by A.B. Simpson
To him that overcometh, will I give—Revelation 2:17
A precious secret of Christian life is to have Jesus dwelling within the heart and conquering things that we never could overcome. it is the only secret of power in our lives. Men cannot understand it nor will the world believe it, but it is true that God will come to dwell within us and be the power, the purity, the victory and the joy of our lives. Our attitudes will no longer be, "What is the best that I can do?" but we will ask, "What is the best that Christ can do?" it enables us to say with Paul in that beautiful passage in Philippians,
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to stiffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (4:12-13).
With this knowledge I go forth to meet my testings, and this knowledge enables me to stand. I could never keep myself, but because Christ has met the adversary and defeated him for me I am kept pure and clean. Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57).
by A.B. Simpson
by Vance Havner
“Who am I?” I AM THAT I AM. Exodus 3:11, 14
On “the backside of the desert” Moses came to “the mountain of God.” When God called him to his mighty task Moses was first taken up with his own insufficiency – “Who am I?” But God made it clear that what mattered was not what Moses was but who God is: “I Am That I Am.”
Jeremiah had the same fear as Moses: “I am but a child.” God corrected him: “Say not, I am a child…I am with thee to deliver thee.” “Who is sufficient for these things?” asked Paul, and then he moved on to declare, “Our sufficiency is of God.”
Moses started with “Who am I?” but soon asked God, “Who are you?” It is well for a man to know his own inadequacy, but woe unto him if he stop there. Let him move on to meet God and find Him sufficient.
It is not a matter of who I am but of who He is.
by Vance Havner
by James Smith
"Food for the Soul" 1867
"Should it be according to your mind?" Job 34:33
Thus the infinitely wise God appeals to us–His poor foolish creatures.
We want our own way. We wish to carve for ourselves. But God loves us too well, to allow us to do so!
He has drawn the plan of our lives. He has marked out the paths we are to tread. He has fixed the bounds of our habitation. Yes, He has numbered the very hairs of our head!
He has arranged everything to secure our spiritual and eternal good. This He has told us in His Word–and yet we are not satisfied. But, "Should it be according to your mind?"
by James Smith
by Oswald Chambers
. . . that you may know what is the hope of His calling . . . —Ephesians 1:18
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12). Are your speech, your thinking, and your emotions evidence that you are working it “out”? If you are still the same miserable, grouchy person, set on having your own way, then it is a lie to say that God has saved and sanctified you.
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by A.B. Simpson
I press toward the mark—Philippians 3:14
We have thought much about what we have received. Let us think of the things we have not received, of some of the vessels that have not yet been filled, of some of the places in our lives that the Holy Spirit has not yet possessed for God and signalized by His glory and His presence.
Shall the coming months be marked by a diligent, heart-searching application of the rest of the oil (see Leviticus 14:17-20) to the yet unoccupied possibilities of our life and service?
Have we known His fullness of grace in our spiritual lives? Have we tasted a little of His glory? Have we believed His promise for the mind, the soul, the spirit? Have we known all His possibilities for the body? Have we tested Him in His power to control the events of nature and to move the hearts of men and nations? Has He opened to us the treasure house of God and met our financial needs as He might? Have we begun to understand the ministry of prayer, as God would have us exercise it? God give us the rest of the oil!
by A.B. Simpson
by Oswald Chambers
. . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body —2 Corinthians 4:10
We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that “the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of “myself” that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me. No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, “Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this.” Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.
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by A.W. Tozer
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Luke 17:5
To receive in a measure more in keeping with God’s liberality five things are necessary. The first is faith. We must be convinced that God is kind, generous, goodhearted and ready to bestow His blessings upon His people with the bounty of a king. To have faith we must immerse ourselves in the Scriptures. And faith must be exercised if it is to be effective. Faith, like a muscle, grows by stretching. The second is capacity. That we differ from each other in spiritual capacity is too evident to need proof; but the reason is a great mystery and lies too deep for our understanding, certainly too deep for discussion here. It is enough to say that whatever his capacity each man can increase it if he will. The human soul is not a hard-baked vessel with a fixed size; it is a living thing capable of growth and expansion as it interacts with the gracious actions of the Holy Spirit.
by A.W. Tozer
by A.B. Simpson
