THE WISE USE OF TIME

THE WISE USE OF TIME
"Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise redeeming the time, because the days are evil."-- Eph_5:15-16 (R.V.).

GOD DESIRES to give each life its full development. Of course, there are exceptions; for instance, in some cases the lessons and discipline of life are crowded into a very brief space of time, and the soul is summoned to the Presence-chamber of eternity. But, on the whole, each human life is intended to touch all the notes of life's organ. There is an appointed time when it shall be born or die, shall weep or laugh, shall get or lose, shall have halcyon peace or storm cast skies. These times have been fixed for you in God's plan; do not try and anticipate them, or force the pace, but wait thou the Lord's leisure. In due time all will work out for thy good and for His glory. 
Say to Him" "All my times are in Thy hand."

Times and seasons succeed one another very quickly. Milton, in his glorious sonnet on the Flight of Time, bids her call on the leaden-stepping hours, referring to the swing of the pendulum; and, indeed, as we look back on our past life it will seem as though each experience was only for a moment, and then had vanished, never to return. We are reminded of the cobbler, who, as he sat in his kitchen, thought that the pendulum of his clock, when it swing to the left, said For ever; and to the right, Where? For ever--where? For ever--where? He got up and stopped it, but found that, although he had stopped the questioner, he had not answered the question. Nor could he find rest until, on his knees, he had been able to face the question of the Eternal, and reply to it.
We must be on the alert to meet the demand of every hour. "Mine hour is not yet come," said our Lord. 
He waited patiently until He heard the hours strike in heaven, and then drawing the strength appropriate to its demand, He went forth to meet it. Each time and season is kept by the Father in His own hand. He opens and none shuts; He shuts and none opens. But in that same hand are the needed supplies of wisdom, grace, and power. As the time, so is the strength. No time of sighing, trial, temptation, or bereavement is without its special and adapted supplies. Take what is needed from His hand, and go forth to play the part for which the hour calls.

PRAYER
Oh, that Thou wouldst bless us indeed and enlarge our coasts of useful service. Let Thine hand be with us, and keep us from all evil that would grieve Thee. AMEN.

More on God's Promises and God's Law

More on God's Promises and God's Law

What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions . . . Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! 
For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 
But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  (Gal_3:19, Gal_3:21-22)

In our previous meditation, we saw that God implements His plan of salvation by making and fulfilling promises. His plan is not contingent upon man's ability to perform acceptably before His holy law. To put it another way, the law of God (given hundreds of years after the promises to Abraham) 
does not replace those promises.  

This raises a very important question: "What purpose then does the law serve? " If God's law did not cancel or rearrange His promises to Abraham, then, why was it added? 
"It was added because of transgressions." God wanted people to know that they had a major problem: sin. 
Man's sin needed to be clearly defined. "For by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom_3:20). 
The extent of sin would never be fully known apart from the law. "I would not have known sin except through the law" (Rom_7:7). 
Also, God wanted everyone in this world to know that they were accountable to Him for their transgressions. 
Thus, the law convicts the sinfulness of man, that 
"all the world may become guilty before God" (Rom_3:19).  

This raises another important question.
"Is the law then against the promises of God? " 
The law does not replace God's promises, but does it work against His promises? "Certainly not!  " 
The law of God and the promises of God simply have different purposes (just as it is with law and grace). The law of God reveals the holiness that is inherent to the very character of God. 
At the same time, it describes the holy life that God wants His people to live. "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Lev_19:2). 
The promises of God become the means by which man deals with his unholiness and accesses God's holiness. 
This is what true spiritual life is about: forgiveness of sin and a life of righteousness in Christ. This cannot come by law performance. 
"For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law." Rather, the promise of life is entered into only by faith. "But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."

O Holy Lord, I confess that in my own natural resources there is no innate holiness. I can find forgiveness of sin and true righteousness from You alone. Help me to understand the difference between Your law which convicts and Your promises which bring life, through Christ my Lord, Amen.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him

1 John 1:6 
If we say that we have fellowship with him,.... 

The Alexandrian copy reads, "for if we say": that is, if any profess to be partakers of the divine nature, to be like unto God, and to have communion with him, to have the light of his countenance, and the discoveries of his love: and walk in darkness; in the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief, or are in a state of unregeneracy and blindness; whose understandings are darkened, and they know not God in Christ, nor have any true sight and sense of themselves, their sin and danger; and are ignorant of Christ and his righteousness, and the way of salvation by him; and are strangers to the Spirit of God, and the work of his grace; and are unacquainted with the truths of the Gospel; and not only so, but go on in darkness more and more; prefer it to the light, love it, and the works of it; have fellowship with them, and choose them; take pleasure in the ways of sin and wickedness, and continue, and walk on in them; if such persons pretend to fellowship with God, they are liars: we lie; it cannot be, it is a contradiction, the thing is impossible and impracticable; what communion hath light with darkness? 
or what fellowship can the throne of iniquity, or those in whom sin reigns, have with God? for God is light, and were they partakers of him, or like unto him, or had communion with him, they would consequently be in the light, and not in darkness, and much less walk in it; wherefore they are liars, and do not the truth: they do not say the truth, nor act according to it; they do not act uprightly or sincerely, but are hypocrites, and pretend to that which they have not; and if they did the truth, they would come to the light, and not walk in darkness; 
see John_3:21.


John 3:21  But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."

Are that does truth - He who does right, or he that obeys the truth. Truth here is opposed to error and to evil. The sinner acts from falsehood and error. The good man acts according to truth. The sinner believes a lie - that God will not punish, or that there is no God, or that there is no eternity and no hell. The Christian believes all these, and acts as if they were true. This is the difference between a Christian and a sinner.
Cometh to the light - Loves the truth, and seeks it more and more. By prayer and searching the Scriptures he endeavors to ascertain the truth, and yield his mind to it.
May be made manifest - May be made clear or plain; or that it may be made plain that his deeds are performed in God. He searches for truth and light that he may have evidence that his actions are right.
Wrought in God - That they are performed according to the will of God, or perhaps by the assistance of God, and are such as God will approve. The actions of good people are performed by the influence and aid of God, Phi_2:12. Of course, if they are performed by his aid, they are such as he will approve. Here is presented the character of a good man and a sincere Christian. We learn respecting that character:
1. He does truth. He loves it, seeks it, follows it.
2. He comes to the light. He does not attempt to deceive himself or others.
3. He is willing to know himself, and aims to do it. He desires to know the true state of his heart before God.
4. A special object of his efforts is that his deeds may be “wrought in God.” He desires to be a good man; to receive continual aid from God, and to perform such actions as he will approve.
This is the close of our Lord’s discourse with Nicodemus - a discourse condensing the gospel, giving the most striking exhibition and illustration of truth, and representing especially the fundamental doctrine of regeneration and the evidence of the change. It is clear that the Saviour regarded this as lying at the foundation of religion. Without it we cannot possibly be saved. And now it becomes every reader, as in the presence of God, and in view of the judgment-seat of Christ, solemnly to ask himself whether he has experienced this change? whether he knows by experience what it is to be born of that Spirit? If he does he will be saved. If not, he is in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity, and should give no sleep to his eyes until he has made his peace with God.

The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin

“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 

- 1Jo_1:7 “Cleanseth,” says the text-not “shall cleanse.” 


1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. 
Message Bible

There are multitudes who think that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh! how infinitely better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of forgiveness when I come to die. 

Some imagine that a sense of pardon is an attainment only obtainable after many years of Christian experience. But forgiveness of sin is a present thing-a privilege for this day, a joy for this very hour. 
The moment a sinner trusts Jesus he is fully forgiven. The text, being written in the present tense, also indicates continuance; it was “cleanseth” yesterday, it is “cleanseth” to-day, it will be “cleanseth” tomorrow: it will be always so with you, Christian, until you cross the river; every hour you may come to this fountain, for it cleanseth still. 

Notice, likewise, the completeness of the cleansing, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”-not only from sin, but “from all sin.” 
Reader, I cannot tell you the exceeding sweetness of this word, but I pray God the Holy Ghost to give you a taste of it. 
Manifold are our sins against God. Whether the bill be little or great, the same receipt can discharge one as the other. The blood of Jesus Christ is as blessed and divine a payment for the transgressions of blaspheming Peter as for the shortcomings of loving John; our iniquity is gone, all gone at once, and all gone for ever. Blessed completeness! 
What a sweet theme to dwell upon as one gives himself to sleep. 

“Sins against a holy God; Sins against His righteous laws; Sins against His love, His blood; Sins against His name and cause; Sins immense as is the sea- From them all He cleanseth me.”

CONFESSING CHRIST BEFORE MEN

CONFESSING CHRIST BEFORE MEN
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven."-- Mat_10:32.

CHRIST'S ULTIMATE aim is to secure peace for our sin-stricken race, and the proclamation of the tidings of peace is spreading throughout the world. 
We must not falter in our testimony, or hide in our heart the truth which has been committed to us, because it may bring us to contumely and suffering. Nothing is so like to promote our own earnestness and devotion as our constant testimony for Christ. 

The advance of the Kingdom of God is determined much less by remarkable missions and sermons, as by each one saying to his neighbour: ....................."Know the Lord!"

We should begin with our next of kin. Andrew's testimony and confession brought Peter to Jesus (John_1:40-42). 
And whatever blessing came to the Church, and to the world through the testimony and confession of Peter must be partly credited to his brother Andrew.
We must confess Christ to our nearest friends. Philip found Nathanael. Our friends expect that we should let them share our inner thoughts and experience. 
Sometimes we can only give our simple testimony: "We have found Christ," but as we bring those whom we love to Christ, we shall ever find Him sympathetic and willing to meet our endeavours with His mighty help and fellowship. How He welcomed Peter, and read the character of Nathanael.

Our personal testimony is invaluable. The woman of Samaria brought the entire city to the feet of Jesus by her confession. Many of the Samaritans believed on Him for the saying of the woman, which testified, "He told me all that ever I did." That was the beginning of a great revival.

It was Mr. Moody's custom to speak each day, personally, to some one about the Lord Jesus. If any shall say that this habit is apt to become mechanical and formal, I can only answer that the days when I have lived like that have been the most radiant of my life. It is not necessary that one should be always interlarding phraseology with references to religion, but there must be no coveting of the light within us (Mat_5:14-16). How great an honour it will be to be confessed by Christ before all worlds, and to be presented by Him with exceeding joy before the Father (Jud_1:24). 
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us."

PRAYER
May we so represent Christ our Lord in this world that men may love Him for what they see of His likeness in us. AMEN.

God's Faithfulness and His Promises

 God's Faithfulness and His Promises 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. (Heb_10:23) 

Previously, we reflected upon God's ability in conjunction with His promises. When promises are made, the capability of the one making promises is strategic. When relating God's ability to His promises, we have full assurance that He can fulfill what He has promised to do. 
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You . . . 

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jer_32:17, Jer_32:27). Our Lord created all the universe, and He is ruler over all of humanity. 

Surely, He is able to fulfill all of His promises. Now, we have another issue to consider: faithfulness. When promises are made, faithfulness is just as important as ability. It is vital to know that the one promising is not only able, but is also reliable. In our present verse, we are given reason to exercise unwavering confidence in God, based upon His faithfulness. 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." 

 In the book of Hebrews, we are given a recurring call to stand firm in the hope of the Lord. To increasingly participate in the reality of being God's spiritual household here on earth, we are to confidently embrace throughout our pilgrimage the hope that is available in our Lord: "whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Heb_3:6). 
To fully partake of all that is ours in Christ, we are to persistently cling to Him by faith right up to our last days on earth. "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end" (Heb_3:14). 

Our present verse also stresses persistent faith in the hope of the Lord. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering." Additionally, this persistence of trust in God is related to His promises and His faithfulness. 
"For He who promised is faithful." 

We can cling tightly to the promises of God. We can confidently hope in God fulfilling His promises to us. We do not need to waver in doubt, because God is reliable. He is trustworthy. He is faithful. 

 Dear God of faithfulness, how delightful to realize that my persistence of faith in You hinges on Your faithfulness toward me. I see that I can continue to depend upon You, because you are fully faithful to me. What expectation this gives me as I consider Your great promises! You will be faithful to fulfill every one of them, as I place my trust in You!

The Rapture of the Forward View

The Rapture of the Forward View

“Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before” (Php_3:13)

Scripture encourages us to remember all the way that the Lord has brought us thus far, for in each memory is a meaningful look into the way He works, and the great love He bears for each one of us as He carries us through Life’s many, many episodes.

Pity the one who has no memory of such Providential occurences. Yet, to live too long in memory, and to over-dwell upon that which is past, may actually work against us — if it is not balanced with the rapture of the forward view.

We have much to look forward to as we press onward and upward to Zion’s Hill, where there is a City whose Builder and Maker is God; a place where there is no need of sun nor moon; for the Lord is the light of that blessed place.

There, just beyond the pearly gates, awaits a glory for each one of us that will indeed make whatever it is we are going through now on our journey fade into oblivion. Paul said that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Rom_8:18).

And he repeated himself just to make sure we didn’t miss what he meant — “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2Co_4:17-18)

Have you sorrow and heartbreak? Disappointment, and setbacks? Ridicule and rejection? Questions with no answers? Have you labors seemingly unrewarded, efforts continually unappreciated, and victorious apparently uncelebrated? Then lift up your head and cast a glance by faith at what awaits you ere you reach the summit of your fondest longings.

There, in that exalted place of unending joy, we will surround the Throne with praise. There we shall see His face; and never, never sin! There, from the rivers of His grace, we will drink in limitless supplies of endless pleasures. And, even now, the holy hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets before we reach the heav’nly fields, or walk the golden streets! Thus, as we journey, let our songs abound and every tear be dry! For even now we are passing through Immanuel’s ground to fairer worlds on high!! (adapted from the old hymn, Marching to Zion)

Oh, the rapture of the forward view!