Hungry Heart Daily Devotional Anthology -mjs

IMITATING IS IMITATION

"For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:2l).

Once we learn the truth of our union with the Lord Jesus, and of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, any attempt to imitate Christ will be seen for what it is: unscriptural, and futile.


"Our Father is going to teach us, mainly through personal failure, that the life we live is the life of our Lord Jesus alone. The Christian life is not our living a life like Christ, or our trying to be Christ-like, nor is it Christ giving us the power to live a life like His; but it is Christ Himself living His own life through us; 'no longer I, but Christ.'"


"The end of Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection was to prepare and form a holy nature and frame for us in Himself, to be communicated to us by union and fellowship with Him; and not to be able to produce in ourselves the first originals of such an holy nature by our own endeavors."

"The believer's true education is in the growth of Christ within. The Church's real ministry is not multitudinous public services, so-called, but the forming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of His people; the reproduction of Christ; epistles made alive by the Holy Spirit, to be seen and read of all men." -C.A.F.

"There is no answer to infidelity like the life of the Lord Jesus displayed through the Christian. Nothing puts the madness of the infidel, and the folly of the superstitious more to shame and silence than the humble, quiet, devoted walk of a thorough-going, heavenly-minded, and divinely-taught believer."

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you" (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

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7-24. TERMINAL CONDITION–ETERNAL POSITION

"Ye have put off the old man with his deeds" (Colossians 3 9).

Sometimes our Christian life and love are divided between the two Adams. It may be 60-40 in favor of the Last Adam, still it is shared. But the Lord Jesus paid it all, gave His all, deserves our all, requires all, because He is our ALL. Ours is to be total separation-death to the old, life in the New.

"Our Father has removed everything to His own satisfaction, and you learn in the first eleven verses of Romans 5 the terms He is on with you. It means much to the heart of the believer to know that he is received on the ground of another Man who perfectly glorified God.

"We are accepted in Him, the Beloved. God has changed His man, and you are never happy until you believe that and are able to say, I have, too. If you do not see that God has changed His man you will never change your man."

"The only way to freedom is to leave Adam for Christ-to change your man; then it is 'not I, but Christ liveth in me' (Galatians 2:20). There are two sides; one, that you are cleared from the old in the eye of God in the Cross; the other, that you are now new in Christ risen. 'For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death' (Romans 8:2). The old is held in the place of death as you walk in newness of life in the Spirit."

"And have put on the new man, that is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." (Colossians 3:10).

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Man reaching up to God is religion; God reaching down to man is grace. What God is to man is more significant than what man is to God. Since He values us equal to His Son, the priority in all things is to focus all on Him and His Son, because Their love for us is infinitely preeminent to ours for Them. -NC


LOVE'S ETERNALITY​
"The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God " (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

Between the activity of the old man and the accusations of Satan, we often find it very difficult to believe and understand that God is lovingly and legally on our side, both now and forever.
"One of the great secrets of growth is the looking upon the Lord Jesus as gracious. How strengthening it is, to know that He is at this moment feeling and exercising the same love and grace towards me as when He died upon the Cross for me. -J.N.D.
"I have got away from grace if I have the slightest doubt about God's love for me. I shall then be saying, I am not happy, because I am not what I should like to be. But, dear friend, this is not the question: the real question is, whether God is what we shall like Him to be, whether the Lord Jesus is all we could wish.
"If the consciousness of what we are in ourselves, has any other effect than, while it humbles us, to increase our adoration of what our Father is, we are off the ground of pure grace. The immediate effect of such consciousness should be to make our hearts reach out to God and to His grace as abounding over all."
"May our hearts get such a lesson in the love of the Father, that, instead of being depressed by trying circumstances, we may know that we are the objects of this wonderful love, and are being educated into it by the only One who knew it in all its power as He walked here below through this wilderness world."
"To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).
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TREASURED TRIALS

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty' hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (I Peter 5:6).

The Blesser sends trials because the trials are blessings. Most covet the "blessing" of having the trial removed.

"I find the brightest summer is when the winter has been longest and most severe. The wheat, the best grain, passes a winter in the soil. The bud, the blossom, or fruit, most fragrant of Christ, is the one which nobody knows what it cost me but Himself; and where one had hardly noticed it; like the beautiful wild flowers in the hedgerow, contending with bushes and boars, to shod their fragrance on the unthankful or unthinking traveler going by."

"I think we are sometimes ready to say to the Lord— Could you not have taught me without subjecting me to so much sorrow and humiliation? The answer I have had is, You could not be effectually taught any other way. "The Lord knows the nature of the obstacle in me which He has to overcome: a less efficient hand might think that it could be dealt with in some other way.

"A weakness be it bodily or otherwise, is sometimes allowed to continue in order that there may be dependence, and when there is dependence, the weakness becomes a gain; the grit-the trying thing-is superseded by a pearl of great price." -J.B.S.

"The God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect [mature], establish, strengthen, settle you " (1 Peter 5:10).

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God's blessings to your Family this Holiday season! God Be Blessed!!


THE REAL ENEMY

"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14).
Hatred for others comes easy for some; but to fully hate one's old man comes hard for all. The Lord Jesus loves us too much to allow us to go on loving ourselves.

"The Christian's victory is not over others, but over himself. His sword is drawn, not to slay his fellowman, but to slay himself. He wins by losing. He triumphs by being defeated. He lives by dying. His crown is a crown of thorns. His throne is a Cross. His weapon is not strength but weakness.

"His victory is not found in establishing his own cause but in establishing that of his fellow-men; the poor, the sick, the disinherited, the brokenhearted, the wayward, the lost. This may be foolishness to men. But we must not forget that 'the foolishness of God is stronger than men' (1 Corinthians 1:25). -F.J.H.

"How blessed it is to know, and at the same time how solemn to realize, that the sin of the child of God is against his Father, and that it is the love of relationship that is called into exercise about it-love which acts towards us 'for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness' " (Hebrew. 12:10).

"It is impossible that He should treat it lightly; and it will be impossible in the end for any one of His own to treat it lightly either. Grace abides towards us; and because grace abides, sin cannot be permitted to have sway over "The objects of it." -W.K.

"Let not sin, therefore, reign. . . " (Romans 6:12).

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ALL GLORY TO GOD

"Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God " (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The present and eternal ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son; the past, present, and future ministry of the Son is to glorify the Father. Our life and ministry will bring glory to our Father to the extent that we abide in the Son, and are controlled by the Holy Spirit.

"When one's ministry or outreach flows from close communion with the Father, one's influence and moral authority will be recognized. Moreover, such a workman is not carried beyond what he has received from the Lord, so that his ministry finds sanction in hearts without any pressure.-J.N.D.

"The object of all Christian life and ministry, of whatever kind, must surely be to bring glory to God. Any lesser motive is inferior. If this were kept in the forefront of our thinking and praying, it would have two beneficial results. The hectic strain would be taken out of our lives and service, and spontaneous fruitfulness would follow.

"We can aim to meet the needs of people as a primary objective, and fret because so many of our efforts prove abortive. We may secretly pride ourselves on our ability to minister, or on our efficient service, and reap nothing but frustration. It is only when our whole outlook is made radiant by His glory, because we are hungry to do His will and that only, that our activities will be quickened into new life, and others be truly blessed." -J.C.M.

"He [Abraham]. . . was Strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Romans 4:20).

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FREE-BORN


"For I through the law died unto the law, that I might live unto God " (Galatians 2:19, ASV).

No true believer expects the Law to give life, yet many expect it to govern life. Too few realize that their death on the Cross separated them from the entire principle of law, and that their resurrection united them to the Lord Jesus, "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

"All of the Lord's commands to me are according to the new nature I already have. He is my life, and all His words are the expression of that life. Therefore when His words are given to me, they only give me the authority to do what my new nature likes to do. 'A new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you" (1 John 2:8). -J.N.D.

"Does our Father mock us by bidding us do what He knows we are unable to do? No! He gives commands we cannot perform in our strength, that we may know what we ought to request from Him." "Legalism is an effort to shape oneself to given laws or rules. Seeking to urge oneself into conformity to law, the old man is before the eye, and satisfaction is felt according as there is conformity to a given standard.

"The moment legality is sanctioned, it must be with reference to that which needs to be made subject. This is not Christian, because as believers we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, against which there is no law."

"Stand fast, fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage " (Galatians 5:1).

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The heavenly position of where the believers are is what sustains them in their earthly condition when they are continually mindful of their total dependence on God. It is when we think of ourselves “more highly than we ought to think” (Rom 12:3) that we decrease the continuity in our God-dependence.

The consistency of how we should be in our condition will be succinctly commensurate with the level of our mindfulness concerning God-dependence. The question is not how strong are we but, how strong is He? God desires us to know that He has set everything so that we need not to look within ourselves for sustenance, as if to have faith in ourselves, but to realize that since we have trusted in Him for the receiving of our salvation, we can only trust Him for the retention of the same (John 10:28, 29).

God has brought us to faith in union with Himself (John 6:44) and it is Him, not ourselves, which is “able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory” (Jude 1:24). Your position in God is your place with Christ, because “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). If those who professes to be in Christ eventually display a lifestyle of sin, it will become obvious they have never entered into faith (1 John 2:19).

Therefore, “as He is” (our position), “so are we in this world” (our condition); 1 John 4:17.
NC​
LET GOD BE GOD!

"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11).

It goes without saying that Christianity is a vertical relationship with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But are your arrows pointing up, or down? "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually" (Hebrews 13:15).

"Grace is the Father's favor to man according to His own heart, and for His own glory. If the need of man were the sole measure of His grace, then man only would be thought of, the work of the Lord Jesus would be simply for man, and the power of God expended merely in rescuing man and securing his relief. Man would be the object and end of it all, and not God." -J.B.S.

"When I have rest in the Lord Jesus, then I begin to find all my joy and strength in Him, and I occupy myself with Him. This is the foundation of true devotedness. I do not become devoted in the true sense until I have found my rest in Him. I am, up to this, rather looking to receive from Him. I am more an object to myself; but when I find how fully I am an object to Him, then my heart is at liberty to make Him its object, He having made me His." -J.B.S.

"When the advantages of grace do not call forth praise to the Father, when He is not prominently before the soul, as the source of everything possessed, then the gifts take the place of the Giver in the heart, and must soon lose their vigor and value like flowers cut away from their roots."

"The great question is, not whether I see a certain thing, and how it stands in relation to me, but do I see it as my Father sees it, and as it stands in relation to Him?"

"Unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21).
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The heavenly position of where the believers are is what sustains them in their earthly condition when they are continually mindful of their total dependence on God. It is when we think of ourselves “more highly than we ought to think” (Rom 12:3) that we decrease the continuity in our God-dependence.

The consistency of how we should be in our condition will be succinctly commensurate with the level of our mindfulness concerning God-dependence. The question is not how strong are we but, how strong is He? God desires us to know that He has set everything so that we need not to look within ourselves for sustenance, as if to have faith in ourselves, but to realize that since we have trusted in Him for the receiving of our salvation, we can only trust Him for the retention of the same (John 10:28, 29).

God has brought us to faith in union with Himself (John 6:44) and it is Him, not ourselves, which is “able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory” (Jude 1:24). Your position in God is your place with Christ, because “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). If those who professes to be in Christ eventually display a lifestyle of sin, it will become obvious they have never entered into faith (1 John 2:19).

Therefore, “as He is” (our position), “so are we in this world” (our condition); 1 John 4:17.
NC​
LET GOD BE GOD!

"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11).

It goes without saying that Christianity is a vertical relationship with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But are your arrows pointing up, or down? "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually" (Hebrews 13:15).

"Grace is the Father's favor to man according to His own heart, and for His own glory. If the need of man were the sole measure of His grace, then man only would be thought of, the work of the Lord Jesus would be simply for man, and the power of God expended merely in rescuing man and securing his relief. Man would be the object and end of it all, and not God." -J.B.S.

"When I have rest in the Lord Jesus, then I begin to find all my joy and strength in Him, and I occupy myself with Him. This is the foundation of true devotedness. I do not become devoted in the true sense until I have found my rest in Him. I am, up to this, rather looking to receive from Him. I am more an object to myself; but when I find how fully I am an object to Him, then my heart is at liberty to make Him its object, He having made me His." -J.B.S.

"When the advantages of grace do not call forth praise to the Father, when He is not prominently before the soul, as the source of everything possessed, then the gifts take the place of the Giver in the heart, and must soon lose their vigor and value like flowers cut away from their roots."

"The great question is, not whether I see a certain thing, and how it stands in relation to me, but do I see it as my Father sees it, and as it stands in relation to Him?"

"Unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21).
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SERVlCEABlLITY

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened unto you" (1 Peter 4:12).

The joy of sowing is exceeded only by the joy of harvesting; and yet both sowing and reaping are a matter of death.

"If we follow and note the history and ways of any true servant of the Lord, we shall see, that on the one side they, like Moses on the Mount, or Paul in Arabia, are entranced with the brightness and most marvelous display of divine glory; yet on man's side, those who know most of the divine ways, suffer most because of the indifference of those who have professed to be the Lord's people.

"It is nowhere admitted in Scripture that a servant can be merely the herald of the light of God's grace; that is, that he should only have the joyful side of service. For every real servant, be he evangelist, teacher, or anything else, there must be the side of suffering, burden, and humiliation."

"We must bear in mind that, while it is the Father's purpose, in His dealings with Job, to vindicate His own estimate of His servant; it is, at the same time, shown us how He educates or disciplines that servant so as to render him worthy of that estimate."

"In every trial, however gloomy, there are gleams of light and relief; but full deliverance is often delayed by our anxiety to obtain it. God Himself, and not the deliverance, is to be the satisfaction of His servant; consequently the deliverance is often postponed until we are without prospect or expectation of it; and then it may be accorded in a manner so transcendently beyond our conception, that we must see and understand the love and interest which surrounded us during the whole period of our trial."

"But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:3)

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NO HUNGER–NO GROWTH

"Let us go on and get past the elementary stage. . . advancing steadily toward the completeness. . . that belongs to spiritual maturity" (Hebrews ;6:1, Amp.).

The birth truths of Romans 1-5 are not meant for our spiritual growth. The growth truths of Romans 6-8 are presented for our spiritual development and maturity. The Reformation brought back the birth truths, but the Cross and the Life truths are necessary for our growth.

"So many rest content with the thought that their sins are pardoned, and that they are in the path of life, but know nothing of a personal attachment to the risen Lord Jesus Christ as their life, or of faith that lives in the invisible and walks with the Father.

"With many this is the consequence of the hopelessness that came from the failure of their utmost efforts to live as they
desired. They struggled in their own strength; they lost heart, they went back. The profession of faith is not cast away; religious habits are kept up; but there is nothing to show that they have entered or are seeking to enter the Holiest to dwell there.

"The power of the world, the spirit of its literature, and temptations of business and pleasure, all unite to make up a religion in which it is sought to combine a comfortable hope for the future with the least possible amount of sacrifice in the present." -A.M.

"Struggle and effort in themselves will never secure blessing, but by leading to despair and complete self-disgust they serve a divine purpose in the experience of the soul. I would rather see a soul in honest exercise, however legal he was, than see the light and careless acceptance of divine truth. I do not think God gives anything without preparing us for it by making us feel the need and value of it. It is a divine principle that 'He satisfieth the longing soul' (Psalm 107:9)." -C.A.C.

"He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger" (Deuteronomy 8:3).

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The doing of the will of God centers more on passivity than activity; passive on our part and active on His. Because our Adamic nature is a leaven which unavoidably mixes with what we do, the doing of God’s will on our part is in yielding to His Spirit to work through and by us into bringing about the Father’s desires concerning everything in our lives.

When we “yield” ourselves to God (Rom 6:13), it is the new self (new man), not the old self (old man) that we present to Him and through this new nature we realize the substance of the doing is not of us but the Spirit and thus, He has His way; “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph 3:16).

W.J. Hocking’s comment adds some light to the issue: “Man had no life from which the Father could expect anything and so he gave a new life in His Son, that He may produce it. Do I find sins rather? He is the propitiation for our sins. I believe that and enter into fellowship”.

“Why do you find fear and torment when you find sin in yourself? Cannot you trust that love? Have you had the Father on your neck in your rages (Luke 15:20). You must know the love your Father has for you and then you know Him. His Son is your righteousness; why should you not have rest? “As He is, so are we in this world.”

“The effect of grace is that we should feel sin and know it’s blotted out (Acts 3:19) in Him, as well as our old life (old man). “The glory thou hast given Me I have given them . . . that the world may know that . . . thou hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me” (John 17:22, 23). “There is no fear in love.” It is a matter of fellowship. “Perfect love casteth out all fear.”
NC
FROM LAW TO LIFE

"Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24).

As sinners, the law revealed our need of deliverance from the penalty of sin; as believers, the law reveals our need of deliverance from the power of sin.

"Our Father knows that we are weakness incarnate; that we can do nothing. The trouble is that we do not know it. He must bring us all to the place where we see that we are utterly weak and helpless.

"The more we try to keep the law the more our weakness is manifested and the deeper we get into Romans Seven, until it is clearly demonstrated to us that we are hopelessly weak. The Father knew it all the time, but we did not, and so He has to bring us through painful experiences to a recognition of the fact."

"'It is God who worketh in you' (Philippians 2:13). Deliverance from law does not mean that we are free from doing the will of our Father. It certainly does not mean that we are going to be lawless. Quite the opposite! What it does mean however is that we are free from doing that will as of ourselves.

"Being fully persuaded that we cannot do it, we cease trying to please God from the ground of the old man. Having at least reached the point of utter despair in ourselves so that we cease even to try, we put our trust in the Lord Jesus to manifest His resurrection life in and through us, 'that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit' (Romans 8:4)."

"What would be effected by the law, if all its commands and precepts were carried out and maintained? It would form man in the flesh; it would make Adam what he ought to be for God in the world. The law would form Adam in us." -C.A.C.

"I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord" (Romans 7:25).

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In my earthly condition, which is where I am a partaker of the sufferings of Christ (2 Cor 1:5, 7), I am encouraged and comforted the most in the knowledge and understanding of my Father’s omniscience, because this means there is nothing in my life that will occur without His foreknowledge and that even my thoughts do not escape His pondering. Regardless of what arises, God knows my choices and has already planned out the day for me (Prov 3:6, Psa 1:6; 37:23); “not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace” (2 Tim 1:9).

The direction and care of our Father never involves punishment but rather, loving chastisement (Heb 12:6) and we are also comforted to realize He knows it is never our intention to displease Him. Is there ever any thought or occurrence that God does not know about beforehand? Regardless of the believer’s thoughts, feelings and actions, along with all which occurs without, they have already been known and it has already been pre-planned to “work together for good to them . . . who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28).

It is also a great motivation to realize that we can work towards understanding that it can be our goal not to allow anything to disappoint us, esp. in our regrets and failures because mistaken choices are acceptable while maturing in Christ and disappointments anywhere else evidences that we have put our security into something which is of ourselves or another. But when the Lord causes us to experientially understand our eternally secured assurance in His Son, the Romans eight-twenty-eight promise will continually draw us from dissatisfaction and disappointment.
NC


OUR FATHER, UNTRUSTWORTHY?

"The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them who trust in him shall be desolate" (Psalm 34:22).
We can only trust our Father to the degree that we know Him. And He only reveals Himself to us by His means. That is by the Word, by the Spirit, and hence by the Son–in that sequence.

"Could it be possible that God would so love an individual as to give His only Son to die for him and still love him to the extent of following him with the pleadings and drawings of His grace until He has won that soul into His own family and created him anew by the impartation of His own divine nature, and then be careless as to what becomes of the one He has thus given His all to procure?" -L.S.C.

"A life of patience intervenes between the day of illumination and the day of glorification. I am not to count on a path of pleasure–a path of ease–a path of prosperity–on being more distinguished tomorrow than today; but I am to count on a path of patience. And is not there glory in that? Yes, there is companionship with the Lord Jesus Christ." -J.G.B.

"Let my circumstances be what they may, if I can see them ordered for me unfailingly by One in whom infinite wisdom, power, and goodness combine, and whose love toward me I am assured of, my restlessness is gone, my will subjected to that other will in which I can but acquiesce and delight." -F.W.G.

"We are called to fellowship with God, and fellowship means common happiness, common thoughts, common trust. The Father's delight is in His Son; and we have fellowship with Him in that. The Son's delight is in the Father, and we have fellowship with Him in that. So our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus, Christ." -J.N.D.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

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HIDDEN TO REVEAL

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

As we walk in the Spirit, worship in the Spirit, and pray in the Spirit, we shall come to know, not the Spirit, but the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus explicitly said, "He (the Comforter) shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:14, 15)

"What is it to 'walk in the Spirit' (Galatians 5:16)? It is to walk in communion with the Father, in dependence upon the Spirit, having the Lord Jesus as my one object. What held the attention of Stephen, 'full of faith and of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 6:5)? Two things: the Word of God on earth, and the Christ of God in heaven (Acts 7:55)."

"To walk in the Spirit is not self-occupation, nor even occupation with the Spirit. Walking according to the Spirit is occupation with the Lord Jesus. When the believer looks to the Lord Jesus, depends upon Him, draws all he needs from Him–if the Lord Jesus is his all, then the believer walks in the Spirit." -A.C.G.

"To be Spirit-controlled does not mean the loss of free-agency. A free agent acts as he pleases, and the Spirit-controlled individual pleases to act in accordance with the mind and will of the Spirit." -A.McC.

"'I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not (in no way) fulfill the lust of the flesh' (Galatians 5:16). It might be objected, if a Christian were not under the restraint of the law that his life might be careless. The 'no way' of our verse forbids such a notion." -H.F.W.

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2) .

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ON TO MATURITY

"That I may know him" (Philippians 3:10).

"The one unchanging factor on this earth is the Word of God. It is upon the written Word, and in the Living Word, that the Christian life is to be established. Yet there are Christians throughout the world who are seeking to get along on the basis of questionable blessings, and fluctuating self-centered experiences.

"How many rest on the initial step of the new birth, 'Begotten again. . . of incorruptible seed through the word of God' (1 Peter 1:23), and fail to press on to know 'Begotten. . . by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. . . unto an inheritance' (1 Peter 1:3).

"If our hearts are really true to Him we may be assured He will lead us on in the knowledge of Himself just as fast as we are able to advance. He knows how much we can take in, and He does not fail to minister to us the very food that is suitable to our present need. We may sometimes feel inclined to be impatient with ourselves because we do not make more rapid progress, but we have to learn to trust the Lord with our spiritual matriculation.

"If our eyes are upon the Lord Jesus, and we follow with steadfast hearts as He leads us, we shall find that He leads us by the right way and brings us through all the exercises we need in order to form our souls in the appreciation of Himself, and of all those blessed things which are brought to pass in Him. We have to trust Him all the way through, and to learn increasingly to distrust ourselves." -W.N.

"The enemy will encourage you to do anything but carry out the systematic, Spirit-taught study of the Bible. He will give religious experiences, feelings and pious thoughts–all apart from God's Word. Do not be deceived. The Scriptures are our only sustenance–there are no substitutes." -J.B.

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3).

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PRAYER PREPARATION

"He shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and fit for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

"Prepared unto every good work"–especially prayer.

"It does not follow that because a thing is the will of God, He will necessarily lead you to pray for it. He may have other burdens for you. We must get our prayers from God, and pray to know His will. God was dealing with Hudson Taylor for fifteen years before He laid upon him the burden of definite prayer for the foundation of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship).

"Our Father is not in a hurry. He cannot do things with us until we are trained and ready for them. We may be certain He has further service, further burdens of faith and prayer to give us when we are ready for them." -J.O.F.

"In the true 'prayer of faith' the intercessor must spend time with the Father to appropriate the promises of His Word, and must permit himself to be taught by the Holy Spirit, whether the promises can be applied to this particular case. He remains in the presence of God, till He, by His Spirit, awakens the faith that in this particular matter the prayer has been heard." -A.M.

"In praying there are two alternatives set before us. The one, prayer as a means by which we get from heaven what we need. The other, prayer as infinite grace of God, lifting us up into His fellowship and love, and then when He has thus brought us to Himself, bestowing upon us the blessing we need. In the former case, the gifts that I can receive through prayer are the chief things. In the latter, God and His love, and fellowship with Him, and the surrender of the suppliant to His glory and His will is the supreme objective." -A.M.

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Colossians 4:2).
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“Labor to Rest”: Heb 4:11

Our work is not to come from the strength of the “old man”, which is our “own works”, but from the Spirit in the inner man or “new man” (Eph 3:16); “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord” (Zec 4:6). We are to love God “with all our strength”; --“which answers to the phrase in Deuteronomy 6:5, "with all thy might"; “that is, with the greatest vehemency of affection, in the strongest expressions of it, and with all the strength of grace (Spirit) a man has” (parentheses mine) –J Gill.

God used six days to create everything, and then on the seventh day from the beginning of the first day He rested. That is, He rested or ceased from creating and will never need to repeat it, for “God ended His work which He had made” (Gen 2:2).

The believer rests from his “own works” in order to rest in His works; “For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His (Heb 4:10). God, through His Spirit and in the “acceptance” of His Son (Eph 1:6) uses us to do His will in His strength and this is exemplified by the understanding of “entering into His rest” (Heb 3:11, 18, 19; 4: 1-11).

God did not expect Adam, Israel or the rest of mankind to learn to live this life completely free of any thoughts or actions of sin; “according to His own purpose” and “after the counsel of His own will (2 Tim 1:9; Eph 1:11), He has chosen, from eternity past, to allow our sin nature to remain (Rom 7) “until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Eph 1:14; Rom 8:23) and therefore, it stands to reasonable assumption that the believer cannot possess the sin source without ever being affected by it.

We are to be aware of its presence and “live circumspectly . . . redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15, 16). We are also to be mindful that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom 5:20). The key is not to seek in ourselves that for which is to be found only in God's Son, which is righteousness, and since it is imputed to us from Christ (1 Cor 1:30), it is what our Father regards in us in place of the unrighteousness in our "old man".

-NC


REST VIA STRUGGLE

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"(Matthew 11:28).

Hard as it is for the believer to finally come to rest concerning his spiritual birth, it seems to be even more difficult for him to simply rest in the Lord Jesus for his life and service.

"There are two stages in the Christian life. The one in which, after conversion, a believer seeks to work what God would have him do. The second, in which, after many a painful failure, he ceases from his works, and enters the rest of God, there to find the power for work in allowing the Father to work in him.

"It is this rest from their own work which many Christians cannot understand. They think of it as a state of passive and selfish enjoyment, of still contemplation which leads to the neglect of the duties of life, and unfits for that watchfulness and warfare to which Scripture calls. What an entire misunderstanding of God's call to rest!

"Truly to rest in God is to yield oneself up to the highest activity. We work, because He worketh in us both to will and to do (Philippians 2:13). As Paul says of himself, 'I labor, striving according to his working who worketh in me with might' (Colossians 1:29). Entering the rest of God is the ceasing from self-effort, and the yielding of oneself in the full surrender of faith to God's working." -A.M.

"Not only does the Lord Jesus live in us, but He becomes the motivating Object of our life as Christians. The law is no longer our motive or rule of life. It is entirely displaced by a Person, and that Person 'the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' Henceforth the soul has a new center and source--it is no longer self-centered, but Christ-centered." -C.A.C.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

http://www.withchrist.org/MJS/HHDevotional.htm
 
BELOVED ENEMY - Miles J Stanford

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).

The legal Christian considers the law to be his best friend who will enable him to live righteously. But in reality the law, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, is his beloved enemy. The Spirit's purpose is to bring the well-meaning believer down into defeat, wretched and ready to realize, "I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord" (Romans 7:25).

"It is perhaps the most alarming symptom of decay to be seen amongst evangelical believers today, that so many have accepted (at any rate mentally) the fact that they cannot be justified before God except by the sacrifice for sin once made for all upon Calvary, proceed to build a new legal code by which to live, and seek to be sanctified by their own efforts and endeavors.

"The more conscientious, when faced with the failure of this scheme of things, become the victims of the condemnation of the 'accuser of the brethren'; and take their place among the great company of Christian men and women who are constantly beset with doubts and fears, and who, often in spite of intense activity in the cause of the Gospel, are living in the conscious bitterness of defeat. " -J.C.M.

"The law cannot be broken or divided. It stands as a unit. To undertake any part of it is to be committed to it all. Nothing can be more unreasonable or more unscriptural than to borrow some portions from the law system, either that of Moses or of the millennial kingdom, and, at the same time, reject other portions. He who will choose the law must, to be consistent, do the whole law (Romans 10:5), and if he should break it at one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10)." -L.S.C.
"The law was our schoolmaster. . . . But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Galatians 3:24, 25).

http://www.withchrist.org/MJS/HHDevotional.htm
 
It has been said that “the unsaved needs deliverance from the guilt of sin and the saved needs deliverance from the dominion of sin”. Though the believer has trusted Christ for his place in salvation, there remains the need for learning to trust Him for our walk in salvation.

This is summed up in understanding that our acceptance with the Father will always be solely upon our being “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6), and that His divine attributes (holiness, righteousness and justification) cannot be produced but only vicariously possessed—in the possessing of Christ. All of these godly attributes are part of us being “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4); thus, they come not from us, but from Him in us through His Spirit and we can only witness-bearers to this.
- NC


CHURCH PLIGHT

"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).

In regard to the external Cross, the obvious fact is that "Christ died for our sins." As to the internal Cross, while not so obvious, it is still a fact that we are to be "always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (2 Corinthians 4:11).

"Popular Fundamentalist theology has emphasized the utility of the Cross rather than the beauty of the One who died on it. The saved man's relation to the Lord Jesus has been made contractual instead of personal. The 'work' of Christ has been stressed until it has eclipsed the Person of Christ. Substitution has been allowed to supersede identification. What He did for us seems to be more important than what He did to us." -A.W.T.

"The death of the Lord Jesus was not only an atonement for sins, but a triumph over sin. By faith we see our sins not only on His head for our pardon, but sin under His feet for our deliverance. Multitudes who glory in the outward Cross know nothing of that inward crucifixion which it has also made possible, whereby they are delivered from the power of self and sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. That they do not know: That their 'old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, so that they should no longer be in bondage to sin' (Romans 6:6)." -G.M.

"We are not only to take by faith the fact that the Lord Jesus died for us to pay the price and penalty of our sins, but we are to appropriate by faith the fact that He also took us to the Cross with Him. In Christ, God put to death our old man that we might be delivered from the power and dominion of sin in our lives. So the story of the pathway of faith begins with Calvary and our identification with the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus." -G.M.

"You were set free from the tyranny of sin" (Romans 6:18, Wey.).

http://www.withchrist.org/MJS/HHDevotional.htm
 
The believer, Jew or Gentile, now under the “New Covenant” (new in its dispensation, not in its conception from eternity past) has been separated from law; the Jew from the Law of Moses (Josh 8:31) and the Gentile from the “law unto themselves” (Rom 2:14, 15).

It goes from the knowledge of morality to the desire of godliness. This is the difference between having to be told (law) to desire good, due to the lack of an unbroken desire for good (which only proceeds from God; Mat 19:17), and having the continuous desire for being good instilled (grace) within. In this way our actions derive from “newness of spirit (grace), and not in the oldness of the letter (law)” (Rom 7:6).

The transition is from the old commandment of “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev 19:18) to the greater work of “a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).
- NC

SACRIFICIAL SERVICE - Miles J Stanford​


"For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh" (2 Corinthians 4:11).

The growing Christian is often accused of passivity by the doing Christian. The Lord Jesus was not passive; the Apostle Paul was not passive; nor is the believer passive who seeks to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Compulsive activity is not necessarily fruitful, as the "works of the flesh" attest.

"The Lord keep you in the freshness of faith in Himself, going forth in His work, not undertaking more than He gives you grace for. I have pressed upon my brethren not to give up their secular employment until the work of the Lord so increased upon them that they must give up one or the other."

"The one who knows best the Father's love will be the best exponent of that love--the best qualified servant for the Father to send on a mission of interest to those who are ignorant of it. Abide in Him. 'The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him' (John 1:18)."

"Under the Mosaic law-system, love for others was to be in the degree in which one loved himself; under grace it is to be in the degree in which the Lord Jesus has loved the believer and given His life for him (1 John 3:16)." -L.S.C.

"Perversion of truth takes its rise from having the eye turned to man, and seeking to make the truth suit him, and not to conform man to the truth; so that the way to resolve this difference is by the simple question, Is it God-ward I am looking, or man-ward?"

"If you only know the work of the Lord Jesus you are prepared to make sacrifices, but if you know Him as your life then you are ready to suffer for Him."

"So then death worketh in us, but life in you" (2 Corinthians 4:12).

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