Angels from the Realms of Glory

This Christmas hymn, penned by the British abolitionist newspaper editor James Montgomery, bids its hearers to come worship Christ. First it calls for the angels to proclaim Christ to the world, then it bids the shepherds of the Christmas story, then the wise men, and finally "we saints before the altar bending" in the present day. The hymn declares that God was with us on earth through Christ and that he "in his Temple shall appear" at the last day. Let us, too, respond to the call to "come and worship."

Angels from the realms of glory
Wing your flight o'er all the earth
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim Messiah's birth
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King

Shepherds in the fields abiding
Watching o'er your flocks by night
God with us is now residing
Yonder shines the infant light
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King

Sages leave your contemplations
Brighter visions beam afar
Seek the great Desire of Nations
Ye have seen his natal star
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King

Saints before the altar bending
Watching long in hope and fear
Suddenly the Lord descending
In his Temple shall appear
Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ the newborn King

(from the Praise & Worship Study Bible)

A Prayer for Peace

O God, you who are the Author of love and the Lover of pure peace and affection, let all who are terrified be fears, afflicted by poverty, harassed by tribulation, worn down by illness, be set free by your indulgent tenderness, raised up by renewal of life and cherished by your daily compassion.

-The Gallican Sacramentary (ninth century A. D.)

The Beginning of Jesus

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-" 
(1 John 1:1-2)(ESV)





Several heresies had arisen within the Christian church in the time of the Apostle John. The most dangerous of these was Gnosticism, and especially the branch known as Docetism. These people denied the possibility of God being in the flesh and claimed that if Jesus was God then his presence on earth must have been an apparition. Flesh and material were all sinful and, therefore, God could not come in flesh. The challenge was to the foundational doctrine of the Deity of Jesus Christ. When, then, did Jesus begin to be?

It is evident from the scriptures that Jesus did not have His beginning when He was born as a babe in Bethlehem. John asserts that Jesus was from the "beginning." This is a word of time and not eternity but by it John does not mean the beginning of Christ's earthly existence in the flesh, nor yet does he mean "In the beginning" as in Genesis 1:1. He means that Jesus is simultaneously in existence with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus is very God and the second person of the Trinity.

We speak then of the pre-incarnate Christ, meaning that Jesus was active in the Godhead from eternity. In John 8:58 Jesus says, "Before Abraham was, I am." Why does Jesus not use the past tense and say, "I was before Abraham?" Jesus uses the present tense because with God there is no future or past tenses. God is not bound in time. This may be a little philosophical but it is very important for it is the genuine understanding behind Hebrews 13:8 which declares that Jesus is ".... the same yesterday, today and forever."

It is a thrilling thought, to the believer, that Jesus is very God and we must hold tenaciously to this conviction.

(Dr. Robert M. McMillan)

Without

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time" (Colossians 4:5)

The one word above all others which so vividly describes an utterly hopeless condition in itself is the expression "without." In that one little word of only three letters in the original Greek, the Apostle Paul is able to sum up the state of a person without Jesus Christ in his heart and life, dead in trespasses and sin, hopeless for the individual because there is nothing in himself that can change this.

Only one way is provided to remedy an otherwise hopeless condition and that is for those within to go to those without with the gospel message. Up to this point in the Epistle, the Apostle has exhorted with regard to the relationship between Christians. Now the commission of the Christian, the main purpose for his presence on earth, is emphasized. How this exhortation is needed by those within!

"Our first duty is to 'walk in wisdom' towards the unconverted. Wisdom is Gospel knowledge applied in Gospel common sense....We cannot hope either to honor the truth in the eyes of the unconverted or to win them to Christ, except as we show forth the essential difference of the Christian's position from that of the world" (W.R. Nicholson).

Our hearts can be stirred with compassion, and rightly so, by a missionary challenge depicting a native dressed only with a breechcloth in South America, an underfed child in Korea, or a witch doctor in Africa. Yet there is a seeming indifference to the spiritual condition even to those who are closest to us geographically, physically, or occupationally. How the Apostle Paul pleads with the Christians in Colosse to place the emphasis where it should be in their lives. How we need to take advantage of every precious moment to minister to those WITHOUT.

(by Dr. Elliot R. Cole)

The Lord is Our Foundation

Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven, he will make Jerusalem his home of justice and righteousness. In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. 
(Isaiah 33:5-6)(NLT)


The great buildings of the world take our breath away with their amazing height and striking architecture. Yet each one rests upon an unseen foundation that shoulders their immense weight. Without this foundation, the building would collapse. Likewise, the structure of our life stands secure only when it is built upon God and his precepts. Upon this sure foundation we can build a life characterized by salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Let us exalt God through a firmly established life of reverence and obedience to him.


ETERNAL GOD, you are our sure foundation, and we build our life upon you. We praise you for granting us salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Teach us to rest secure in your strength, knowing that you will support any burdens we have. Amen.

(from the Praise & Worship Study Bible-Tyndale House)

A Prayer for Daily Guidance

Grant us, we pray, almighty and most merciful God, fervently to desire, wisely to search out, and perfectly to fulfill all that is well-pleasing to you this day. Order our worldly condition to the glory of your Name; and, of all that you require us to do, grant us the knowledge, the desire, and the ability, that we may so fulfill it as we ought; and may our path to you, we pray, be safe, straightforward, and perfect to the end.

--Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

With All Your Heart

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
-Deuteronomy 6:5 (NLT)

We all have some passions in life. Why not pour your passion into God? What does that entail? Just think about the actions you take when doing something that you love.

You think about it all day. You want to spend all your time on it. You put it first above all other things.

Now channel all those actions towards God and you will see grace filter through your day leaving behind anger, guilt and selfishness.

Wherever You Go

This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (NLT) -Joshua 1:9

There are times in life that we feel alone, and that no one else can relate. Trials come our way and sometimes there is nothing anyone can do to help the situation.

Read this part again: do not be afraid or discouraged. God brings seasons in life to sharpen you for your own good. God walks WITH you THROUGH this hardship. He is with you; gain your strength from Him.

The Dangers of the Tongue

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. (Isaiah 50:4a)(NKJV)


People tend to be known by what they say. Words may strike fear in others, they may reveal the speakers to be foolish, or they may be a source of help or comfort to other people.

In a passage that probably pertains to the coming Messiah, Isaiah said the Lord's Anointed would "know how to speak" by receiving instruction from God. As a result of the divine tutelage, He would be able to speak appropriately to the weary.

How much more do the rest of us need help in knowing what to say, given our sinful condition. Scripture repeatedly warns us about the power and danger of our words. As Scripture frequently shows, they can:

• cut like a sword (Ps. 57:4; 64:3)
• be as dangerous and poisonous as a snake (Ps. 140:3)
• convey lies with the impact of a bow (Jer. 9:3)
• strike down other people like an arrow (Jer. 9:8), and
• curse and demean others (Hos. 7:16)

What is the impact of your words on other people? Does what you say build others up or tear them down?

(from the Word in Life Study Bible-Nelson Publishers)

A Prayer for Obedience

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous;

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

To give and not to count the cost,

To fight and not to heed the wounds,

To toil and not to seek rest,

To labor and not to seek reward,

Save that of knowing that I am doing your will.

--Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

Filled With the Fullness of God

I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know the Messiah's love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 
(Ephesians 3:16-19)(HCSB)

In this prayer Paul voices three wonderful petitions for the Ephesian Christians. First, that they would be strengthened with might by God's Spirit in the inner man. This is not a prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit would be able to strengthen them in the inner man.

The purpose of this strengthening is Paul's second request, that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith. The word translated dwell really means that Christ would settle down and feel at home in their hearts. That whereas He had been a guest He would be allowed to be host. That He would not be looked upon as a divine Visitor, but as Owner with the right to transform. The truth that Christ indwells the believer is taught many places in the New Testament, but it is when this truth is believed that the Indwelling Christ becomes that Lord of the life and does His transforming work. This is the truth that transforms Christians.

Paul's third request is that the Ephesians would be rooted and grounded in love and so be able to understand experientially  the love of Christ which passes knowledge. This will result in their being filled unto all the fullness of God.

He closes this wonderful prayer with the assuring words that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Pray this prayer for yourself and others. As it is answered in the lives of God's children, it will produce a revival such as has not been experienced before.

--Dr. R. H. Belton

Warning: Danger Ahead!

A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident. (Proverbs 14:16)(NKJV)


One mark of the fool is overconfidence about being able to avoid evil. "It can't happen to me" is his motto. "And if it does, I can handle it," he boasts. But the Bible says he is tragically mistaken.

"Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall," the New Testament warns (1 Cor. 10:12). And Jesus told his disciples, who insisted that they would never deny their Lord even if it cost them their lives, "Watch and pray, lest you enter temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:35,41).

Overconfidence about one's own moral and spiritual strength is perilous. It shows that one has no appreciation of the nature and power of evil. If people such as Moses, Samson, David, and Peter were tempted and fell into sin (Num. 20:2-13; Judg. 16; 2 Sam. 11; Matt. 26:69-75), what chance do the rest of us have if we fail to respect sin's power?

For that reason, Proverbs counsels that we depart from evil (Prov. 14:16), that we turn our backs on temptation and refuse to toy with sin. For one person that might mean finding a new set of friends; for another, changing jobs; and for someone else, canceling a magazine subscription.

Whatever tempts you to sin, you are wise if you do whatever it takes to turn your back on it, and turn toward "righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart"
(2 Tim. 2:22).

--from the Word In Life Study Bible Nelson Publishers

Worship

"He moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord" 
(Genesis 12:8)

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (see Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.

Bethel is the the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram "pitched his tent" between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him. Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time--there is always plenty of time to worship God. Days set apart for quiet can be a trap, detracting from the need to have a daily quiet time with God. That is why we must "pitch our tents" where we will always have quiet times with Him, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not three levels of spiritual life---worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God's idea is that the three should go together as one. They were always together in the life of our Lord and in perfect harmony. It is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight.

--Oswald Chambers

God Cleanses Us From Sin

Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem's damage and give her prosperity and peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their cities. I will cleanse away their sins against me, and I will forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and  honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see the good I do for my people and will tremble with awe! (NLT)(Jer. 33:6-9)

Forgiven. This is the wonderful message God gave to Israel. He promised to heal his people and restore them to glory and honor. He would no longer hold their acts of rebellion against them. This same message of hope and healing is for us as well. We have been rebellious against God in the past, and we do not deserve to be given honor and glory. But God in his grace has forgiven us, restoring us to himself. He has healed us from sin's sickness and has given us great peace and joy. Thank God for cleansing us from sin.

O GOD WHO HEALS US, we rejoice that you have cleansed us from sin. We thank you for forgiving our rebellion against you. May our restoration bring you joy, and may those around us glorify you. Amen. 

from the Praise & Worship Study Bible-Tyndale House Publishers

A Prayer For Discernment

Grant to me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights you most, to value what is precious in your sight, to hate what is offensive to you. Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men; but to discern with true judgment between things visible and spiritual, and above all things to enquire what is the good pleasure of your will.

-Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380-1471)

Personal Despair Ends in World-Class Praise

My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay my vows before those who fear Him.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. 
(Ps. 22:25,27)(NKJV)


How do you respond when everything in life seems to be going badly? Can you find any hope for good? In Psalm 22:1-18, David cried out to God with anxiety and despair. He felt:

• abandoned and helpless
• ignored
• despised and rejected
• ridiculed for his faith
• taunted by vicious enemies
• drained and on the verge of death; and
• surrounded by a murderous mob.

However, like Job at the end of his sufferings, David was able to affirm that God was still near and capable of delivering him (Ps. 22:19-20; compare Job 42:1-6). As a result, despite the injuries and insults he had suffered, he came back from the brink of despair. He was able to praise God before his family, his countrymen, and ultimately the entire world (Ps. 22:22-28).

To whom do you turn when things go badly? As with David, the God who created you wants to join with you in your worst times. He is willing to walk with you all the way through the "valley of the shadow of death" (Ps. 23:4).

(from the Word in Life Study Bible by Nelson Publishers)

Be Filled With the Spirit

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:18, 19)

Many explanations have been given concerning the Spirit-filled life. Some have been very helpful while a few are misleading. The idea is one of control. A man drunk with wine is under the control of the wine. He is controlled by a spirit foreign to himself and says and does many things he would not do when sober.

The Christian is not to be drunk with wine but is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is, he is to be under the absolute control of the Spirit of God. In His power he is to do and say things he never could do in his own strength. The disciples were weak, timid and fearful men until they were filled at Pentecost. Then they became fearless and powerful, speaking the Word with great boldness.

Our attention is called to four things about the verb filled. It is in the imperative mode, which is a command, for God knows we are helpless without this filling. It is in the present tense which stresses continuous action; this filling is to be a continuous thing. The verb is plural in number; it is for all, not just for a select group. Then it is passive voice which means this is something to be done in us. "Let yourself be being filled" is a good rendering. The Spirit's work is to produce Christian character (Gal. 5:22); Christian service (1 Cor. 12:4-11); and praise (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

(Dr. R. H. Belton)

Walk Differently

Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. (Eph. 4:17)(HCSB)

The word translated vanity is religious error, mirage, or illusion. The unbeliever may be very religious as were the people of Ephesus who were not Christians, but he is under an illusion. He is thinking that what he has is real when there is no reality in it. The unbeliever is under the illusion that he can save himself, that by his religious acts and good character he can make himself acceptable to God. He thinks of the cross as being foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18, 23). He is also under the illusion that sin is not a serious thing; in fact he has given himself over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But the Christian life has nothing to do with the former manner of living. The Christian is to put off the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts, and he is to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and holiness of truth (Eph. 4: 22, 24). The Christian life is a different life. It is characterized by holiness and righteousness. Paul urges his readers to let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from them. This is the blessed work of the Holy Spirit. When He is permitted to do this He is not grieved, but when these awful characteristics are allowed to remain in the life He is grieved. Let us obey the Scripture.

(Dr. R. H. Belton)

Heavenly Vision

"Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19)

One of the greatest lessons to be learned from the life of Paul was his obedience to the written and spoken Word. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." It is one thing to receive a heavenly vision; it is another to obey what is seen or heard.

In this case, the apostle goes on to point out that the heavenly vision is "that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." To be true to his trust, he must preach the full counsel of God. And today, we must be equally diligent and conscientious in proclaiming the good news of the Gospel.

Our problem, largely, is that we have not heeded the instruction, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). Hence, our vision is limited. We cannot obey when we have not yet heard. We cannot hear without a preacher, and too many times we are content with a limited diet of spiritual food. Oh, that we might "Search the scriptures," seeking the wisdom and blessing of God upon our lives!

"Trust and obey,

For there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey."

The heavenly vision will come to us in several ways: (1) through His inspired Word; (2) through the spoken word; (3) through intercession. When He thus speaks to us, what a tremendous responsibility it places upon us to obey! God will not lead us from one step to another in our Christian walk until we have learned to obey the first step. His will for our lives will be revealed only as He detects willingness to obey. May He find that in you and me today.

(by David R. Enlow)

The Lord Alone Is God

"Praise be to the Lord," Jethro said, "for he has saved you from the Egyptians and from Pharoah. He has rescued Israel from the power of Egypt! I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because his people have escaped from the proud and cruel Egyptians." (Exodus 18:10-11)(NLT)


Today we live in an age of pluralism where loyalty to one creed is condemned as intolerant. But we know Jethro's confession to be true that "the Lord is greater than all other gods." If we are not worshiping the Lord alone, then we are serving idols, for there is only one true God. Turn away from the false gods in your life today and worship our great God and heavenly King. He alone is worthy.


O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens. No one is greater than You, O God. We praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for you are the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of your people. We worship you, for you alone are God, and there is no other.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible by Tyndale House)

The Lord Wants Pure Worship

Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves. He said, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves!" (Matthew 21:12-13)(NLT)


In an outburst of righteous anger, Jesus chased the merchants and money changers out of the Temple. They had been defiling the Temple by turning it into a marketplace and cheating those who had come to make offerings. Jesus' rebuke of such sinful Temple practices reminds us to guard our own worship against corruption. We must always keep God and his desires at the center of worship and never allow other motives to lead us astray.


HOLY GOD, thank you for calling and enabling us to worship you. Forgive us when we corrupt our worship with selfish motives, and give us the desire to please you. Amen.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible)

A Prayer of Repentance

O Lord, help us to turn and seek you; for you have not forsaken your creatures as we have forsaken you, our Creator. Let us turn and seek you, for we know you are here in our heart when we confess to you, when we cast ourselves upon you and weep in your bosom after all our rugged ways; and you gently wipe away our tears, and we weep more for joy; for you, Lord, who made us, do remake and comfort us.

-Saint Augustine (354-430)

God Accepts Genuine Worship

When Phinehas the priest and the high officials heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied. Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, "Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not sinned against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the Lord." (Joshua 22:30-31)(NLT)

Israel's three tribes that lived east of the Jordan river built an altar at the edge of the Promised Land, just west of the river. This altar was not intended to separate the tribes but rather to bear witness that all the tribes served the same God. Still, there was misunderstanding. So it is today. Sometimes misunderstandings over worship practices can cause God's people to become divided. Even when the Lord is genuinely worshiped by several groups, disputes can flare up. Let us follow Israel's wise example and recognize that the Lord accepts genuine worship from his people even though it may be different from other believers' worship.

O GOD, you delight in all who worship you with pure hearts. We confess that many times we have allowed differing styles of worship to divide your church. Purify our heart so that we might offer worship that pleases you. We thank you for the diversity of your people, which opens our eyes to a greater vision of you. Amen.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible)

A Prayer for a Steadfast Heart

Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downward; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

--Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Captain of Our Souls

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. (Luke 8:22-24)(NIV84)

"What a blessed thing it is to have Him with us on our voyage across life's sea! There is, however, something even more blessed. It seems to me that the disciples said as it were: "Here is where we can do without His help....We certainly know more about seafaring than He does...so we'll just fix a nice, comfortable spot, here at the stern of the boat, and let Him have a much needed sleep." And so they did. They were having Him with them alright, but only as a passenger. They had yet to learn that He must be the Captain..."All went well with the disciples, and they got on splendidly without Him while the sea was smooth...That is why God sent the storm. ...The storm drove the disciples to Him" (Van Ryn).

Out of the night that covered me

Freed from the fear of sin's dark scroll;

I thank my Savior, for 'twas He

Rescued for aye my precious soul.

Caught in the storms of circumstance,

I oft have winced and cried aloud,

Yet e'er His mighty, loving hands,

Have calmed the soul before Him bowed.

Amid life's sea of bitter tears,

His words of hope, like beacons, stand;

And how His love my being cheers,

As on I sail to Glory-land;

It matters not how soon the end,

My bark will safely reach its goal.

Christ is my Pilot, Master, Friend,

He is the Captain of my soul!

(devotional by Dr. J. Howard Goddard)

The Path of Self-Control

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city...broken down" (Proverbs 25:28)


"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32).

The Christian experience of salvation does not destroy personality or shrink personal responsibility. The Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). But he did not mean that he, himself, was to act less and less like a man and more and more like a thing without a mind or a will. He was talking about the limelight. When Christ comes into the life, the truly converted want Him to be seen. That is what it means for Him to increase. He will increase in visibility in our lives as we more and more learn to be full men. The least gift that Christ can give is salvation. He wants to give us much, much more than a new birth, even a new life.

All human beings should practice self-control. But Christians must do it or pay a terrible price in blessings missed. Self-discipline is essential to godly living. There are probably more failures in God's service for this reason than for any other.

The intelligent self-control possible to the believer is synonymous with a Christ-regulated life or a Spirit-filled life. None of these terms contradicts or rules out the others.

There is no victory possible to us that is as great as victory over our tendency toward undisciplined living.

"Self-government is indeed, the noblest rule on earth; the object of a loftier ambition than the possession of crowns or scepters. The truest conquest is when the soul is bringing every thought into captivity to Christ. The monarch of his own mind is the only real potentate."---Caird

Out of myself into Him I adore,

There to abide in His love evermore;

Through endless ages His glory to see,

My Jesus has lifted me!

---Avis B. Christiansen

(Rev. Roger J. Andrus)

A Prayer to Be Used by God

Lord, help us to love you; teach us to serve you. Give us your strength that we may overcome our corrupt nature. Grant this day that we may have power from on high to resist every temptation; to confess Christ before men and women; to labor steadfastly with a single eye to your glory; to live in the spirit of prayer, in faith, humility, self-denial, and love; and to walk before you in that narrow way that leads to eternal life. Fill us with love for others. Teach us to do good to all people, to visit and relieve the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. Lord, for your name's sake, hear us. Amen.

--Edward Bickersteth (1786-1850)

The Path of Anger

"A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment" (Proverbs 19:19)


The man of habitual temper is both sick and sinful. He has developed a pattern of behavior and in a sense he has done it deliberately. Good psychology and good theology both hold him responsible. No one angers us. We respond to people and situations by taking a position or attitude of anger.

Along with fear, frustration, and guilt, anger (or temper, as it should be called) is one of the prominent causes of emotional and mental illness. Seldom is any neurosis simple. Usually it is somewhat complex. And nearly always anger is part of the complex cause. It is always foolish to court sickness, and temper is no exception. "Anger resteth in the bosom of fools" (Eccl. 7:9). That means that a wise man will seek help from God to control his feelings, he will never deliberately promote a "habit of temper."

The man of temper is in line for both trouble and punishment. "A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife" (Prov. 15:18).

The last half of our text warns us that "if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again." He gets into trouble and if you come along and get him out of it, you haven't really helped because he will just get angry again in a few minutes and get into more trouble. His real trouble is not the trouble that comes to him because he has shown anger promiscuously. His real trouble is his anger itself. He needs deliverance from his temper. In other words, he needs salvation and a new nature with a new set of attitudes and new emotional patterns.

"The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression" (Prov. 19:11).

"Put off...anger" (Col. 3:8).

(Rev. Roger J. Andrus)

The Path of Understanding

"Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding" (Prov. 9:6)


The Path of Understanding

Wisdom calls and folly calls.
Both call to the "simple" (Prov. 9:4,16).
Wisdom says, "Come, eat of my bread" (9:5).
Folly says, "Turn in hither...bread eaten in secret is pleasant" (9:16,17).


Understanding begins where wisdom begins. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding" (9:10). We enter the path of understanding when we receive the Word of God to be the Word of God, with all that that implies. Some knowledge is delightful, some is useful, but knowledge of things holy is essential to true understanding of ourselves and our environment.

This is the age of psychology with its emphasis on insights. This path of understanding of which our text speaks is a path of truest insights. It leads to genuine self-understanding. The instructed believer is not a simpleton nor a fool going blindly he knows not where. He knows his origin as a creature of God who was taken into sin by his first father. He knows his position as a redeemed child of God including the privileges of His household. And, he also knows his eternal future with its unlimited opportunities of personal growth and development. Maturation has begun.

Understanding is also social, that is, the believer grows into an understanding of others. In learning the things of God, and understanding himself in great measure, his strengths and his weaknesses, he is prepared for a realistic relationship to others. He knows them not as completely "other" but as bone of his bone. He understands them because they are so much like himself. And knowing and understanding he cares.

The path of understanding brings glory to God and good to man. "For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased" (Prov. 9:11).

(Rev. Roger J. Andrus)

The Path of Life

"Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, [the tempter's] ways are moveable" (Prov. 5:6)

The Path of Life

The path of life is a Bible-centered life. "He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction" (Prov. 10:17). It stands written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).

Feeding on the Word of God we avoid the path of the tempter.  In this fifth chapter, as in the Proverbs generally, the tempter is a temptress, a "strange woman." "Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house" (5:8). We will not needlessly expose ourselves to any temptation or device of Satan. "Shun evil companions."

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

The path of life is also a path of obedience to God. "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings" (Prov. 5:21).

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth (Prov. 5:7).

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet

Or we'll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go,

Never fear, only trust and obey.

--J. H. Sammis

Further, the path of life is one of satisfaction. It is the richest life possible. "Drink waters our of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well" (Prov. 5:15).

"I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life" (Deut. 30:19).

(by Rev. Roger J. Andrus)

Real Freedom

Read Romans 6:15-22

One of the greatest motivating factors for people throughout the world today is the quest for freedom, for self-determination. Armies fight for it. Nations vote for it. Individuals work for it.

But here in Romans 6, Scripture teaches that, ultimately, no one is ever totally "free." In the end, everyone serves either God or sin. In fact, Paul uses the word "slaves" to describe the relationship (Rom. 6:16-20; see "slaves" at Rom. 6:16). We are either slaves of righteousness or slaves of sin.

What does that imply for our understanding of the nature of freedom? Is complete autonomy possible? Is there such a thing as self-rule or political self-determination? Yes, in a limited sense. But here as elsewhere, Scripture describes real freedom as a change of masters: being set free from slavery to sin in order to become slaves to righteousness instead.

All of us are enslaved to sin from the moment of conception. Our only hope is Christ, who is able to emancipate us from that bondage (Rom. 7:24-25). Then, having saved us, He enables us through His Holy Spirit to do what we could not do in and of ourselves--live in obedience to God's Law (Rom. 8:3-4). Therein lies true freedom.

(from The Word in Life Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson)

Walking with God

"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24)


The story of Enoch, though brief, is telling, and never fails to bring refreshing to the child of God. "Before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5). He was happy in the fellowship of God; he had a yearning to please God in every move and motive of his life.

"Walking with God" suggests deep earnestness, as in the case of Jehoshaphat whose "heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 17:6). "Walking with God" means total yieldedness (Colossians 2:6). "Walking with God" means close communion with God.

The commencement of this communion with God in Enoch's life did not come until the birth of his son (Genesis 5:22). The coming of that special blessing from the Lord quickened his devotion to the Lord.

The continuance of his communion with God was uninterrupted for three hundred years despite many irksome responsibilities. Jude tells us that Enoch was surrounded by wicked men who abused the name of the Lord (v.14,15). But he "pleased God."

The culmination of his communion with God was crowned by entrance upon the life or perfect fellowship above. He did not have to die. God took him, just like He will "change" and take every believer when the Lord comes for the Church.

The little girl told her mother that in Sunday School, "we have been learning about a man who used to go for walks with God. His name was Enoch. And, mother, one day they went for an extra long walk, and they walked on, and on, and on, until God said to Enoch, 'You are a long way from home; you had better just come in and stay.' And he went in."

"In thy presence is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11)

(this devotional by Dr. N. A. Woychuk)

Amazing Grace

The inspiring story behind John Newton's writing of "Amazing Grace", which reflects his conversion from a miserable life of slave trading, is a familiar one to most Christians. Yet all believers can benefit from a reminder of God's astounding compassion for humanity.

We see throughout history that humans have a knack for building walls to keep God out, only to trap themselves in their own prisons. God has repeatedly responded by rescuing those who languish in chains of spiritual darkness--not only forgiving them but also richly restoring them to true life. Even the most hardened souls--like the wicked and idolatrous King Manasseh of Israel--can discover God's amazing grace. And although our response to such grace must always be inadequate, God lovingly accepts our offerings of worship. Let us thank him for his grace toward us.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

and grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

the hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we'd first begun.

(from the Praise and Worship Study Bible--Tyndale House)