Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Renew a right spirit within me."

Psalm 51:10

A backslider, if there be a spark of life left in him will groan after restoration. In this renewal the same exercise of grace is required as at our conversion. We needed repentance then; we certainly need it now. We wanted faith that we might come to Christ at first; only the like grace can bring us to Jesus now. We wanted a word from the Most High, a word from the lip of the loving One, to end our fears then; we shall soon discover, when under a sense of present sin, that we need it now. No man can be renewed without as real and true a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's energy as he felt at first, because the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much in the way now as ever they were. Let thy personal weakness, O Christian, be an argument to make thee pray earnestly to thy God for help. Remember, David when he felt himself to be powerless, did not fold his arms or close his lips, but he hastened to the mercy-seat with "renew a right spirit within me."

Let not the doctrine that you, unaided, can do nothing, make you sleep; but let it be a goad in your side to drive you with an awful earnestness to Israel's strong Helper. O that you may have grace to plead with God, as though you pleaded for your very life—"Lord, renew a right spirit within me." He who sincerely prays to God to do this, will prove his honesty by using the means through which God works. Be much in prayer; live much upon the Word of God; kill the lusts which have driven your Lord from you; be careful to watch over the future uprisings of sin. The Lord has His own appointed ways; sit by the wayside and you will be ready when He passes by. Continue in all those blessed ordinances which will foster and nourish your dying graces; and, knowing that all the power must proceed from Him, cease not to cry, "Renew a right spirit within me."

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"I have chosen you out of the world."

John 15:19

Here is distinguishing grace and discriminating regard; for some are made the special objects of divine affection. Do not be afraid to dwell upon this high doctrine of election. When your mind is most heavy and depressed, you will find it to be a bottle of richest cordial. Those who doubt the doctrines of grace, or who cast them into the shade, miss the richest clusters of Eshcol; they lose the wines on the lees well refined, the fat things full of marrow. There is no balm in Gilead comparable to it. If the honey in Jonathan's wood when but touched enlightened the eyes, this is honey which will enlighten your heart to love and learn the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Eat, and fear not a surfeit; live upon this choice dainty, and fear not that it will be too delicate a diet.

Meat from the King's table will hurt none of His courtiers. Desire to have your mind enlarged, that you may comprehend more and more the eternal, everlasting, discriminating love of God. When you have mounted as high as election, tarry on its sister mount, the covenant of grace. Covenant engagements are the munitions of stupendous rock behind which we lie entrenched; covenant engagements with the surety, Christ Jesus, are the quiet resting-places of trembling spirits.

"His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the raging flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
This still is all my strength and stay."

If Jesus undertook to bring me to glory, and if the Father promised that He would give me to the Son to be a part of the infinite reward of the travail of His soul; then, my soul, till God Himself shall be unfaithful, till Jesus shall cease to be the truth, thou art safe. When David danced before the ark, he told Michal that election made him do so. Come, my soul, exult before the God of grace and leap for joy of heart.


God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"It is a faithful saying."

2 Timothy 2:11

Paul has four of these "faithful sayings." The first occurs in 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." The next is in 1 Timothy 4:6, "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation." The third is in 2 Timothy 2:12, "It is a faithful saying—If we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him"; and the fourth is in Titus 3:3, "This is a faithful saying, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works." We may trace a connection between these faithful sayings. The first one lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in the free grace of God, as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the double blessedness which we obtain through this salvation—the blessings of the upper and nether springs—of time and of eternity.

The third shows one of the duties to which the chosen people are called; we are ordained to suffer for Christ with the promise that "if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." The last sets forth the active form of Christian service, bidding us diligently to maintain good works. Thus we have the root of salvation in free grace; next, the privileges of that salvation in the life which now is, and in that which is to come; and we have also the two great branches of suffering with Christ and serving with Christ, loaded with the fruits of the Spirit. Treasure up these faithful sayings. Let them be the guides of our life, our comfort, and our instruction. The apostle of the Gentiles proved them to be faithful, they are faithful still, not one word shall fall to the ground; they are worthy of all acceptation, let us accept them now, and prove their faithfulness. Let these four faithful sayings be written on the four corners of My house.


God bless,

"Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house."

Haggai 1:9

Churlish souls stint their contributions to the ministry and missionary operations, and call such saving good economy; little do they dream that they are thus impoverishing themselves. Their excuse is that they must care for their own families, and they forget that to neglect the house of God is the sure way to bring ruin upon their own houses. Our God has a method in providence by which He can succeed our endeavors beyond our expectation, or can defeat our plans to our confusion and dismay; by a turn of His hand He can steer our vessel in a profitable channel, or run it aground in poverty and bankruptcy. It is the teaching of Scripture that the Lord enriches the liberal and leaves the miserly to find out that withholding tendeth to poverty. In a very wide sphere of observation, I have noticed that the most generous Christians of my acquaintance have been always the most happy, and almost invariably the most prosperous.

I have seen the liberal giver rise to wealth of which he never dreamed; and I have as often seen the mean, ungenerous churl descend to poverty by the very parsimony by which he thought to rise. Men trust good stewards with larger and larger sums, and so it frequently is with the Lord; He gives by cartloads to those who give by bushels. Where wealth is not bestowed the Lord makes the little much by the contentment which the sanctified heart feels in a portion of which the tithe has been dedicated to the Lord. Selfishness looks first at home, but godliness seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, yet in the long run selfishness is loss, and godliness is great gain. It needs faith to act towards our God with an open hand, but surely He deserves it of us; and all that we can do is a very poor acknowledgment of our amazing indebtedness to His goodness.

God bless,

THE WAY OF THE EAGLES

by Joe R. Garman

"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show you; thy elders, and they will tell you.

When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

As an eagle stirred up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, takes them, beareth them on her wings: So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him" (Deuteronomy 32:7-12 KJV). It is thrilling as we walk through the pages, chapters, and verses of God’s Holy and inspired writings to see the many times God refer to His followers as being like mighty eagles.

In my evangelistic endeavors around the world, I have had the privilege of leading crusades in 59 different nations. It never ceases to amaze me how many of these nations have the emblem of an eagle interwoven into their national flag or symbol. In some republics, for instance, they have the wings of an eagle on both sides of the police badge, showing authority, strength, and power. Other countries have the emblem of an eagle on the flag pole just above the flag, showing authority. It is not so unusual that man should recognize the eagle as the greatest of all the birds that fill our sky today, because the Lord also recognized the eagle to be such and many times compared his followers to them.

Eagle Flight Patterns

Isaiah records, "Those who wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings as a mighty eagle" (Isaiah 40:31). Stop and think about what Isaiah is saying. If our faith and trust is in the Lord, if our faith does not falter regardless of what Satan casts against us, we can and we shall rise up and over these trials and temptations upon wings as a mighty eagle.

Into the Storms of Life
Did you realize the eagle is the only bird which flies directly into a thunderstorm? Other birds fly away from a thunderstorm seeking refuge and shelter in the safety of a barn or their nest. But it is not so with the mighty eagle. The eagle flies directly into the thunderclouds. God does not permit storms in our life for the purpose of defeating us but for the purpose of benefiting us.

What are the benefits of turbulent winds? Turbulent winds cause the eagle to fly higher, giving him a larger view, lifting him above harassment, allowing him to use less effort, and helping him to fly faster.

Rising above the Clouds
These updrafts cause the eagle to reach great heights as he soars with them. From this higher position his sharp eyes are able to see more. As he soars higher, he leaves behind all distractions. The feather structure prevents stalling, reduces the turbulence, and produces a relatively smooth ride with minimum effort - even in rough winds. Thus, when he glides in wind currents, speeds of 80 to 100 miles per hour are not uncommon. The Christian is like the eagle in that he also faces turbulent winds in his life but the power of the Christian to rise above the pressures and temptations comes from his identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made comfortable unto His death" (Philippians 3:10).

This is exactly what Isaiah is saying. We too can rise above the thunderstorms of life, if we will but wait upon the Lord and seek His will in these situations that confront us.

It is also interesting to ask the question, "How did Isaiah know the ways of the eagle back in an age of ignorance and superstition? How did Isaiah or those around him know that the eagle flew over the thunderclouds rather than away from them like all the other birds? How could he have recorded this for our reading today, if it were not given to him by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?" Only the Lord could have put those thoughts and words in Isaiah’s mind and heart. This is another evidence to prove the Bible is indeed the Word of God.

No Easy Flight
Perhaps sometime for devotions you will take a good Bible concordance in one hand and the Holy Scriptures in the other and go from cover to cover looking at the various ways the Lord refers to His followers as being like this powerful bird. Of all the scriptures speaking of the ways of the eagle, my favorite is Deuteronomy 32:7-12.

Once, when I was preaching a revival meeting in a small country church this verse was brought to my attention by a wildlife conservation commissioner who had observed the way of the eagles around the world. He said, "Deuteronomy 32:7-12 proves to me all the more that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible is correct in every instance when it refers to the way the Mediterranean eagle learns to fly".
Look first of all at Deuteronomy 32:11. It states that the first thing the eagle does is to stir up its nest. The conservationist said of all the birds that fill our skies today, the baby eagle is the hardest to teach to fly.

Nest Too Comfortable
This is probably because eagles build their nest so high upon the mountain peak. If a young sparrow or robin learning to fly happens to fall to the ground, it does not have far to fall to safe, warm, comfortable leaves. But it is not so with the baby eagle. He knows crashing into the craggy rocks means instant death. For this reason the bird is very hesitant to leave his nest.

Flight Too Risky
Can’t you see the baby eagle as he looks over the side of his nest and shakes his head, thinking, "No, not me. I have never passed this way and I am not about to begin now. This nest has been home to me for some time and I am going to stay in it". Then mother eagle takes things into her care.

Stirring up the Nest
The first thing mother eagle does, according to the Bible and according to the wildlife commissioner, is to stir up the nest. In other words, she begins walking around inside the nest, breaking the twigs and turning over the leaves. The nest which had been so safe, warm, and comfortable is no longer that way. Now the wind can blow through the holes in the nest that mother has made. Now the little sticks begin to poke the bird’s side. Home is not as comfortable as it was.

You see, mother literally tore up his nest to force him to leave it. Many times, this is exactly how God must work with us. Sometimes God has to stir up our security in order to get us to launch into the next great program of faith He has ready for us. We like to have nice things and plenty of them. There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things or even possessing nice things. This becomes wrong when these things begin to interfere with God’s will for our lives.

Hold a coin an arm’s distance away from your eye and it looks very small in comparison to all the other things you can see around it. But put the coin only one inch from your eye and you will notice you can hardly see anything else because the coin is obstructing your view. As long as we keep earthly possessions in their proper place, there is nothing wrong with having them. But, when they begin to obstruct our spiritual vision and stand as obstacles in the way of God’s will for us, these things become wrong.

Not only has mother stirred up the baby bird’s security, but she has made him very uncomfortable. This is how God must deal with us at times. But, the little bird thinks to himself, "Well, it isn’t as nice as it once was, but it is still my home, and I am going to stay right here". Then mother has to do the next thing the Bible states and the wildlife commissioner confirms. She hovers over her young baby, flapping her powerful wings just over his head. She will flutter her wings for several seconds, then rest, then flutter, then rest. The little bird will be running back and forth inside the nest trying to escape his mother’s powerful wings, but regardless of where he goes, she is there. She made the nest. She knows it much better than he does. He cannot escape the presence of his mother.

The baby bird is probably thinking to himself, "What a terrible turn of events this is. These were the wings that used to hide me when foes would come upon me. These were the wings that used to protect me from the cold, and now these wings are trying to beat me to death. Mother doesn’t love me anymore!" But this is far from the truth. Mother loves her baby. She is simply trying to get him to launch out so he can become the kind of eagle God meant for him to be. And sometimes God has to hover over us with His powerful wings in order to get us to launch out and become the kind of Eagle Christians He wants us to be.

This hovering process of God can be our greatest motivation for spiritual growth or our deadliest means of discouragement, trouble, affliction, opposition, pressure, chastening, anguish, testing. Tribulation will become destructive if we fail to see the hand of God behind it: "For the people turneth not unto Him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 9:13). Now the little bird is watching all of this. He knows his mother hovers for only a few seconds and then is resting, and the bird thinks to himself, "I know what I’ll do. The next time mother rests those wings I’ll scurry up on the back of her neck. She can’t beat me if I am sitting on the back of her neck."

This is exactly what he does. By the way, it is also exactly what the mother knew he would do. When mother rests, the little bird scurries up her wing onto the back of her neck. The wildlife commissioner said it is amazing to watch through binoculars at how fast these little birds can travel. Now the little bird is sitting on the back of his mother’s neck and thinking, "Oh, what a smart bird am I." But if eagles could smile, she would have a big smile on her beak as she flies away from the nest.

Failure at First
While teaching him to fly, the mother eagle will take her baby high above the clouds, higher than he had ever dreamed of going. The little bird sitting on his mother’s back looking around thinks to himself, "My, how beautiful all this is. This is indeed a mountain top experience. I feel so sorry for those chickens and ducks that cannot get up this high." And just when the bird is enjoying life at its very finest, mother darts out from underneath him, leaving him stranded in mid-air. The little bird begins to flop his wings as hard as he can but his wings will not hold him up. He looks at the ground; it is coming toward him at record speed. The little bird closes his eyes, he doesn’t want to see it when he hits, and just when he is ready to hit the ground, suddenly there is mother’s wing, and on her wing she once again bears him up into the heavens.

Isn’t this exactly how the good Lord deals with us? Sometimes we are closer to the Lord than at other times, aren’t we? This is natural. Sometimes we have mountain top experiences and other times we seem to be walking through the valleys. But regardless of where we are, God’s wing is always there and God is ever waiting to lift us once again back onto the mountain top with Him. Do you remember when you became a Christian, when you walked down the aisle and took the minister’s hand? You said before that audience, "Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God". Can you remember what a mountain top experience this was in your life? But shortly thereafter you encountered the valleys and you felt yourself falling farther away from the Lord than you had ever been. This happens in everyone’s life, not just yours. But, regardless of how far away we fall, God somehow provides a spark of revival for us. God provides a ray of light for us, ever trying to reach us and get our attention so He can lift us back even higher.

"I Will Never Leave You"
The Lord said, "I will never forsake you. I will be with you even until the end of the age."

Some of us know what it is to be on God’s wings when He takes us in flight, when he inspires us with courage and teaches us to use our wings. Others of us have come to that experience when, after all the flying, all the doing, all the enduring, we are weary at heart, and we seek shelter under His wings. In the same way the eagle, after her flight with her little one, takes him back into her shelter, and in effect says, "You are tired now. I will use the wings which have borne you, when wearied in flight all around you, to protect you against both the storm and the foe".

The little one will not even hear the storm without. He has felt the hard side of the wing; he now feels the soft, warm feathery side of it. The Psalmist also knew what it was to be on the wing of God, borne upon the storm so that he might learn how to fly. He thanks God that when he has become weary of the storm because it is too much for his strength, he is taken back into the nest, under the warmth and shelter of that wing which formerly had sustained him.

Growing In Him
The Bible many times refers to the Christian life as being like the physical life. When you were a baby, you could not walk. You would try to walk and take maybe one or two steps and fall. You would hurt yourself and cry. But what would have happened if you would have just laid there and kicked your legs and said, "Oh, I’ll never learn how to walk. I give up!" If you had taken that attitude you would not have learned to walk. Instead you took your parent’s hand and got up again. You kept trying and finally you could take several steps without falling. After days of practice you could finally go across the room without falling. Then you learned how to run. You learned how to walk backwards and jump up and down and go in circles. But there was only one way you learned to do this. That was by taking your parent’s hand and getting back up and trying it again.

It is the same with the Christian life. The Bible says that when we are first baptized into Jesus Christ, we are babes in Christ. We are not fully mature Christians. We are going to make mistakes. We are going to trip and fall, but we must not become discouraged! We must refuse to say, "I cannot do it". Instead, say, "Through the power of God I can be a better Christian."

If we will keep taking our heavenly Father’s hand and getting up again, then we will begin to walk like Christians. The more we get up, the stronger we become the next time. This is not saying you will finally get to the place where you will never fall. I have never met anyone who has attained perfection. Rather, we are always learning to grow in the Lord. I have known people who have been Bible scholars for over 50 years and they will still tell you that they are learning and growing in Jesus. So we never get to the place where we can say, "Now I have attained. Now I am THE Christian". But rather we are constantly growing in the Lord Jesus Christ. As you enter a Midwest state prison, there is a sign hanging over the door which reads, "The fault is not in falling. Rather the fault is in not getting up again". It is the same way with the Christian life. Everyone falls. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". We have all sinned. Sin is wrong but the greatest of all faults is not the sin. The greatest of all faults is not getting up again.

Risking More - Soaring Higher
Now the mother eagle is flying along with the baby safely on her wing once again. The little bird is thinking to himself, "Wow, I never want to go through that experience again. Mother, if you love me, doesn’t ever drop me again." Mother flies along until his blood begins to circulate normally again. His heart begins to beat at a comfortable pace again and then, just when he thinks everything is right, suddenly mother’s wing darts out from under him the second time. Once again he falls through the annals of space. His little wings still unable to hold him up, yet they function better than they did the first time. Time after time this mother will catch her baby, take him high into the air and then drop him again, until finally he learns to stretch those God-given wings and soar through the sky the way the Lord meant an eagle to do. Even then she will not leave her baby, but she stays with him and teaches him how to build a nest. She teaches him to hunt, and to be the kind of eagle God meant him to be. Isn’t that exactly the way God deals with us?

But, the commissioner said, sometimes the baby eagle will refuse to learn to fly. After being dropped several dozen times he thinks to himself, "Why should I try to fly? Mother is going to catch me anyway". So he just folds his wings and let’s himself drop. The commissioner said the mother will work with the baby long into the night. Early the next morning she will be back in the heavens again, dropping her baby, screeching at the top of her voice, exhorting him to fly like an eagle.

Fly or Die
Finally, after several days of working with her baby, if there are no signs of the desire to fly, she will take him for one final flight, higher than he has ever gone before. Darting out from under him she will leave him to fall to his death on the craggy rocks. As long as she lives, she will never again return to that place where her baby fell to his death. Psychiatrists have tried to reason why an eagle will do this to its offspring. It is the only bird known to man that would rather have its offspring die this sudden death than to stay in the nest and become the prey of some wild beast or freeze to death on some cold night.
The only answer man has conceived is that somewhere deep within the nature of this mighty and powerful bird is the spirit that would rather have its young die instantly than die some slow and dishonorable death. Haven’t we seen this happen within the church as well?

I know I have. I have seen ministers, Sunday School teachers, Christian men and women whom I thought were so close to God and flew on such a high spiritual plane with the Lord, but then suddenly something happened within their life. They fell to such a low and apostate condition, they not only began to believe in false doctrine and worship vain religions, but they even began to teach others to do the same. When these things happen you ask yourself, wondering, "How can this be? How can someone who knew the Lord so well fall to this position?"

The Bible tells us how. These people prayed to be Eagle Christians, but there was an undercurrent of rebellious nature which would not submit to the will of God. They had secret sins they refused to let go. The Lord said, "You cannot serve Me and love the world. You are either for Me or you are against Me. You cannot be in between. I would that you were either hot or cold. If you try to be lukewarm I will vomit you out of My mouth". Revelation 3:16

"No man can serve two masters. He will love the one and hate the other. Or cling to one and despise the other. You are either gathering with Me or you are scattering abroad." Matthew 6:24

Sometimes it seems as if every nest we feather is scattered and we are constantly being driven off the ledge of life. But God wants us to ever be testing our wings against the stormy gales. Just think of the pinions we will have, the vision we will have gained, and the ranges we can sweep. Then ask if it is not an eternal kindness that hovers over us.

Chicken or Eagle
When a chicken falls it doesn’t have far to fall and usually there is a soft landing for the chicken in the barn lot. The highest a chicken can go is on the limb of a tree or on top of the chicken house. But when an eagle falls many eyes behold the eagle. So it is with the people who try to live for Christ. Have you ever noticed that when a person who has never made a profession of faith in Jesus commits some great wrong in the community, no one seems to say much about it? But let a man or woman who really tried to live for God, commit the same wrong and what does everyone shout?

"Hypocrite, hypocrite, and look at what he said he was and looks at what he did." You see, not many eyes behold the chicken when it falls, but many eyes behold the eagle. In most countries we tend to separate our chickens. One farmer doesn’t want his chickens eating another farmer’s corn. It is a terrible thought, and I tremble to think about it, but I am afraid this is exactly what man has tried to do with the Lord’s Body as well.

Man has made Christ’s Body a chicken yard religious system. I repeat, man, not God, has made it so. We presently have hundreds of separate chicken pens and we tell our people to stay within these congregations. "Now, you should not worship with that congregation because it is of a little different belief. You of this group, do not fellowship with those folks because you are supposed to stay in your own chicken pen." But there is, deep within the nature of the Eagle Christian, something that tells him, "This is not right. I must rise higher than these others ever dreamed". This is exactly why I refuse to let anyone tag me or put me in a jacket as to which "denomination" I belong. I do not want to belong to any denomination, rather I want to belong to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. I do not claim to be the only Christian. I am simply claiming to be Christian only. I do not want to be bound by man-made creeds and doctrines, rather I want to speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where the Bible is silent. In opinion, I say we need to have liberty, but in doctrine we must have unity.

The church to which I belong has no headquarters in the world. Its headquarters are in Heaven. There is no earthly head over the church of which I am a member. The only head over my church is Jesus Christ himself. Freedom in Christ is not being hand-cuffed or shackled to a denomination, but rather being an Eagle Christian. It is rising higher and freer in Jesus than others ever dreamed. Settle for nothing less in your life than to become an "eagle" Christian. Don’t put it off another moment. Become an Eagle Christian today. Believe in Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Confess His precious Name among men. Repent of your sins and be buried with Christ in Christian baptism. Begin to live life in glory to God. If I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to call upon me.

Joe R. Garman, ARM President

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"The trees of the Lord are full of sap."
Psalm 104:16

Without sap the tree cannot flourish or even exist. Vitality is essential to a Christian. There must be life—a vital principle infused into us by God the Holy Ghost, or we cannot be trees of the Lord. The mere name of being a Christian is but a dead thing, we must be filled with the spirit of divine life. This life is mysterious. We do not understand the circulation of the sap, by what force it rises, and by what power it descends again. So the life within us is a sacred mystery. Regeneration is wrought by the Holy Ghost entering into man and becoming man's life; and this divine life in a believer afterwards feeds upon the flesh and blood of Christ and is thus sustained by divine food, but whence it cometh and whither it goeth who shall explain to us? What a secret thing the sap is!

The roots go searching through the soil with their little spongioles, but we cannot see them suck out the various gases, or transmute the mineral into the vegetable; this work is done down in the dark. Our root is Christ Jesus, and our life is hid in Him; this is the secret of the Lord. The radix of the Christian life is as secret as the life itself. How permanently active is the sap in the cedar! In the Christian the divine life is always full of energy—not always in fruit-bearing, but in inward operations. The believer's graces, are not every one of them in constant motion? but his life never ceases to palpitate within. He is not always working for God, but his heart is always living upon Him.

As the sap manifests itself in producing the foliage and fruit of the tree, so with a truly healthy Christian, his grace is externally manifested in his walk and conversation. If you talk with him, he cannot help speaking about Jesus. If you notice his actions you will see that he has been with Jesus. He has so much sap within, that it must fill his conduct and conversation with life.

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"The love of Christ constrains us."
2 Corinthians 5:14

How much do we owe unto our Lord? Has He ever done anything for you? Has He forgiven your sins? Has He covered us with a robe of righteousness? Has He set your feet upon a rock? Has He established thy goings? Has He prepared heaven for us? Has He prepared us for heaven? Has He written your name in His book of life? Has He given thee countless blessings? Has He laid up for you a store of mercies, which eyes hath not seen nor ears heard? Then do something for Jesus worthy of His love. Give not a mere wordy offering to a dying Redeemer. How will you feel when your Master comes, if you have to confess that you did nothing for Him, but kept your love shut up, like a stagnant pool, neither flowing forth to His poor or to His work. Out on such love as that! What do men think of a love which never shows itself in action? Why, they say, "Open rebuke is better than secret love." Who will accept a love so weak that it does not actuate you to a single deed of self-denial, of generosity, of heroism, or zeal! Think how He has loved you, and given Himself for you!

Do you know the power of that love? Then let it be like a rushing mighty wind to your soul to sweep out the clouds of your worldliness, and clear away the mists of sin. "For Christ's sake" be this the tongue of fire that shall sit upon you: "for Christ's sake" be this the divine rapture, the heavenly afflatus to bear you aloft from earth, the divine spirit that shall make you bold as lions and swift as eagles in your Lord's service. Love should give wings to the feet of service, and strength to the arms of labour. Fixed on God with a constancy that is not to be shaken, resolute to honor Him with a determination that is not to be turned aside, and pressing on with an ardor never to be wearied, let us manifest the constraints of love to Jesus. May the divine loadstone draw us heavenward towards itself.

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Grow up into Him in all things."
Ephesians 4:15

Many Christians remain stunted and dwarfed in spiritual things, so as to present the same appearance year after year. No up-springing of advanced and refined feeling is manifest in them. They exist but do not "grow up into Him in all things." But should we rest content with being in the "green blade," when we might advance to "the ear," and eventually ripen into the "full corn in the ear?" Should we be satisfied to believe in Christ, and to say, "I am safe," without wishing to know in our own experience more of the fullness which is to be found in Him. It should not be so; we should, as good traders in heaven's market, covet to be enriched in the knowledge of Jesus. It is all very well to keep other men's vineyards, but we must not neglect our own spiritual growth and ripening. Why should it always be winter time in our hearts? We must have our seed time, it is true, but O for a spring time—yea, a summer season, which shall give promise of an early harvest.

If we would ripen in grace, we must live near to Jesus—in His presence—ripened by the sunshine of His smiles. We must hold sweet communion with Him. We must leave the distant view of His face and come near, as John did, and pillow our head on His breast; then shall we find ourselves advancing in holiness, in love, in faith, in hope—yea, in every precious gift. As the sun rises first on mountain-tops and gilds them with his light, and presents one of the most charming sights to the eye of the traveler; so is it one of the most delightful contemplations in the world to mark the glow of the Spirit's light on the head of some saint, who has risen up in spiritual stature, like Saul, above his fellows, till, like a mighty Alp, snow-capped, he reflects first among the chosen, the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and bears the sheen of His effulgence high aloft for all to see, and seeing it, to glorify His Father which is in heaven.

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Babes in Christ."
1 Corinthians 3:1

Are your mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most full-grown Christian. You are as much bought with blood as he is. You are as much an adopted child of God as any other believer. An infant is as truly a child of its parents as is the full-grown man. You are as completely justified, for your justification is not a thing of degrees: your little faith has made you clean every whit. You have as much right to the precious things of the covenant as the most advanced believers, for your right to covenant mercies lies not in your growth, but in the covenant itself; and your faith in Jesus is not the measure, but the token of your inheritance in Him. You are as rich as the richest, if not in enjoyment, yet in real possession.

The smallest star that gleams is set in heaven; the faintest ray of light has affinity with the great orb of day. In the family register of glory the small and the great are written with the same pen. You are as dear to your Father's heart as the greatest in the family. Jesus is very tender over you. You are like the smoking flax; a rougher spirit would say, "put out that smoking flax, it fills the room with an offensive odor!" but the smoking flax He will not quench. You are like a bruised reed; and any less tender hand than that of the Chief Musician would tread upon you or throw you away, but He will never break the bruised reed. Instead of being downcast by reason of what you are, you should triumph in Christ. Am I but little in Israel? Yet in Christ I am made to sit in heavenly places. Am I poor in faith? Still in Jesus I am heir of all things. Though "less than nothing I can boast, and vanity confess." yet, if the root of the matter be in me I will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the God of my salvation.


God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Thy paths drop fatness."
Psalm 65:11

Many are "the paths of the Lord" which "drop fatness," but an especial one is the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet, will have need to cry, "My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me." Starving souls live at a distance from the mercy- seat, and become like the parched fields in times of drought. Prevalence with God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer strong—if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone with Jesus, your religion will be shallow, polluted with many doubts and fears, and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord. Since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint; since no high attainments are required; since you are not bidden to come because you are an advanced saint, but freely invited if you be a saint at all; see to it, dear reader, that you are often in the way of private devotion. Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel's fields.

There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk therein, it is the secret walk of communion. Oh! the delights of fellowship with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus' bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo: they live in the outer court, they enter not the holy place, they take not up the privilege of priesthood. At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with the priest to eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering. But, reader, sit thou ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm tree, and take hold of the branches thereof; let thy beloved be unto thee as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and thou shalt be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. O Jesus, visit us with Thy salvation!

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Protection

"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul."
1 Samuel 27:1


The thought of David's heart at this time was a false thought, because he certainly had no ground for thinking that God's anointing him by Samuel was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion had the Lord deserted His servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition had not delivered him. The trials to which he had been exposed had been varied; they had not assumed one form only, but many—yet in every case He who sent the trial had also graciously ordained a way of escape. David could not put his finger upon any entry in his diary, and say of it, "Here is evidence that the Lord will forsake me," for the entire tenor of his past life proved the very reverse. He should have argued from what God had done for him, that God would be his defender still. But is it not just in the same way that we doubt God's help? Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father's goodness?

Have not His loving kindnesses been marvelous? Has He once failed to justify our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the blackness; we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head He has held aloft the shield of our defense. We have gone through many trials, but never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past experience is, that He who has been with us in six troubles, will not forsake us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God, proves that He will keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason contrary to evidence. How can we ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our God? Lord, throw down the Jezebel of our unbelief, and let the dogs devour it.

God Bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."
Philippians 3:8

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person's acquaintance with Him. No, I must know Him myself; I must know Him on my own account. It will be an intelligent knowledge—I must know Him, not as the visionary dreams of Him, but as the Word reveals Him. I must know His natures, divine and human. I must know His offices—His attributes—His works—His shame—His glory. I must meditate upon Him until I "comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." It will be an affectionate knowledge of Him; indeed, if I know Him at all, I must love Him. An ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning.

Our knowledge of Him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Saviour, my mind will be full to the brim—I shall feel that I have that which my spirit panted after. "This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger." At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more I shall want to know. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps. I shall want the more as I get the more. Like the miser's treasure, my gold will make me covet more. To conclude; this knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than "Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble"; for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever living Saviour, and gird me with the golden girdle of His eternal joy.

Come, my soul, sit at Jesus' feet and learn of Him all this day.


God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Godly sorrow worketh repentance."
2 Corinthians 7:10

Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If thou hast one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh."

True repentance has a distinct reference to the Saviour. When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and another upon the cross, or it will be better still if we fix both our eyes upon Christ and see our transgressions only, in the light of His love.

True sorrow for sin is eminently practical. No man may say he hates sin, if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory, but experimentally—as a burnt child dreads fire. We shall be as much afraid of it, as a man who has lately been stopped and robbed is afraid of the thief upon the highway; and we shall shun it—shun it in everything—not in great things only, but in little things, as men shun little vipers as well as great snakes. True mourning for sin will make us very jealous over our tongue, lest it should say a wrong word; we shall be very watchful over our daily actions, lest in anything we offend, and each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcoming, and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God would hold us up that we may not sin against Him.

Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time, but this dear sorrow grows with our growth, and it is so sweet a bitter, that we thank God we are permitted to enjoy and to suffer it until we enter our eternal rest.


God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"I will meditate in Thy precepts."
Psalm 119:15

There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in His service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times. The bruiser's feet must come down joyfully upon the bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must well tread the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would get the wine of consolation from there. Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process which really supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the bone, is the process of digestion.

It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord, and be this our resolve this morning, "I will meditate in Thy precepts."


God bless,

Your daily Words of Encouragement

"Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens."
Lamentations 3:41

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favorswithout constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust.

Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes the wings of God's young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God's warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet, even as the sun arises from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvelous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!


God bless,

Your daily Words of Encouragement

"Wherefore hast Thou afflicted Thy servant?"
Numbers 11:11

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him," is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify Himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, which are His own handiwork. When "tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope," the Lord is honored by these growing virtues.

We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.


God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."
John 4:14

He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore. The believer is not the man whose days are weary for want of comfort, and whose nights are long from absence of heart-cheering thought, for he finds in religion such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and happy. Put him in a dungeon and he will find good company; place him in a barren wilderness, he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away from friendship, he will meet the "friend that tickets closer than a brother." Blast all his gourds, and he will find shadow beneath the Rock of Ages; sap the foundation of his earthly hopes, but his heart will still be fixed, trusting in the Lord. The heart is as insatiable as the grave till Jesus enters it, and then it is a cup full to overflowing. There is such a fulness in Christ that He alone is the believer's all. The true saint is so completely satisfied with the all-sufficiency of Jesus that he thirsts no more—except it be for deeper draughts of the living fountain.

In that sweet manner, believer, shalt thou thirst; it shall not be a thirst of pain, but of loving desire; thou wilt find it a sweet thing to be panting after a fuller enjoyment of Jesus' love. One in days of yore said, "I have been sinking my bucket down into the well full often, but now my thirst after Jesus has become so insatiable, that I long to put the well itself to my lips, and drink right on." Is this the feeling of thine heart now, believer? Dost thou feel that all thy desires are satisfied in Jesus, and that thou hast no want now, but to know more of Him;, and to have closer fellowship with Him? Then come continually to the fountain, and take of the water of life freely. Jesus will never think you take too much, but will ever welcome you, saying, "Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"He arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights."
1 Kings 19:8

All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, not for wantonness or boasting. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked on the coals, and the cruse of water placed at his head, as he lay under the juniper tree, he was no gentleman to be gratified with dainty fare that he might stretch himself at his ease; far otherwise, he was commissioned to go forty days and forty nights in the strength of it, journeying towards Horeb, the mount of God. When the Master invited the disciples to "Come and dine" with Him, after the feast was concluded He said to Peter, "Feed my sheep"; further adding, "Follow me." Even thus it is with us; we eat the bread of heaven, that we may expend our strength in the Master's service. We come to the passover, and eat of the paschal lamb with loins girt, and staff in hand, so as to start off at once when we have satisfied our hunger.

Some Christians are for living on Christ, but are not so anxious to live for Christ. Earth should be a preparation for heaven; and heaven is the place where saints feast most and work most. They sit down at the table of our Lord, and they serve Him day and night in His temple. They eat of heavenly food and render perfect service. Believer, in the strength you daily gain from Christ labour for Him. Some of us have yet to learn much concerning the design of our Lord in giving us His grace. We are not to retain the precious grains of truth as the Egyptian mummy held the wheat for ages, without giving it an opportunity to grow: we must sow it and water it. Why does the Lord send down the rain upon the thirsty earth, and give the genial sunshine? Is it not that these may all help the fruits of the earth to yield food for man? Even so the Lord feeds and refreshes our souls that we may afterwards use our renewed strength in the promotion of His glory.

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"At evening time it shall be light."
Zechariah 14:7

Oftentimes we look forward with forebodings to the time of old age, forgetful that at eventide it shall be light. To many saints, old age is the choicest season in their lives. A balmier air fans the mariner's cheek as he nears the shore of immortality, fewer waves ruffle his sea, quiet reigns, deep, still and solemn. From the altar of age the flashes of the fire of youth are gone, but the more real flame of earnest feeling remains. The pilgrims have reached the land Beulah, that happy country, whose days are as the days of heaven upon earth. Angels visit it, celestial gales blow over it, flowers of paradise grow in it, and the air is filled with seraphic music. Some dwell here for years, and others come to it but a few hours before their departure, but it is an Eden on earth.

We may well long for the time when we shall recline in its shady groves and be satisfied with hope until the time of fruition comes. The setting sun seems larger than when aloft in the sky, and a splendor of glory tinges all the clouds which surround his going down. Pain breaks not the calm of the sweet twilight of age, for strength made perfect in weakness bears up with patience under it all. Ripe fruits of choice experience are gathered as the rare repast of life's evening, and the soul prepares itself for rest.

The Lord's people shall also enjoy light in the hour of death. Unbelief laments; the shadows fall, the night is coming, existence is ending. Ah no, cried faith, the night is far spent, the true day is at hand. Light is come, the light of immortality, the light of a Father's countenance. Gather up thy feet in the bed, see the waiting bands of spirits! Angels waft thee away. Farewell, beloved one, thou art gone, thou wave thine hand. Ah, now it is light. The pearly gates are open, the golden streets shine in the jasper light. We cover our eyes, but thou beholdest the unseen; adieu, brother, thou hast light at even-tide, such as we have not yet.

God bless,

Your Daily Words of Encouragement

"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

Hebrews 1:14

Angels are the unseen attendants of the saints of God; they bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our foot against a stone. Loyalty to their Lord leads them to take a deep interest in the children of His love; they rejoice over the return of the prodigal to his father's house below, and they welcome the advent of the believer to the King's palace above. In olden times the sons of God were favored with their visible appearance, and at this day, although unseen by us, heaven is still opened, and the angels of God ascend and descend upon the Son of man, that they may visit the heirs of salvation. Seraphim still fly with live coals from off the altar to touch the lips of men greatly beloved. If our eyes could be opened, we should see horses of fire and chariots of fire about the servants of the Lord; for we have come to an innumerable company of angels, who are all watchers and protectors of the seed-royal. Spenser's line is no poetic fiction, where he sings—

"How oft do they with golden pinions cleave
The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant
Against foul fiends to aid us militant!"

To what dignity are the chosen elevated when the brilliant courtiers of heaven become their willing servitors! Into what communion are we raised since we have intercourse with spotless celestials! How well are we defended since all the twenty- thousand chariots of God are armed for our deliverance! To whom do we owe all this? Let the Lord Jesus Christ be for ever endeared to us, for through Him we are made to sit in heavenly places far above principalities and powers. He it is whose camp is round about them that fear Him; He is the true Michael whose foot is upon the dragon. All hail, Jesus! thou Angel of Jehovah's presence, to Thee this family offers its morning vows.


God bless,