Morning   “Sanctify them through thy truth.”    John 17:17

 Sanctification begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that

new living principle by which he becomes “a new creature” in Christ Jesus. This

work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways–mortification,

whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by

which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water

springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is

called “perseverance,” by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a

gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of

God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in “glory,” when the soul,

 being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right

hand of the Majesty on high. But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of

sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be

forgotten. “Sanctify them,” said Jesus, “through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification

is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the

precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in

the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of

God’s good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear

 or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in

sound living as we progress in sound understanding. “Thy word is a lamp unto my

feet and a light unto my path.” Do not say of any error, “It is a mere matter of

opinion.” No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later

tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the

truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.

 

Evening  “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul

unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” Psalm 24:4

 Outward practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. It is to be feared

that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in

such a way as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive

everlasting contempt at the last great day. If our hands are not clean, let us

wash them in Jesus’ precious blood, and so let us lift up pure hands unto God.

But “clean hands” will not suffice, unless they are connected with “a pure

heart.” True religion is heart-work. We may wash the outside of the cup and the

platter as long as we please, but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy

altogether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves

 than our hands are; the very life of our being lies in the inner nature, and

hence the imperative need of purity within. The pure in heart shall see God, all

others are but blind bats.

 The man who is born for heaven “hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity.” All

men have their joys, by which their souls are lifted up; the worldling lifts up

his soul in carnal delights, which are mere empty vanities; but the saint loves

more substantial things; like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up in the ways of the

Lord. He who is content with husks, will be reckoned with the swine. Does the

world satisfy thee? Then thou hast thy reward and portion in this life; make

much of it, for thou shalt know no other joy.

 “Nor sworn deceitfully.” The saints are men of honour still. The Christian man’s

word is his only oath; but that is as good as twenty oaths of other men. False

speaking will shut any man out of heaven, for a liar shall not enter into God’s

house, whatever may be his professions or doings. Reader, does the text before

us condemn thee, or dost thou hope to ascend into the hill of the Lord?

If we endure, we will also reign with him.   2 Timothy 2:12 

We must not imagine that we are suffering for Christ and with Christ if we are not in Christ. Beloved friend, are you trusting in Jesus only? If not, whatever you may have to mourn over on earth, you are not suffering with Christ and have no hope of reigning with Him in heaven. Neither are we to conclude that all a Christian’s sufferings are sufferings with Christ, for it is essential that he be called by God to suffer.

If we are rash and imprudent and run into positions for which neither providence nor grace has fitted us, we ought to question whether we are not rather sinning than communing with Jesus. If we let passion take the place of judgment, and self-will reign instead of scriptural authority, we shall fight the Lord’s battles with the devil’s weapons, and if we cut our own fingers we must not be surprised. Again, in troubles that come upon us as the result of sin, we must not dream that we are suffering with Christ.

When Miriam spoke evil of Moses, and the leprosy polluted her, she was not suffering for God. Moreover, suffering that God accepts must have God’s glory as its end. If I suffer that I may earn a name or win applause, I shall get no other reward than that of the Pharisee. It is required also that love for Jesus and love for His people should always be the mainspring of all our patience. We must manifest the Spirit of Christ in meekness, gentleness, and forgiveness.

Let us search and see if we truly suffer with Jesus. And if we do suffer in this way, what is our “slight momentary affliction”1 compared with reigning with Him? Oh, it is so blessed to be in the furnace with Christ, and such an honor to stand in the jail with Him, that if there were no future reward, we might count ourselves happy in present honor; but when the recompense is so eternal, so infinitely more than we had any right to expect, shall we not take up the cross with enthusiasm and go on our way rejoicing?

12 Corinthians 4:16

Family Reading Plan    Isaiah 65    Matthew 13

Growing in Christ involves far more than just attending church, tithing, and listening to a sermon. In fact, many believers do these yet remain stagnant in their walk. There are two elements necessary for us to become more like Jesus: instruction and involvement.

The first of these, learning truth, is vital to a healthy walk with God. Our Savior proved the importance of instruction by devoting much of His time on earth to it. The apostle Paul is another example, as he wrote letters to educate Christians about godliness.

So how can we gain knowledge and understanding? One of the most important and effective ways is to read the Word of God. Scripture instructs us that just as newborns crave milk, we are to desire His Word so that we might grow. I pray your spiritual thirst will become insatiable.

Yet simply listening to the truth does not mean that we’ve acquired it. I know many people who love attending Bible studies and expanding their knowledge base, but their lives remain unchanged. Just as today’s passage teaches, we have to apply the Word to our lives. Even so, actual growth requires more than merely inputting information. It requires action. James 2:26 states, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Are we careless hearers, deceived into thinking that we’re growing? Or are we listening intently and abiding in the truth? If we’re truly maturing, our lives will be increasingly Christlike, and our desires will align more closely with God’s heart. Make sure that you are listening and responding to His truth.

 The concept of “shelf life” has always intrigued me. It is an expression that describes exactly what it attempts to define. For instance, Twinkies have a shelf life of twenty-five days, after which, their existence on the shelf as something edible expires. But shelf life is also an expression that is metaphorically full. One might say of “Cabbage Patch Kids” that they were once a quite a phenomenon; shoppers were injured as the dolls were pulled off the shelves and seized by anxious crowds. But the craze was relatively short-lived; as far as fads go, the shelf life was fairly brief.  

 In high school chemistry we took in the ponderous thought that everything has a shelf life. In fact, in many substances this is an incredibly important number to watch. A variety of compounds, particularly those containing certain unstable elements, become more unstable as they approach their shelf life. Chemical explosives grow increasingly dangerous over time and with exposure to certain factors in the environment becoming liable to explode without warning.

 There is a tendency to view ideas and thoughts as having a similar aging process. When something is deemed ancient or even slightly “behind the times” it is often accordingly considered obsolete. As if it has become out-dated like a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk, the aging thought or idea, in many minds, grows more unusable with time. And in many cases, history has shown this to be an accurate picture. Certain philosophies might come to mind as movements that rendered themselves useless over time and exposure to the world. Like compounds approaching their shelf life, their collapse was inevitable and they eventually imploded without warning.

 Ideas undeniably have consequences and some approach their shelf lives more dangerously than others. While some have not fully burst at the seams, signs of instability appear. Grumbles of discontent from within their own ideological camps may hint at incoherence. Even so, the noticeable shelf life of specific ideas should cause us to question the cause of their expiration, rather than assume it is time alone that moves an idea to expire. 

 This is no doubt well-studied in science. Factors that increase and decrease the shelf life of a product move well beyond time itself. When certain compounds are stored at decreased temperatures, their shelf life is increased significantly. Likewise, the development of preservatives dramatically set back the expiration dates on food in our pantries. Like compounds and breakfast items, all ideas do not expire equally. We are thus badly mistaken to dismiss a thought solely because it is old.

 The ancient psalmist speaks of God’s hope as something that does not expire. “Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them” (119:140). Extending through generation after generation, the promises of God stand untouched and unphased by a changing environment. Personally I know how often I have learned the hard way, thinking that surely modern thought has improved the idea, only to find myself returning to words commanded generations ago. Again and again God’s own discover a reason to love the promising hope of Father, Son, and Spirit: “I have learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.”

 Perhaps God’s Spirit is the ultimate preservative. God’s love is not offered without depth; God’s promises are filled with the intention of life. They have been thoroughly tested and have yet to expire. 

 Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Morning    “The ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat

kine.”     Genesis 41:4

 Pharaoh’s dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have

ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my

seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency

and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances

in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean

duties, and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and

peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the

spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven,

the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my

soul.

 When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the

palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my

soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me

nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no

ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I

should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of

my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made.

The only way in which all my days can be as the “fat kine,” is to feed them in

the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord, in His service, in His

 company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than

the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy?–I am nearer the celestial hills, I

have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep

far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, “My leanness,

my leanness, woe unto me!” but may I be well-fed and nourished in thy house,

that I may praise thy name.

 

Evening    “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”    2 Timothy 2:12

 We must not imagine that we are suffering for Christ, and with Christ, if we are

not in Christ. Beloved friend, are you trusting to Jesus only? If not, whatever

you may have to mourn over on earth, you are not “suffering with Christ,” and

have no hope of reigning with him in heaven. Neither are we to conclude that all

a Christian’s sufferings are sufferings with Christ, for it is essential that he

be called by God to suffer. If we are rash and imprudent, and run into positions

for which neither providence nor grace has fitted us, we ought to question

whether we are not rather sinning than communing with Jesus. If we let passion

take the place of judgment, and self-will reign instead of

 Scriptural authority, we shall fight the Lord’s battles with the devil’s

weapons, and if we cut our own fingers we must not be surprised. Again, in

troubles which come upon us as the result of sin, we must not dream that we are

suffering with Christ. When Miriam spoke evil of Moses, and the leprosy polluted

her, she was not suffering for God. Moreover, suffering which God accepts must

have God’s glory as its end. If I suffer that I may earn a name, or win

applause, I shall get no other reward than that of the Pharisee. It is requisite

also that love to Jesus, and love to his elect, be ever the mainspring of all

our patience. We must manifest the Spirit of Christ in meekness, gentleness,

 and forgiveness. Let us search and see if we truly suffer with Jesus. And if we

do thus suffer, what is our “light affliction” compared with reigning with him?

Oh it is so blessed to be in the furnace with Christ, and such an honour to

stand in the pillory with him, that if there were no future reward, we might

count ourselves happy in present honour; but when the recompense is so eternal,

so infinitely more than we had any right to expect, shall we not take up the

cross with alacrity, and go on our way rejoicing?

 

To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.   Psalm 28:1 

A cry is the natural expression of sorrow, and a suitable utterance when all other modes of appeal fail us; but the cry must be alone directed to the Lord, for to cry to man is to waste our entreaties upon the air. When we consider the readiness of the Lord to hear and His ability to aid, we shall see good reason for directing all our appeals at once to the God of our salvation. It will be in vain to call to the rocks in the day of judgment, but our Rock attends to our cries.

“Be not deaf to me.” Mere formalists may be content without answers to their prayers, but genuine suppliants cannot; they are not satisfied with the results of prayer itself in calming the mind and subduing the will—they must go further and obtain actual replies from heaven or they cannot rest; and those replies they long to receive at once—they dread even a little of God’s silence.

God’s voice is often so terrible that it shakes the wilderness; but His silence is equally full of awe to an eager suppliant. When God seems to close His ear, we must not therefore close our mouths but rather cry with more earnestness; for when our note grows shrill with eagerness and grief, He will not long deny us a hearing. What a dreadful case we would be in if the Lord should become forever deaf to our prayers. “Lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.” Deprived of the God who answers prayer, we would be in a more pitiable plight than the dead in the grave and would soon sink to the same level as the lost in hell. We must have answers to prayer: Ours is an urgent case of dire necessity; surely the Lord will speak peace to our agitated minds, for He never can find it in His heart to permit His own elect to perish.

Family Reading Plan   Isaiah 64    Matthew 12