christian man who had an unsaved friend who was a cabinet maker. The unsaved friend could not understand how Christ finished the work of redemption and why he could not do something for his own soul’s salvation. One day in the man’s shop, his Christian friend picked up a plane and walked toward a beautiful finished cabinet. As he pretended to make some finishing touches, the cabinet maker let out a yell, “Don’t touch that, it’s finished!” The same is true for Christ’s work; it is finished and cannot be added to. —W. Ross Rainey
Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished”, was His cry; Now in heaven exalted high! Hallelujah! What a Saviour! —Philip P. Bliss
Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Romans 16:5
The early church gathered in homes in order to worship God and fellowship together. What is our home known for? Is it a place where the family gathers to seek the Lord? Or is it cluttered with activities and amusements that have little to do with spiritual growth? Has discouragement moved in—replacing the time we used to spend with the Lord? Perhaps it’s time for some de-cluttering and re-prioritizing. Let’s make God’s Word, prayer and worship the priorities in our homes. —Deborah Manera
Lift up your hearts! We lift them, Lord, to Thee; Here at Thy feet none other may we see: Lift up your hearts! Even so, with one accord, We lift them up, we lift them to the Lord. —H. Butler
So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37 (NKJV)
Are you a good neighbour? From this story, there are three different responses to that question. Do I pass by like the priest, not even showing any interest? Perhaps I am like the Levite, making myself aware of the problem but in the end, not willing to get involved. Or do I treat everyone I know and meet, friend or stranger, with a heart and mind like the good Samaritan? —J. D. Fraser
My guilt was borne by Jesus; He cleansed the crimson stains, In His own blood most precious, and not a spot remains. —Horatius Bonar
