In step

[RiverOL]

Come up on this level tooFor reading & meditation: Micah 4:6-13
"But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord" (v.12)

Yesterday we ended with the statement: "Ultimately, the problems and difficulties of life are all spiritual." What exactly does this mean? Reflect again on the psalmist's problem. He says to himself: "Why does God allow the ungodly to prosper and the godly to go through great trials and tribulations?" He has trouble as he tries to understand God's ways. Now there is really only one answer to this problem, and it is found in Isaiah 55:8: " 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord."

Whatever we might think about the ways of God, these words give us the ultimate answer - the Almighty acts in ways that are above and beyond our comprehension. It is as if God is saying: "When you look at My ways you must not approach them on a natural level, because if you do you will be baffled and overwhelmed. I act on a higher level than the natural, and if you want to understand Me, then you must come up on this level too." How often, however, we persist in thinking naturally about life's situations - even those of us who have been in the Christian life for many years.

The difference between natural thinking and spiritual thinking is the difference between heaven and earth. The very first thing we must do when we are baffled by some circumstance in our lives, is say to ourselves: "Am I approaching this on a natural level or a spiritual level? Have I reverted unconsciously to my natural way of thinking about these things." The more we learn to think spiritually about life's problems, the less perplexed we will be.

Prayer:
Father, I need to adopt and practise many spiritual methods, but none is as important as that which aligns me to Your thoughts and purposes. Help me come up higher - to Your level of thinking. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Working or Watching?

We must work . . . while it is day;
night is coming—John 9:4

Ever feel like you’re spending way too much of life watching? I mean, what’s your personal watching-to-working ratio? And, by “working,” I don’t mean work-work. I mean working on those specific things for which you were created—for example, those things mandated by the two great commandments (Matthew 22:37-39).

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”(Ephesians 2:10).

Are you engaging in your good works? Or do you find that you're watching too many sermons about the Gospel, rather than living out the Gospel? Or watching too many movies and reading too many books about otherpeople’s adventures, rather than living out the adventures God has for you? Or watching sports too much . . . watching others face their fears, face great odds, and push themselves beyond their supposed limits, rather than doing those things yourself? Don’t get me wrong, sermons, movies, books, and sports are good things. There’s nothing wrong with inspiration . . . but it’s got to be inspiration for something.

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind . . .” (Ephesians 1:4 MSG). When God dreamt about you so long ago, did he dream of you watching others live out their great stories, but not you? Of course not. Of course he dreamt of a great story for you too. Of course he has a story he cannot wait to share with you, right now.

Search your heart, brother. What’s going on in there? Is it rising? Falling? Is it light? Heavy? Stop, now, and pray to God that he lead you into your story . . . your ancient story. That’s a good prayer. That’s one, I think, to which he’ll likely respond. So, you might buckle up.

 

[RiverOL]

One view of things
For reading & meditation: Philippians 2:5-11
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." (v.5, NKJ)

We continue meditating on the importance of learning to think spiritually. It is sometimes interesting to listen to Christians discussing together both earthly and heavenly issues. Take politics, for example. When involved in a discussion on this subject, many Christians seem to put their Christianity on one side and bring out all the prejudices and worldly arguments which they have been accustomed to use over the years. What does this say to us? It reveals the great need we have to break with the idea that life can be viewed on two levels - the natural and the spiritual.

The Christian must learn to view everything from a spiritual viewpoint or otherwise he will fall prey to the same problems that the psalmist had. The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon once told a group of theological students that after they entered the ministry they should not be surprised to find that people who prayed like angels in a church prayer meeting could act like devils in a church business meeting. Unfortunately the history of the Church proves his statement to be true.

How can this happen? It's because in a prayer meeting people think spiritually, but in a business meeting they revert to their natural thinking, with all its prejudices and worldly assumptions. They have a party spirit within them and as soon as any one bumps against them - out it comes. Our Lord, as our text for today shows so clearly, saw everything from a spiritual point of view. This is why, in the hour of overwhelming testing, He was able to say: "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).


Prayer:
My Father and my God, forgive me that so often my thinking is based on natural, rather than spiritual, perspectives. I think spiritually about some matters, but not all. Help me, dear Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Anatomy of an Adventure

. . . unless a grain of wheat falls . . . and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit—John 12:24

When men head off, toward something in the distance, toward something good and worthy—but also into unknown obstacles, detours, deprivations, dangers—those are adventures. We tend to think of them as journeys of ascent, like climbing to a summit. But are they, really? Aren’t adventures actually journeys of descent? And, actually, doesn’t therein lay their power? Our culture teaches that ascending brings us life: ascending in school; our careers; our social standing; in the sizes of our houses and our bank accounts. Our King, Jesus Christ, teaches the opposite. He teaches that we come alive, instead, by descending. And he teaches that we come alive by listening to God, trusting God, and relying on God.

That’s why adventures are so important. On them, we descend voluntarily. We forgo “comfortable” and “secure.” We welcome discomfort and danger. We relinquish control—all toward a far off, good and worthy goal. We put ourselves, quite literally, in the hands of God. On adventures, we allow him to teach and shape us, awaken and recharge us.

Jesus’ road to the cross was the ultimate adventure. He set upon something of immeasurable goodness and worth. He faced obstacles, detours, deprivations, dangers. He descended . . . but he didn’t do it so we wouldn’t have to. He descended to show us how. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

Adventures are all around—great opportunities to descend into situations that’ll make you apprehensive, that’ll make your heart pound even: walking beside someone who isn’t at all like you, but needs your help nonetheless; confessing to brothers that thing you’ve never confessed to anyone; giving monetarily, until it hurts. Take some time, today—notice the adventures around you. Then, pick one and go.

 

[RiverOL]

Lop-sided Christians
For reading & meditation: Philippians 4:2-9
"' if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (v.8)

We continue to look at the dramatic change in the life of the psalmist when he entered into the sanctuary. It is important to realise that it was not merely the physical act of entering the sanctuary that brought about change. That was important, but something else happened that was even more important. Listen again to how he puts it: "[When] I entered the sanctuary ' then I understood their final destiny" (Psa. 73:17). The word to note is "understood". In the presence of God the psalmist was given clear understanding.

This is an extremely important point and one which cannot be emphasised too strongly: what he found in the sanctuary was not merely a nice feeling but a new understanding. He was put right in his thinking. He did not merely forget his problem for a little while - he found a solution. The idea that many Christians have of the house of God or Christian fellowship is that it is a good place to go in order to forget one's troubles for a while. They are soothed by the music and the singing, or perhaps, in some churches, by the beauty of the architecture, and they come away saying, "What a lovely feeling I get whenever I go to church."

There is nothing wrong with that as far as it goes, of course, but the real issue is this: has anything happened to their minds? The psalmist was not changed by the architecture of the Temple; he was changed when his thinking was put right: "Then I understood their final destiny." If the practice of our faith does nothing more than excite our emotions and fails to give us a better understanding of God and His ways, then we will be lop-sided Christians.

Prayer:
O Father, save me from becoming a lop-sided Christian. Give me not only joy to thrill my emotions but understanding to guide my intellect. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Where Are the Nine?

"He [the leper that Jesus healed] threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?'"1

"It seems to be human nature to forget to say, 'Thank you.' Samuel Leibowitz, a brilliant criminal lawyer, saved 78 people from the electric chair; not one thanked him. Art King had the radio program, 'Job Center of the Air.' He supposedly found jobs for 2,500 people, of whom, only ten ever thanked him. An official of the post office, in charge of the Dead Letter Box in Washington, D.C., reported one year that he had received hundreds of letters addressed to 'Santa Claus' asking him to bring many things, but after Christmas, only one letter came to the box thanking Santa Claus for bringing the toys asked for."2

How do I appreciate thee? Let me count the ways!

Whoever the "thees" are in your life and mine, let us take stock and name the ways we have been blessed through their love, their friendship, their support, their encouragement, their help and so on.

And let us not fail to express gratitude when such is due. As William Arthur Ward said, "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." Furthermore, let us be givers, just not takers.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a grateful heart and may I never ever fail to thank You for the innumerable blessings I continually receive from Your hand. Most of all I am and will be forever grateful for Your 'so great salvation' with the gift of sins forgiven and eternal life through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Seeing Life Whole
For reading & meditation: 1 Peter 3:13-22
"' Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have '" (v.15)

As Christians we ought never to forget that the message of the Bible is addressed primarily to the understanding; it enables us to understand life. Because of the Bible, we are able to give a reason for the hope that is within us. The psalmist found the truth of this. In the sanctuary he discovered an explanation for the way that he felt. He was not given a temporary lift that would stay with him for a few hours or a few days - he was given a solution that would stay with him for the rest of his life. It was this, in fact, that caused him to write the psalm we are focusing upon day by day.

The words: "Then I understood their final destiny" (Psa. 73:17) suggest that previously he had not been thinking correctly. He had been seeing things from a partial and incomplete perspective, but now "in the sanctuary" he began to see the whole picture: "Then I understood". When? Then - when he came into the sanctuary. There is a line in one of Matthew Arnold's writings that goes like this: "Who saw life steadily, and saw it whole."

What a delightful phrase this is. Nothing can be more wonderful than to see life steadily and to see it whole. Much of the inner turmoil we go through in life comes about because we do not see life as a whole. Prejudice has been defined as "seeing only what you want to see". People who are prejudiced say: "I have always seen it that way." That's their problem - their eyes are fixed on just one facet of an issue and they will not allow themselves to look at the other sides.

Prayer:
O Father, help me, for I dont want to be in bondage to prejudice or bigotry - I want to see life whole. We must work this issue out together over these next few days, for apart from You I can do nothing. Help me, Father. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Never, Never, Never ... Give Up

"It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others] and so we never give up."1

It was during World War II when Great Britain's back was against the wall defending herself against seemingly overwhelming odds with the unrelenting onslaught of Hitler's military might, and the unyielding bombing by the German Luftwaffe.

Winston Churchill was asked to address the students at Harrow School, the school I believe that Churchill himself had attended as a student. The following is the speech that he gave that day:

"Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."2

When it came to never giving up Churchill certainly practiced what he preached. His determined leadership helped win the war against Germany. And when it comes to God's work, let us all be like the Apostle Paul who said about his work for God: "It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others] and so we never give up."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for the wonderful calling and privilege to be one of Your witnesses during my lifetime. Help me to be an effective witness and never give up praying for lost loved ones, friends, and neighbors, and never give up letting my light shine for You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Restoring the image
For reading & meditation: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
"May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (v.23)

We continue meditating on the importance of looking at life "steadily and whole". I venture to suggest that people who are not Christians are unable to see life as a whole. How can they, when their thinking takes place only on the level of the natural? Natural thinking is notoriously partial and incomplete. Take, for example, the field of medicine.

A generation ago doctors treated the symptoms that people presented to them, but now, with a clearer understanding of how the mind affects physical health, they have come to see that this approach was partial. One doctor said: "At long last the medical profession has discovered that the patient himself is important." Medicine is fast moving towards what is described as a "holistic" approach as more and more doctors begin to realise that it is not enough to treat the problem, we must also treat the person.

They are still far from seeing that there is also a spiritual element in the person that has to be considered, but perhaps in time that will come. Christian counselling suffers from the same problem - it does not see the whole picture. I am tired of reading books on Christian counselling that give just one side of the issue and suggest that problems can be resolved by applying one special technique. Man was created as a whole person and he will never be helped back to wholeness unless every part of his being is treated - spirit, soul and body. God wants to restore His image in us: not in part of us but in the whole.

Prayer:
O Father, forgive us that so often we settle for the half view of things rather than the whole. Quicken my spiritual understanding so that I have Your view on all things - the "whole" view. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Better Get Used to Mystery

. . . my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts—Isaiah 55:9

We men go through lengthy stretches of our lives with an “I’ve got this” posture. We convince ourselves we know what’s best in any particular situation or what’s right against any particular problem. We convince ourselves that we “get it.” We maintain this belief . . . until we can’t anymore . . . until we find we don’t actually know all that we think we know. We maintain it until we finally face the reality that God is God and we are not.

“I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish” (Isaiah 44:24-25).

Never can we have God’s knowledge or wisdom. Because of who he is, because of who we are, there’ll always be a tremendous amount of mystery in the relationship. We must be willing to accept and embrace it—and not let it become an impediment. We may “need” to know why something is the way it is or why something happened the way it did, but most times we simply cannot—and still we must believe, and still we must obey. To be in right relation to God we must instead adopt a posture of “I don’t know . . . and I’ll do what he asks nonetheless.”



Fill in the following blanks, brother, according to your story:I don’t know why ____________ happened, but I’ll trust God nonetheless. I don’t know why I had to experience ____________, but I’ll love him nonetheless. I don’t know why I am experiencing ____________ right now, but I’ll follow him nonetheless. I don’t know why he is pushing me out of what’s comfortable by ____________, but I’ll go nonetheless.

 

[RiverOL]

No need for dead reckoning
For reading & meditation: Acts 26:1-18
"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth." (v.9)

The place where we can see life as a whole is in the sanctuary of God, or, if you prefer, in the presence of God. There we are reminded of things we have forgotten or ignored. See how the Good News Bible translates Acts 26:9: "I myself thought that I should do everything I could against the cause of Jesus of Nazareth." Here you see the root of Paul's problem: "I myself thought".

And is not that the underlying cause of many of our problems too? We say, "I myself thought '" instead of asking: "What does God think?" Sometimes sailors will attempt to establish the position of their ships by estimating the distance and direction they have travelled, rather than by astronomical observation. This is called "dead reckoning". It is sometimes necessary in foul weather but it is fraught with peril. One mariner has said: "Undue trust in the dead reckoning has produced more disastrous shipwrecks of seaworthy ships than all other causes put together."

There are people who attempt the voyage of life by dead reckoning, but there is no need. God has charted the map for us with loving care in the Scriptures, and our plain duty is to study the chart so that we might become better acquainted with His purposes and His ways. For the better we know the Scriptures, the better we will know God. We cannot ignore the facts of history or science - they help - but if our perspective is not drawn from the Scriptures it will lead us astray. We must not rely on dead reckoning but on divine reckoning.

Prayer:
O Father, just as the art of navigation requires definite and fixed points from which to take a bearing, so does my voyage through life. I am grateful, dear Father, that in You I have all the fixed points I need. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Seeing Is Believing—or Is It?

"'No, father Abraham,' he [the rich man in hell] said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He [Abraham] said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"1

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. Legend has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right.2

Often it is said that seeing is believing. Obviously this isn't necessarily so. Basically, people believe what they want to believe, what they choose to believe, often times what is convenient to believe. It has been said that faith in God is often more of a moral problem than an intellectual problem. This is because many know that if they choose a life of faith in God, there are things in their life they will need to give up. For these people, it is much more convenient not to believe in God. No matter what evidence they are presented with that confirms the existence of God, they refuse to see it.

However, when I choose to believe in God the eyes of my understanding are opened and an amazing thing happens—believing is seeing.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I come to You with all my doubts and fears. With Your help I choose to believe in You and trust my life fully to You. Open the eyes of my understanding and help me to see Jesus. And help me to so live that others will see Jesus living in me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

What says the Scripture?
For reading & meditation: Matthew 22:23-33
"Jesus replied, You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God." (v.29)

We spend one more day considering the proposition that apart from a relationship with God and an understanding of the Scriptures, we are unable to see life as a whole. The man or woman who knows and understands the Bible will be acquainted with the facts he or she needs to have in order to come to right and sound conclusions. So immerse yourself in the Scriptures.

Understand that human nature is corrupt and that apart from the grace and power of God men and women are unable to live up to their ideals. Realise that the spiritual is more powerful than the material, and unless the spirit is in control we will be driven by carnal desires. When people say humanity is getting better and that sin and evil are just the "growing pains" of the human race - what are the facts? You get them from the Scriptures and only from the Scriptures. What does the Bible tell us about evil? It says it is part of the human condition and can never be rooted out except through the power and the grace of God.

So study the facts of Scripture. Read them, memorise them, and meditate upon them. When next you feel dispirited because you cannot make sense of something, ask yourself: What are the facts? Dig into the Scriptures and draw your perspective from what the Bible says. The root of many of our emotional problems lies in a lack of clear thinking - clear thinking based on Scripture. Think as God thinks about issues and you will feel as God feels about them. For you are not what you think you are, but what you think you are.

Prayer:
Father, I see now why so often my thinking about life is confused - my thinking is not based on the facts. Help me draw my deductions not from what I see in the world but from what I see in the Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

No Pain, No Gain

"But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."1

I live at the top of a mile-long very steep hill and for exercise I like to ride my mountain bike down and up our hill at least three times a week. It's great fun riding down but riding up is another story … and it never seems to get easier. "Do you enjoy riding?" someone asks. My answer? "I love having ridden."

True, I don't enjoy riding up our hill. It's hard work, but I love having ridden because of the benefits gained. There is an immediate benefit in that it's a great stress reliever, offsetting some of the adverse affects of stress. It also produces endorphins in the brain that helps me feel much better emotionally than when I don't exercise regularly. Plus it helps keep my body in shape; is great for the circulatory system, and helps to keep fit physically. Furthermore, as Paul suggests, discipline of the body helps to maintain discipline in other areas of life.

Self-discipline in every area of life is a never-ending challenge but the dividends of living a disciplined life are well worth every effort put forth. Discipline never happens by chance. It is a choice—a fresh choice every day!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to realize the importance, not only of physical discipline, but discipline in every area of life. And give me the courage to face and confront every barrier in my life that fights against self-discipline. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

Where does it all end?
For reading & meditation: Matthew 7:13-20
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction '" (v.13)

Today we look at the special understanding the psalmist received when he came into the sanctuary of God: "Then I understood their final destiny" (Psa. 73:17). As soon as he considered the final destiny of the ungodly, everything dropped into focus for him. He had looked at the prosperity of the ungodly but he had not looked at their end - he had not taken in all the facts.

What are the facts concerning the end of the ungodly? The passage we read today tells us: the broad road which the ungodly travel leads to destruction; the narrow road which the godly travel leads to life. It is as simple as that. Though this passage was not available to the psalmist, the truth underlying it was most certainly known to him. Listen to this from Psalm 37: "The transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off" (v.38, NKJ). The writer of that psalm, King David, described the wicked spreading themselves like a green tree, but when the end came they vanished off the face of the earth and no one could find them. The trouble with us is that so often we dwell too much on the present and fail to consider the future.

Do you look at the ungodly, many of whom seem to be having a marvellous time ignoring moral restrictions, and feel envious of them? Well consider their end. Give some thought to the ultimate outcome. The Bible describes it as "destruction". We ought never to forget that it is not how things are at present that is important; it's how they end that matters.

Prayer:
Father, whenever I am next tempted to compare my life and its circumstances with that of others who do not know You, help me to remind myself of the fact that it is the end that matters, not the beginning. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

God Speaks . . . to You

I am the good shepherd . . .
My sheep hear My voice—John 10:11, 27

God’s had direct, personal, reciprocally communicative relationships with a lot of men . . . Abraham, Moses, Gideon, David, Paul. What about you and me, though?

Many of us men—to the extent we think about it at all—assume those guys were special, different from us. And so, we decide God probably wants with us a different type of relationship—more indirect, impersonal, and non-reciprocal—go to church, read the Bible a bit, get on with our lives. That would mean, though, that God’s purpose in bringing us stories of these men was to simply demonstrate something unattainable—a divine taunt, of sorts. It would reveal a desire to impress upon us how special were his Biblical supermen, so we'd gaze upon them and wonder why he created us so . . . un-super.

Should we believe that? Or, could he have, through these stories, been showing us his heart, his father’s heart? Could it be that he wanted direct, personal, reciprocal relationships with Abraham, Moses, and an incalculable number of men since, and that he wants that kind of relationship with you and me too, right now?

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Sure sounds direct . . . personal . . . reciprocal.

Begin to open your mind, brother. God wants to speak to you—directly to you. In Scripture, he spoke with his own audible voice; through dreams and visions; through intermediaries, such as angels and other human beings; and directly into thoughts, using his “still, small voice.” While the others are admittedly rare, using people as his intermediaries and using his still, small voice are actually quite common.

 

[RiverOL]

I'm afraid of the dark
For reading & meditation: Proverbs 12:1-8
"Wicked men are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm." (v.7)

We continue thinking about the fact that as soon as the psalmist considered the end of the ungodly, everything dropped into focus. Their true position became so clear to him that his language in the rest of the psalm indicates that he not only ceased to be envious of the ungodly but began to be sorry for them. Indeed, the same thing will happen to us too - the more we focus on the ultimate end of the unconverted, the more compassion we will feel for them. How grim and cheerless is the non-Christian view of life, especially as it relates to the end.

Dr Marrett, a rationalist and head of one of the colleges in Oxford, wrote, as he neared the end of his life: "I have nothing to look forward to but chill autumn and still chillier winter and yet I must somehow try not to lose heart." H.G. Wells, who ridiculed and scoffed at Christianity with its doctrine of sin and salvation, said at the end of his life that he was utterly baffled and bewildered. The title of his last book summed up his view of things: A Mind at the End of its Tether. When he was dying, a noted atheist asked one of his relatives for a lighted candle to be placed in his hand.

"Why a lighted candle?" asked the concerned relative. "Because I am afraid to go out into the dark," was the reply. How foolish to look enviously at the lifestyle of the ungodly, focusing only on their present successes and the marvellous time they seem to be having, without considering their end. We should never forget that no matter how glittering their lifestyle, the death of the ungodly is a terrible thing.

Prayer:
O Father, let this sobering thought not only free me from envy but stimulate within me a deep concern for those who do not know You. May I be used in some way to halt the progress of someone on the road to a lost eternity. In Jesus' Name. Amen

 

[RiverOL]

Almost Persuaded

"'King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe' Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian.'"1

Brett Blair writes how "on January 23, 1909, a small invention played a crucial role in the lives of 1500 people. The New York-bound ocean liner the Florida rammed into the Republic. Jack Binns, the Republic's new wireless radio man, reassembled his contraption which had been destroyed in the collision. He sent out distress calls for the next 12 hours until the crew and passengers were rescued in the dawn light of Sunday morning. Only a few died.

"Jack Binns became a national hero. He was given a ticker tape parade. Songs were written about him. He even testified before congress on the importance of regulating wireless technology on all ships. Congress listened politely but ignored his message. Binn gave up his quest, accepted no profit from his celebrity, and went back home to England to await reassignment. Three years later he received an assignment aboard a ship that he turned down. He had fallen in love and was soon to marry. The turned down assignment? The Titanic.

"It is now felt that Binn's message was ignored because so few lives were lost on the Republic. It took tragedy on the scale of the Titanic for the importance of wireless to be understood."2

King Agrippa was an almost-persuaded too—but lost. Be certain not to wait until it is too late to take heed of God's warnings in the Bible. Be sure you have accepted God's plan of salvation from a lost eternity. Whatever you do, don't be an almost-persuaded.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for the many warnings in Your Word, the Bible, telling me that I need to prepare for eternity and how to be saved from a lost eternity. Help me to be certain that I am prepared for life after this life; that is, life after death. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

 

[RiverOL]

It's a dead certainty!
For reading & meditation: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day '" (v.8)

There can be no doubt that the Bible presents the death of the ungodly as being terrible. How differently, however, does it portray the death of the righteous. Even a hireling prophet like Balaam, bad as he was, recognised that there was something different about the death of the godly. Listen to his words in Numbers 23:10: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his" (NKJ).

The book of Proverbs puts the same thought in this way: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day" (4:18). I heard one preacher say that the happiest woman he had ever seen was a dying woman. She lay on her bed and clapped her hands at the approach of death. Very many people came to look at her bright countenance. "They tell me this is death," she said. "It's not death at all - it's life."

People were converted by her bedside, including her son. A theologian by the name of W. Cosley Bell, when he sensed that he was about to leave this world, sent these words to the staff of the college where he was employed: "Tell the young men that I've grown surer of God every year of my life, and I've never been so sure as I am right now. Why it's all so! It's a fact - a dead certainty. Im so glad I haven't the least shadow of shrinking or uncertainty. I've been preaching and teaching these things all my life and Im so interested to find that all we've been believing and hoping is so." That is the way to die. One of John Wesley's proudest claims for the early Methodists was this: "Our people die well.".

Prayer:
Father, the empty tomb of Jesus makes all our fears lies, and all our hopes truths. That empty tomb is the birthplace of eternal certainty. Because He lives I shall live also. I am eternally grateful. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Walking Witnesses

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."1

I have read how, "while attending a university in London, Mahatma Gandhi became almost convinced that the Christian religion was the one true, supernatural religion in the world. Upon graduation, and still seeking evidence that would make him a committed Christian, young Gandhi accepted employment in East Africa and for seven months lived in the home of a family who were members of an evangelical Christian church. As soon as he discovered that fact, he decided that here would be the place to find the evidence he sought.

"But as the months passed and he saw the casualness of their attitude toward the cause of God, heard them complain when they were called upon to make a sacrifice for the kingdom of God, and sensed their general religious apathy, Gandhi's interest turned to disappointment. He said in his heart, 'No, it is not the one true, supernatural religion I had hoped to find. A good religion, but just one more of the many religions in the world.'"2

Let us remember that as children of God we are not called to do witnessing but to be Christ's witnesses. Wherever we are, wherever we go, whatever we do—in all circumstances at all times we are being witnesses of Christ. I recall reading years ago the following words on a poster in the office in the college where I attended:

The living truth is what I long to see,
I cannot live on what used to be,
So close your Bible and show me how
The Christ you talk about is living now.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to remember that as a child of Yours, I am being a witness for You in all circumstances at all times. Help me to so live that my life will always be an effective witness and be used to help win others to You. May people, seeing Jesus in me, want Jesus for themselves. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."