by James Smith
"Whose Slave Are You?"
There are two distinct classes of slaves in the world, and it is important to know to which we belong. The apostle teaches us how to do this when he says,
"Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves–you are slaves to the one whom you obey; whether you are slaves to sin–which leads to death; or to obedience–which leads to righteousness?" Romans 6:16
Who is your Master? There are but two great masters in the world–and we all serve one or the other. Who then, is your master?
Is it SATAN? If so–then sin is your service. You neglect what God requires–and you do what God forbids. You . . . indulge the lusts of the flesh, enjoy the lust of the eye, and walk in the pride of life.
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by Mark Cahill
I am very much enjoying reading through my Bible front to back again this year. It is great to reread some of those great accounts of God’s power and how He uses people.
Remember though: Don’t just read your Bible, also heed what it says. ‘Read and heed’ is how one of my friends puts it. If we read our Bibles and obey what we read, it is always going to lead to an exciting life as we follow the Lord!
Exodus 3:10 “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”
We see in this passage that God is about to use Moses in a mighty, mighty way. He is going to use him to deliver His people from the Egyptians. Moses has to be so excited about being used by the Lord like this. I can just imagine his response: “Thank you, Lord! Let’s go and teach Pharaoh and the Egyptians a big lesson. They shouldn’t have messed with Your people, and now they are going to pay for it. Onward and upward!!” Well, that is not exactly how he responded.
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by Vance Havner
“By him all things consist.” Colossians 1:17.
The supreme experience is to get past all lesser experiences to Christ Himself. Most of us stop short of the Giver because we are forever seeking this or that gift. Many a saint can testify to years of being occupied with this doctrine and that, this blessing and that, but coming one day into the larger place of resting in the Lord Himself, finding in Him their reward, their portion. Anything short of that is fractional, immature, incomplete. We are complete in Him, not in any experience or favorite doctrine. Here is the experience that excels all experiences because it includes them all. The whole is greater than any of the parts.
“Getting through to God” is not a strange emotional experience-although it may indeed move the emotions—but simply arriving at the blessed point where we rest in the Blesser and not in a lesser “blessing.” Then, whatever we may lose, we have Him, and in Him we have everything. All things are ours, and we are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.
by Vance Havner
by A.B. Simpson
Lo, I am with you always—Matthew 28:20
This living Christ is not the person who was, but the person who still is your living Lord.
At Preston Pans, near Edinburgh, I looked on the field where, long ago, armies had been engaged in contest. In the crisis of the battle the chieftain fell wounded. When they saw their leader’s form go down, his men were about to shrink away from the field. Their strong hands held the claymore with trembling grip, and they faltered for a moment. Then the old chieftain rallied strength enough to rise on his elbow and cry: "I am not dead, my children, I am only watching you-to see my clansmen do their duty."
And so from the other side of Calvary our Savior is speaking. We cannot see Him, but He says,
Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).
Notice how He puts it: "I am"-an uninterrupted and continuous presence. Not "I will be," but the guarantee of an unbroken presence to remain with us forever.
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by James Smith
