Abide in Me

John 15:4

Abide in Me.

 

Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill. Whether it be the wormwood of woe, or the cloying surfeit of earthly delight, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus will take bitterness from the one, and satiety from the other. Live near to Jesus, Christian, and it is matter of secondary importance whether thou livest on the mountain of honor or in the valley of humiliation. Living near to Jesus, thou art covered with the wings of God, and underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Let nothing keep thee from that hallowed intercourse, which is the choice privilege of a soul wedded to THE WELL-BELOVED. Be not content with an interview now and then, but seek always to retain His company, for only in His presence hast thou either comfort or safety. Jesus should not be unto us a friend who calls upon us now and then, but one with whom we walk evermore. Thou hast a difficult road before thee: see, O traveller to heaven, that thou go not without thy guide. Thou hast to pass through the fiery furnace; enter it not unless, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, thou hast the Son of God to be thy companion. Thou hast to storm the Jericho of thine own corruptions: attempt not the warfare until, like Joshua, thou hast seen the Captain of the Lord's host, with His sword drawn in His hand. Thou art to meet the Esau of thy many temptations: meet him not until at Jabbok's brook thou hast laid hold upon the angel, and prevailed. In every case, in every condition, thou wilt need Jesus; but most of all, when the iron gates of death shall open to thee. Keep thou close to thy soul's Husband, lean thy head upon His bosom, ask to be refreshed with the spiced wine of His pomegranate, and thou shalt be found of Him at the last, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Seeing thou hast lived with Him, and lived in Him here, thou shalt abide with Him for ever.

~Charles Spurgeon~

The Believer's Part in Becoming Spirit-filled # 13

Life On The Highest Plane

Cleansing

Faith

Some of Christ's severest rebukes were to unbelief in His disciples. To have His presence, His words, His works fail to inspire faith grieved the Lord Jesus exceedingly. Even though the tempest raged and the waves dashed high and He were asleep - yet He was there and why should they fear? Fear and faith are incompatible.

Matthew 8:26, "And he saith unto them, why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm."

Again even though the wind was boisterous and though Peter did begin to sink yet the Lord of the sea had said "Come." The power of His protection accompanied the command, then why should Peter doubt? Doubt and faith are irreconcilable.

Matthew 14:31, "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

The disciples misunderstood the Master's warning concerning the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. But there was a far deeper misapprehension of the Lord Jesus Himself in their hearts. They had forgotten to take bread when they went to the other side of the lake and they were very evidently worrying over where and how they would get their next meal. So when He spoke to them of the leaven of the Pharisees they said, "He sees our predicament that we have no bread." Oh! what if they had forgotten their bread? Did they not have with them the One who had satisfied the hunger of five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, and had twelve baskets to spare? And had they not just come from seeing Him feed more than four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fishes with seven baskets left over? Would He not be equal to furnishing an evening meal for the twelve of them if need be? Worry and faith cannot dwell together.

Matthew 16:8-9, "Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?"

Oh! how we crowd Him out of our lives by that triumvirate of evil - fear, doubt and worry! Failing health, financial losses, waywardness of children, overwhelming burdens, tempests of affliction and adversity, storms of passion from within or of persecution from without - and we become insensible to His presence, we doubt His Word and we forget His works.

A young woman came to me one day to unburden her heart. Spirit and body were both wearied to the point of utter exhaustion. Her face was inexpressibly worn and haggard; furrows of care had left their tracks in her forehead. Life was hard almost beyond the point of endurance because of burdens, cares, worries and work. A tempest was raging in her own soul, her ship was covered with waves and Christ seemed asleep. But He heard her cry of distress and responded. He commanded the waves of worry to cease saying, "In nothing be anxious," and besought the calm of peace to enter her soul through praise, "In everything give thanks."

Hab. 3:17, 18, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herb in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

Some of Christ's sweetest words of commendation were called forth by faith in Him and strange to say they were usually spoken to those who had had the opportunity to know Him the least. A centurion came in person to appeal to the Lord to heal his servant. Christ quickly responded with a promise to go to him. But faith answered, "Lord, speak the word only and my servant shall be healed." Oh! the joy such faith brought to Jesus' heart, and the commendation came from His lips, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."

There is no record in God's Word and no instance in human experience where grace and love have failed to respond to faith and trust. God would be untrue to the very essence of His nature which is love and to the very heart of His work which is grace if He failed even once to respond to real faith. Whoever will come to Jesus Christ saying, "If thou wilt, thou canst," will surely hear Him say, "I will."

In the new sphere in Christ into which the believer enters the very atmosphere is grace. To carry the life-giving and life-sustaining qualities of that atmosphere into the inner life the Christian need only use the lungs of faith. As a new-born babe begins life in its new sphere by breathing the air that is all about it as a free gift and as it lives and grows by continued respirations, so the new-born child of God begins life in Christ by taking Him as God's gift of grace by faith and he "grows up into Christ in all things" by the continued appropriation of Him through faith. Faith and nothing but faith avails for us to receive the gifts and graces of our ascended Lord.

Galatians 5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love."

In Christ we stand by faith; we walk by faith; we live by faith.

2 Corinthians 1:24, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand."

2 Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Hebrews 10:38, "Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 14)

To Every Matter is a Bright as Well as a Dark Side

Genesis 35:18

She called his name Ben-oni (son of sorrow), but his father called him Benjamin (son of my right hand).

 

To every matter there is a bright as well as a dark side. Rachel was overwhelmed with the sorrow of her own travail and death; Jacob, though weeping the mother's loss, could see the mercy of the child's birth. It is well for us if, while the flesh mourns over trials, our faith triumphs in divine faithfulness. Samson's lion yielded honey, and so will our adversities, if rightly considered. The stormy sea feeds multitudes with its fishes; the wild wood blooms with beauteous flowerets; the stormy wind sweeps away the pestilence, and the biting frost loosens the soil. Dark clouds distil bright drops, and black earth grows gay flowers. A vein of good is to be found in every mine of evil. Sad hearts have peculiar skill in discovering the most disadvantageous point of view from which to gaze upon a trial; if there were only one slough in the world, they would soon be up to their necks in it, and if there were only one lion in the desert they would hear it roar. About us all there is a tinge of this wretched folly, and we are apt, at times, like Jacob, to cry, "All these things are against me." Faith's way of walking is to cast all care upon the Lord, and then to anticipate good results from the worst calamities. Like Gideon's men, she does not fret over the broken pitcher, but rejoices that the lamp blazes forth the more. Out of the rough oyster-shell of difficulty she extracts the rare pearl of honour, and from the deep ocean-caves of distress she uplifts the priceless coral of experience. When her flood of prosperity ebbs, she finds treasures hid in the sands; and when her sun of delight goes down, she turns her telescope of hope to the starry promises of heaven. When death itself appears, faith points to the light of resurrection beyond the grave, thus making our dying Benoni to be our living Benjamin.

~Charles Spurgeon~

The Believer's Part in Becoming Spirit-filled # 12

Life On The Highest Plane

Cleansing

Faith

Perhaps through hunger and thirst or through the remembrance of God's gracious promises or through sheer desperation because of your wilderness wanderings you have come up to the border line of the promised land again and again. It may even be that you have essayed to go to a conference to spy out the land, to see if the life was all it promised to be, above all to see "if it works." In the lives of some you met or in whom you listened who are yielded, full-of-faith ones you have seen marvelous clusters of the fruit of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control." Yes, you are  convinced the life is all that the Bible purports it to be and you have seen it "work" but - but - but there are giants in the land. The world, the flesh and the devil loomed large before you and you said, "Greater is he that is n the world than He that is in me." Through unbelief you turned back again into the weariness, the restlessness and the powerlessness of a carnal life.

Dear friend, does this message find you there today, grieving God, rejoicing satan and robbing yourself? Then it comes as God's own command to you, "Arise, go over this Jordan; go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it." Cease grieving your God: possess your possessions in Christ through faith.

Whether young or old in the Christian life there is but one way in which our spiritual possessions are actualized - by faith. Faith opens the Christian life to us: faith accompanies us the entire length of life's journey, and faith at last leads us into the land where we see Him as He is and there faith gives place to sight.

Colossians 2:5-6, "For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him."

Colossians 1:23, "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister."

Faith opens the door to every blessing that is ours in Christ.

2 Timothy 3:15, "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

We have access by faith.

Romans 5:2, "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

We have sonship by faith.

Galatians 3:26, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

We have righteousness by faith.

Phil. 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

We have forgiveness of sins and sanctification by faith.

Acts 26:18, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God, they they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that it is in me."

We have cleansing by faith.

Acts 15:9, "And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith."

We have Christ's indwelling by faith.

Ephesians 3:17, "That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith."

We receive the Holy Spirit by faith.

Galatians 3:2, "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the  works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"

We inherit the promises by faith.

Hebrews 6:12, "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

We have victory over the world by faith.

1 John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith."

We have victory over the evil one by faith.

Ephesians 6:16, "Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one."

We have victory over circumstances and difficulties by faith.

Hebrews 11:33-34, "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions., Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

We are kept through faith.

1 Peter 1:5, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith, unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Matthew 21:21-22, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt now, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

We have power through faith.

Matthew 17:19-20, "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Two things are absolutely essential to a harmonious relationship with God, we must believe that God is and that God does. Apart from these two fundamental convictions there is no salvation and no blessing.

Hebrews 1:6, "But without it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 13)

Purity is More Than Sincerity

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. - Matthew 5:8

Purity of heart is much more than sincerity. A motive can be sincere yet can easily lead to worthless and sinful things. The pagan priests who opposed Elijah demonstrated great sincerity when they lacerated their bodies to induce Baal to send fire down to consume their sacrifices (1 Kings 18:28). But their sincerity did not produce the desired results, and it did not enable them to see the error of their paganism because their sincere trust was in that very paganism.

Even genuinely good deeds that do not come from a genuinely good heart are of no spiritual value. A person may be extremely religious and constantly engaged in doing good things, yet he or she cannot please God unless their heart is right with Him.

The ultimate standard for purity of heart is perfection of heart. Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). One hundred percent purity is God’s standard for the heart, which makes God Himself the standard.

You can’t be pleasing to God until you are pure as He is pure—until you are holy as He is holy and perfect as He is perfect. Only purity of heart through Jesus Christ will reconcile people to God. What standard of purity are you following?

Ask Yourself

To what extent is your measure of purity defined by culture or others’ opinions or anything other than the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ? Check yourself in this, for if staying a few shades cleaner than current society makes you feel pure by comparison, your standards will do nothing but slip over time.

~John MacArthur~

The Believer's Part In Becoming Spirit-filled # 11

Life On The Highest Plane

Cleansing

Faith

It may be some reader is saying "As far as I know I have yielded my life unconditionally to Christ yet I have not the life more abundant which He came to bring. There are still the evident marks of the carnal Christian. Is it possible for one to be yielded and still not be filled with the Holy Spirit?" The emptied life must be filled and waits for faith to claim the fullness.

S. D. Gordon tells of a little girl who was praying and who said, "Jesus, I hear you knocking at the door of my heart. Come in Jesus!" Then rising from her knees she said, "He's in!" Surrender, kneeling at the foot of the Cross, says, "Lord, I am not my own; I yield myself unto Thee; I present my body a living sacrifice." Faith, looking up to the ascended Lord at the Father's right hand, says, "Christ liveth in me; to me to live is Christ." Surrender says, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Faith says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Surrender opens the door; faith believes that Christ enters, fills, abides. You may have crowned Him Lord and yet not have appropriated Him as Life. "And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." The spiritual man is one full of faith.

Faith is the Complement of Grace

Did you ever see a perfect rainbow? Looking out over the ocean I once saw distinctly both ends of a rainbow coming up out of the water, as it were, and forming an unbroken arch. Through this beautiful symbol the Holy Spirit interpreted to me a passage of Scripture which revealed the place of faith in the Christian's life in a new and telling way. "Ye are saved by grace through faith - And not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

God's arch of salvation is all of grace and it is all of faith. From the Godward side it is all of grace; from the manward side it is all of faith. God's grace is always perfect and its work is clear and distinct. But oh! how imperfect is man's faith. Grace has provided in Christ Jesus all that is needed for man's salvation even unto a life of habitual spirituality. But such a life cannot become experimental until faith appropriates in full the provision of God's grace in Christ. Faith is the complement of grace.

Romans 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace."

With no exception everything in the Christian's life is a gift. Grace gives and faith takes. "Faith is man's one activity." Faith must reach up and lay hold upon all that grace has sent down and bestowed in Christ. Grace provides: faith possesses.

This truth stands out crystal clear in the history of the children of Israel. As an outright gift the land of Canaan with its manifold accompanying blessings had been bestowed upon them. It was theirs through promise years before they ever saw it. God constantly spoke of it as there. Yet it was not to be actually in their possession until the oles of their feet trod upon it. Faith must enter in and possess the gift already bestowed in promise.

Josh. 1:2-3, "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given you, as I said unto Moses."

Josh. 1:11, "Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals: for within three days ye shall pass over Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it."

Furthermore the children of Israel might have entered this land of promise forty years earlier. God led them up- to the very border line of this rich, fertile, beautiful country flowing with milk and honey and laden with fruits. But they turned away through unbelief, suffered forty years of weary wanderings, and died in the wilderness. Only the two men of faith, Caleb and Joshua, possessed their inheritance.

Hebrews 3:17-19, "But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

My Christian friend, everything you need for life on the highest plane has been given you in Christ. God has bestowed upon you also the Holy Spirit who already indwells you and whose chief task is to make you spiritual. Life on the highest plane is already yours. God hath given you every spiritual blessing in Christ. But this life with all its accompanying blessings can only be actualized through faith. Your faith must make experimental what grace has made possible.

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 12)

A Blind Man's Prayer Request

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Mark 10:47

In Mark 10:46-53, Jesus left the city with a large crowd following close behind. Most likely this crowd was creating a great deal of noise and excitement. A blind man begging for help would be sensitive to hear the activities as the people scuffled by.  It is amazing that a blind beggar would know about “Jesus of Nazareth” and somehow would know that Jesus could help him. The blind man cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” While Jesus walked on earth, He answered that kind of prayer frequently. It must have been music in our Savior’s ears, because that is why Jesus came, to grant mercy to blind beggars like you and me. Jesus stopped, called to him and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” This man could have asked for money or help with some other desperate need, but instead he asked specifically for his sight. Jesus said that his faith healed him as the beggar immediately received his sight.

There are many situations and circumstances in our lives where we are blind to the will of God. But how many of us cry out to God for mercy?  How many of us really bring our specific need to the Savior to ask for His touch? Too many times, we are faithless to ask for what we really want. Too many times, we hear that Jesus is near but are apprehensive to call out to Him. This blind beggar received what he asked for. This blind beggar knew that Jesus could touch him and change him. He did not hold back but yelled into a crowd full of people. Jesus says in Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”We need to take Jesus at His word. We need to understand that God desires to grant mercy and He wants us (the spiritually blind) to see. Are you in need of His mercy today? Tell Jesus what You want Him to do for you…tell Him that you need Him today. Just think, it is not necessary to yell or push through a crowd – He is just a prayer away.

~Daily Disciples~