NONE BUT THEHUNGRY HEART

Fellowship Bible Church

From the leadership development ministry of

FELLOWSHIP BIBLE CHURCH MISSIONS

The contents in this devotional are a selection ofwritings from many Christian authors compiled byMiles Stanford.

FORWARD

None But the Hungry Heart is adevotional series that will help you in yourChristian growth and walk with the Lord.The first issue in this series was publishedin 1968 and the final issue was completedin 1987. For a period of approximately 20years, Miles Stanford has collected andcategorized quotes from some of the bestauthors in the realm of Christian growth.Contained at this site, you will find theintimate truths of God's Word explainedand expounded by His humble servants.

Before God could use these men, He hadto bring them to the end of themselves. Hehad to teach them that self-confidence--nomatter what it's form--could only result indefeat. Many of these servants had tospend years of struggling in the "self-life"before they learned to depend on theRisen Lord Jesus to be their All in All. Onesuch man was C.A. Coates. The followingaccount reflects some of the lessons thathe learned in his own struggle with theflesh.

I had to see about some work being donethe other day, and was asking thecontractor how much it would cost. 'It won'tcost very much,' said he, 'because we canuse all the old material.' Now that isprecisely what God could not do. Theremust be a new start altogether with newmaterial. God rejects the old materialaltogether and begins entirely anew, andthe one who is born again begins to learn

the true character of the old material--i.e.all that he is as a child of Adam and a manin the flesh--and to be as dissatisfied with itas God is. You may see this in Job andSaul of Tarsus. One of them said, "I abhormyself," and the other said, "I know that inme (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no goodthing." Such language as this is the mark ofone born again. He identifies himself withthat new "inward man" which is of God,and he judges everything of a contrarynature to be sin. In itself this is not a happyexperience. It is not very pleasant for onewho has been self-sustained and self-satisfied in a moral and religious life to findthat there is not one bit of good in him.Some may discover this by a single flash ofdivine light, as in the case of Saul ofTarsus, and others may have years ofstruggling and disappointment before theylearn it, but it must, and will, be learnedsooner or later by every one that is bornagain.

You might be very well up in the doctrine ofdeliverance (Gal 2:20), and yet all the timebe secretly attempting to correct andimprove yourself, and suffering a good dealof private vexation and disappointment onaccount of the failure of your attempts. Iknow how long I struggled on in this waymyself, praying and striving to be moreholy and Christ-like, and continuallydisappointed with the result. I do not thinkthat it ever occurred to me in those daysthat I was trying to improve the man whomGod had set aside. It was at a momentwhen I was utterly discouraged, and readyto give up the whole thing in complete

despair, that God showed me how I wasattempting to work upon the old materialwhich He could only condemn, and that mydisgust and despair as to myself were onlya feeble echo of His. I shall never forgetthe joy of finding out that in the depth of mydisgust with myself I was thoroughly at onewith God. God had ceased to look for anygood in me and had Christ before Him, theperfect and infinitely acceptable Object ofHis heart; and I, in my nothingness, hadceased to look for good in myself, and wastasting the deep joy of being in CHRIST,and free to have Him as my Object; while,as to life, I entered in some degree into theblessedness of knowing that it was "not I,but Christ liveth in me."

This discovery of the inability of self toplease God is what turned men such asHudson Taylor, Andrew Murray andGeorge Muller into instruments that couldbe used by God. In order to do any lastingwork for the Lord, we too will need to makethat same discovery. Only as we learn toabide in the Vine will we be a vessel that isIt meet for the Master's use." In None Butthe Hungry Heart, you will be introducedto the heart beat of such men who "walkedhumbly with God" and "placed noconfidence in the flesh."

PREFACE

None But the Hungry Heart is a devotionalstudy, originally published in a series ofbooklets each having thirty-one portions.

The following four factors have beenconsidered in arriving at this form ofpresentation:

1. A spiritually hungry heart is the requisitefor entering into the growth truths ofidentification with Christ.

2. Prayerful study on the part of thebeliever is the means by which the HolySpirit ministers these truths.

3. The concentration of the Christ-lifetruths in brief daily studies facilitatestheir assimilation.

The authors quoted have been carefullyselected; however this does notnecessarily mean that we advocate all thatthese writers teach. Only the initials ofauthors are given, where known. Much ofthe material has been gleaned through theyears from tracts, magazines, and bookslong out of print.

As always, dear friend, it is our desire “thatye might be filled with the knowledge of Hiswill in all wisdom and spiritualunderstanding; that ye might walk worthyof the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitfulin every good work, and increasing in theknowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9, 10).

~Miles J. Stanford

April, 1968

Colorado Springs

Colorado, U.S.A.

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1-1. Nothing Daunted“Blessed are they that ... seek Him

with the whole heart” (Ps. 119:2).Once the Holy Spirit instills within

our hearts the hunger for God’s verybest, all must and will becomesecondary to this supreme goal: “ . ..the mark for the prize of the highcalling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:14). Our puny, worthless allexchanged for the One who is All in all!“For of Him, and through Him, and toHim, are all things: to Whom be gloryfor ever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36) .

“A sage of India was asked by ayoung man how he could find God. Forsome time the sage gave no answer,but one evening he asked the youth tocome and bathe with him in the river.While there he gripped him suddenlyand held his head under the water untilhe was nearly drowned. When hereleased him the sage asked him:‘What did you want most when youwere under the water?’ ‘A breath of air,’he replied. To which the sageanswered, ‘When you want God as youwanted the breath of air, you will findHim.’” -G.G.

“Every Christian will become at lastwhat his desires have made him. Weare all the sum total of our hungers.The great saints have all had thirstinghearts. Their cry has been, ‘My soulthirsteth for God, for the living God....’Their longing after God all butconsumed them; it propelled them

onward and upward to heights towardwhich less ardent believers look withand entertain no hope of reaching.”

“For He satisfieth the longing soul,and filleth the hungry soul withgoodness” (Ps. 107:9)

1-2. Life’s Purpose

“For in Him dwelleth all the fulnessof the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).Our Lord the Vine provides all that Hisbranches will ever need for fruit-bearing. All provision is according toour Father’s riches in glory by ChristJesus (Phil. 4:19).“Christian growth is the becoming realin ourselves, of what is already true ofus in the Lord Jesus. ‘I am the vine, yeare the branches, He says. But the vinefurnishes the branches, not only withthe principle of life, but with the type oflife. No pressure or molding fromwithout is needed to shape them to thepattern of the parent stock. Everyminutest peculiarity of form, and color,and taste, and fragrance is determinedby the root, and developed from it. Atrue believer, therefore, will ask nobetter thing of the Lord than that the lifealso of Jesus may be made manifest inhis body (2 Cor. 4:11). For such amanifestation will, by a necessaryprinciple, be the unfolding within him ofevery needed element of joy andsorrow, of suffering and triumph.” -A.J.G.“Straining, driving effort does notaccomplish the work God gives a man

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to do; we must partake of Christ so fullythat He more than fills the life. It willthen be not overwork but overflow.”“And ye are complete in Him, who is thehead of all principality and power” (Col.2:10)

1-3. Relentless Purpose

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and frothroughout the whole earth, to showHimself strong in the behalf of themwhose heart is perfect toward Him” (2Chron. 16:9).All of God’s thoughts concerning us arecentered in His Son, where He hasplaced us. Hence they are “thoughts ofpeace, and not of evil” (Jer. 29:11).Others may do evil against us, but ourFather turns it into our good, for Jesus’sake.“The purpose of God is that through theconditions and sufferings of my lifeshould develop in me the features ofHis Son. On the one hand, the featuresof the old creation may be seen to bemore and more terrible and horrible, asI recognize them in myself; but overagainst that God is doing somethingwhich is other than my old self. He isbringing into being Another, altogetherother, and that is His Son, my new life.Slowly, seemingly all too slowly;nevertheless something is developing.The sonship is not very much inevidence yet, but it is going to bemanifested. What God has been doingwill come out into the light eventually-conformity to the image of His Son.” -T.

A-S.“Afflictions are in the hands of the HolySpirit to effect the softening of the heartin order to receive heavenly impression.Job said, ‘God maketh my heart soft’(Job 23:16). As the wax in its naturalhard state cannot take the impress ofthe signet, and needs to be melted torender it susceptible, so the believer isby trials prepared to receive, and madeto bear, the divine likeness.”“Rooted and built up in Him, andstablished in the faith, as ye have beentaught, abounding therein withthanksgiving’’ (Col. 2:7).

1-4. Desert Riches“And He said unto them, Come ye

yourselves apart, into a desert place,and rest a while” (Mk 6:31).

In the early days of our lonelypilgrimage, the desert is nothing butburning heat and barren sand. As we“keep on keeping on,” we see ourdesert become full of springs andblossom as the rose.

“Has the Father led you into thedesert? Has He plucked from underyour feet all that you depended upon?Then a glorious experience is yours.See if this be not a way whereby Godwill glorify you! Do not complain aboutwhat you have lost, and do not yearn tohave it back again, for then you are likeIsrael who wished to turn back to Egypt.God leads on, and instead of the flesh-pots He gives you bread from heaven,and instead of water from the Nile,

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water from the Rock. But you must putyour trust in Him also in the desert, andthrough the days of darkness anddifficulty. This is possible, however,only for those who have lost their self-assurance in the desert whereto Godbeckons His children.”

“Are there sorrows that sorely testour hearts? Be assured that our Fatherintends every one of them to be a roadfor us to Christ; so that we may reachHim and know Him in some characterof His love and power, that otherwiseour souls had not known.” -C.A.C.

“And they thirsted not when He ledthem through the deserts: He causedthe waters to flow out of the rock forthem. . . .” “. . .for they drank of thatspiritual Rock that followed them: andthat Rock was Christ” (Isa 48:21; 1 Cor.10:4).

1-5. Love Draws And Conforms“Yea, I have loved thee with an

everlasting love: therefore withlovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jer.31:3).

God is the first and only Cause. Healways makes the first move. “For Godso loved. . . that He gave”; “Ye have notchosen Me, but I have chosen you”(John 3:16; 15:16). Even the hunger ofheart necessary for our response to Hislove comes from Him. “But the God ofall grace, who hath called us unto Hiseternal glory by Christ Jesus” (I Pet.5:10). He brought us to His Son; He willmake us like His Son.

“If you feel the drawing of God within,cherish it as you would cherish a greattreasure. If you are aware of a deephunger, if you are entering into a closerwalk with Him, do not look upon itcarelessly, nor treat it lightly. But if youdo not feel the divine drawing andhunger for God, cry to Him that He willgive it you; and ever remember that thedesire for hunger is the beginning ofhunger, and that you cannot feed uponthe Lord Jesus Christ until you arespiritually hungry.” -H. McI.“Our Lord is generous in His provision,but He is neither casual nor wasteful.There must be a real hunger and feltneed. It is a fixed principle with the Lordthat He does not move until somethinglike desperation makes it evident that itis His move.” -T. A-S.

“No one is able to come to Me unless theFather who sent Me attracts and draws himand gives him the desire to come to Me”(John 6:44, Amp.).

1-6. Fulness Of Self“Cease ye from man, whose breath

is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to beaccounted of?” (Isa. 2:22).As Christians we are going to becontrolled by one of two powers: theself-life, or the Spirit of life in ChristJesus. The former will make life hell,the latter, heaven.“He who knows that awful power of theself-life within; its enmity with God; itscarnality; its grieving and quenching ofthe Spirit; its deadly blighting of all the

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blessed fruits of the Spirit; its fierce anddesperate resistings of his hunger toenter into the full life of the Spirit, needsno other explanation of the lack of thefulness of the Spirit than the fulness ofself.” -J.H. McC.“Do not seek to shatter the mirror whichreflects your soul’s lack of beauty;rather welcome the truth, and believethat next to knowledge of the LordJesus nothing is so important as theknowledge of self.” -N.G.“There is nothing in self worth holdingon to; it ought to be handed to theCross; we have submitted ourselves tosuch a life as that, and our Father isgoing to give us every opportunity toallow the Holy Spirit to hold the oldnature in the place of death, with theglorious end in view that our Lord Jesuswill have the preeminence.” -F.M.“I have heard of Thee by the hearing ofthe ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent indust and ashes” (Job 42:5, 6).

1-7. Life’s Motivation“For as many as are led by the Spirit

of God, they are the sons of God”(Rom. 8:14).

It takes a good many years of sinand failure in order to see through ourown motives. The growing believerfinally learns to trust but one source ofmotivation: “the Spirit of life in ChristJesus” (Rom. 8:2).“All of our motives will be tested by fire.

Are we seeking personal influence,popularity, reputation, prestige,acceptableness, success? We maythink our motives to be perfectly pure;but not until we pass into daily death,death to any or all of the above, andfind ourselves ‘despised and rejected ofmen,’ our names cast out as evil, and areal hold-up (seemingly) of our work, dowe really come to face the true purposeand motive of our having any place inthe service of God. The Crossseparating us from everything Adamicboth within and without is a good test ofmotives.“Men of God who have been truly usedby Him have gone this way. Not uponour flesh-whether it be the gross fleshor the refined, soulish, educated flesh-will God allow His Spirit to come.Before there can be life for others theremust be death for us (2 Cor. 4-12).Before there can be the fire of Godthere must be an altar and a sacrifice;and it must be the burnt offering.” -T. A-S.“Present your bodies a living sacrifice. .. which is your reasonable service”(Rom. 12:1).

1-8. Unclean! Unclean!“Woe is me! for I am undone;

because I am a man of uncleanlips...for mine eyes have seen the Kingthe Lord of hosts’’ (Isa. 6.5).

Paul wrote, In everything givethanks: for this is the will of God inChrist Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess.

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5:18). This includes giving thanks forthe disclosure of self! At first, we seekto hide our sinfulness and to save ourlife. Later, by His grace, we yearn to befreed from self, regardless of the cost.And the price is the Cross.

“Many a young Christian, who hasnot been forewarned of this necessaryvoyage of discovery upon which theHoly Spirit will certainly embark him(Romans Seven), has been plungedinto almost incurable despair at thesight of the sinfulness which is his bynature. He has in the first place rejoicedgreatly in the forgiveness of his sins,and his acceptance by God; but sooneror later he begins to realize that all isnot well, and that he has failed andfallen from the high standard which heset himself to reach in the first flush ofhis conversion.

“Little does he know how healthy hiscondition is, and that this shatteringdiscovery is but the prelude to amagnificent series of further discoveriesof things which God has expresslydesigned for his eternal enrichment. Allthrough life God has to show us ourown utter sinfulness and need, in orderto more fully lead us on into realms ofgrace.” -J.C.M.

“But the Lord is faithfull, who shallstablish you, and keep you from evil” (2Thess. 3:3).

1-9. Powerless Recipients

“Nay, in all these things we are morethan conquerors through Him that loved

us” (Rom. 8:37)The world, the flesh, and the devil

say, Be powerful. The Father, the Son,and the Holy Spirit say, Be powerless -“for My strength is made perfect in[your] weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9)“There would be little harm in trying toimitate Christ if such an endeavor didnot hide from us what our Lord reallydesires; and so keep us back from ‘lifemore abundant.’ Christ has comeHimself into our hearts to dwell there,and what He wants is to live His life inus, as the Apostle Paul says, ‘For to meto live is Christ.’ Christ was the verysource and mainspring of all he wasand did. What a wonderful thing this is!We would be driven to despair if Christhad simply left us an example to followor imitate, for we have no power withinourselves to do it. We must have a newsource-a new spring of action, andChrist Himself wants to be just that forus.” -E.C.H.“The man in Romans Seven isoccupied with himself, and hisdisappointment and anguish springfrom his inability to find in self the goodwhich he loves. The man of RomansEight has learned there is no good tobe found in self. It is only in Christ; andhis song of triumph results from the joyof having found out that he is ‘completein Him.’” -H.A.I.“I have strength for all things in Christwho empowers me-I am ready foranything and equal to anything through

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Him who infuses inner strength into me”(Phil. 4:13, Amp.).

1-10. Rest In Him“He has created us through our

union with Christ Jesus for doing gooddeeds which He beforehand plannedfor us to do” (Eph. 2:10, Wms.).

The turning point in our Christian lifecomes when we begin to “let God beGod,” the day we throw all caution(fear) to the winds and look to Him tocarry out His purpose for us in His owntime and way.

“Our Father never does a thingsuddenly: He has always preparedlong, long before. So there is nothing tomurmur about, nothing to be proud of,in the calling of God. There is also noone of whom to be jealous, for otherpeople’s advantages have nothing to dowith us. ‘It is not of him that willeth, norof him that runneth, but of God thathath mercy’ (Rom. 9:16). Our heritage,our birth, our natural equipment: theseare things already determined by God.We may pick up other things in the way,for we are always learning; but the wayis His way. When we look back over ourlife, we bow and acknowledge that allwas prepared of God. To have such anattitude of heart, that is true rest.” -W.N.

“Let us take care lest we get out ofsoul-rest in seeking further blessing.God cannot work whilst we are anxious,even about our spiritual advance. Letus take Him at His Word, and leave thefulfillment of it to Him.”

“For it is God Himself whose powercreates within you the desire to do Hisgracious will and also brings about theaccomplishment of the desire” (Phil.2:13, Wey.).

1-11. Designer And Designed“Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, who hathblessed us with all spiritual blessings inheavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3)

Since the sovereign God has everyatom in the universe precisely timedand controlled for the carrying out ofHis perfect will, it should not be difficultfor us to understand why He is someticulous in His development of us asHis instruments. “Being predestinatedaccording to the purpose of Him whoworketh all things after the counsel ofHis own will (Eph. 1:11).

“You are one of God’s roughdiamonds, and He is going to have tocut you so that you may really shine forHim. It takes a diamond to cut adiamond. You are to be ground and cut,and hurt by other diamonds, by otherChristians, by spiritual Christians. Butthe more cutting and the moreperfecting, the more you are going toshine for your Lord.” -G.M.

“God in His wisdom has ordainedour trials, and it is our folly that causesus not to welcome them. God sends ussuch trials as are exactly fitted for us.Our Heavenly Father knows what willbest serve us. He serves us by trialsand by comforts. Let us remember that

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our trials are few-our evil ways aremany; our worthiness nothing-ourcomforts great. When God tries us letus consider how we have been tryingHim. By grace we will not murmur, buthumble ourselves under His mightyhand, and He will exalt us in due time.”

“Beloved, think it not strangeconcerning the fiery trial which is to tryyou” (1 Pet. 4:12)

1-12. Dependent Reception“Walk in [dependence upon] the

Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust ofthe flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

Those who have thoroughly learnedfull dependence on Him for justificationwill come to understand thatsanctification is by the same faithprinciple. We are to rest in His finishedwork-both for birth and for growth.

“We are not to overcome the lusts ofthe flesh in order that we may walk inthe Spirit. We are to walk in the Spirit inorder that the lusts of the flesh may beovercome. The enemy can hold upyoung Christians on this point for a longtime, so that they do not really getstarted on the Christian walk. They feelthey cannot expect to begin to walk inthe Spirit until they have, in somedegree at least, dealt with the lusts ofthe flesh.

“They wait for some vague timewhen they hope they will have reacheda more satisfactory position in regard tothe lusts of the flesh, and will feel moreconfident about attempting a walk in the

Spirit. But that is all the wrong wayaround. If we are to wait until we have,in some degree, mastered the lusts ofthe flesh before we venture to walk inthe Spirit: if we are to wait until we feelthat we can give some sort of securityto ourselves and to God that we shalldo a bit better in the future than wehave done in the past, then we neverwill walk in the Spirit. For until we walkin dependence upon the Spirit we shallnot, and cannot, overcome the lusts ofthe flesh.” -D.T.

“Be filled with [controlled by] theindwelling of the Spirit” (Eph 5:18,Cony.).

1-13. Source Of Sin“I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke

5:8).When the believer first becomes

aware of the sinful self-life, he oftenmakes the mistake of attempting to dealwith its symptoms. He struggles to curbhis sins and tries to live righteously.The resultant failure leads him toreliance upon the work of the Cross,which is effectively applied to the root ofthe matter by the Holy Spirit. The oldlife is crucified; the new life ismanifested.

“We are apt to think that what wehave done is very bad, but that weourselves are not so bad. God is takingpains to show us that we ourselves arewrong, fundamentally wrong. The roottrouble is the sinner; he must be dealtwith. Our sins are dealt with by the

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Blood, but we ourselves are dealt withby the Cross. The Blood procures ourpardon for what we have done; theCross procures our deliverance fromwhat we are.” -W.N.

“It is for want of a complete oradequate realization of the meaning ofthe Cross, that so many Christians arecarnal, or try to live for God out ofthemselves. This goes to the root of theeverpresent weakness and poverty ofspiritual life. There is much prayer for‘revival,’ and much effort for ‘thedeepening of the spiritual life.’ The onlyanswer to this is a new knowing of theCross, not only as to sins and a life ofvictory over them, but as to Christ assupplanting the natural man.” -T. A-S.

“The heart is deceitful above allthings, and desperately wicked: whocan know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

1-14. The All-pervading Cross“But God forbid that I should glory,

save in the cross of our Lord JesusChrist” (Gal. 6:14).

It will save years of frustration andeffort for one to understand that prayercan never be learned, or developed.Prayer is the outflow of the new life; asone grows, as the Cross frees the newfrom the old, there is the growth ofeffective prayer.

“Without the Cross, prayer becomesa mere religious formality-withoutprayer, the Cross is arrested in itspurpose. As the Cross works in us,keeping in the place of death every

assertion of the old man, andeverything in our natures that is againstGod, our spirit finds a clear way up tothe communion at the throne and aclear way out into conflict with ourenemy.

‘‘Prayer is the spring of power inconflict, and conflict gives the proof ofthe value and need of prayer. It cannotbe too frequently emphasized that forthe believer, the ground or basis ofprayer is the death of Jesus Christ-thevictory won by the Son of God onCalvary, just as the ground and basis ofHis intercession at this moment is Hispropitiation on the Cross. Away fromthe Cross prayer becomes nothingmore than an ecclesiastical ordinanceor a religious exercise expressed indevotional phrases; and I beg of you,when you read a book on prayer, to findout the place in it which the authorgives to the Cross, and you will be ableto estimate its value.” -G.W.

“God forbid that I should sin againstthe Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (1Sam. 12:23).

1-15. “Disciple All Nations”“If ye continue in My Word, then are

ye My disciples indeed” (John 8:31).The plague of personal work is the

quick, the easy, the maneuvereddecision. No matter how long it takes,our Lord allows the necessary time fora heart to be prepared of the Spirit inorder that it might be truly born of theSpirit. Adequate preparation before

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bringing the soul to Him will eliminatemuch disappointment and frustration(for all concerned) after conversion.Once we see that the Lord Jesus savesindividuals with the purpose of makingthem His disciples, we will aim to bemore thorough in our witnessing andsubsequent soulwinning.

“The commission given to theapostles was to make disciples, not just‘converts,’ of all nations; and we cannever set aside our Lord’s commandswithout laying up for ourselves a wholestore of unnecessary suffering andfrustration. I wonder how manypromising ‘converts’ have been sweptinto the ranks of the sects whoseteachings are based in error, becauseof this omission?”

“In our day we promote elaborate‘follow-up’ schemes to keep our‘converts’ in the right way, but Isometimes wonder if a little more timespent right at the outset in ensuring thatthese converts are properly ‘born,’ sothat they can be receptive of the Spirit’steaching, would not save muchheartache and make certain that God’swork in their lives is done in His way.” -J.C.M.

“Woe to the worthless shepherd thatleaveth the flock” (Zech. 11:17, ASV).

1-16. Mutual Viewpoint“That ye may know what is the hope

of His calling and what the riches of theglory of His inheritance in the saints”(Eph. 1:18).

In order to share effectively withneedy believers it is essential to knowwhat the Father has purposed for Hisown. And this understanding resultsfrom personal growth in the Lord Jesus.Those who are merely well-versed maybe able to teach, but they cannot trulyshare; their understanding of the needsof the heart is deficient, and thisbecomes all too evident to the hearers.Head-knowledge (study) must beintegrated with heart-knowledge(experience) in order for there to beSpirit-motivated sharing.

“The true hope makes all thedifference to us in our ministry. Ourexpectations have been personallyproven. It makes possible joy in themidst of sorrow, confidence in the midstof defeat. It changes our attitude towardthose to whom we minister. We seethem not as they are at the moment butas we know the Lord is going to makethem. Then patience and forgivenessare easy, for we already see the Lord’sfinished work. It changes our prayer forthem. We ask not for some littleprogress or partial blessing for them butfor the Lord’s complete victory. Itchanges our teaching ministry to them.Instead of fearfully giving a little more ofGod’s truth, we confidently declare allthe counsel of God. There is everbefore us the joy of the finished workwhich we know the Lord is going toaccomplish.” -A.M.

“Being confident of this very thing,that He which hath begun a good work

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in you will perform it until the day ofJesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

1-17. Restful Activity“In quietness and in confidence shall

be your strength” (Isa. 30:15).There is a great difference between

sloth, and rest; between deadness, andquietness. There is also a vastdifference between constant nervousbusyness, and Spirit-controlled activity;between working for God, and havingHim do His work through us. It is theinfinite difference between self, andChrist,

“In God and man working together,there is nothing of the idea of apartnership between two partners whoeach contribute their share to a work.Rather, the true plan is that of co-operation founded on subordination. Asthe Lord Jesus was entirely dependenton the Father for all His words and allHis works, so the believer can donothing of himself. What he can do ofhimself is altogether sinful. He musttherefore cease entirely from his owndoing, and wait for the working of Godin him. As he ceases from self-effort,faith assures him that God does whatHe has undertaken, and works in him.

“And what God does is to renew, tosanctify, and waken all his energies totheir most useful power. So that just inproportion as he yields himself a trulypassive instrument in the hand of theFather, will he be wielded of Him as theactive instrument of His will and power.

The soul in which the wondrouscombination of quiet passivity with thehighest activity is most completelyrealized, has the deepest experience ofwhat the Christian life is.” -A.M.

“So He fed them according to theintegrity of His heart; and guided themby the skillfulness of His hands” (Ps.78:72).

1-18. Developed Gift

“But the Lord is faithful, who shallstablish you, and keep you from evil” (2Thess. 3:3).

Though we receive our faith fromHim, it must be developed in us by Him.Undeveloped faith never progressesbeyond the babe-in-Christ, milk-of-the-Word stage. “But solid food is foradults-that is, for those who throughconstant practice have their spiritualfaculties carefully trained to distinguishgood from evil. Therefore leavingelementary instruction about the Christ,let us advance to mature manhood”(Heb. 5:14-6:1, Wey.).

“You will never learn faith incomfortable surroundings. God gives uspromises in a quiet hour; He seals ourcovenants with great and graciouswords. Then He steps back and waitswhile we believe; then He lets thetempter come, and the test seems tocontradict all that He has spoken. It isthen that faith wins its crown. Then isthe time to look into His face and say, ‘Ibelieve, Lord, that it shall be done as itwas told me.’”

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“Without trials of faith we should allbe ruined. These trials give usopportunities of linking on to the mightypromises of God and finding throughthe trials come blessing thatwonderfully glorifies Him, or else,missing God, turns the blessing into aburden that fills the heart withweariness and pain.” -G.W.

“Behold, we count them happywhich endure. Ye have heard of thepatience of Job, and have seen the endof the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful,and of tender mercy” (James 5:11).

1-19. Not “How?”- But “What?”

“And God is able to make all graceabound toward you” (2 Cor. 9:8).

Once we come to rest in the fact ofwhat He has accomplished for us inChrist, there need be no concern as tohow and when He will carry it out in ourdaily life.

“How many a child of God remainsweak and timid because, instead ofbeing occupied with what God haspromised, he is considering how it canbe fulfilled. But we have nothing to dowith the how; it is enough that ourFather has given us His Word.Whatever, therefore, may be the natureof the suffering or trial through whichwe have to pass, let us ever accountthat God is able to fulfil all Hispromises.

“Let nothing ever lead us to doubtthe certainty of His Word, though wemay be utterly at a loss to understand

the manner in which He may see fit toaccomplish it. We shall then be able totestify, with Joshua of old: ‘Not onething hath failed of all the good thingswhich the Lord your God spakeconcerning you; all are come to passunto you, and not one thing hath failedthereof’ (Josh. 23:14).” -E.H.

Our Father often encourages theweak in faith by giving speedy answersto prayer; but the strong in faith will befurther developed by God’s delays.Delayed answers to prayer are not onlytrials of faith, but opportunities ofhonoring God by our steadfastconfidence in Him.”

“For all the promises of God in Himare yea, and in Him Amen” (2 Cor.1:20).

1-20. Satisfying Portion“God is the strength of my heart, and

my portion forever” (Ps. 73.26).Finally, when all else fails us, we

find that God is enough. That which wemost need in life-love, unfailing love-isabundantly and satisfyingly ours in theLord Jesus. But we so often seek itelsewhere.

“Nothing can be sweeter than therepose in divine love when it is knownand the heart is free to rest in it. Thesoul may have a long journey to reach itexperientially; there may be manyneeds and exercises to be met andremoved on the way; self and the worldwill have to be learned; but the greatend of all our exercises-and, I may add,

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of all our deliverances-is that we rest inthe thoughts of divine love, and thatlove becomes in a very real way theportion of our hearts. If our hearts arenot in the circle of divine love they havereally got nothing, for as Christians wehave no portion on earth. Thank God! itis a blessed and satisfying portion.” -C.A.C.

“There is no reserve in God’s love;He has given the best in heaven for theworst on earth, and in this way hasrebuked distrust and establishedconfidence, so that ‘the works of thedevil’ might be undone in our hearts. Ifwe only want what God gives us weshall be perfectly happy. Nothing is ofreal value to us that we cannot takefrom our Father’s hand and thank Himfor.”

“And the Lord direct your hearts intothe love of God” (2 Thess. 3:5).

1-21. Prearranged“As ye have therefore received

Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye inHim” (Col. 2:6).

How readily and eagerly we take HisWord when He says, “I go to prepare aplace for you” (John 14:2), yet how slowof heart we are to believe that He hasprepared a walk for us, here and now!For we are God’s [own] handiwork (Hisworkmanship), recreated in ChristJesus, [born anew] that we may dothose good works which Godpredestined (planned beforehand) forus, (taking paths which He prepared

ahead of time) that we should walk inthem-living the good life which Heprearranged and made ready for us tolive” (Eph. 2:10, Amp.).

“Blessed be the God and Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, who hathblessed us with every spiritual blessingin the heavenly places in Christ (Eph.1:3, ASV). If you can run over in yourmind and find one single blessing withwhich God might bless us today, withwhich He has not already blessed us,then what He told Paul is not true at all,because He said, ‘God hath....’ It is alldone, ‘It is finished.’ God hath blessedus with every spiritual blessing in theheavenlies! The great pity of it all is thatwe are saying ‘O God bless us-bless usin this, bless us in that! and it is alldone; He has blessed us with everyspiritual blessing in Christ in theheavenlies. It is our place to believeand receive.” -L.L.L.

“According as His divine power hathgiven unto us all things that pertain untolife and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

1-22. Freedom To “Be”

“Having died to that wherein wewere held; so that we serve in newnessof the spirit, and not in oldness of theletter” (Rom. 7:6, ASV).

The law was applied to the naturalman, that he might produce; grace isgiven to the spiritual man, that He mightproduce.

“Almost every believer makes thesame mistake as the Galatian

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Christians. Very few learn at conversionat once that it is only by faith that westand, and walk, and live. They have noconception of the meaning of the Wordabout being dead to the law, freed fromthe law-about the freedom with whichChrist makes us free (Rom. 7:6).Regarding the law as a divineordinance for our direction, theyconsider themselves prepared andfitted by conversion to take up thefulfillment of the law as a natural duty.They cannot understand that it is not tothe law, but to a living Person, that weare now bound, and that our obedienceand growth are only possible by theunceasing faith in His power and lifeever working in us (Phil. 2:13).” -A.M.

“Good and holy and perfect as thelaw of God is, it is entirely powerlesseither to justify or sanctify. It cannot inany way make the old nature better;neither is it the rule of the new nature.The old man is not subject to it, and thenew man does not need it. The newcreation has another object before it,and another power that acts upon it, inorder to produce what is lovely andacceptable to God-Christ the object,realized by the power of the HolySpirit.” -W.K.

“Not after the law of a carnalcommandment, but after the power ofan endless life” (Heb. 7:16).

1-23. Feet First

“Mary . . . sat at Jesus’ feet, andheard His Word. But Martha was

encumbered about much serving” (Luke10:39, 40).

A malingering student will make apoor servant; a diligent student willmake a good servant. “Study to showthyself approved unto God, a workmanthat needeth not to be ashamed” (2Tim. 2:15).

“Do not look for service, look forpreparation for it. Everyone has toserve an apprenticeship. We do notknow what we are to be fitted for, but ifwe keep at His feet He will prepare usfor the very thing for which He hasdesigned us. We hinder both ourselvesand His work by attempting things towhich we have not been called.”

“If you begin with serving (as manydo nowadays), you will never truly sit atHis feet; whereas if you begin withlooking unto Him you will soon servewell, wisely and acceptably. When theserving quiets the conscience, and thesitting is overlooked and neglected, theenemy gains an advantage, for it is atthe sitting that the conscience isenlightened, and the pleasure and mindof the Lord become better known. Inever met with anyone making hisservice prominent who knew what itwas to sit at the Master’s feet; but,thank God, I know indefatigableworkers who enjoy sitting at His feetabove any service. It is clear that thosewho abide in Him must be mostcompetent to serve, and most in Hisconfidence, which, after all, is the clueto all effective service” -J.B.S.

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“Behold as the eyes of servants lookunto the hand of their masters... so oureyes wait upon the Lord our God” (Ps.123:2).

1-24. Abide In Abundance“Abide in me, and I in you. As the

branch cannot bear fruit of itself, exceptit abide in the vine; no more can ye,except ye abide in Me” (John 15:4).

The quality of the fruit of the branchdepends upon the quality of the life ofthe vine. Neither quality nor quantity isthe product of the branch, for thebranch merely receives what isproduced by the vine.

“To walk with God in hallowedfellowship is not only the secret of joyand growth, it is the condition of allacceptable service, of all realusefulness. The value of what we dodepends very much upon what we are.And what we are depends upon wherewe abide. The mightiest power forusefulness is the quiet influence of a lifethat abides habitually in the secretplace of the Most High. Such an onedwells in the source of all life, of allpurity, of all fruitfulness.” -E.H.H.

“It is just a matter of taking a positionthat is already yours. The enemy hasfilled the minds of many believers withthe delusion that they are poor, and intheir poverty they must work and grindand toil in order to buy the blessingswhich are already theirs in Christ. It istime to see that all you need you havein Christ. There is no need of yours

which is not fully met in Him. And youare in Him. You only need to take theposition which is already yours. Abide!”-D.T.

“And God is able to make all graceabound toward you; that ye, alwayshaving all sufficiency in all things, mayabound to every good work” (2 Cor.9:8)

1-25. Author Of Peace

“For God is not the author ofconfusion, but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33).

The day we were saved, total warwas declared between sinful self andthe Holy Spirit. Lasting peace will comewhen we rest in Calvary’s conquest ofsin and self, and allow that victory to beapplied by the faithful Spirit of God.

“The Holy Spirit does not reasonfrom what man is for God, but fromwhat God is to man. Souls reason fromwhat they are in themselves as towhether God can accept them. He doesnot accept you thus; you are looking forrighteousness in yourself as a groundof acceptance with Him. You cannot getpeace in this way. ‘But Godcommendeth His love toward us, inthat, while we were yet sinners, Christdied for us’ (Rom 5:8).

“The Holy Spirit always reasonsdown from what God is, and thisproduces a total change in my soul. It isnot that I abhor my sins; indeed I mayhave been walking very well; but it is ‘Iabhor myself.’ The Holy Spirit shows uswhat we are, and that is one reason

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why He often seems to be very hardand does not give peace to the soul, aswe are not relieved until we frankly,from our hearts, acknowledge what weare. Until the soul comes to that pointHe does not give it peace-He could not;it would be healing the wound slightly.The soul has to go on until it finds thereis nothing to rest on but the Cross-proved goodness of God; and then ifGod be for us, who can be against us?’’-J.N.D.

“And the peace of God, whichpasseth all understanding, shall keepyour hearts and minds through ChristJesus” (Phil. 4:7)

1-26. Partakers“If, when ye do well, and suffer for it,

ye take it patiently, this is acceptablewith God” (1 Pet. 2:20).

Affliction and suffering are the lot ofall men, the privilege of all believers.Our sufferings bring forth need, and ourneed brings forth His comfort andconsolation. Blessed need! “As ye arepartakers of the sufferings, so shall yebe also of the consolation” (2 Cor. 1:7).Blessed promise!

“If you aspire to be a son ofconsolation; if you would partake of thepriestly gift of sympathy; if you wouldpour something beyond commonplaceconsolation into a tempted heart; if youwould pass through the intercourse ofdaily life with the delicate tact that neverinflicts pain; you must be content to paythe price of a costly education-like Him,

you must suffer.”“There are blessings which we

cannot obtain if we cannot accept andendure suffering. There are joys thatcan come to us only through sorrow.There are revealings of divine truthwhich we can get only when earth’slights have gone out. There areharvests which can flow only after theplowshare has done its work.”

“Comfort does not come to the light-hearted and merry. We must go downinto ‘depths’ if we would experience thismost precious of God’s gifts-comfort,and thus be prepared to be coworkerstogether with Him.”

“I take... pleasure in weaknesses,insults, distresses, persecution, anddifficulties, which I endure for Christ’ssake, for it is when I am consciouslyweak that I am really strong” (2 Cor.12:10, Wms.).

1-27. Christ - Confidence“For we worship God in the Spirit,

and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and haveno confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).

Contrary to general opinion, there isno place for self-confidence in theChristian life. Confidence is essential,but not from the source of self. Theawakened believer is so keenly awareof the sinful self-life that, for him, self-confidence is out of the question. Intime, his “O wretched man” complex isreplaced by “I thank God through JesusChrist our Lord” (Rom. 7:24, 25). Christ-confidence is the basis for the healthy

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Christian’s walk. Sinful self-confidenceis the basis for the sickly Christian’sdefeat.

“Our Father takes all things fromunder our feet until we have nothing leftbut Him. God has always the highestgoal in view, namely, to lead us into thedenial of self. Everything is directedtoward teaching us to entrust ourselvesto Him. Therefore we must often sufferdefeat. You fight with all your mightagainst sin and find yourselfsurrounded by failure. You prayfervently and sincerely: ‘O God, helpme and stay by me.’ But it seems thatHe does not hear. You cry yet moreearnestly for help, but He seems tohave no concern for you. Is He thenreally merciless? No! Just because Heis merciful, He cannot help you. If Hedid, you would not be free from yourself-confidence; you would not learn tofight the good fight of faith and thusobtain the victory which the Master haswon; you would not learn to say ‘theLord Jesus only,’ but you would stillcontinue to say ‘Jesus and I.’”

“For the Lord shall be thyconfidence” (Prov. 3.26).

1-28. Matriculation“My grace suffices for you, for power

matures in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9,Wey.).

There can be no true and intelligentrejection of the self-life without thoroughheart preparation by the Holy Spirit. Weread in the Word that self is to be hated

and rejected, but the development ofthis attitude may be long removed fromthe initial revelation. Years ofprocessing separate Romans Threefrom Colossians Three, in ourexperience.

“Why are we so deficient in divinepower? Simply because we do not likethe way it begins. Its beginning is tohate one’s own life, and this is an awfulstart; but there is no ‘tower’ built withoutit. You must refuse human material, oryou cannot build to true structure.Power enabled Elisha to take hold ofhis own clothes and tear them into twopieces. It begins with self-abnegation.This explains the reason why there isso little power. Very often one lingersover his losses like an exile, but hemust rise out of it; he must bury hisdead out of his sight; it is a great daywhen that comes to pass, and then hecan be useful to others.” -J.B.S.

“To be willing to accept crucifixionwith Christ, to leave all yourself, yourplans and your longings, your abilitiesand your possessions, all of them at theCross, so that you only trust and loveand live for the Lord Jesus, hurts agreat deal. It requires an absoluteventure of faith; but beyond it, Godsays, ‘much fruit.’ And the way to it is‘into the ground and die’-it is the onlyway; His way.”

“Most gladly therefore will I boast ofmy infirmities rather than complain ofthem-in order that Christ’s power mayovershadow me” (2 Cor. 12:9, Wey.).

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1-29. Sacrificial Self“Be not deceived; God is not

mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

It is essential for the believer to seethat his old nature has been completelyrejected by God at Calvary, and that asa “new creation” he is fully and eternallyaccepted in the Lord Jesus. Otherwise,self will continually seek to besomething for God, to please Him, tomerit His approbation.

“It is very possible that our sacrificesand self denials may be altogetherselfish. Self can pray, and say, What alovely prayer! It can preach a finemessage, and pat itself on the back andsay, That was splendid, what a usefulman you are! How, then, can it become‘not I, but Christ’? Well, we must aboveall else see the reality and danger ofthe thing, we must look at it frankly, andchoose to be free of its domination. Theworst and the saddest part of it is itsdeception. It says, How that fits So-and-so, not me. But you must passsentence upon it, or it will passsentence upon you.”

“Through the victory won on Calvarywe enter into newness of life; and asthe old nature seeks to assert itssupremacy, each uprising of it must behanded over to the Lord Jesus Christ,that He may deal with it. That He hasdealt with it, through His death on theCross, in a way which satisfies God andmakes deliverance possible for us, is

the foundational fact for Christian lifeand work.” -G.W.

“For he that soweth to his flesh shallof the flesh reap corruption; but he thatsoweth to the Spirit shall of the Spiritreap life” (Gal. 6:8).

1-30. Spiritual Balance

“Not I, but Christ” (Gal. 2:20).Any abiding spiritual progress must

be based upon our taking sides withGod against the old life. Why?“Because the carnal mind is enmityagainst God: for it is not subject to thelaw of God, neither indeed can be”(Rom. 8:7). “Enmity” knows noreconciliation; crucifixion is the onlyalternative!

“The life of Christ is the holiness ofChrist. The reason we so often fail inthe pursuit of holiness is that the oldlife, the flesh, in its own strength seeksfor holiness as a beautiful garment towear and enter heaven with. It is thedaily death to self out of which the lifeof Christ rises up.” -A.W.T.

“In receiving Christ we receive thedivine-human life, a life that is death tothe life of fallen nature, which finds itsfruit in sin and self. The tragic mistakeof thousands of believers is in trying tolive in two worlds at the same time-innature and in God, in self and in Christ,in the flesh and in the Spirit, by faithand in independence, by abiding and byeffort. To have life is not enough: thelife of the Lord Jesus demands thedeath of the flesh, if that life is to be

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fully developed and become fruitful inus. Here is the crux of the wholematter.”

“That I may know Him, and thepower of His resurrection and thefellowship of His suffering, being madeconformable unto His death” (Phil.3:10).

1-31. Worth Waiting For“But ye are sanctified but ye are

justified in the Name of the Lord Jesusand by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor.6:11).

The fact of our position, which wecan see in the Word, may take years torealize in life. Many believers feel thattheir appropriation of a truth must resultin same-day experience of thatdoctrine. It is true that we are oftengiven a foretaste, a brief experience ofits reality, but we must then settle downto the daily processing of the Spirit,whereby He slowly and thoroughlytranslates the apprehended truth intocharacter and walk. Paul testified, “Ifollow after, if that I may apprehend thatfor which also I am apprehended ofChrist Jesus” (Phil. 3:12). He pressedtoward the mark.

“As a gift of grace, sanctification isconferred on each believer as soon ashe believes. But it is a gift yet held ondeposit, ‘hid with Christ in God,’ to beappropriated through daily communionand gradual apprehension. So, whilethe believer’s realized sanctificationappears painfully meagre, at most a

thin line of light, like the crescent of thenew moon, yet he sees it evercomplemented by the clear outlines ofthat rounded wholeness which is his inthe Lord Jesus, and into which he is tobe daily waxing till he grows to ‘themeasure of the stature of the fulness ofChrist’ (Eph. 4:13)” -A.J.G.

ot, the branches will wither and fall away.“The Lord Jesus has been waiting

for us to come to the end of our ownefforts. He sends the call, ‘Come backto the Cross.’ At last we can see wehave been standing and working on thewrong ground, and we hear Him say, ‘Itis you who are in My way. I can do Mywork myself. I simply need emptyvessels. You parted with your sins, butyou kept yourself. Come now, part withyourself, take your place where I putyou. When I died you were in Me onthat Cross.’ ‘Now I see! What next,Lord?’ ‘Now you pass to another spherewhere you become aware that you arejoined to Me as your life.’”

“Our identification with Christ in Hisdeath was a death unto Sin-theprinciple of Sin as a master and atyrant-Sin, not sins. The Holy Spirit isready to apply that finished work ofdeath to the depth of our self-life, untilSin loses its mastery at point afterpoint. It goes deeper than the cutting offof visible and external things. TheCross deals with the cause, notsymptoms.”

“Christ, who is our life”

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Number 2Number two of None But the Hungry

Heart is shared with the specificpurpose of setting forth some of thescriptural principles of growth in theChristian life.

An over-all knowledge of the Wordof God is very important, and canproduce a certain amount of spiritualdevelopment. However, careful studyand experiential heart knowledge of theexplicit truths for growth in the LordJesus Christ are required to bring us tospiritual maturity. The contents of thisbooklet are prayerfully designed toguide the believer to his satisfyingsource-Christ Jesus, our life.

It must be remembered that for themost part the results of such study donot immediately appear. Theexpectations of the hungry heart areoften far in advance of the growth timeinvolved. But the faithful Holy Spirit canbe fully trusted to bring us along step bystep on the path of life. “The Comforter,who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Fatherwill send in My name, He shall teachyou all things” (John 14:26).

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,and God, even our Father, which hathloved us, and hath given us everlastingconsolation and good hope throughgrace, comfort your hearts, and stablishyou in every good word and work” (2Thess. 2:16, 17).

-Miles J. Stanford; January 1969

2-1. Heart Of The Matter“That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10).Immaturity is selfish; maturity is

selfless. “He must increase, but I mustdecrease” (John 3:30). “The questionfor the tried and tempted, the harassedand oppressed, is this: ‘Which wouldyou rather have, the power of Christ’shand in deliverance from trial, or thesympathy of His heart in the midst oftrial?’ The carnal mind, the unsubduedheart, the restless spirit, will, no doubt,at once exclaim, ‘Oh! let Him only putforth His power and deliver me from thisinsupportable trial, this intolerableburden, this crushing difficulty. I sigh fordeliverance. I only want deliverance.’

“But the spiritual mind, the subduedheart, the lowly spirit, will say, and thatwithout a single particle of reserve, ‘Letme only enjoy the sweet company ofthe heart of the Lord Jesus Christ in mytrial, and I ask no more. I do not wanteven the power of His hand to depriveme of one drop of consolation suppliedby the tender love and profoundsympathy of His heart. I know He candeliver me, but if He does not see fit todo so, if it does not fall in with Hisunsearchable counsels, and harmonizewith His wise and faithful purposeconcerning me so to do, I know it isonly to lead me into a deeper and richerrealization of His most precioussympathy.’” -C.H.M.

“The same faith that sees glory forus at the end of the path sees God for

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us all through the path. This is thesecret of real strength. What unbeliefdoes is to compare ourselves and ourown strength with circumstances. Whatfaith does is to compare God withcircumstances.”

“For as the sufferings of Christabound in us, so our consolation alsoaboundeth by Christ” (2 Cor. 1:5).

2-2. Fact Finding

“Grace and peace be multiplied untoyou through the knowledge of God, andof Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet. 1:2).

We cannot too highly value andappreciate heart-hunger for the Word. Itis of the Spirit of Truth. We may havebeen born again without knowing muchof the Bible, but we certainly are notgoing to grow to any extent apart from acareful and persistent study of the Wordof God. Yes, the maturing believer is aSpirit-dependent student of theScriptures, “whereby are given unto usexceeding great and preciouspromises; that by these ye might bepartakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet.1.4).“Christian progress is not a question ofattaining to some abstract standard, orof pressing through to some far-offgoal. It is wholly a question of seeingGod’s standard in God’s Word. Youadvance spiritually by finding out whatyou really are (in Christ), not by tryingto become what you hope to be. Thatgoal you will never reach, howeverearnestly you may strive.

“It is when you see you are dead untosin that you die to it (daily); it is whenyou see you are risen that you arise; itis when you see you are a ‘newcreation’ in Him that you (progressively)grow. Seeing the accomplished fact inthe Word determines the pathway tothe realizing of that fact. The end isreached by seeing, not by desiring orworking. The only possibility of spiritualprogress lies in our discovering thetruth as God sees it; the truthconcerning Christ, the truth concerningourselves in Christ.” -W.N.“Come and see the works of God” (Ps.66:5).

2-3. Need, Then Supply“Not as though I had already

attained. . . but I follow after, if that Imay apprehend that for which also l amapprehended of Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:12).

The heavenly Husbandmandevelops a believer on the sameprinciple that He does a tree: planting,growth, consolidation, rest, and thenmore growth. There are stages. We areshown our sin and need-self. Then wehunger for freedom and life-Christ. Thisis a progression. At first, we considerthe shocking revelation of self thegreatest of calamities; later, we realizethat it is the pathway to the blessedrevelation of our life in the Lord JesusChrist.

“Before we can take on the likenessof the Lord Jesus, we must see

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ourselves and know how we look; wemust be brought into the place wherewe are not dismayed nor cast downwhen we discover how little we areconformed to His image. It is only as wesee our need, that we can be supplied.”-C.McI.

“It does us no good, but onlydiscourages us if we see our failuresand shortages and do not behold thebeauty of Christ, and apprehend andexperience our sufficiency in Him. Onthe other hand, if we see only what weare in Him and do not discern ourdefects; if we do not apprehend thatwhich must be appropriated andworked out in us; if we do not see allthat must be put off, and that Christmust be put on in actual control andmanifestation, we become self-satisfiedand puffed up-we lose our invaluable‘need.’” -C.McI.

“I certainly do count everything asloss compared with the pricelessprivilege of knowing Christ Jesus myLord” (Phil. 3:8, Wms.).

2-4. Freedom’s Foundation

“I have been crucified with Christ,and I myself no longer live” (Gal. 2:20,Wms.).

Upon conversion, the new believerfeels that every opposition to a joyous,fruitful Christian life has been overcomeonce for all. Later, when the world andself begin to insinuate themselves onceagain, he thinks that determination andself-effort will keep him free. Finally,

after a seemingly endless struggle, thedefeated believer is brought back to theCross. Here is the source of liberationfrom the power of self and the world.

“Sinners are not saved until theytrust the Saviour, and saints are notdelivered until they trust the Deliverer.God has made both possible throughthe Cross of His Son.” -L.S.C.

“The believer can never overcomethe ‘old man’ even by the power of the‘new’ apart from the work of the Cross,and therefore the death of Christ isindispensable, and unless the Cross ismade the basis upon which heovercomes the ‘old nature,’ he onlydrops into another form of morality; inother words, he is seeking by self-effortto overcome sin and self, and thestruggle is a hopeless one.” -C.U.

“Just as the Lord Jesus came intothis world where this old humanity wasand came into it not to ally Himself withit but to take it into death by the Cross,even so He now by the Holy Spirit, inregeneration, comes into us wherethere is this old fallen life and not to allyHimself with it, but to hold it in the placeof death by the same means-HisCross.” -N.D.

“But may it never be mine to boastof anything but the Cross of our LordJesus Christ by which the world hasbeen crucified to me and I to the world!”(Gal. 6:14, Wms.).

2-5. Defective Beginning“Being justified freely by His grace

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through the redemption that is in ChristJesus” (Rom. 3:24).

Are we aware of the importance of apersonal assurance of salvation?Healthy spiritual growth is foundedupon it. Many Christians seem unableto enter Romans Six and Eight simplybecause they are not truly establishedin Romans Three, Four and Five. Fullassurance as to our eternal security inthe Lord Jesus is the basis for the ever-deepening experience of ouridentification with Him.

“The defect in souls in general is theincompleteness of their conversion. It ispardon that is apprehended and notacceptance. Acceptance embracesGod’s side-how He feels, and thisshould be chief, for we as sinners haveoffended Him. The offender has beenremoved from His eye by a Man-theLord Jesus Christ, and He can receiveus on the ground of the Man whoglorified Him in bearing our judgment.

“We cannot enjoy acceptance but inthe way in which it was acquired oreffected for us, and if we are in theacceptance we know that noimprovement of the flesh couldcommend us to God, and that wecannot be before Him but in Christ. Butif we are in any degree dark as to thecrucifixion of the old man, we are not inacceptance experientially, we are not inthe daily benefit of it, and our liberty bythe Spirit can never go beyond ourconscious acceptance.” -J.B.S.

“For the law of the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

2-6. Heart Of Romans

“Yield yourselves unto God, asthose that are alive from the dead”(Rom. 6:13).

Deliverance from the reign of sin,and liberty in the life of Christ, are setforth as a doctrinal unit in Romans Six,Seven and Eight. This area of truth hasbut one key-the Cross. This is the greatmaster key to spiritual life and liberty.

When we begin to comprehendRomans Six, we know that our death inChrist unto sin was completed atCalvary. When we have been inRomans Seven for a time, we come torealize that we have been struggling toproduce that which God has alreadyaccomplished for us in Christ. When wethereby come to Romans Eight, weknow at last that the Holy Spirit willproduce in our experience what Godcompleted for us on the Cross and inChrist our life.

“In Romans Six we see thefoundation of our deliverance-the factthat we died with Christ; and also theconditions of our deliverance-that wereckon ourselves dead unto sin andyield to God as those that are alive fromthe dead. Romans Eight tells us themeans and the method of ourdeliverance-that it is through theblessed Holy Spirit alone that we areactually delivered in everyday life, from

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sin’s reign; the moment we cease fromall our own efforts and let Him do all thework, He will begin delivering us fromthe power of sin. How long it takessome of us to come to the end of ourown efforts can be seen in RomansSeven!” -W.R.N.

“That the righteousness of the lawmight be fulfilled in us, who walk notafter the flesh, but after the Spirit”(Rom. 8:4).

2-7. Grow To Share“For they disciplined us only a short

time, as it seemed proper to them; butHe does it for our good, in order that wemay share His holy character” (Heb.12:10, Wms.).

It is only natural to feel that our needrequires immediate victory, but the truthis that we cannot come to maturityapart from the Holy Spirit’s processingand development of our life, day byday. A quick and easy victory wouldcripple our usefulness in these twoways: we would not understand the all-important principle of processing; wewould not appreciate the needs ofothers. If we are unable to share, weabide alone like the grain of wheat thatdoes not die.

“So often in the battle we go to theLord, and pray, and plead, and appealfor victory, for ascendancy, for masteryover the forces of evil and death, andour thought is that in some way theLord is going to come in with a mightyexercise of power and put us into a

place of spiritual maturity as in an act.We must have this mentality corrected.What the Lord does is to enlarge us topossess. He takes us through someexercise, through some experience,takes us by some way which means ourspiritual expansion, an increase ofspirituality so we occupy the largerplace spontaneously because of ourgrowth ‘I will not drive them out frombefore thee in one year; lest the landbecome desolate, and the beast of thefield multiply against thee. By little andlittle I will drive them out from beforethee, until thou be increased’ (Exod.23:29, 30).” -T. A-S.

“Now for the time being no discipline[child-training] seems to be pleasant; itis painful; later on, however, to thosewho are trained by it, it yields the fruit ofpeace which grows from uprightcharacter” (Heb. 12:11, Wms.).

2-8. Subtle Self“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps.51:10).

A healthy spiritual birth results in thefalling away of many of the moreobvious works of the flesh, oftencausing the new believer to claim 2Corinthians 5:17 or Galatians 2:20 ashis testimony. However, for the LordJesus to be fully manifested, it is goingto involve a lifetime of the Holy Spirit’sdeep dealing with the more subtle anddeadly characteristics of the self-life“alway delivered unto death” (2 Cor.

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4:11).“By the daily ‘supply of the Spirit of

Jesus Christ’ (Phil. 1:19), the believerunited to his Risen Lord ‘growscontinually to a more perfect knowledgeand likeness of his Creator,’ and growsup ‘after the image of Him that createdhim, in the sphere where ‘Christ is all,and in all.’

“The child naturally grows up in thelikeness of his father, and the new lifecommunicated to the redeemed growsup in the likeness of Him who is theCreator of the new creation if so be thatthe death with Christ is unflinchinglyrecognized, and ‘old things’ are trulyallowed to pass away to make room forthe growth of the new man ‘which isafter God . . . created in righteousness,and holiness of truth’ (Eph. 4:24).”

“How many earnest and religiouspeople belong to ‘the Old AdamImprovement Society.’ It is therecognition of the Christ-life, it is unionwith the Risen Christ, that men needinstead of the culture of the religiousself-life.” -E.H.

“Unto the measure of the stature ofthe fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

2-9. Experience Superseded“And they who know Thy Name will

put their trust in Thee” (Ps. 9:10).Our experiences must be judged by

God’s Word, never the Word judged byour experiences. Normally, the Spirit ofTruth will reveal a truth to us from the

Scriptures and, as we exercise faith inwhat we have been shown, will begin totake us into the experience of it.Abnormally, a Christian will yearn for an‘experience,’ and then attempt to findcorroboration for it in the Word.

“Knowledge must carry the torchbefore faith.” Always give God’s Wordfirst place, “for the Word of God livethand worketh, and is sharper than anytwo-edged sword, piercing even to thedividing asunder of soul and spirit, yea,to the inmost parts thereof, and judgingthe thoughts and imaginations of theheart” (Heb. 4:12, Cony.).

“A person may easily know his sinsforgiven, but it is a further truth to knowthat he himself has ‘died to sin.’ Hefinds this conflicts with his experience.Suppose I tell you a debt of a thousandpounds which you owed was paid bysomeone, it would not be a question ofexperience, but of simply believing mystatement. Just so with God. He tells usour sins are forgiven, and it is aquestion whether we believe Him. Butwhen He tells us we have died to sin,we look inside and say, ‘Ah, sin is stillat work; how is that?’ A person must betaught of God to know really the truththat he has died to sin.” -J.N.D.

“It is written, That man shall not liveby bread alone, but by every word ofGod” (Luke 4:4).

2-10. Peace And Rest

“The Lord will perfect that whichconcerneth me” (Ps. 138:8).

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After the believer enters into life byfaith, he wonders why it was so difficultfor him to see that it was all of grace-the humble reception of a finished work.And yet he goes through the faithlessstruggle once again before he sees thathis daily Christian life is also a finishedwork-complete in Christ.

“‘God is faithful, by whom ye werecalled unto the fellowship of His SonJesus Christ our Lord’ (1 Cor. 1:9).What believers need is the simple faiththat the establishing in Christ, day byday, is God’s work-a work that Hedelights to do, in spite of all ourweakness and unfaithfulness, if we willbut trust Him for it. To the blessednessof such faith, and the experience itbrings, many can testify. What peaceand rest, to know that there is aHusbandman who cares for the branch,to see that it grows stronger; whowatches over every hindrance anddanger, who supplies every needed aid!

“What peace and rest, fully andfinally to give up our abiding into thecare of the Father, and never have awish or thought, never to offer a prayeror engage in an exercise connectedwith it, without first having the gladremembrance that what we do is onlythe manifestation of what our Father isdoing in us! The establishing in Christ isHis work: He accomplishes it by stirringus to watch, and wait, and work.” -A.M.

“Now He which stablisheth us withyou in Christ, . . . is God” (2 Cor. 1:21).

2-11. Profit“Heirs of God and fellow heirs with

Christ-sharing His inheritance with Him;only we must share His suffering if weare to share His glory” (Rom. 8:17,Amp.).

The term “profit and loss” isreversed in the Christian life to “lossand profit.” The principle never varies:our losses are all in the realm of theold, never the new. Every loss in the lifeof self brings greater gain and profit inthe new-our life in Christ. And,conversely, every gain for the self-life isloss for our growth and His glory. “Butwhat things were gain to me, those Icounted loss for Christ” (Phil. 3:7).

“It is not the design of God todeprive His children of happiness, butonly to pour the cup of bitterness intothat happiness which the believer hasin anything outside of Christ.” -F.F.

“Everything that tries us, that is acheck upon us, that causes exercise ofheart, and makes us sensible ofweakness in ourselves, is of the natureof chastisement (child-training). It maycome in the way of difficulties in thepath of faith; or in the shape of suchtrials and sorrows as are common to allmen-loss of property, loss of health, orbereavement; or it may be as thegovernmental consequences of sin; butin one way or other all have it. It is ‘forour profit, that we might be partakers ofHis holiness’ (Heb. 12:10). That is, itserves to break down that which is not

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of God in us, that the life of the LordJesus might be made manifest.” -C.A.C.

“When He hath tried me, I shallcome forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

2-12. The Cross For Self“I have been crucified with Christ”

(Gal. 2:20, ASV).The Cross is the height of paradox;

it is at once God’s greatest agony, andHis eternal glory. For the growingbeliever it means daily crucifixion, andat the same time freedom from thepenalty and the power of sin and self.“But may it never be mine to boast ofanything but the Cross of our LordJesus Christ, by which the world hasbeen crucified to me and I to the world!”(Gal. 6:14, Wms.).

“We need to enter deeply into thetruth that Christ the Beloved Son of theFather could not return to the glory ofHeaven until He had first given Himselfover to death. As this great principleopens up to us, it will help us tounderstand how in our life, and in ourfellowship with the Lord Jesus, it isimpossible for us to share the fulness ofHis life until we have first in very deedsurrendered ourselves every day ashaving died to sin and the world.”

“Many believers appear to think thatwhen once they have claimed Christ’sdeath in the fellowship of the Cross,and have counted themselves crucifiedwith Him, they may now consider it aspast and done with. They do not as yet

understand that it is in the crucifiedChrist, and in the fellowship of Hisdeath, that they are to abide daily andunceasingly. The fellowship of theCross is to be the life of a daily walk-Histaking the form of a servant, Hishumbling Himself and becomingobedient unto death, even the death ofthe Cross; this mind that was in theLord Jesus is to be the disposition thatmarks our daily life.”

“Have this mind [attitude] in you,which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil.2:5, ASV).

2-13. Convicted, Or Filled?

“And because ye are sons, God hathsent forth the Spirit of His Son into yourhearts” (Gal. 4:6).

When the Holy Spirit convicts us ofour sin, it is to remove self from thethrone of our hearts. When the HolySpirit fills us, it is to place the LordJesus on the throne of our hearts. Oursis the choice-”not I, but Christ” (Gal.2:20); His is the work, for He is “theSpirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2).

“The great secret of the Christian lifeis found in ceasing from self, in whichthe power of the Cross manifests itselfin us. We all know how our Lord Jesus,ere He could receive the new life fromthe Father in glory, and the gift of theHoly Spirit through whom He couldimpart His life to His people, had first togive up the life He lived upon earth. Hehad to take His place among the deadin utter weakness and helplessness

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before He could live again by the powerof God. His death on the Cross wasindispensable to the life of the Spirit.

“And as it was with Christ, so it mustbe with us. As we yield ourselves to beunited with Him in the likeness of Hisdeath, we can share with Him in theglory and power of the life of the Spirit.To know what the Holy Spirit means,implies the knowing of what deathmeans. The Cross and the Spirit areinseparable. The soul that understandsthat the death to self is in Christ thegate to true life, is in the right way tolearn what and who the Holy Spirit is.” -A.M.

“If we live in the Spirit, let us alsowalk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25).

2-14. Continuous Cross“For we which live are alway

delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake” (2Cor. 4:11).

The indwelling Lord Jesus is thesource of our life of liberation; the Crossis the means to it. As we abide in Himand He in us, we are to reckon uponthe finished work of Calvary to dealprogressively with self. It is on thisbasis alone that the life of Jesus will bemanifested in our mortal flesh (2 Cor.4:11).

“God has taken the old creation andhas condemned it in Christ, and is nowworking on the new creation. There isno place in the plan of God for thebetterment of the old creation. He doesnot bring about some kind of

transformation of the old man so as toproduce some kind of resemblance toChrist in Christian character andconduct. There is only one place for theold creation, and that is the Cross.

“But it is not enough for us to say itis there crucified with Christ. Crucifixionwas a lingering death, and while westand once for all upon the fact of God,which is eternal and unchangeable,when our Lord Jesus Christ went to theCross He took more than our sins withHim; He took our old man and dealtwith the source of all our sin, and dealtwith it satisfactorily. While we stand onthat fact, there has to be the dailyworking out of the victory which Christhas won for us; there has to be thedaily dying to this old self. The HolySpirit has to work into us the death ofthe Lord Jesus Christ in all its wonderfulpower and purpose.” -G.W.

“Being made comfortable unto hisdeath” (Phil 3:10)

2-15. Indwelt To Be Filled“But ye are not in the flesh, but in

the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of Goddwell in you” (Rom. 8:9).

The believer knows that he isindwelt by the Holy Spirit on thetestimony of the written Word; othersknow when the believer is filled with theHoly Spirit by the growing manifestationof the Living Word.

“There are believers who need thereminder that deeper than mind andfeeling and will, deeper than the soul,

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where these have their seat, in thedepths of the renewed spirit, therecomes, at re-birth, the Holy Spirit todwell forever. His indwelling is there,first of all, and all through, to berecognized by faith. Even when Icannot see the least evidence of Hisworking, I am quietly and reverently tobelieve that He dwells in me. In thatfaith I am restfully and trustfully to countupon His working, and to wait for it. Inthat faith I must very distinctly deny myown wisdom and strength, and inchildlike self-abnegation depend uponHim to work.

“His first workings may be so feebleand hidden that I can hardly recognizethem as coming from Him; they mayappear to be nothing more than thevoice of conscience, or the familiarsound of some Bible truth. Here is thetime for faith to hold fast the Master’spromise and the Father’s gift, and totrust that the Holy Spirit is within andwill guide. Out of the hidden depths Hispower will move and take possession ofmind and will, and the indwelling in thehidden recesses of the spirit will growinto a being filled with His fulness.” -A.M.

“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9).

2-16. Legal Conflict“Therefore being justified by faith,

we have peace with God through ourLord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1)

If we are weak in understanding theprinciple of complete justification byfaith, we will be strong in seeking toproduce our own sanctification.

“In Romans Seven Paul isdescribing the inevitable conflict thatevery believer knows when heundertakes to lead a holy life on theprinciple of legality. He feelsinstinctively that the law is spiritual, butthat he himself, for some unexplainedreason, is fleshly, carnal, and inbondage to sin. This discovery is one ofthe most heart-breaking a Christianever made. Yet each one must anddoes make it for himself at some time inhis pilgrimage.

“The believer finds himself doingthings he knows to be wrong, andwhich his inmost desires are opposedto; while what he yearns to do he failsto accomplish, and does, instead, whathe hates. But this is the first part of agreat lesson which all must learn whowould matriculate (enroll) in God’sschool. It is the lesson of no confidencein ‘the flesh’; and until it is learned therecan be no true progress in growth. Theincorrigibility of the flesh must berealized before one is ready to turnaltogether from self to Christ forsanctification, as he has already donefor justification.” -H.A.I.

“As conviction of guilt goes beforeknown justification, so the experientialknowledge of self before sanctification.No effort clears the guilt; no efforteffects the growth.”

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“That they may receive forgivenessof sins, and inheritance among themwhich are sanctified by faith” (Acts26:18).

2-17. Highly Placed“O our God . . . we have no might

against this great company that comethagainst us; neither know we what to do:but our eyes are upon Thee” (2 Chron.20:12).

Many believers have gone only asfar as justification can take them-spiritual birth, and a bit beyond. Therethey stagnate, in dire need of the freshstreams of living water that come fromseeing their position in Christ. “God . . .hath blessed us with all spiritualblessings in heavenly places in Christ”(Eph. 1:3). “Always begin with yourposition, where you are; and then thinkof your condition, what you are.” -R.P.

“Christians are at their wits’ end.Many have given up the fight. They stillgo to church; but secretly they feel thatvictory is out of the question. They haveno weapons for such an hour. Frankly,they have capitulated to the prince ofthis world, for all their efforts to rout thefoe have failed.

“But victory is the believer’s right, astruly his as the air he breathes.However, he must understand theconditions. He must see himselfenthroned with Christ. He must seehimself according to God’s own HolyWord, as crucified with the Lord Jesus,dead, buried, raised and made to sit in

heavenly places with his Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ. Without this hewill go down in ignominious defeat inspite of all his strivings and his prayers.With this position he is more thanconqueror through Him who loved himand gave Himself for him.” -F.J.H.

“For whatsoever is born of Godovercometh the world: and this is thevictory that overcometh the world, evenour faith” (1 John 5:4).

2-18. Devoted Disciple“Remembering without ceasing your

work of faith, and labor of love” (1Thess. 1:3).

The Cross cost God all that He had,for us. That same Cross will cost us allthat we are, for Him, for growth, forothers. “For we which live are alwaydelivered unto death for Jesus’ sake,that the life also of Jesus might bemade manifest in our mortal flesh. Sothen death worketh in us, but life in you”(2 Cor. 4:11, 12).

“Devotion, utter devotion, to God’spurpose concerning His people, isgoing to make the uttermost demandupon any servant of God. It is going totest and find out our spirit of service.And if we are going to be used of Godin this utter way, it is going to bring usto the point where we have nothing leftto fall back upon, either of personalinterest, position, or blessing: it issimply a matter of God, and God only! IfGod does not do it, we are finished. Wehave no alternative; we have no second

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line; we are in this matter of the Lord’spurpose to the last drop of blood. Thepurpose of God in His people willdemand that. It is no use-we cannothave any alternatives; we cannot havea second course: it is everything ornothing.” -T. A-S.

“There are those who would bemore useful in the Lord’s work if onlythey were more devoted. They areabsorbed in something else, and thisnot only distracts them from their work,but when they do set themselves to it,there is not that maturity, that finishedcondition of soul, that knowledge ofhearts, and of the way in which theWord suits itself to their needs, whichgives lasting value to ministry.” -J.N.D.

“They loved not their lives unto thedeath” (Rev. 12.11).

2-19. Not Obligated

“The carnal mind is enmity againstGod” (Rom. 8:7).

Early in the Christian life wenaturally feel that it is our obligation toovercome self and become spiritual.We do not yet realize that time andprocessing are required before we areable to give up self-effort for our growth.It is the work of the Holy Spirit, not ourobligation. “God hath chosen you tosalvation through sanctification of theSpirit” (2 Thess. 2:13).

“The self-life is surely our first andmost bitter foe, and the believer whowill serve God acceptably must learnHis way of victory over this subtle and

dangerous enemy. The flesh isirrecoverably fallen and you and I makeno real progress in the Christian lifeuntil we have learned in experience tosay with the apostle: ‘For I know that inme (that is, in my flesh dwelleth nogood thing’ (Rom. 7:18).” -J.C.M.

“Paul’s great endeavor, in all hisgreat struggle of Romans Seven, wasto make ‘the flesh,’ his old self-life,consent to do that holy law which hisnew self approved. Paul had not yetdespaired of himself. The fact is, hehad not yet realized the absolutedistinction between the old and the newcreations. And it was through thisterrible experience that he found thenew or ‘inward’ man to be distinct fromthe old man; that the realm of ‘the spirit’was absolutely separate from that of‘the flesh’, that all of the old self, with itslife and energy, was to be despaired of,not sanctified.”

“For it is not subject to the law ofGod, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).

2-20. Safe Beyond Question“Neither give place to the devil”

(Eph. 4:27).To a large extent, we will be pawns

of the devil until we stand on thespecific facts of the Bible and assert, “Ibelong to the Lord Jesus Christ, andam a new creation in Him on the basisof the finished work of Calvary. He ismy life; my death in Him on the Crossseparated me from the dominion of allthe old creation. As far as my Lord and

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I are concerned, Satan, sin, self, theworld, and the law, all are on the otherside of that death.” “We never get intoconflict with Satan until we realize ourprivileges in Christ. We cannot crossthe Jordan without finding theCanaanites in the land.”

“Satan may challenge my clearanceand my acceptance; he may raise allkinds of questions about what I am andwhat I have done, but he can raise noquestions as to the worthiness oracceptance of my Saviour. The forgivenman is on an altogether new groundwith God; he is on the ground of grace-grace which is set forth in Christ. Theapprehension of this is redemption, andit puts the soul beyond the reach of theoppression and harassing of theenemy.” -C.A.C.

“If the first step in the Christiancourse were definitely understood thesaints would have a happier time. Ifthey saw that the power of the old manwas broken on the Cross, and that inChrist they are new creations beforeGod, they would walk here indeliverance. ‘You will know the truthand the truth will set you free.’” -J.B.S.

“Your great accuser, the Devil, isgoing about like a roaring lion to seewhom he can devour. Withstand him,firm in your faith” (1 Pet. 5:8, 9, Wey.).

2-21. One Standard - Christ“So then let us once for all quit the

elementary teaching about Christ andcontinue progressing; toward maturity”

(Heb. 6:1, Wms.).When the standard of the Christian

life is low, the responsibility for growthis placed upon the believer. But when itis known that God’s standard for us isHis Son, all expectation of maturitymust be placed in Him-”for it is Godwhich worketh in us both to will and todo of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

“The Lord Jesus Christ is theChristian’s very life, and the Holy Spiritdwells within our spirit to manifest Him,to work out all that is in Him and toreproduce Him in us. We mustremember that there is something in thesight of God that is higher than work.There is Christ-likeness. That is ourFather’s purpose, and it is His work.” -A.M.

“It is not great talents God blessesso much as great likeness to the LordJesus. A holy ministry is an awfulweapon in the hands of God.” -R.M.Mc.

“In a great many evangelicalchurches the Gospel of salvation ismagnificently presented, seekers areled to Christ; but the totality of theGospel, the Gospel in its ultimatecategory, is by no means so clearlypresented, nor maybe even understoodby teacher as well as pupil. It isevidenced by exhortation to Christianliving being mainly challenges to praymore, study more, give more, witnessmore, surrender more. The emphasis ispredominantly on the active dedicationof the Christian to his Lord, and to a

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much less degree on the dynamicremolding of the believer by his Lord.”

“For we are His workmanship,created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10).

2-22. Waiting On God“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently

for Him” (Ps. 37:7).In times of crisis, we are prone to

question His care; in times of calm, wetend to forget our need of His care.

“Don’t look at earthly difficulties.Saul said, ‘Because I saw that thepeople were scattered from me, andthat thou camest not. . . therefore said I,The Philistines will come down nowupon me’ (1 Sam. 13:11, 12). It is fatalto look around and at consequences,especially in times of crisis, for it will beimpossible to be still, and wait God’stime for deliverance. Jesus came tothem in the fourth watch of the night(Matt. 14:25). It is always His way. Godis never behind time! However dark thepath may be, wait; do not go beforeHim, don’t force yourself, like Saul. ‘Thecrisis demands action,’ we say! Nay,‘dwell in stillness and wait forclearness’-wait until you are sure of thewill of God, and leave the ‘Philistines’ toHim.” -T. A-S.

“Victory comes through thereckoning of faith and not throughstruggling and striving. ‘But,’ it may beasked, ‘are we not exhorted to ‘fight thegood fight’? Yes, that is so, but youmust please finish the text, ‘Fight thegood fight of faith,’ and faith never

struggles for victory. Faith stands invictory.”

“The unbelieving heart looks at thecircumstances, and leaves God out.Faith, on the contrary, looks only atGod, and leaves circumstances out.Faith delights in man’s extremity, simplybecause it is God’s opportunity. Itdelights in being ‘shut up’ to God-inhaving the platform thoroughly clearedof the creature, in order that God maydisplay His glory.”

‘My soul, wait thou only upon God;for my expectation is from Him” (Ps.62:5).

2-23. Mount Sinai, Mount Zion“For you have not come to a

material object all ablaze with fire, andto gloom and darkness and storm andtrumpet-blast and the sound of words”(Heb. 12:18, Wey.).

Most of us know that we are notunder the Law as summarized in theTen Commandments, yet we continueto labor under the principle of law. Weseek to attain, instead of to obtain. Notuntil we are driven to the end ofRomans Seven will we know thefreedom of Romans Eight.

“So long as one thinks that hisblessing depends in any way, or in anydegree, upon himself, he is under theshadow of Sinai, and naturally we allgravitate in that direction. Many trulyconverted persons are more occupiedwith themselves, and in trying toimprove their own condition, than in

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seeking to learn the grace of God. Theresult is that where there is a shallowwork in the soul they get lifted up withpride and conceit, and perhaps deceivethemselves so far as to think there is nosin in them.

“On the other hand, if souls areupright and sincere they get into terribledistress, and experience what it is tohave to do with Sinai-blackness,darkness, and tempest, so that a holyman like Moses could only ‘exceedinglyfear and quake.’ Thank God! we are notcome to that mountain, but to another-even to Mount Zion.” -C.A.C.

“On the contrary you have come toMount Zion, and to the city of the ever-living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, tocountless hosts of angels, to the greatfestal gathering and Church of the first-born, whose names are recorded inHeaven” (Heb. 12:22, 23, Wey.).

2-24. Abiding Faith“As ye have therefore received

Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye inHim” (Col. 2:6).

One day we came to Him in utterneed and reliance, and received life.Every day we are to abide in Him inutter need and reliance, that He maylive that life in and through us. We areborn again by faith, and we are to liveanew by faith. “He that abideth in Me,and I in him, the same bringeth forthmuch fruit: for without Me ye can donothing” (John 15:5).

“There are earnest Christians who

are jealous for a free Gospel, withacceptance of Christ, and justificationby faith alone. But after this they thinkeverything depends on their diligenceand faithfulness. While they firmly graspthe truth, ‘justified by faith,’ they havehardly noticed the larger truth, ‘the justshall live by faith.’ They have not yetunderstood what a perfect Saviour theLord Jesus is, and how He will eachday do for the sinner just as much asHe did the first day when they came toHim.

“They know not that the life of graceis always and only a life of faith, andthat in the relationship to the LordJesus the one daily and unceasing dutyof the disciple is to believe, becausebelieving is the one channel throughwhich Divine grace and strength canflow into the heart of man. The oldnature of the believer remains evil andsinful to the last; it is only as he dailycomes, all empty and helpless, to hisSaviour to receive of His life andstrength, that he can bring forth thefruits of righteousness to the glory ofGod.” -A.M.

“Rooted and built up in Him, andstablished in the faith, as ye have beentaught, abounding therein withthanksgiving” (Col. 2:7).

2-25. Unity Of Design“So now also Christ shall be

magnified in my body, whether it be bylife, or by death” (Phil. 1:20).

If we look to other Christians as

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examples to follow, we will soon bediscouraged by the prevailing lowstandard. If we look to Christ as ourexample, we will be utterly discouragedbecause of His infinitely high standard.Hence it is essential that we understandthat the Lord Jesus Christ is our life; Heis not a legal example to emulate, butthe source of life from which we grow.

“It is not in any conventionalstandard of frames and feelings that thedisciple is to find the measure ofattainment required of him. It is not byany painful reproducing of another’sspiritual history that he is to acquire thetrue comfort of spirit which he longs for.Outward imitation, though it be of theperfect Example Himself, has littleplace in the order of spiritual growth-little place because little possibility.‘Without Me (i.e., apart from Me, inseparation from Me) ye can do nothing.’To abide in Christ is the only secret ofChristlikeness; for only thus is obtainedthe likeness of unity, which is perfectand enduring, instead of the likeness ofconformity, which is only partial andtransient.” -A.J.G.

“In the pathway of discipline and trialwe learn by bitter experience the truthof Paul’s confession, ‘In me. . . in myflesh dwelleth no good thing.’ Coupledwith that is the lesson that God waitswith infinite patience, like the potter, towork out a design and beauty with suchfrail material.” -M.H.F.

“And He is the head of the body, thechurch; who is the beginning, the first-

born from the dead, that in all things Hemight have the preeminence” (Col.1:18)

2-26. Acceptable Consecration

“The carnal mind is enmity againstGod: for it is not subject to the law ofGod, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).

If a Christian does not realize hisidentification with Christ in His death,he does not know true consecration.Crucifixion is the path to, andfoundation of, consecration. The deepertruths are not entered into throughconsecration-they are its basis. “Theprice of consecration is crucifixion.”

“‘Present yourself unto God as alivefrom the dead’ (Rom. 6:13). This is thetrue ground of consecration. Forbelievers to ‘consecrate themselves toGod’ ere they have learnt their unionwith Christ in death and resurrection isonly to present to God the members ofthe natural man, which He cannot use.Only those ‘alive from the dead’-that is,having appropriated their likeness withHim in death-are bidden to present theirmembers as instruments unto God.”

“The modern teaching ofconsecration, which is tantamount tothe consecration of the ‘old man,’ seeksto bypass the death sentence andtherefore only leads to frustration andfailure. When, however, you and I areprepared, in simple humility, to makethe fact of our death with Christ ourdaily basis of life and service, there isnothing that can prevent the uprising

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and outflow of new life, and meet theneed of thirsty souls around us.” -J.C.M.

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtorsbound not to the Flesh, that we shouldlive after the Flesh [but to the Spirit]”(Rom. 8:12, Cony.).

2-27. Factual Freedom“You were set free from the tyranny

of Sin” (Rom. 6:18, Wey.).There are two extremes that keep

many of us in bondage. The one isignorance as to the possibility offreedom; the other, ignorance as to theextent of freedom. Careful attendanceto the facts of the Word will solve boththese crippling conditions.

“The New Testament teaches thatthe flesh is representatively dead invirtue of the Cross, but it nowhere saysit will become actually dead by standingon that fact. What it does say is that,when reckoning the fact true, self willlose its governing power over me. InRomans Six we find that through thedeath of Christ, sin shall not havedominion over you-the idea is ofbondage, ruling, governing, dominating.There is no such view presented as theannihilation of the thing, the exclusionof its presence, but the loss of itsgoverning power. So you see if we arelooking for the actual death of the oldnature in us, we are looking forsomething that will never come to passin this life.” -N.D.

“Our Lord has never promised that

we shall be able to look within, and saythat self is gone. Whilst we reallybelieve God’s Word that we have diedwith Christ unto sin, and count uponHim as the Living One to manifest Hislife through us, others will see that selfis inoperative, whilst we are occupiedwith Christ.”

“Stand fast therefore in the libertywherewith Christ hath made us free”(Gal. 5:1).

2-28. Canaan Conflict“We will pass over armed before the

Lord into the land of Canaan, that thepossession of our inheritance . . . maybe ours” (Num. 32:32).

If our Lord were to give rest from theprocessing required for spiritual growth,by what means would He accomplishHis work in us? True, the war has beenwon at Calvary, but there are many“mopping up” battles to be fought.Victory is ours, but we must learn howto wear our armor and handle ourweapons. We must also come to knowand appreciate our Captain as we enterinto what He has accomplished on ourbehalf.

“The Christian who imagines that lifein the Promised Land is one of restfrom temptation and conflict, is due fora surprise. There is not less temptation,but more strong and subtle temptation.There is no less conflict, but moreconstant conflict. The difference lies inthe fact that in Canaan the battle is notfought under our own leadership, but

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under that of the Victorious Man withthe drawn sword, who has neversuffered defeat. It is not rest fromconflict, but rest in conflict. In Canaan,Israel lost only one battle in sevenyears, and that was because ofculpable disobedience and sin.” -O.S.

“It has been well said that spiritualbelievers are honored with warfare inthe front line areas. There the fiercestpressure of the enemy is known. Butthey are also privileged to witness theenemy’s crushing defeat, so abundantis the power of God, and thus highly isthe spiritual believer honored.” -L.S.C.

“No weapon that is formed againstthee shall prosper.... This is theheritage of the servants of the Lord,and their righteousness is of Me, saiththe Lord” (Isa. 54:17).

2-29. Liberated From Legality

“For it is God which worketh in youboth to will and to do of His goodpleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

One of the most subtle, tenacious,and all-pervading errors amongstChristians is slavery to the legalprinciple (the Galatian error). And, as indeliverance from the power of sin, thereis no freedom from law apart from thedeath we shared in Christ on the Cross.“You too in the body of Christ haveended your relation to the law” (Rom.7:4, Wms.).

“It is a harmful perversion of thetruth of God to teach (as did the Puritantheologians) that while we are not to

keep the law as a means of salvation,we are under it as a ‘rule of life.’ Let aChristian only confess, ‘I am under thelaw,’ and straightway Moses fastens hisyoke upon him, despite all his proteststhat the law has lost its power.

“Men have to be delivered from thewhole legal principle, from the entiresphere where law reigns, ere trueliberty can be found. This wasaccomplished on the Cross. There we‘died unto the law’ (Gal. 2:19); we werethere ‘discharged from the law’ (Rom.6:14). And those who believe this enterthe blessed sphere where grace reigns.The Holy Spirit, indwelling the believer,performs in him the will of God, whosewill, at last, is a delight (Rom. 8:3, 4;12:2).” -W.R.N.

“Law taught me to love myneighbors as myself-made my love forself the measure of my duty to myneighbor. Christianity looks for havingno self at all, but giving up ourselves forour neighbors.”

“He Himself, through Jesus Christ,accomplishing through you what ispleasing to Him” (Heb. 13:21, Wms.).

2-30. Administration Of The Cross

“For ye died, and your life is hid withChrist in God” (Col. 3:3, ASV).

It is futile for us to attempt to curbour sins while we ignore their source,the indwelling principle of sin. Intrimming the branches (sins), westrengthen the root (self). Rather, as wecount upon the finished work of

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Calvary, the Holy Spirit will apply theCross to the old life. And as that deathcuts deeper and deeper into the root,the branches will wither and fall away.

“The Lord Jesus has been waitingfor us to come to the end of our ownefforts. He sends the call, ‘Come backto the Cross.’ At last we can see wehave been standing and working on thewrong ground, and we hear Him say, ‘Itis you who are in My way. I can do Mywork myself. I simply need emptyvessels. You parted with your sins, butyou kept yourself. Come now, part withyourself, take your place where I putyou. When I died you were in Me onthat Cross.’ ‘Now I see! What next,Lord?’ ‘Now you pass to another spherewhere you become aware that you arejoined to Me as your life.’”

“Our identification with Christ in Hisdeath was a death unto Sin-theprinciple of Sin as a master and atyrant-Sin, not sins. The Holy Spirit isready to apply that finished work ofdeath to the depth of our self-life, untilSin loses its mastery at point afterpoint. It goes deeper than the cutting offof visible and external things. TheCross deals with the cause, notsymptoms.”

“Christ, who is our life” (Col. 3:4).

2-31. “Know Ye Not?”“For the law of the Spirit of life in

Christ Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death” (Rom 8:2).

To deal directly with sin brings

certain defeat to the Christian. Satan,sin, self, the world, and the law-all havebeen fully dealt with by the Lord Jesuson the Cross. Our dealings with theseenemies are to be through the finishedwork of Calvary, hence indirect. Thiscan be wonderful news to us when wehave had enough of the struggle andfailure of Romans Seven.

“The believer who sees that self isincurably evil (‘know’), and that it hasbeen taken into death (‘reckon’); whogives self utterly to that death as hesinks before God in dependence andsurrender to His working (‘yield’); whoconsents to death with Christ on theCross as his position, and in faithaccepts it as his only deliverance; healone is prepared to be led by the HolySpirit into the full enjoyment of theChrist-life. He will learn to understandhow completely death makes an end ofall self-effort, and now, as he lives inChrist to God, everything henceforth isto be the work of God Himself.” -A.M.

“It is not by renunciation, or effort,that we are morally apart from sin andself and the world, but by our death onthe Cross with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Believers today seek the blessingand power of Pentecost apart from apersonal crucifixion with Christ, and theresult is a counterfeit experience.Calvary is always before Pentecost,historically and experientially. The onlyway into the riches of the fulness ofChrist is through our acceptance of ourcrucifixion with Him.” -L.L.L.

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“But God forbid that I should glory, save in theCross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).

Number 3

Each section in the None But theHungry Heart series contains onehundred or more interrelated Scriptureportions, as well as more than onehundred quotations and comments.

In meditating upon this material, ourattention should be centered in theWord of God. It is hoped that eachpage may give enlightenmentconcerning the Scripture quoted. “Letthe word of Christ dwell in you richly inall wisdom,” for “the Word of God isliving, and powerful” (Col. 3:16; Heb.4:12).

All true devotional reading shouldgive us a greater understanding of, andappreciation for our Bible. Anythingother than this will hinder spiritualgrowth. It goes without saying that theWord of God, ministered by the Spirit ofGod, is the primary means of knowingthe Son of God as our life. “The wordsthat I speak unto you, they are spirit,and they are life” (John 6:63).

“And now I commend you to Godand to the word of His grace. He is ableto build you up and to give you yourinheritance among His people” (Acts20:32, Wey.).

-Miles J. Stanford; July 1969

3-1. Sovereign Providence

In whom also we have obtained an

inheritance, being predestinatedaccording to the purpose of Him whoworketh all things after the counsel ofHis own will” (Eph. 1:11).

Not only is God our Father not dead,but He is in eternal control of both lifeand death. He who is our very life is“the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judgethe living and the dead at His appearingand His kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:1). Thesovereignty of our God is not onlyuniversal, but also personal. What asource of heart rest!

“We find in Romans 8:28 a greatmarvel: All things work together forgood to the believing lovers of God.This involves that billion billion controlof God’s providence-of the mostinfinitesimal things-to bring them aboutfor ‘good’ to God’s saints.

“When we reflect on theinnumerable ‘things’ about us-forcesseen and unseen of the mineral,vegetable, and animal worlds; on manat enmity with God; on Satan, and hisprincipalities and powers, in deadlyarray; on the uncertainty and eventreachery of those near and dear to us,and even of professing Christians, andof our own selves-which we cannottrust for a moment; upon ourunredeemed bodies; upon our generalcomplete helplessness in ourselves-then, to have God say, ‘All things areworking together for your good,’-revealsto us a Divine providence that isabsolutely limitless.” -W.R.N.

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“There Is No Limit To God’s FavorToward Those In Christ.” -W.R.N.

“All things are Thy servants” (Ps.119:91, ASV).

3-2. Rest Of Faith“In nothing be anxious; but in

everything by prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving let your requests bemade known unto God” (Phil. 4:6,ASV).

Faith does not create or produce,but rests and rejoices in what God hasalready done. His finished work atCalvary was the basis for our birth, andHis completed work in our risen LordJesus is the source of our growth. “Forif while we were enemies we werereconciled to God through the death ofHis Son, it is much more [certain], nowthat we are reconciled, that we shall besaved [daily delivered from sin’sdominion] through His [resurrection]life” (Rom. 5:10, Amp.).

“A great many people have the faiththat seeks, but they have not a faiththat rests. The Lord Jesus is here, restin Him, let the burden go. ‘Lord, I trustThee now; I abide in Thee now. Lord,as I think about my home problems, mybusiness pressures, my personaldifficulties in every sphere of life, I bringthem all, and give them all to Thee.’And believe that He keeps you. I amsure this rest of faith is the center of allactivity.

“You cannot work without frictionuntil you have this rest of faith-complete

dependence not only on what the Lordhas done, but on what He is to you thisvery moment. Rest in Him. ‘God is ableto make all grace abound toward you,that ye always [not sometimes] havingall sufficiency in all things, may aboundunto every good work’ (2 Cor. 9:8).” -E.H.

“And the peace of God, whichpasseth all understanding, shall guardyour hearts and your thoughts in ChristJesus” (Phil. 4:7, ASV).

3-3. Born To Grow

“Feed the flock of God which isamong you” (1 Pet. 5:2).

It should grieve us to realize howmany abandoned babes in Christ thereare-spiritual orphans. In these days ofspiritual dearth there is an ever-increasing need for the ministry ofnurturing new believers, that they maybe “rooted and built up in Him, andestablished” (Col. 2:7). “The greatestproof of your love for Christ is that youcare for those who belong to Him; ‘ifyou love Me, feed My sheep’.” -J.B.S.

“Let us not feel that our task is donewith the rebirth of a soul. The greatburden of the Christian ministry shouldbe that Christ may be formed in men,and that they, in turn, may be livingwitnesses to others. Notice Peter’swords: But ye are a chosen generation,a royal priesthood, an holy nation, apeculiar people.’ But for what purposehas all this been accomplished? Hegoes on to say, ‘ . . . that ye should

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show forth the praises of Him who hathcalled you out of darkness into Hismarvelous light’ (1 Pet. 2:9). ‘But yeare...that ye should.’ We believe inChrist’s power and desire to win others,but for what? The whole purpose ofsalvation is that men and women maygrow in the deeper stablecharacteristics of the Christian life-thatthey might be conformed to the imageof the Lord Jesus Christ.” -G.D.

“The Christian life is not merely aconverted life nor even a consecratedlife, but it is the Christ-life. It is theconsuming desire of the Lord Jesus toreincarnate Himself in the believer.” -R.P.

“Neither as being Lord over God’sheritage, but being ensamples to theflock” (1 Pet 5:3).

3-4. Doctrinal-Experiential

“Ye have obeyed from the heart thatform of doctrine which was deliveredyou” (Rom. 6:17).

The only true, consistent, andChrist-honoring experience is thatwhich emerges from clear-cut faith inthe explicit facts of the Word. Sounddoctrine is the one basis for a maturewalk and effective service. “Thou shaltbe a good minister of Jesus Christ,nourished up in the words of faith andof good doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6).

“We must remember that our deathto sin was once for all accomplished atthe Cross. There the believer sharedthe death of the Lord Jesus; for when

he became a believer, the life hereceived was life in Christ, that is, lifeout of death, resurrection life, ‘newnessof life’; and the relation to sin and thelaw which Christ had, became those ofthe believer! Our experience of it all issimply the entering by faith into whathas already happened at the Cross.

“God now commands each of us toreckon ourselves as having died withChrist to sin-and therefore as now deadunto sin; and as having risen withChrist, and therefore now alive to God(Rom. 6:11). Now it is always on thebasis of what God has done that Heasks us to reckon, to appropriate. Godmakes the facts and tells us to take theattitude that befits these facts; andwhen we obey, He increasingly worksour experiential victory in and throughus.” -W.R.N.

“Give attendance . . . to doctrine” (1Tim. 4:13).

3-5. Substitute-Representative

“Crucified with Him” (Rom. 6:6).Often when a believer finally sees

his identification with the Lord Jesus inHis death and resurrection, as set forthin Romans Six, he will then seek toexperience it by self-effort. The netresult: Romans Seven!

“As our Substitute He went to theCross alone, without us, to pay thepenalty of our sins; as ourRepresentative He took us with Him tothe Cross, and there, in the sight ofGod, we all died together with the Lord

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Jesus. We may be forgiven because Hedied in our stead; we may be deliveredbecause we died with Him.

“God’s way of deliverance for us, arace of hopeless incurables, is to put usaway in the Cross of His Son, and thento make a new beginning by re-creatingus in union with Him, the Risen, LivingOne. It is the Holy Spirit who will makethese great facts real and true in ourexperience as we depend upon Him;and so the plague of our hearts will bestayed, and we shall go on to beconformed to the image of the LordJesus Christ.” -J.C.M.

“The Holy Spirit so unites us toChrist that Christian experiencebecomes a reproduction in us of theessential facts of Christ’s fourfoldrevelation He died unto sin: with Himwe died (Col. 2:20). He arose: with Himwe are risen (Col. 3:1). He is in heaven:our life is hid with Christ in God (Col.3:3). He will appear again: with Him weshall appear in glory (Col. 3:4).” -N.B.H.

“Risen with Christ” (Col. 3:1).

3-6. Responsibility

“These things I have spoken untoyou, that in Me ye might have peace”(John 16:33)

There are far too many irresponsiblebelievers. At the same time, there arefar too many over-responsible believerswho are seeking to carry out the Lord’sresponsibilities. Our primary concern isto trust Him, and rest in Him, while ‘it isGod who confirms and makes us

steadfast and establishes us...in Christ”(2 Cor. 1:21, Amp.).

“The good fight is the fight of faith.Nothing is easier than to step out offaith into feeling, or sight. But then it isfailure, and no longer a fight of faith.When we abide in the Lord Jesus, theforce of the assault is borne by Him. Hetakes the strain and the burden; whilstthe believer passes into His triumphs,and is kept in perfect peace through itall.

“The believer then understands themeaning of Asa’s words: ‘Lord, it isnothing with Thee to help, whether withmany, or with them that have nopower....O Lord, Thou art our God; letnot man prevail against Thee... (2Chron. 14:11). Against us? No; againstThee! Why? Because the battle is theLord’s! How often we have looked atthe battle as ours and have asked thatman shall not prevail against us. Butperhaps you are not wholly on theLord’s side; and this may be the secretof your failure. If you want continuousvictory, you must be on the side of Himwho knows no defeat. The question isnot whether the Lord is on your side,but whether you are on the Lord’s side.”-C.A.F.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peacewhose mind is stayed on Thee:because he trusteth in Thee” (Isa.26:3).

3-7. Imitating Is Imitation“For to me to live is Christ” (Phil.

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1:21).Once we learn the truth of our union

with the Lord Jesus, and of the HolySpirit’s indwelling, any attempt toimitate Christ will be seen for what it is:unscriptural, and futile.

“Our Father is going to teach us,mainly through personal failure, that thelife we live is the life of our Lord Jesusalone. The Christian life is not our livinga life like Christ, or our trying to beChrist-like, nor is it Christ giving us thepower to live a life like His; but it isChrist Himself living His own lifethrough us; ‘no longer I, but Christ.’“

“The end of Christ’s incarnation,death and resurrection was to prepareand form an holy nature and frame forus in Himself, to be communicated tous by union and fellowship with Him;and not to be able to produce inourselves the first originals of such anholy nature by our own endeavors.”

“Thc believer’s true education is inthe growth of Christ within. TheChurch’s real ministry is notmultitudinous public services, so-called,but the forming of the Lord Jesus Christin the lives of His people; thereproduction of Christ; epistles madealive by the Holy Spirit, to be seen andread of all men.” -C.A.F.

“There is no answer to infidelity likethe life of the Lord Jesus displayedthrough the Christian. Nothing puts themadness of the infidel, and the folly ofthe superstitious more to shame and

silence than the humble, quiet, devotedwalk of a thorough-going, heavenly-minded, and divinely-taught believer.”

“But the Lord is faithful, who shallstablish you” (2 Thess. 3:3).

3-8. In-born Ministry“It is not you who chose Me, but it is

I who chose you and appointed you thatyou might go and be fruitful” (John15:16, Wey.).

We must be born into our ministry,our service; and it must be born in us.Thus it will be a sharing of life, throughwhich others will be born and will “growin grace, and in the knowledge of ourLord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet.3:18).

“Our Father will never put work orservice in the place of character; and, ifwe do that, eternity will reveal that,however much we may have done, weare very small amongst the inhabitantsof the Land, whose stature will bemeasured by ‘the measure of Christ.’ Itwould be well if all who contemplate orare engaged in the work of God weregoverned by this one absolute final law:that, both as to themselves and as tothose amongst whom they minister, theultimate test is-not how much work isdone, but how much of Christ ispresent, or results from the sharing.” -T.A-S.

“The Gospel can never be fullypreached by the eloquence of theevangelist; it finds its true authority onlyin the lives of those it has laid hold of.

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We live in a day when it is easy toevade the Cross worked out in ourlives, and in which we are apt to placeour confidence in modern methods, andtechniques of evangelism. But lackingthe solid evidence of godly living anddevotion to the Lord Himself, these willbecome ‘a fanfare of trumpets or thecrashing of cymbals-nothing more’ (1Cor. 13:1, Phil.) .” -J.C.M.

“Ye are My witnesses, saith theLord, and My servant whom I havechosen” (Isa. 43:10).

3-9. Prayer Perseverance“God . . . hath quickened us together

with Christ and hath raised us uptogether, and made us sit together inheavenly places in Christ Jesus’ (Eph.2:4-6).

What is our attitude concerning ourneeds in the Christian life and warfare?Are we outside the armory, strugglingand pleading for supplies? Or are weinside the arsenal, ready to be fullysupplied and armed as our daily needsrequire? “Be strong in the Lord-beempowered through your union withHim; draw your strength from Him”(Eph. 6:10, Amp.).

“It has come these days with newlight and power that the first thing wehave to see to as we draw near to Godday by day is that our fellowship is withthe Father, and with His Son JesusChrist. If we listen in the stillness till ourhearts begin to respond to what He isthinking and feeling about the matter in

question, whether it concerns ourselvesor others, we can, from that moment,begin praying downwards from theThrone, instead of praying upwardsfrom ourselves.” -L.T.

“We must not think the revelation asto the will of God is an end in itself; it isbut the first phase of a prayer ministry.When Daniel had prayed through to anunderstanding of the ways of the Lord,he then set himself three times a day topersevere in prayer for the fulfillment.His prayer ministry took him into thelion’s den, but it also brought him outagain, and he was able to see thethings through to the glorious end.” -H.F.

“Let us therefore come boldly untothe throne of grace, that we may obtainmercy, and find grace to help in time ofneed” (Heb. 4:16).

3-10. Rest Of Sanctification“According as His divine power hath

given unto us all things that pertain untolife and godliness, through theknowledge of Him that hath called us toglory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3).

It is necessary for our Father toutilize very firm means in order toseparate us from the ingrained idea thatsanctification is produced by our work,plus His help.

“A superficial acquaintance withGod’s plan leads to the view that whilejustification is God’s work, by faith inChrist, sanctification is our work, to beperformed under the influence of the

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gratitude we feel for the deliverance wehave experienced and by the aid of theHoly Spirit. But the earnest Christiansoon finds how little gratitude cansupply the power. When he thinks moreprayer will bring it, he finds that,indispensable as prayer is, it is notenough. Often the believer struggleshopelessly for years, until he listens tothe teaching of the Spirit, as He glorifiesChrist again, and reveals Christ, ourSanctification, to be appropriated byfaith alone.” -A.M.

“Look not upon a life of holiness as astrain and an effort, but as the naturaloutgrowth of the life of Christ withinyou. And let ever again a quiet, hopeful,gladsome faith hold itself assured thatall you need for a holy life will mostassuredly be given you out of theholiness of the Lord Jesus. Thus willyou understand and prove what it is toabide in Christ our Sanctification. -A.M.

“Whereby are given unto usexceeding great and preciouspromises: that by these ye might bepartakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet.1:4).

3-11. Bench, Or Arena?

“Wherefore let them that sufferaccording to the will of God commit thekeeping of their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator” (1 Pet.4:19).

Initially, all we are able to trust Godfor is our justification. During this stagewe are usually satisfied to remain

spectators in the battle of life. Later,when we know Him better and arethereby able to trust Him more fully, webecome willing to let our Father take usdown into the arena and make usparticipators. “No man that warrethentangleth himself with the affairs ofthis life; that he may please Him whohath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Tim.2:4).

“If you would know victory you musthave conflict; it is ridiculous to talkabout having a victorious life when youhave never been in conflict. You mustbe prepared to enter the arena with theLord Jesus Christ Himself, and He willgive you lessons day by day. No onecan enjoy freedom without paying theprice, even in the ordinary values of life.If you would know what it is to triumph,you must certainly pass throughtribulation. If you want patience, then itis tribulation; if you want victory theremust be conflict.”

“Does Paul regret the thorn in theflesh that drew forth words that havecomforted countless millions? Do themen for whom the winds were contrarywish they had been spared the stormthat brought their Lord to them, walkingon the sea, and caused Him to speakthat immortal ‘It is I; be not afraid’?”

“The things which happened untome have fallen out rather unto thefurtherance of the gospel” (Phil. 1:12).

3-12. Not Pruning, But Death“For the death which He died He

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became, once for all, dead in relation tosin; but by the life which He now livesHe is alive in relation to God” (Rom.6:10, Wey.).

When we seek to suppress self inone area, it will express itself inanother. If we attempt to prune thebranches of the old life, we find that itsroot has thereby been strengthened.The one answer to this enemy, bothGod’s and ours, is the daily crucifixionof the Cross.

“Romans Six is one of the mostblessed portions of the New Testament,teaching us that our ‘old man,’ our oldnature that is in us, was actuallycrucified with Him, so that now we needno longer be in bondage to sin. Butremember it is only as the Holy Spiritmakes Christ’s death a reality within us,that we shall know, not by force ofargument or conviction, but in thereality of the power of an endless life,that we are in very deed dead to sin.” -A.M.

“Not by a stringent ‘cutting off’ ofexterior things, nor by seeking a mentalapprehension of ‘death with Christ’ inthe conscious life, but by a simplereckoning upon His death as yours-shall you experience in the inner depthsof your life, servant of God, the divinespiritual reality that ‘Christ in you’ is intruth your very life, displacing the oldlife of nature and continually ‘making todie’ its inclinations and habits”

“In the same way you also must

regard yourselves as dead in relation tosin, but as alive in relation to God,because you are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.6:11, Wey.).

3-13. Not Influence, But Life“For the law of the Spirit of life in

Christ Jesus hath made me free” (Rom.8:2).

The more fully the Lord Jesuscontrols within, the less we will beinfluenced by externals. The more weare affected by externals, the lessfreedom He will have within.

“The Lord Jesus’ miracles did nothave a character changing effect uponthe people who saw them orparticipated in them. They were but fora testimony to who He was. With all Hismiracles, in the end the principle ofunbelief has not been rooted out of asingle individual! Though they saw allthat He did, the deep-rooted unbeliefwas untouched. The amazing thing-even with the disciples themselves-wasthat they were still capable of deep-seated unbelief. ‘O foolish men, andslow of heart to believe....’ ‘Heupbraided them with their unbelief....’With all they saw, it did not touchcharacter, it did not touch their nature.”-T. A-S.

“As in the apostolic days so now thedesire exists for the manifestation of theSpirit in marvelous ways; but a lifesober, righteous, holy, lived in the hopeof the glory to come, is the moreexcellent way of the Spirit’s

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manifestation and undeniable proof ofHis indwelling. The prayer should notbe so much for this or that gift, or this orthat result, as for Christ Himself to bemade manifest to us and through us.The Apostle who was most filled withthe Spirit sums all up in that one greatword, ‘For to me to live is Christ.’“ -W.F.E.

“It is no longer I that live, but Christliveth in me” (Gal. 2:20).

3-14. Light And Shadow“Before I was afflicted l went astray:

but now have I kept Thy word” (Ps.119:67)

The head-knowledge of Spirit-taughtstudy becomes the heart-knowledge ofSpirit-led life, via Romans 8:28 and 29.How good it is to have a sovereignFather controlling all!

“You will find that no one learns trutheasily. He who built on the rock was notsecure merely because he built on therock; but he also digged deep. Whatsprings up quickly has no root. Themore you understand the nature andscope of the Word, the more will yousee the demand it makes on you andhow unreserved must be yoursubjection to it; while as you are subjectto it, you learn the blessedness andvirtues of it.

“The true value of anything is knownonly when it is wanted. For this reasonbright days must be succeeded by darkones. In the dreary and desolate hourto nature, we begin to know the value of

the truth communicated to us in thebright day. The learning is at one time,and the proving at another. In fact, weought to be prepared for the dark hour;so that, though it be dark, there issomething so blessed, so suited,pouring its comfort and sustenance onour souls, that, after all, the dark anddreary hour becomes a more reallyfestive time to the heart, because of thevirtues of the truth now made known,than the time of its reception, whichwas so happy and exhilarating.” -J.B.S.

“But the God of all grace, who hathcalled us unto His eternal glory byChrist Jesus, after that ye have suffereda while . . . stablish, strengthen, settleyou” (1 Pet. 5:10).

3-15. Earthly, Or Heavenly?“Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, who hathblessed us with all spiritual blessings inheavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

The New Testament believer’sspiritual growth is not based upon OldTestament doctrine. We are not toneglect the Old, but its introduction ofthe law was designed to lead to thegrace of the New. For a believer who isnot yet established in the risen LordJesus, it is a temptation to go to thepromises of the Old Testament forcomfort. This may result in some helpat times, but also may bring frustration.It is simply not our ground. “So now weserve not under [obedience to] the oldcode of written regulations, but under

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[obedience to the promptings] of theSpirit in newness [of life]” (Rom. 7:6,Amp.).

“‘The Law made nothing perfect’(Heb. 7:19). It was given to discover sinand imperfection, not to impart holinessor perfection. The Lord Jesus haspoured out His blessed Spirit that webelievers, while on earth, might walk inthat spirit of life and liberty that prevailsin heaven where Christ is. God hasgiven unto us His human-divine nature,and put within us His Holy Spirit. Shallwe not therefore walk in that liberty inwhich Christ liveth? For He lives thesame life of blessed freedom frombondage, and of joyful service to God,within us by His Spirit, as He doesseated in a body, in heaven before GodHis Father.” -W.R.N.

“If I would bring forth fruit and live toGod, I must see myself as having diedto law. Law is a principle on which wecannot live to God any more than wecan be justified.”

“For I through the law am dead to the law,that I might live unto God” (Gal. 2:19).

3-16. Christian Culture

“And He shall stand, and shall feedHis flock in the strength of Jehovah, inthe majesty of the name of Jehovah hisGod: and they shall abide” (Micah 5:4,ASV).

To an overwhelming degree “we arewhat we eat”-spiritually as well asphysically. “Thy words were found, and

I did eat them; and Thy word was untome the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:for I am called by Thy name, O LordGod of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).

“The best merely human literaturethat was ever written will not feed thenew nature. You may bring the noblestthoughts which ever sprang from ahuman mind, you may couch them inthe most fragrant rhetoric that everdistilled the perfume of literature in thebook lover’s nostrils and you will notquicken a single pulse of the new andspiritual life. Shakespeare may analyze,Milton soar, Bacon lead us step by stepup the royal stairway of induction to thethrone of logic, yet not a gleam of lightor pulse of strength will be added to theChrist within.” -I.M.H.

“With God all is uncultured which isnot in accord with the likeness of Christ-of Him in whose image man was firstcreated. Christ is the typical Man, andall in our education which is not afterthe pattern, after His likeness, isuncultured-only a caricature. We haveonly that degree of culture which resultsfrom the measure in which the image ofthe Lord Jesus Christ has penetratedus.”

“But strong meat belongeth to themthat are of full age, even those who byreason of use have their sensesexercised to discern both good and evil”(Heb. 5:14).

3-17. Past History“For He hath made Him to be sin for

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us, who knew no sin; that we might bemade the righteousness of God in Him”(2 Cor. 5:21).

The Lord Jesus was in our place ofdeath and judgment; we are in Hisplace of life and glory.

Romans Seven describes theexperience of the believer who hasbeen shown by the law principle theterrible consequences of his position inAdam. Romans Eight describes theexperience of the believer who knowswhat it is to be “in Christ,” and who isbeing made free experientially from “thelaw of sin and death” by “the law of theSpirit of life in Christ Jesus.”

“It is of immense importance forevery Christian to know that ‘our oldman’ has been fully judged and endedbefore God. Not changed or forgivenbut utterly condemned in the death ofthe Lord Jesus. ‘God sending His ownSon in the likeness of sinful flesh, andfor sin, condemned sin in the flesh’(Rom. 8:3). Where sin brought us, lovebrought the Lord Jesus-even to death;and His death is the end before God ofall that we were as children of Adam-men in the flesh.

“On the other hand, we have life inOne who is risen from the dead. We didbelong to the race of which Adam washead; but the death of Christ is, inGod’s reckoning, the termination of ourhistory in Adam. A new Head has beenprovided for us, and we have beentransferred by divine grace from Adam

to Christ.” -C.A.C.“He died for all, that they which live

should not henceforth live untothemselves; but unto Him” (2 Cor.5:15).

3-18. Cost Of Leadership“Love suffereth long, and is kind” (1

Cor. 13:4).The price of leadership remains high

and hard; it may be cheap and easy forthe dictator, for the hireling, but neverfor the shepherd. The dictatordominates; the hireling flees; but thegood shepherd loves his sheep and isloved by them. He lays down his life forthe sheep. True spiritual leadershipinvolves this principle: “Death workingin me works life in you” (2 Cor. 4:12,Cony.).

“It is the quality of leaders that theycan bear to be sat on, absorb shocks,act as a buffer, bear being muchplagued. Moses put up with thecomplaints and the waywardness andrevolt of the people. He pursued asteady course, enduring as seeing Himwho is invisible. The wear and tear andthe continual friction and trials whichcome to the servants of God are a greattest of character.” -F.M.

“Bridge the gaps! A bridge meanssomething-generally a life laid down.The very simplest bridge, a plankthrown across a stream, was once partof a tree standing erect, sapping lifefrom the earth, and beautifying all thearea around it. Now it is dead, but

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perhaps saves other lives; anyway ithelps to make others useful, and iscontent to push others on, unnoticed,unthanked. ‘Seekest thou great thingsfor thyself? seek them not,’ just be abridge. It is so simple. See that othersare placed on the right track with Godthrough the Lord Jesus. When they getthere, they will not thank you, will neverlook back probably at the bridge; butthe Great Architect will know and loveand care.” -E.W.

“Let this mind be in you, which wasalso in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5)

3-19. Effortless Grace

“God . . . called me by His grace, toreveal His Son in me” (Gal. 1:15, 16).

Just think! Our Father has placed usin eternal and living union with His Son,that He, not we, may “be.” Moreover,He has placed His Holy Spirit eternallywithin us that He, not we, may “do.”Further, He has given us the necessaryfaith and Scripture that we may rest inthis wonderful reality, trusting Him “towill and to do of His good pleasure.”This is a far cry from futile struggle andfrustrating self-effort!

“Christians in the main groan andstrive and struggle largely on the basisof human effort where the grace ofGod, though acknowledged, is scarcelyoperative-only to come to grief. Even attheir best, they find the purpose of theLord Jesus remains an ideal infinitelybeyond their reach. The trouble lies inthe fact that they are proceeding on the

wrong basis.“God does not expect them, as a

result of their own endeavors, to be likethe Lord Jesus. He expects them torealize the utter impossibility of such athing (as in Romans Seven, where Paulcomes to the end of himself). Heexpects them to know the Lord Jesusas their very life, disowning any other.He expects them to realize theirposition of absolute oneness withChrist, for He ‘has blessed them withevery spiritual blessing in heavenlyplaces in Christ’ (Eph. 1:3).” -F.J.H.

“Be strengthened in the grace that isin Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:7, ASV).

3-20. Risen Fare“He humbled thee, and suffered thee

to hunger, and fed thee with manna”(Deut. 8:3).

The wilderness wanderers weremaintained by manna, but those inCanaan flourished on “the old corn ofthe land.” The carnal Christian exists onthe milk of the Word, while the hungry-hearted believer feeds and matures onthe meat of the Word.

“The old corn of Canaan typifieswhat the risen and ascended Lordministers directly to us now by the HolySpirit. Those who appropriate theirposition in Christ feed no longer merelyon the manna, which represents Christas supporting our life while we yet‘know Him not’ as regards any intimatefellowship.

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“If positional truth, rather than theduties of attainment, were taught first tothe saints, much more satisfactoryresults would follow the ministry ofmany Christian workers. We shouldnote most carefully that Israel wasbrought into Canaan, all uncircumcisedand unworthy as they were, before theywere asked to take the circumcised,separated position as the people ofGod, or enter upon their warfare.

“So we, as believers, have beenalready brought by Jesus Christ ourHead, in His death and resurrection,into the ‘heavenly places,’ and to ushave been given ‘all things that pertainunto life and godliness’ (2 Pet. 1:3).And it is always on the ground of wherewe already are, and what we alreadyare, and what we already have, that theHoly Spirit shows us our blessedprivileges and responsibilities of ‘thecalling wherewith we are called.’“ -W.R.N.

“And the manna ceased on themorrow after they had eaten of the oldcorn of the land” (Joshua 5:12).

3-21. The Cross, Then Consecration“The carnal mind is enmity against

God: for it is not subject to the law ofGod, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).

The Cross is the altar upon whichGod sacrificed His Son. It is upon thissame Cross (take up your Cross“daily”), this same altar (the place ofdeath), that I am to be consecrated toGod as “a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

This eventuates in my intelligentlyyielding myself to Him as one who is“alive from the dead” (Rom. 6:13).

“God asks us to present our bodiesas living sacrifices to Him (Rom. 12:1).Until we have done this, there isnothing else we can do. But notice thatthis exhortation comes after RomansSix. There is a reason for this order-crucifixion comes before consecration.Uncrucified self refuses to beconsecrated (to say nothing of God’srefusing to accept it). That is why somany people with all sincerity walkdown the aisles again and again,consecrating uncrucified self to God.” -H.D.

“We must learn to know Him and tolove Him. Then we will not have tostruggle to move into consecration. Theheart will lead into it. A lover neverthinks about giving himself to a lovedone. He cannot do otherwise. He lovesto do it. Is there not here a key toconsecration? Why do we not yield?Because we do not love. Why do wehave to fight the battle and vow andgroan and struggle? Because we do notknow Him.” -C.A.C.

“That I may know Him...and thefellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10).

3-22. Deepened Channels

“God is faithful, by whom ye werecalled unto the fellowship of His SonJesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9).

We want fellowship with the LordJesus in His peace and joy, and

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naturally fear and seek to avoidsuffering. However, it is in thefellowship of His sufferings that wepartake of His peace and joy.

“The Lord has a wonderful way ofbringing us into the fellowship of Hissufferings, even when everythingoutside looks prosperous. Sometimesthe most apparently prosperous liveshave the deepest sufferings at the backof them. The Lord must one way oranother teach us fellowship withsuffering, or we cannot be of much use.We dwell much upon the side of beingfilled with joy, but let us not forget thereare broken hearts all round us, and ifwe are to be channels of divine comfortto them, we must learn something ofthe fellowship of His sufferings in ourown experience.”

“We shall err if we think that life inthe Sanctuary, hidden with Christ inGod, means freedom from suffering,sorrow, and trial. Rather will the soul bestrengthened inwardly to be trustedmore and more with the ‘fellowship ofHis sufferings, becoming conformedunto His death’ (Phil. 3:10).”

“Our Father can advance Hischildren into conformity to the image ofHis Son, more by suffering in one day,than in many years of ease from trial.”

“See how we call those who thusendured happy! You have heard howpatiently Job endured and have seenhow the Lord finally blessed him,because the Lord is tenderhearted and

merciful” (James 5:11 Wms.).

3-23. Calvary And Pentecost

“But now that you have been setfree from the tyranny of Sin, and havebecome the bondservants of God, youhave your reward in being made holy”(Rom. 6:22, Wey.).

When the believer truly sees Calvaryhe says, “There, through the work ofthe Cross, I died with the Lord Jesusunto sin.” When the believer truly seesPentecost he says, “There, through theministry of the Holy Spirit, I wasbaptized into the risen Lord Jesus.”Here are the two mighty pillars of ourfreedom from the power anddomination of sin.

“The believer is to rejoice in thedouble blessing of Calvary andPentecost. He is freed fromcondemnation because of the Bloodshed, and he is set free from the law ofsin and death by the indwelling Spiritthat he received when he came to theLord Jesus. It is not only that there is nocondemnation, but there is liberty.

“‘The law of the Spirit of Life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death’ (Rom. 8:2).‘...hath made me free....’ Let me walk init; let me enjoy it, and I am free. I amnot struggling to get free; I have beenset free in the Spirit, and I am bidden tostand fast in the liberty wherewith Christhas made me free (Gal. 5:1). I am notstruggling for victory; I am standing invictory. I have not to struggle to get out

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of the horrible pit. He lifted me out; setmy feet on the Rock and establishedmy goings; and He bids me, ‘Stand fastin the victory that I have gained for you.’Believe and rejoice in it, and you willknow what it is to be free.” -G.G.

“Walk not after the flesh, but afterthe Spirit” (Rom. 8:4)

3-24. Pattern Of Mercy“That He might make known the

riches of His glory on the vessels ofmercy, which He had afore preparedunto glory” (Rom. 9:23).

Mercifully, day by day, He unfoldsbefore our startled eyes the evil depthsof the self-life. It is thus we come toknow Him as the “God who is rich inmercy,” and ourselves as “vessels ofmercy.”

“Today sinful men, not angels, areentrusted with the preaching of theGospel, and before they can be used ofGod must first of all have plumbed thedepths of their own sinfulness, andhave, therefore, discovered the heightsand glories of God’s longsuffering. Inthis way they can become a pattern ofHis mercy, by means of which He candemonstrate His grace to others.” -J.C.M.

“The power effectively to presentChrist as Lord, is by means ofrevelation deep within us, bringing intobeing an unshakable knowledge of Hisauthority and might, and making uscontent to accept our weakness andnothingness in order that we may see

the pleasure of the Lord prosper in Hishand (Isa. 53:10).” -J.C.M.

“The more useful anyone is, themore he requires to be brought to anend of himself, and to find that his all isin the Lord Jesus. We find some of Hisservants deeply chastened at first, inorder to prepare them for a usefulcourse; and some after a useful periodare brought low and afflicted in orderthat they might learn how truly and fullyour Father is sovereign.” -J.B.S.

“From Me is thy fruit found” (Hosea14:8)

3-25. Cooperative Living

“Put away, as concerning yourformer manner of life, the old man”(Eph. 4:22, ASV).

Positionally, in the finished work ofthe Cross and resurrection, we havebeen cut off from the old man throughdeath, and have been born into the newMan by the new birth. “Ye have put offthe old man...and have put on the newman, which is renewed in knowledgeafter the image of Him that created him”(Col. 3:9, 10). Experientially, day byday, our part is to choose against theold (“put off”) in favor of the new (“puton”), thus allowing the Holy Spiritfreedom to apply the finished work ofthe Cross (Rom. 6:11). “I have beencrucified with Christ; and it is no longer Ithat live, but Christ liveth in me” (Gal.2:20, ASV).

“The flesh need not be an ugly formof life, indeed it can be apparently very

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nice, but it is alien to this new life in theSpirit. It belongs to another race; it isnot the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sowe are told that the Holy Spirit is inopen conflict against the self-life (Gal.5:17).

“It is equally true that the flesh lusts(strives) against the Spirit, but He iswell able to take up the challenge. Hewill not quietly accept this rival to therule of Christ, so He stands, with Hisgreat weapon of the Cross, to renderinoperative everything which is amenace to the life of Christ in us. Hecalls us to cooperate with Him in thismatter by reckoning, for only so can theexcellency of Christ be manifested inthe believer.” -H.F.

“Put on the new man” (Eph. 4:24).

3-26. The Hand Of God“For this is thankworthy, if a man for

conscience toward God endure grief,suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it,if, when ye be buffeted for your faults,ye shall take it patiently? but if, when yedo well, and suffer for it, ye take itpatiently, this is acceptable with God” (1Pet. 2:19, 20).

When self reacts correctly in adifficult situation, it can only result in thesin of self-righteousness. In order forChrist’s righteousness to bemanifested, the Holy Spirit must holdself inoperative by means of the Cross.

“Accustom yourself in everythingthat happens, to recognize the hand ofthe Father. Before you fix your thoughts

on the person who did it, first be still,and remember, God allows me to comeinto this trouble to see if I shall glorifyHim in it. This trial, be it the greatest orleast, is allowed of God, and is His willconcerning me. Let me first recognizeand submit to God’s will in it. Then inthe rest of soul which this gives, I shallreceive wisdom to know how to behavein it. With my eye turned from man toGod, suffering wrong is not as hard as itseems.

“The Lord Jesus knew that HisFather would care for His rights andhonor. But he who lives in the visible,wants his honor to be vindicated atonce here below. He who lives in theeternal, and as seeing the Invisible, issatisfied to leave the vindication of hisrights and honor in God’s hands; heknows that they are safe with Him.Giving one’s all into God’s keepingbrings rest and peace.” -A.M.

“When He suffered, He . . .committed Himself to Him that judgethrighteously” (1 Pet. 2:23).

3-27. Softening Sorrow

“Nevertheless God, that comforteththose that are cast down, comforted us”(2 Cor. 7:6).

All of us are going to have sorrow,and none of us should miss its spiritualbenefits. “Godly sorrow workethrepentance...while the sorrow of theworld worketh death (2 Cor. 7:10).

“God’s purpose is to conform us tothe image of the Lord Jesus. God had

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one Son, without sin, but not withoutsorrow.” -A.S.

“Sorrow reveals unknown depths inthe soul, and unknown capabilities ofexperience and service. God neveruses anybody to a large degree, untilafter He breaks that one. It takessorrow to widen the soul.”

“We cannot do good to others saveat a cost to ourselves, and ourafflictions are the price we pay for ourability to sympathize. He who would bea helper must first be a sufferer. ‘Whocomforteth us in all our tribulation, thatwe may be able to comfort them whichare in any trouble, by the comfortwherewith we ourselves are comfortedof God’ (2 Cor. 1:4). We cannot havethe highest happiness of life insuccoring others without tasting the cupwhich our Lord Jesus drank. The schoolof suffering graduates rare scholars.”

“Well, it is but a little while and Hewill appear to answer all enquiries andto wipe away all tears. I would not wish,then, to be of those who had none towipe away, would you?” -J.H.T.

“And God shall wipe away all tearsfrom their eyes” (Rev. 7:17)

3-28. Directed Prayer“Be ye not unwise, but

understanding what the will of the Lordis” (Eph. 5:17).

Prayer to God must come from God.There can be no prayer in the fullassurance of faith apart from the known

will of God in the matter. “The God ofour fathers hath chosen thee, that thoushouldest know His will” (Acts 22:14).

“I do not think that a petition thatmisses the mind of God will ever beanswered (1 John 5:14). Personally, Ifeel the need of trusting Him to lead mein prayer as well as in other matters. Ifind it well to preface prayer not only bymeditation but by the definite requestthat I may be directed into the channelsof prayer to which the Holy Spirit isbeckoning me (Rom. 8:26, 27).” -J.O.F.

“When we once have the deep, calmassurance of His will in the matter, weput in our claim, just as a child beforehis father. A simple request and nothingmore. No crying, no beseeching, nowrestling. No second asking, either.” -J.O.F.

“The Lord may see it needful, for thetrial (development) of faith, to seem fora season not to regard oursupplications; yet, if we patiently andbelievingly continue to wait upon Him, itwill be manifest in His own time, andway, that we did not call upon Him invain.” -G.M.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God;for my expectation is from Him” (Ps.62:5).

3-29. Tyranny Of Sin

“You were set free from the tyrannyof Sin” (Rom 6:18, Wey.).

The tyranny of sin over the lostnecessitated the death of the Lord

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Jesus on the Cross. The tyranny of sinover the saved necessitated the deathof the believer in the Lord Jesus on thatsame Cross. The dual truths of Calvary:His death for our sin, as payment; ourdeath with Him unto sin, fordeliverance.

“The believer sees that Christ bydying for him has completely deliveredhim from the penalty of sin. So it is hisprivilege to see that because he isidentified with the Lord Jesus in thatdeath, he is also delivered from sin as aruling principle. Its power is broken. Heis in that sense ‘free from sin’ (Rom.6:18, 22).” -E.H.

“Through my life-union with Christ inHis death and resurrection, I have ‘diedto sin.’ His death to sin is my death tosin. In my very humanity, Christ so tookme up with Himself in death that, whenHe died unto sin, I too was executedand there died to sin’s reign and power.Has Christ so dealt with sin that He hasexhausted its every claim anddominion? And do I share with Him Hisdeath unto sin? With bold and explicitreckoning, then, let me count on mydeath-resurrection relationship to Godthrough the Lord Jesus. In Christcrucified I have been discharged fromsin’s domination.” -L.E.M.

“When victory does not tend toworship, we and God part company, soto speak, as soon as the victory isachieved. How sad to see victory oftenleading to mere joy, instead of stillgreater dependence on, and delight in,

God!” -J.N.D.“But now, being freed from the

bondage of sin . . . your fruit is growthin holiness” (Rom. 6:22, Cony.).

3-30. Previously Prepared“Let the same disposition be in you

which was in Christ Jesus.” “Forasmuchthen as Christ hath suffered in the flesh,arm yourselves likewise with the samemind: for he that hath suffered in theflesh is at rest from sin” (Phil. 2:5, Wey;1 Pet. 4:1m).

Too late! Too late! If we seek to dealwith sin by reckoning at the moment itbecomes an issue. Our stand andattitude from the beginning of each dayis to be a settled matter as we rest inour risen Lord Jesus: the death of theCross separates me from theenslavement of sin and self, and Icontinually abide in my new life, ChristJesus. My life is “hid with Christ in God”(Col. 3:3).

“The reckoning believer is to meetevery proposal of self-gratificationarmed with the mind to suffer in theflesh. Sin is the gratification of self, but‘he that hath suffered in the flesh hathceased from the domination of sin.’

“If you allow yourself to entertain asuggestion of self-gratification-if youconsider it, and give it a place in yourmind-you are defeated. You have laidaside your armor, and will fall an easyprey to the foe. But there will be noresponse to the suggestion ortemptation if you stand armed with the

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mind to suffer in the flesh. That which isproposed to you is exactly opposite towhat you are set for. It is suggestedthat you should be pleased andgratified in the very thing in which youare fully minded to suffer. You are nowin conflict with sin-not going along withit; you suffer in the flesh, and haveceased from the practice of sin.” -C.A.C.

“So that he can no longer spend therest of his natural life living by [his]human appetites and desires but [helives] for what God wills” (1 Pet. 4:2,Amp.).

3-31. Now No Condemnation“Ye also are become dead to the law

by the body of Christ; that ye should bemarried to another, even to Him who israised from the dead, that we shouldbring forth fruit unto God” (Rom. 7:4).

Romans Six reveals our position ashaving died unto the principle of sin;Romans Seven teaches us our positionas having died unto the principle of law.Both must be counted upon if we are toabide in Christ, and walk in the Spirit,as set forth in Romans Eight.

“We have to look at ourselves andsee how far we are devotedly followingthe Lord Jesus, with full purpose ofheart-how we can say, ‘This one thing Ido’; but we must take care at the sametime not to get into legal bondage bythis standard. If I say, ‘Here is a rule ofconduct: follow it,’ this cannot reach theheart, the affections. The ministration of

the letter brings only failure, andcondemnation; for it prescribes a rulewhich man, being a sinner, can neverfollow. It does not change a man; itproves him ‘ungodly and withoutstrength.’

“We may turn even Christ into thatletter of condemnation; we may takeHis life, for instance, and make it ourlaw. Nay, we may turn even the love ofChrist into our law; we may say, ‘Hehas loved me, and done all this for me,and I ought to love Him, and do somuch for Him, in return for this love,’etc. Thus if we turn His love into a ruleof life, it becomes the ministration ofcondemnation.”

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewithChrist hath made us free, and be notentangled again with the yoke of bondage”(Gal. 5:1).

Number 4Although the pathway of the hungry

heart seems lonely, be assured thatyou are one of an increasing numberwho are seeking, and finding, God’svery best as it is in Christ Jesus.

To this end we simply set forthspiritual truths for your study andmeditation, while you depend upon theHoly Spirit to establish your life morefully in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Meditate upon these things; givethyself wholly to them, that thy profitingmay appear to all” (1 Tim. 4:15).

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-Miles J. Stanford; August 1970

4-1. His Hunger

“Oh that men would praise the Lordfor His goodness, and for His wonderfulworks to the children of men!” (Ps.107:8).

Our Father gave us the hunger to bejustified (John 6:44), and He gave usthe hunger to be sanctified (Phil. 3:10).This same principle applies to ourservice, our sharing. He never pushedus, but drew us in loving kindness-andHe would treat others likewise, throughus.

“If we are not living near the LordJesus and are not where we should be,we neither have an appetite for spiritualthings, nor can we feed upon Him whois the living Bread. When God poursinto you a hunger for your Beloved andbegins to reveal your privileges in Him,rejoice with great joy and gratitudetoward God. If He did not put into ourhearts the longing to know Him betterand to have His very best, we would besatisfied with the least we could haveand be saved.” -C.H.MacI.

“How wondrous are the working anddrawings of God upon a human heart!How little do we behold Him or knowthat which He is doing, as day by dayHe works down in the depths of ourbeings. The most favored place a childof God can be in, is to continually feelthe drawing of God urging andconstraining him to a greater hunger forHim.”

“God never gives anything till thesoul is ready to receive it. When youare ready you will long and hunger forit.”

“For He satisfieth the longing soul,and filleth the hungry soul withgoodness” (Ps. 107:9).

4-2. Constant Care“The Lord recompense thy work,

and a full reward be given thee by theLord God of Israel, under whose wingsthou art come to trust” (Ruth 2:12).

The Lord Jesus not only died forevery sin in our life, but He lives forevery second of our life. We cannot restin Him until we realize that there isnever an instant that He is not caringfor us. It is as though each of His ownwere His only one.

“So many saints are disturbed, somany are restless, because they arenot living in the knowledge that they areunder the care of the Lord; and thenthere is no power to walk. Why haveyou so little power in walk or service? Itis because you are not yet clear thatthe Lord is caring for you, that He is inall watchfulness over you, that He haslet down the strong pinions of Hisprotecting care till they sweep theground around you, and, if you arewise, you will creep up close under Hiswings, into the very down.” -J.B.S.

“It belongs to the nature of ourpilgrimage and life of faith, that wecannot see the land for which we arebound. If only thou hast bid farewell to

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thy past, have confidence in thy God;trust Him to bring thee into a better landthan the one thou art leaving. Shouldwe find that Divine things do not atpresent correspond with our hopes, wemay be quite sure they will eventuallyexceed our expectations; we shallrealize above all we ask orcomprehend.” -O.S.

“And a man shall be like an hidingplace from the wind, and a covert fromthe tempest; like rivers of water in a dryplace, like the shadow of a great rock ina weary land” (Isa. 32:2).

4-3. Growth For Service

“My little children, of whom I travailin birth again until Christ be formed inyou” (Gal. 4:19).

A ministry of life, whether it be at thekitchen sink, or from the First Churchpulpit, must flow from the life of theLord Jesus Christ. That life must bedeveloped in and shared through thegrowing believer, by the Holy Spirit. Weare to rest in Him for spiritual growth,and He will work through us for spiritualservice.

“He, whom the Lord cannot trustwith the faithful care of his ownvineyard, will not be trusted with thetending of God’s Vineyard of living,immortal souls. How shall we face theOwner of the Vineyard, if we haveneglected our own lives; if we have notentered into that which God has shownus; if we must say, when He asks usabout the lack of fruit and the neglect

which is so sadly evident: ‘Lord, I wasso busy tending Thy Vineyard, that myown vineyard I have not kept’ (S.S.1:6).” -C.H.MacI.

“Our Lord is more concerned for atestimony than for a work. We need toget clear on that. A good deal ofconfusion comes in when you begin tothink of things in the light of a work.When you get a lot of people leavingtheir employment to go into ‘the work,’all kinds of complications arise. It is notthat we aren’t to serve the Lord, but inthe first place it is not the work the Lordis after, it is a testimony, it is a light, aliving flame.”

“That ye might walk worthy of theLord unto all pleasing, being fruitful inevery good work and increasing in theknowledge of God” (Col. 1:10)

4-4. Internal Priority

“Christ in you, the hope of glory”(Col. 1:27).

Beware! The world, both secular andreligious, is seeking to destroy yourindividuality by conforming you to themass of faceless ones. But our heritageand destiny in the Lord Jesus Christ isto be conformed to His image-not at theloss of our individual personality, but bythe gain of His nature and character. “Iin you”; “Christ liveth in me” (John 15:4;Gal. 2:20).

“Something has got to be done in usas well as for us. We want to proceedon the line of having things done for us,heaven intervening for us, our

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difficulties removed for us, having astraight path made for us. Heaven maybe ready to come in, the Lord may beprepared to work for us, but it is notsufficient for Him-and it would not provegood enough for us-if that were all. Thevery principle of spiritual growth andmaturity demands that He keep theobjective and the subjective balanced;that is, that something is done in us aswell as for us.” -T. A-S.

“We are apt to think that if and whenthe circumstances and conditions of ourlives are changed and we are inanother position than the one we nowoccupy, then something will happen,the purpose of God will begin to befulfilled. But the Lord says, ‘No, it is notcircumstances, not conditions, at all; itis you.’“

“Being confident of this very thing,that He who hath begun a good work inyou will perform it until the day of JesusChrist” (Phil. 1:6).

4-5. Rags To Riches“But I see another law in my

members, warring against the law of mymind, and bringing me into captivity tothe law of sin which is in my members”(Rom. 7:23).

Self is the believer’s indwellingenemy; its degrading bondage is hisdeepest heartache. However, the reignof self is overthrown by its own enmity,since it creates the needs that cause usto hunger for and appropriate Christ’slife and liberty.

“A sense of spiritual poverty isnecessary to spiritual growth. Thisawareness of failure becomes acute tothe believer during those days when heis attempting to attain holiness of heartthrough self-effort. Knowing what heought to be and do, he proceeds to tryto reach those goals. He purposes,resolves, promises, struggles, weeps,and fails again. His testimony, withPaul, is, ‘The things that I want to do, Ido not do, and the things that I do notwant to do, I do’ (Rom. 7:15).

“What a delightful day it is for himwhen he realizes that ‘in him, that is, inhis flesh, dwelleth no good thing’ (Rom.7:18). Only then does he, in his failure,cry out, ‘Who shall deliver me from thebody of this death?’ ‘I thank Godthrough Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Rom.7:24, 25) comes back the reply. Hebegins to recognize that God expectsonly failure from the flesh, neversuccess, but that ‘in Christ’ is hissanctification, his growth. Thus it is thatfreedom comes through bondage, lifethrough death.” -W.W.

“For the law of the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

4-6. Reliance In Toto“Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself,

and God, even our Father, which hathloved us, and hath given us everlastingconsolation and good hope throughgrace” (2 Thess. 2:16).

It has been well said that “it takes a

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lifetime to learn real dependence uponGod, and to accept practically our owninadequacy.” We are going to learn thisonly through experience, and now is thetime to settle down to this schooling-aday at a time.

“We are to understand that Godloves us, and that He justifies us by thework of His Son. We have no longerconscience of sins before God,because He Himself has taken themaway before His eyes; we know thatbeing united to the Lord Jesus Christ,who has fully glorified God in that whichconcerns our sins, we have been madethe righteousness of God in Him. Sothe heart is free to enjoy His love in thepresence of the Father.” -J.N.D.

“I no longer attempt to produce thatwhich will satisfy God from myself asoriginator. I know that even if I try I shallonly fail. But I do seek to please God byfaith in the activity of Another. The Sonof God who indwells me by His Spirit isable and willing to carry out in me‘those things that please Him’; and Icount upon Him to do so. Consciously,day by day, I take the attitude that Itrust Him to work the will of God in me,and in that attitude I go forward andserve Him. I do not trust myself. ‘I liveby faith in the Son of God.’“ -A.I.K.

“Comfort your hearts, and establishyou in every good word and work” (2Thess. 2:17).

4-7. Hand Hewn“Hearken unto Me, ye that follow

after righteousness, ye that seek theLord; look unto the rock from which yeare hewn” (Isa. 51:1).

If we care for His glory, we will wantto serve. If we care for others, we willwant to be well prepared for thatservice. And that care will enable us tohold still and trust Him through all thatis entailed in the preparation.

“When a certain breaking down ofself takes place in a believer’s life, itproduces a marked change in him; butafterwards he has to learn it all indetail.” -J.N.D.

“This is a fact borne out in the caseof every servant of God in history whohas really come under the hand of God-that the real values of their lives for alltime have been those which correspondto the wine of the grape, the thingtrodden out in the winepress, the agonyof heart; and you know that it is true inyour case that if ever you have hadanything at all which you knew to beworthwhile and which has helpedsomeone else, it has been born out ofsome travail in your own experience.”

“If we knew the heart of our Fatherwe would never question any of Hisdealings with us, nor should we everdesire His hand lifted off us till we hadlearnt all He would teach us.” -E.D.

“Now, therefore, ye are no morestrangers and sojourners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of thehousehold of God; and are built uponthe foundation of the apostles and

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prophets, Jesus Christ Himself beingthe chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:19, 20).

4-8. Triumph In Trial“Always guarded by the power of

God through faith.... In such a hopekeep on rejoicing, although for a littlewhile you must be sorrow-stricken withvarious trials” (1 Peter 1:5, 6, Wms.).

There are testimonies, and there aretestimonies. Some can testify as to howGod cleared up adverse circumstancesfor the victory; but others can testify tothe triumph God gave in the midst ofdifficult circumstances. The essentialconsideration is that our Father beglorified in all His dealings with and forus. How He brings it all about should besecondary to us.

“If there is a great trial in your lifetoday, do not own it as a defeat, butcontinue, by faith, to claim the victorythrough Him who is able to make youmore than conqueror, and a glorioustriumph will soon be apparent. Let uslearn that in all the hard places ourFather brings us into, He is makingopportunities for us to exercise suchfaith in Him as will bring about blessedresults and greatly glorify His Name.”

“God has put you in exactly the rightcrucible to burn up what He sees needsto be burnt up. Many think ‘victory’means getting your circumstances putright. No! true triumph is within-when inthe midst of your circumstances theSpirit of God can so energize you andstrengthen you in spirit, that you can

stand quiet in the thick of it all, and say,‘God is God,’ and know that you areheld by Him-which is infinitely betterthan all your trying to hold thingssteady.”

“Therefore, my brethren . . . standfast in the Lord” (Phil. 4:1).

4-9. Llttle-known Requisite“My beloved children, I am again

bearing the pangs of travail for you, tillChrist be fully formed within you” (Gal.4:19, Cony.).

It is essential that we “grow in grace,and in the knowledge of our Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ,” for threereasons: (1) that our Father may beglorified; (2) that the Lord Jesus mightbe manifested in us; (3) that the HolySpirit might have a suitable instrumentthrough which to win and establishothers.

“Paul had one great consumingpurpose to be brought to birth by hissufferings for the Galatians, and thatwas the living expression of the LordJesus Christ in them. Nothing lesscould satisfy God, and nothing lessthan this should ever satisfy a servantof God. Numbers were still good inGalatia, activities well maintained andzeal unabated, but the Lord Jesus wasbeing crowded out-and that is thegreatest tragedy possible.” -H.F.

“It is a marvellous grace that weshould be conformed to the image ofGod’s Son. I think it is very sad that thehighest thought which God has about

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us, and that which His heart is set on, isthat which is least known by Christians;for I know no truth that is so littlerealized as union with Christ.” -J.B.S.

“Who hath saved us, and called uswith an holy calling, not according toour works, but according to His ownpurpose and grace, which was given usin Christ Jesus before the world began”(2 Tim. 1:9).

4-10. Truth, Then Experience“But grow in grace, and in the

knowledge of our Lord and SaviourJesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

The Christian who relies mainlyupon “experiences” for growth willmanifest little spiritual discernment,dependability or maturity, whereas thebeliever who relies upon doctrinal truthwill be found to manifest these aspectsof a healthy walk. If we bypass truth, wefall short of spiritual reality.

“Many people today are seeking fora new religious experience and whenthe last grows old, they seek to get yetanother experience. The actual need ofmost believers today is not anexperience, but a true apprehension ofwhat the Lord Jesus Christaccomplished on the Cross for us andof our present day union with Him.

“When a person begins toapprehend what it means to be unitedto the Son of God and what he hasthrough this union, he will at oncerealize that his spiritual growth dependsupon a clear understanding of truth

rather than upon an experience.However, those who really appropriatethis truth cannot fail to have dailyexperiences with the Lord.” -L.L.L.

“Nowhere in Scripture is it taughtthat there is a sudden leap to be takenfrom carnality to spirituality, or from alife of comparative unconcern as togodliness to one of intense devotion tothe Lord Jesus. On the contrary,increase in piety is ever presented as agrowth, which should be as normal andnatural as the orderly progression inhuman life from infancy to full stature.” -H.A.I.

“Meditate upon these things; givethyself wholly to them, that thy profitingmay appear to all” (1 Tim. 4:15).

4-11. Inwrought For Outreach“Rooted and built up in Him, and

established in the faith, as ye havebeen taught, abounding therein withthanksgiving” (Col. 2:7).

At first our concern is to be used, toserve; but it is our concern. Then Hebegins to impress His concern upon ourhearts, that we be like Him. Finally, it isHis concern and ours that others maybe reached by Him and established inHim.

“The Holy Spirit indwells us andthereby accomplishes oursanctification-an adjustment of ourpersonal lives to His own person andcharacter, to the dropping away of sin’spower over us and the implanting of HisChrist-imparting attributes in us. But to

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what purpose is all of this? For thebeautifying of our personal lives? Toterminate upon us? Not at all. His workin us is that He may have an instrumentadjusted to His use, thus to workthrough us to the blessing of others. -N.B.H.

“It is not so much a matter of ourattainments or full conformity to Christ,but rather our progressive movementtowards the final goal. Even if we wereperfect in ourselves, that would notmake us ministers, for ministry consistsin the Spirit’s manifesting in our livessomething more of Christ that was notthere before, and then making it shineout for the blessing and transformationof others.” -H.F.

“And the Lord make you to increaseand abound in love one toward another,and toward all men” (1 Thess. 3:12).

4-12. Not How, But Who!“Seek those things which are above,

where Christ sitteth on the right hand ofGod” (Col. 3:1).

We never question how He works,once we know Him for who He is. WhenI gain the treasure of knowing Him, Ican well afford to trust Him.

“The heart that is captivated by anobject could never be at rest until it waswith the one who had won it; forsatisfaction you must be where He is.Love really does not think of anyone butits Object until it is quite sure of itsplace with Him, and then when at restabout itself it studies the mind and heart

of the Object.“I find that Christ loved me, and

gave Himself for me when I was in amost unattractive state; but He makesme suitable to Himself, and I am soassured of the permanency of His loveand of my association with Him that myheart is free to study Him. The more Iam in His company, the more I acquirethe tastes and characteristics whichanswer to His mind.”

“There is an amazing effect ofbeholding the Lord’s glory. You may betransformed from some old tastewithout even feeling it; but you aretransformed! and you cannot tell how. Itis not the process that occupies you,but you are engrossed with the Lord.We are united to the glorified Lordwhere He is at home, and, blessed byGod, that is our home, our life is there.”-J.B.S.

“Your life is hid with Christ in God”(Col. 3:3).

4-13. Dual Reckoning“For in Him dwelleth all the fulness

of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).“Reckoning” on the work of the

Cross is the only relief from the carnalburden of self. Then comes the spiritualburden of Christ-to be more like Him.“Reckoning” is the answer there, too.“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves tobe dead indeed unto sin, but alive untoGod through [in] Jesus Christ our Lord”(Rom. 6.11). If we seek to escape thedeath, we will not experience the life.

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“We are not to try to crucify self, butwe are to agree (reckon) with what Godhas said and done. In the lives of mostbelievers self has usurped the placebelonging to the Lord Jesus Christ. It isa criminal worthy of death, but thetrouble is that they do not realize thatthis self-life has been crucified on theCross. They do not believe the facts ofthe Word, and sin therefore reigns intheir lives; they live in bondage to sin,praying for deliverance, praying thatthey may die to sin, but refusing tobelieve what God says He has alreadydone.” -L.L.L.

“The constant tendency is to try toimprove the manner of one’s life herebelow by adopting Christian principles,whereas you will never arrive at itunless you start from ‘crucified withChrist.’ Then it is not thinking of what Iam, but of what He is, ‘Christ liveth inme.’“ -J.B.S.

“And ye are complete in Him, who isthe head of all principality and power”(Col. 2:10).

4-14. Appreciation, Not Depreciation

“Let the word of Christ dwell in yourichly” (Col. 3:16).

As believers we rejoice in the factthat the Lord Jesus died for us, but feware affected by the fact that He arosefor us. Fewer still realize that we diedand arose with Him. Learn the facts!There will be continual struggle andfailure until we gain adequateunderstanding of the liberating truth.

“The Lord Jesus on the Crossremoved the barriers which separatedme from God-my guilt, my sin, the law;and He dealt with my enemies-theworld, the flesh, the devil. These sixthings were dealt with, so that we needno longer be in bondage through fearand that we may come boldly to thethrone of grace.

“Have we given a hearty assent tothese things which the Lord Jesus didfor us? Or have we, as we read theWord, drifted by them, taking it all forgranted? Let us lay hold of that forwhich God has laid hold of us. Let usgird up the loins of our mind andconsent to that which He did for us. Letus enter into all that which being unitedto Christ as our Life means. Let usrejoice in all that was accomplished forus on Calvary.” -L.L.L.

“It is necessary that the truthconferred by grace should be known asa possession and the virtue of itapprehended, before there can be anywalk in keeping with it. For if there beignorance or misapprehension, thetruer the conscience, the moredefective is the practice.” -J.B.S.

“Set your affection on things above”(Col. 3:2)

4-15. Purpose, Provision, Process

“I beseech Thee, show me Thyglory” (Ex. 33:18).

There are three vital factors that willkeep us on the path, and in the power,of spiritual growth: (1) study to know

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that God’s purpose in saving us is toconform us to the image of His Son(Rom. 8:28, 29); (2) learn to reckonupon the finished work of the Cross asHis provision for that purpose (Rom.6:11); (3) yield to the Holy Spirit as Hecarries out the daily process of thatpurpose (2 Cor. 4:11).

“Christ Jesus’ earthly life showed thepath, His heavenly life gives the power,in which we are to walk. What God hathjoined together no man may separate.Whosoever does not stand in the fullfaith of the Redemption, has not thestrength to follow the Example. Andwhosoever does not seek conformity tothe Image as the great purpose ofRedemption, cannot fully enter itspower. Christ lived on earth that Hemight show forth the image of God inHis life; He lives in heaven that we mayshow forth the image of God in ourlives.” -A.M.

“God has but one way of revealingHimself, it is ‘Christ in you.’ He has noother way of showing Himself to menexcept as Christ lives in us; not by theShekinah glory in the temple built withhands of men, but in lives redeemedand freed and cleansed as they walkabout in this dark world with Christliving in them.” -L.L.L.

“And we all, while with face unveiled webehold in a mirror the glory of the Lord, areourselves transformed continually into thesame likeness; and the glory which shinesupon us is reflected by us, even as itproceeds from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor.

3:18, Cony.).

4-16. Handicapped For Christ“My grace is sufficient for thee; for

My strength is made perfect in [your]weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).

In self we are crippled; in Christ weconquer. The secret is to face up to theformer, and rest in the latter. Thedisadvantaged believer has all theadvantage-he knows it must be “not I,but Christ.”

“It is a great step when the believerfully consents to his own weakness,and the abiding consciousness of it,and so works faithfully on, fully assuredthat his Lord is working through him. Herejoices that the excellence of thepower is of God, and not of us.Realizing his oneness with his Lord, heconsiders no longer his own weakness,but counts on the power of Him ofwhose hidden working within he isassured.

“It is this secret assurance that givesa brightness to his look, and a gentlefirmness to his tone, and aperseverance to all his efforts, which ofthemselves are great means ofinfluencing those he is seeking to win.He goes forth in the spirit of one towhom victory is assured; for this is thevictory that overcometh, even our faith.He no longer counts it humility to saythat God cannot bless his unworthyefforts. He claims and expects ablessing, because it is not he, but Christ

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in him, that worketh. The great secret ofabiding in Christ is the deep convictionthat we are nothing, and He iseverything.” -A.M.

“Not that we are sufficient ofourselves to think anything as ofourselves, but our sufficiency is ofGod”. (2 Cor. 3:5).

4-17. Rest And Receive“I long to know Christ and the power

which is in His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10,Wey.).

The difficult thing for most hungry-hearted believers is to wait independence upon the Lord foreverything. Truth is not to be grasped,but received-received by faith, mainlythrough study. How true this isconcerning reckoning! Many seek toreckon before they understand thescriptural facts upon which to count,and that adds up to failure. The secretis to learn the truth of our identificationwith the Lord Jesus so thoroughly thatreckoning and its resultant growth willcome as a matter of course, just as inour justification.

“The death of our Lord on the Crosshas depths of meaning that can only beplumbed by way of discovered need,but then reveals ‘unsearchable riches.’To the believer who still has hopes of‘attaining’ in the Christian life, a versesuch as Romans 6:11 is a rathermeaningless jargon used by those whogive messages on the ‘deepening of thespiritual life.’

“To the believer who has beentaught by the Holy Spirit something ofhis own utter, inbred sinfulness, itcomes as a message from God full ofhope and encouragement. He graspsthe rescue rope flung to him by the righthand of Omnipotence, and with humblethankfulness sets out to learn how hecan reckon himself dead indeed untosin, but alive unto God in Jesus Christour Lord. When he looks at the Crosshe sees there the fact that not only didthe Lord Jesus die for him, but that hehimself was taken down into His death,in order that the practical reality of Hisresurrection life might transform himinto the divine likeness.” -J.C.M.

“For if we have been plantedtogether in the likeness of His death,we shall be also in the likeness of Hisresurrection” (Rom. 6:5).

4-18. Abiding Liberation“For we preach not ourselves, but

Jesus Christ the Lord, and ourselvesyour servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor.4:5).

Our Father took the old fleshly lifeinto death at the Cross (Rom. 6:6). Hegave us new spiritual life in Christ at theresurrection (Rom. 6:4, 5). As we keepour eyes upon the Cross for the old,and upon the Lord Jesus Christ for thenew, all that will remain for others tosee will be “not I, but Christ.”

“In Romans Seven, the personalpronouns ‘I,’ ‘me,’ ‘my,’ are used 47times in 18 verses. This is the way in

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which believers live who do not know orwho do not recognize the fact of theirunion with the Lord Jesus Christ.

“To be occupied with self is to bedefeated and to have failure and live insin; but to be occupied with the LordJesus will mean victory. He must be thecenter, He must be everything to me. InHim is liberation; apart from abiding inHim is defeat and failure. Are you tryingto please God, or trusting the One towhom you are united, the One who did‘always the things that are pleasing toHim’?” -L.L.L.

“In our Position (union) in Him weare made manifest to God; we are holyand complete in Him. In our Possessionof Him He is manifested to men; Helives out His life through us. As we areaccepted in Him, so may He bemanifested in us.” -N.B.H.

“But we have this treasure inearthen vessels, that the excellency ofthe power may be of God, and not ofus” (2 Cor. 4:7).

4-19. Law Of Life“For the law was given by Moses,

but grace and truth came by JesusChrist” (John 1:17).

We need not submit to the law, nordo we need to struggle against it. It isnow a matter of our standing onheavenly ground in our risen Lord, freefrom the influence and demands of theentire principle of law. In Christ Jesuswe are motivated by a higher law, ‘thelaw of the Spirit of life’ (Rom. 8:2).

“There is no way of deliverance fromthe law and its bondage, into that libertyfor which Christ set us free except tobelieve, and to keep reckoning, that wedied to the law with Him, and are nowrisen, and joined to Another, the RisenOne-even as Romans 7:4 asserts: ‘Yealso were made dead to the lawthrough the body of Christ; that yeshould be joined to another, even Himwho was raised from the dead, that wemight bring forth fruit unto God.’“ -W.R.N.

“In man the law and the flesh alwaysgo together. The Cross was the end forboth in the sight of God. The flesh wasjudged and condemned there; it wastreated as a dead thing before God-dead and buried; and the law whichdeals with the flesh we are dead to. Wehave passed out of both; we are not inthe flesh (Rom. 8:9), and we are notunder the law (Gal. 2:19). -W.K.

“But you are not living the life of theflesh, you are living the life of the Spirit,if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwellswithin you-directs and controls you”(Rom. 8:9, Amp.).

4-20. Solid Gold Trials

“For all things are for your sakes,that the abundant grace might throughthe thanksgiving of many redound tothe glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15).

Since He is both my God and myFather, and since all of the hardshipsHe takes me through are specificallydesigned to conform me to the image of

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the Lord Jesus, how can I help but trustHim and rejoice in His faithfulness?

“It is well to remember that thedeepest and truest spiritual qualities arenot learnt or established in us by ourhappy or enjoyable times, but in thedifficult ones! There is nothing wrong intimes of great joy and spiritual blessing;in fact we long for more of them, andlook back perhaps to some days ofmuch blessing in our lives or in thework of the Lord; but in the securing ofChrist in greater measure in our lives,we find that it is by the things which wesuffer that we learn most. So let us givethanks for the joyful days, and learn allthat the Lord intends by the days ofwaiting and difficulty.” -C.J.B.H.

“Faith asks for no props from themen and things around it; it finds ‘all itssprings’ in God; and hence it is thatfaith never shines so brightly as whenall around is dark. It is when nature’shorizon is overcast with the blackestclouds, that faith basks in the sunshineof the divine favor and faithfulness.” -C.H.M.

“For our light affliction, which is butfor a moment, worketh for us a far moreexceeding and eternal weight of glory”(2 Cor. 4:17).

4-21. Trinity-trained

“He comforts us in our everyaffliction so that we may be able tocomfort those who are in any kind ofaffliction by means of the comfort withwhich we ourselves are comforted of

God” (2 Cor. 1:4, Wey.).It is a great comfort to know that

everything our Father takes us through-much of which may be hard andheartbreaking-has a dual purpose. Thatwhich He utilizes to cause us to growspiritually is at the same time designedto prepare us for His service. He doesnothing in vain; He wastes nothing.

“In the very service itself God makesthe servant fit to carry it out. A person isfirst disciplined for service, and then inthe service he is made fit by it for thecharacter of it. God has not servantsready made. He makes them fit for Hisown service in connection with the racethey have to run. The word ‘chasten’ isthe same as that used in Ephesianswith respect to bringing up the children:it is nurture. We attach too much theidea of severity, or retribution, to it.” -J.B.S.

“Why does God take some throughsuch deep and trying experiences?Why is it that He does not allow someof His children to have an easy way andto be satisfied and gratified withelementary things? The needs ofothers-that is why.

“We know quite well if any havebeen able really to help others, it isbecause they have gone through deepexperience, they have pioneered thisway, they have paid a great price forthis freedom. It has been costly, butworthwhile if others can be reallyhelped.”

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“But to God be the thanks who inChrist ever heads our triumphalprocession, and by our hands waves inevery place that sweet incense, theknowledge of Him” (2 Cor. 2:14, Wey.).

4-22. Guiding Comforter“If ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not

under bondage of effort to please Godby works of the law” (Gal. 5:18, m.).

The motivating principle of the oldlife is the law; the motivating principle ofthe new life is “the Spirit of life in ChristJesus.” The one produces “the works ofthe flesh”; the other, “the fruit of theSpirit.”

“To be guided by the Holy Spirit is tobe moved through the most delicaterelationships the heart can know. The‘bit and bridle’ of the law must give wayto the glance of the eye of grace (Ps.32:8, 9). At this point Satan, appearingas ‘an angel of light,’ will seek tomisdirect the believer’s life by makinguse of a morbid conscience, a mistakenimpression as to duty, or a lack ofunderstanding as to the exact teachingof God’s Word. However, Satan’sleadings are to be detected since theyare irksome, painful, and disagreeable.The leading of the Holy Spirit is sweetand satisfying to the heart of the onewho is yielded to God. We mustremember that the will of God is said tobe ‘good,’ ‘acceptable,’ and ‘perfect’(Rom. 12:2).” -L.S.C.

“The believer has an all-engagingresponsibility of continuing in an

attitude of reliance (‘by means of theSpirit be walking’) upon the Holy Spirit.This is the believer’s divinely appointedtask and place of cooperation in themighty undertakings of God. Thus, andonly thus, can the Holy Spirit possessand vitalize every human faculty,emotion, and choice.” -L.S.C.

“If we are living in the Spirit’s power,let our conduct also be governed by theSpirit’s power” (Gal. 5:25, Wey.).

4-23. Fulfilled Law“For sin shall not have dominion

over you; for ye are not under the lawbut under grace” (Rom 6:14)

The believer’s attitude toward thelaw is that it is “holy...and just, andgood” (Rom. 7:12). He does not belittleit by refusing to be under it; he honors itby acknowledging its fulfillment. “For I,through the law, am dead to the law,that I might live unto God” (Gal. 2:19).

“If I say I am under law, and stopthere, I am left in spiritual anarchy. If Isay I am under law and under grace, Iam in the current Galatian heresy whichseeks to combine law and grace. But if Isay I am not under the law but undergrace, I am giving a biblical andChristian testimony.” -C.I.S.

“Our identification with Christ in Hisdeath places us in perfect reconciliationto a violated law. God has said, ‘Thesoul that sinneth, it shall die.’ Thebeliever has sinned, and has died inChrist’s death. The law has said,‘Cursed is every one that continueth not

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in all things which are written in thebook of the law to do them.’ None havecontinued in obedience. But Christ hasbeen ‘made a curse for us’; for it iswritten, ‘Cursed is everyone thathangeth on a tree.’ Hence, crucifiedwith Christ, we have been accursed inHim. Not one jot or tittle has thenpassed away from the law, but all hasbeen fulfilled.” -A.J.G.

“If, then, when you died with Christ,you put away the childish lessons ofoutward things, why, as though you stilllived in outward things, do you submityourselves to decrees?” (Col. 2:20,Wey.).

4-24. My Father Cares!“I have heard of Thee by the hearing

of the ear” (Job 42:5).The heart that is hungry to have

God’s purpose worked out in his life isgoing to be neither disappointed, norpampered. When it comes to seeingself for what it is, there can be nopampering; when it comes to seeing theLord Jesus Christ for who He is, therecan be no disappointment.

“Why are the people of Godsuffering?-that they may be conformedto the image of His Son. Of course, wemay not need a world upheaval to dothis, but God is going to use allconditions to that end, and, tragicallyenough, there are multitudes of theLord’s people who do need a worldshaking.

“They are so bound up with the

externalities of Christianity, with itswhole structure and system, thatnothing but that which will overthrow,disintegrate, destroy, and raisetremendous questions about the wholebusiness, will bring them to the placewhere the Spirit of God can begin reallyto do the work He has come to do inthem.” -T. A-S.

“Job was a true servant of God; buthe needed to learn himself, as we alldo. He needed to have the roots of hismoral being laid bare in his own sightso that he might really abhor himself,and repent in dust and ashes. Andfurthermore, he needed a truer anddeeper sense of what God was, so thathe might trust Him and justify Himunder all circumstances.” -C.H.M.

“But now mine eye seeth Thee” (Job42:5).

4-25. Fit First“And the servant of the Lord must

not strive” (2 Tim. 2:24).Our one responsibility, that of

concentrating upon the Lord Jesus, hasa three-fold result: (1) fellowship withHim; (2) growth in His image; (3)ministry of life to others.

“The love of the Lord culminates inthis, that we should be with Him. Hedied for us, that whether we wake orsleep, we should live together with Him(1 Thess. 5:10). I find the one who isset on usefulness (Martha) does notadvance like the one set on personalaffection to Him (Mary). The Lord give

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us to be more personally attached toHimself; then we shall be usefulaccording to His good pleasure.”

“There is one thing that all can do-be‘meet for the Master’s use’ (2 Tim.2:21); and this is the secret ofusefulness. Usefulness is not activity; itis not merely being used, but it isfitness, cleanness, preparedness, andseparation of heart, singleness of eye,the affections set on things above-all, infact, that proceeds from the judgmentand denial of self, and the manifestationof Christ in the life by faith.”

“All my ability to act for the LordJesus here depends on my consciousidentification with Him where He is, notwhere He was for me; though as Ireceive power from Him I walk hereeven as He walked; His life ismanifested in me. -J.B.S.

“But be gentle unto all men, apt toteach, patient” (2 Tim. 2:24).

4-26. Know To Grow

“And this is life eternal, that theymight know Thee, the only true God,and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent”(John 17:3).

The heartbreaking knowledge of selfbrings a life-giving compensation, whichis knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.The needs generated by the realizationof the sin of self produce the necessarymotivation and hunger which cause usto focus upon the Lord Jesus andbecome conformed to His image. “Andwe all, while with face unveiled we

behold in a mirror the glory of the Lord,are ourselves transformed continuallyinto the same likeness” (2 Cor. 3:18,Cony.).

“Many a new believer has obtainedrelief in his conscience from his sins,because of faith in the Blood of JesusChrist; that is, he does not see furtherthan Romans 3. He has faith in thework of Christ, but has not yet come infaith to Christ. He is like the womanwho touched the hem of His garment,assured of His work but not yetacquainted with Himself.” -J.B.S.

“It is one thing to believe on the LordJesus, to be born again, to be saved.That is a glorious thing as a beginning,but it alone will not take you rightthrough all you have to meet; and if youare really in the Lord’s hands He willsee to it that by virtue of need you aredrawn into knowing more and more ofHis Son. It is the normal course of atrue, Holy Spirit-governed Christian lifethat, in order to get through, anincrease of Christ, a growing discoveryof Christ, is necessary.” -T. A-S.

“That I may know Him” (Phil. 3:10).

4-27. The Cross And The Spirit

“But God forbid that I should glory,except in the cross of our Lord JesusChrist, by whom the world is crucifiedunto me, and I unto the world” (Gal.6:14).

The Lord Jesus carried out the workof the Cross as to our eternal position.The Holy Spirit carries out the work of

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the Cross as to our present condition.“He will take the things that are Mineand will transmit them to you” (John16:15, Amp.).

“We cannot separate the Cross fromthe Holy Spirit. We can have no Easterand no Pentecost, until we have firsthad a Good Friday. Through the Crossalone we are prepared for life in thefulness of God; only he who is crucifiedwith Christ can be a vessel unto honor.Our ‘old man’ must be crucified withChrist, and in His resurrection we findthe roots of our new life. Whosoeverloses his life, shall find it. We mustlearn the lesson of the Cross, ascondemned and rejected ones, whohave been crucified with Christ.

“Then the door will be open for a lifeof power and blessing. All that belongsto death must be turned over to thedeath of the Cross, even as the body islaid away in the earth, because itbelongs to the earth. The Holy Spirit,the Eternal Spirit, is unchangeable. Hebrought Christ our Head to the Cross,and us His children with Him. For thiswork in us is twofold. On the one hand,it leads us to death; and on the otherhand, to that life which God has placedwithin us and which leads from glory toglory.” -A.M.

“And all of us, with faces uncovered,because we continue to reflect likemirrors the splendor of the Lord, arebeing transformed into likeness to Him,from one degree of splendor to another,since it comes from the Lord who is the

Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, Wms.).

4-28. The Oneness Of Prayer

“And we have an assuredconfidence that whenever we askanything in accordance with His will, Helistens to us” (1 John 5:14, Wey.).

The Christian life is the expressionof the Lord Jesus Christ through thebeliever to men in the world, and in thechurch. The prayer life is theexpression of the Spirit of Christthrough the believer to the Father inHeaven. As there is growth in Christ,there will increasingly be prayer in theSpirit (Rom. 8:26).

“Through the Lord Jesus every truebeliever is united to God in Heaven bya life-link. We are not praying downhere on earth to One who is a long wayoff in Heaven. We are one with Himthere and He is one with us here! Thedevil is all the time trying to create asense of distance between us and theLord: but there is no distance betweenif we abide in Christ, for no one can becloser to the Father than the Son, andwe are in Him! -T.L.M.

“Efficacious prayer is to the glory ofthe Father (John 14:13), in the Name ofthe Son (John 14:14), and in theenabling power of the Holy Spirit (Rom.8:26, 27). Compliance with theseconditions insures that the human will isin agreement with the divine will.Transforming things, mighty indeed, arewrought by prayer, but only such thingsas comport with the will and purpose of

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God.” -L.S.C.“If we want our own way we will find

that everything is against us; but if wehave chosen that God shall besovereign in our lives then everything isfor us.”

“And since we know that He listensto us, then whatever we ask, we knowthat we have the things which we haveasked from Him” (1 John 5:15, Wey.).

4-29. Loving Kindness“Now the God of peace . . . make

you perfect [complete, mature] in everygood work to do His will, working in youthat which is well-pleasing in his sight,through Jesus Christ” (Heb. 13:20, 21).

My life is not only in His hands, butHe is my very life. “For by Him were allthings created . . . and by Him all thingsconsist” (Col. 1:16, 17). He controls andmaintains the universe, and we cansurely depend upon Him to care for uswho share His life.

“We are all of us prone to forget theweighty fact that ‘God trieth therighteous.’ ‘He withdraweth not Hiseyes from the righteous’ (Ps. 11:5; Job36:7). We are in His hands, and underHis eye continually. We are the objectsof His deep, tender, and unchanginglove; but we are also the subjects of Hiswise moral government. His dealingswith us are varied. They are sometimespreventive; sometimes corrective;always instructive.

“We may be bent on some course of

our own, the end of which would bemoral ruin. He intervenes andwithdraws us from our purpose. Hedashes to fragments our air-castles,dissipates our golden dreams, andinterrupts many a darling scheme onwhich our hearts were bent, and whichwould have proved to be certaindestruction. ‘Lo, all these thingsworketh God oftentimes with man, tobring back his soul from the pit, to beenlightened with the light of the living’(Job 33:29, 30).” -C.H.M.

“Now thanks be unto God, whoalways causeth us to triumph in Christ”(2 Cor. 2:14).

4-30. Liberty For All“If ye died with Christ from the

rudiments of the world, why, as thoughliving in the world, do ye subjectyourselves to ordinances?” (Col. 2:20,R.V.).

When it comes to spiritual growthand walk, any help from ourselves is ahindrance to us. The source is wrong.On the death side, we are to receivedeliverance from sin’s power throughthe Spirit from the Cross; on the lifeside, we are to receive growth throughthe Spirit from the Lord Jesus. It is amatter of receiving, not contributing. Weare branches, not vines.

“The old elementary legal rudimentsof a legal age are for those ‘living in theworld’ (having an earthly temple andworship). Believers are seated in theheavenlies in Christ, and are spiritual

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people with a sanctuary in Heaven.‘Touch not,’ ‘taste not,’ ‘handle not’;such commandments of men have novalue. They perish with the using.

“‘Voluntary humility,’ ‘neglecting ofthe body,’ ‘fasting,’ etc., have a show ofwisdom. They gratify religious pride andself-righteousness, they ‘puff up thefleshly mind,’ but they are ‘not of anyvalue against the indulgence of theflesh.’ The flesh is not subdued byfasting, nor pride by whipping, norworldliness by neglect of the body.These are of ‘no avail’ though menglory in them. Only the Holy Spiritbrings one into liberty-and that via theCross. ‘The law of the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death’ (Rom. 8:2).” -G.G.

“Stand fast, then, in the freedomwhich Christ has given us, and turn notback again to entangle yourselves inthe yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1, Cony.).

4-31. Why Struggle?“But we all, with unveiled face

beholding as in a mirror the glory of theLord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

Our Father allows the believer tostruggle with self, not for victory, but fordefeat. Then the “wretched man” learnsto rest in the Victor.

“Once you have begun the Christianwalk, and know the blessedness of it,you are not trying to correct yourself, foryou know that all has been removedfrom the eye of God; and you insist on

the fact that self has been to the Cross,and that Christ is your life. The old manwas crucified, and you cannot reformhim; all attempts of amiable people toreform him are only denying the factthat he has been dealt with in judgment.The responsible (law) man is not beforeGod now. It is now the day of grace.Everyone who receives His grace is setfree from the domination of the oldman. The appeal to the believer now isnot to do, but to look.” -J.B.S.

“The believer is never told to‘overcome sin,’ but to reckon, on theground of his death with Christ, that hehas died to it. On the basis of death, heis told not to ‘let’ sin reign in his life. It isto be dealt with by an attitude of death,not by ‘overcoming.’ The believertherefore is not to be spending hiswhole life in getting victory over sin, butunderstanding his position as havingdied unto sin.”

“[We] are changed into the same image fromglory to glory, even as by the Spirit of theLord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

Number 5What is shared herein is designed to

further your acquaintance with the LordJesus on high, and to enrich yourfellowship with Him and with the Father.Through prayerful meditation in NoneBut the Hungry Heart #5, we trust theHoly Spirit will bring about astrengthening of faith and an upwarddrawing of heart.

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Furthermore, it is hoped that thesethoughts may provide you anopportunity to try your “faith wings”-tolearn more fully the need to abideabove, and thereby walk here below inthe “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:2).

“And this I pray, that your love mayabound yet more and more inknowledge and in all judgment(discernment); that ye may approvethings that are excellent; that ye may besincere and without offense till the dayof Christ, being filled with the fruits ofrighteousness, which are by JesusChrist, unto the glory and praise ofGod” (Phil. 1:9-11).

-Miles J. Stanford; Sept. 1973

5-1. The Greatest“We love Him, because He first

loved us” (1 John 4:19).We first come to know something of

the Lord Jesus’ love by what He did forus; but that is only the basis for comingto know His love in what He is to us.The first is known at the Cross, thelatter is entered into through personalfellowship with the risen Lord.

“There are three steps inappreciation of His love for us. First, Ilearn that He loves me so much that Hesaved me. He is our treasure ‘MyBeloved is mine’ (S.S. 6:3). The secondstep of affection is the consciousnessthat He loves me so much that He hasa right to me. He would have me for

Himself. ‘I am my Beloved’s’ (S.S. 6:3).“The third step is the consciousness

that He loves me so much that Hewants my company ‘His desire istoward me’ (S.S. 7:10). Love’s delight isfound in the company of its object. Maywe know in a deeper way, and in afuller measure, the sweetness ofpersonal intimacy with ‘the Son of God,who loved me and gave Himself for me’(Gal. 2:20).

“Much ministry is lost upon us as toany practical result, because we are notprepared to be detached from thingshere, so as to be simply here for Christ.And the preparation for this is to comepersonally under the influence of theblessed attractiveness of the LordJesus. When we sit under His shadowwith great delight, everything elsebecomes so small, and loses its holdupon our hearts.” -C.A.C.

“But we all, with unveiled facebeholding as in a mirror the glory of theLord, are changed into the same imagefrom glory to glory, even as by the Spiritof the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

5-2. Initial Preparation“Saul armed David with his armor....

And David said unto Saul, I cannot gowith these; for I have not tested them”(1 Sam. 17:38, 39).

Years of preparation are worth amoment of truth! Rest assured thatonce we are developed and trained bythe Holy Spirit, the work whereunto Hehas called us will be ready and waiting

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(Acts 13:2). “Our Lord must have aninstrument which He has formed in thefire and to which He has given peculiarknowledge of Himself.”

“The greater the knowledgecommitted to a servant, the morenecessary and important it is that heshould be much alone with God aboutit, in order that he may realize thenature and effect of it on himself beforehe undertakes to make it known toothers.

“It rebukes the haste and readinesswith which many now enter the ministry,attempting to impress others with ameasure of the truth which they havenot proved for themselves. Surely theservant should ever be able to say: ‘Ibelieved, and therefore have I spoken’(2 Cor. 4:13). It is better to lose time asto work in preparation for service thanto lose time in repairing one’s mistakesin undertaking a work for which one isnot yet qualified.”

“A servant’s discipline must alwaysbe in advance of the service preparedfor him. He cannot lead beyond thepoint to which he himself has been led.But when the depth and reality of thetruth has been established in his ownsoul, he is made the channel of it.”

“I have found that many a thingwhich I had presented in an extremeway because I was sure of it, I put forthin a simpler and a more real way when Ihad touched it in my own experience.” -J.B.S.

“That which we have seen andheard declare we unto you” (1 John1:3).

5-3. Apprehended To Apprehend

“I count all things but loss for theexcellency of the knowledge of ChristJesus, my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

Positionally, our Father subjectedour old nature to the Cross and itsresultant death. Experientially, Heapplies the work of the Cross to our oldlife, thereby progressively holding it inthe grip of that death. He is “unforming”the old nature in death, and conformingthe new nature in life.

“Life more abundant requires thatwhat He did for us shall be made goodin us. In His Cross He dealt with oursins, and He also dealt with ourselves;but that is something which has to bemade good progressively. It is as weourselves are dealt with in the power ofthe Cross that the way is made for Hislife to express itself in ever deepeningfulness.

“The fact is that it is the old lifewhich is in the way of the new life andits full expression. It is the natural lifewhich obstructs the course of the divinelife. Thus what has been done for ushas to be done in us, and as it is donein us that life becomes more than adeposit, more than a simple, thoughglorious possession; it becomes adeepening, growing power, a fulness ofexpression.” -T. A-S.

“You may have been in the fires and

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have been having a pretty hard andpainful time in your spiritual life, but thatonly means that God has beenpreparing you for something more. No,God is not a God who believes inbringing everything to an end. He isalways after something more. And if Hehas to clear the way for somethingmore by devastating methods (Cross),well, that is all right, for it is somethingmore that He is after. There is so muchmore, far, far transcending all ourasking or thinking.”

“I follow after, if that I mayapprehend that for which also I amapprehended of Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:12).

5-4. Fixed Position

“And He said to them all, If any manwill come after Me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross daily,and follow Me” (Luke 9:23)

True spiritual experience will resultfrom our standing immovable in ourposition “in Christ.” All too oftenbelievers allow certain “experiences” tomove them from the faith-ground oftheir objective position, and they aresoon adrift on the sea of subjectivefeelings and unscriptural influences.

“The Christian life is essentially acontinuous dying, and a continuousliving. Of course, there may come aparticular crisis in experience where theSpirit of God brings the soul face toface with a definite issue as to awillingness for the Cross, and a yielding

of the life to God. Yes, the firstrevelation of the secret of victory alsomay constitute a real crisis in the life ofthe believer, but that crisis orexperience can never, in itself, avail forthe future.

“There is a subtle danger in relyingupon some isolated experience of‘sanctification,’ so-called. The victoriousChristian life is a Person, not anexperience. Following the crisis,whatever phase or landmark in the lifethat may represent, there must be thedaily reckoning, the moment-by-moment abiding and the control of theHoly Spirit. Whatever may have beenour experience of holiness, and themeasure of spiritual attainment in thepast, we can never get beyond theneed of abiding in Christ and thecontinuous reckoning of faith.” -R.W.

“For we, alive though we are, arecontinually surrendering ourselves todeath for the sake of Jesus” (2 Cor.4:11, Wey.).

5-5. Old Rejected, New Accepted“You were set free from the tyranny

of Sin, and became the bondservants ofRighteousness” (Rom. 6:18 Wey.).

The principle underlying resurrectionlife is, of all things, death. “For since wehave become one with Him by sharingin His death, we shall also be one withHim by sharing in His resurrection.Surrender your very selves to God asliving men who have risen from thedead” (Rom. 6:5, 13, Wey.). Let the

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facts of your position overwhelm thefeelings of your condition.

“By exercising faith in the Word,apart from any feelings, be ‘plantedtogether with Him in the likeness of Hisdeath’ (Rom. 6:5). Only by thusstanding in your position will you beginto experience ‘the likeness of Hisresurrection.’ Reckon on your life-unionwith Him. Reject the old life on thebasis of your death in Christ on theCross, and count yourself alive in Himuntil He makes experiential yourresurrection position. Do not forget thatyou must stand firmly upon the specifictruths: ‘dead indeed unto sin-alive untoGod in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 6:11).

“The sharing of His life is ourblessed experience just in the measurein which we share His death. So manyof us are content merely that the Crossshould be the power to save us fromthe penalty of sin, but death was not theend of the manifestation of Christ. Itwas resurrection, and it is the risen life,shining forth in the believer, that alonecan carry out the purpose of God inredemption. The believer, in whosedaily attitude the mark of resurrection isseen, becomes what the world islooking for, a convincing witness to thepower of the Living Redeemer.” -G.W.

“That I may know Him and thepower of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).

5-6. Transferred And Transformed

“If [since] ye, then, be risen withChrist, seek those things which are

above, where Christ sitteth on the righthand of God” (Col. 3:1).

The growth truths seem complicatedand difficult to understand on firstencounter. However, with progress ingrace we find them to be as clear andlogical as the truth of justification. Forboth time and eternity, all is summed upin John 17:3: “And this is life eternal. . .[to] know Thee, the only true God, andJesus Christ.” Study on!

“The marvel of divine grace is thatnot only has everything according to theheart of God been secured for methrough the death and resurrection ofthe Lord Jesus, but that I, a child ofAdam, should be, not only in peace withGod where I was under His judgment,but that I am transferred from Adam toChrist, and I am to have Christ formedin me now.

“I am born of God-of new and divineorigin-a new creation to be here onearth now where I was a child of Adam,in the grace and beauty of Christ, led byHis own power to stand for Him; dailymore and more transformed into thesame image from glory to glory even asby the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Cor. 3:18).”

“I used to study this passage andthat passage to obtain guidance andlight. I see now that if I were really nearHim beholding His glory (2 Cor. 3:18), Ishould be transformed, should comefrom Him so impressed with Himselfthat His interests would, as it were,naturally control me.” -J.B.S.

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“When the heart has found its restand satisfaction in Him, it can turn toHim naturally and continually in everycircumstance.”

“Set your affection on things above,not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

5-7. Abide Above

“And hath raised us up together, andmade us sit together in heavenly placesin Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

The Cross has separated us fromthe power of sin (Rom. 6:11), the oldman (Rom. 6:6), the world (Gal. 6:14),the law (Rom. 7:4), and the devil (Heb.2:14). The Spirit has joined us to ourrisen Lord, and we are “hidden withChrist in God” (Col. 3:3). We are free-toabide above; free-to fellowship with ourFather in glory.

“The lack I find in souls is, that whilethey know that their sins are forgiven,they do not know their new place. Whatplace do you have? Is it earth orheaven? It could not possibly be earth,for the Lord Jesus was rejected fromthe earth. It has a great moral effectupon a person to be able to say, ‘I havea place in heaven; I have no propertyon earth at all, it is all in heaven.’

“‘It is the Lord’s property I have onearth, but in heaven I have my own.’ Inthe garden of Eden, man lost his place;the question to him then is, First-Whereart thou? then, What hast thou done?Every believer seeks to be clear as tothe latter, but very few are clear aboutthe former.” -J.B.S.

“Many do not go beyond Christ’sresurrection; they do not extend to Hisascension. They do not know Him inglory. They are occupied with Him inrelation to their own side. He was at myside and glorified God there both in Hiswalk here and in His death; but He isnow at His own side, and it is there Iintelligently realize the vastness of mylife, for He is my life.”

“My mind must rise above what I amto what God is; then it is that one isformed by the revelation of what God is.To this we are called.” -J.N.D.

“Faithful is He that calleth you, whoalso will do it” (1 Thess. 5:24).

5-8. Position Possessed“The God of peace . . . working in

you that which is wellpleasing in Hissight, through Jesus Christ” (Heb.13:20, 21).

Abiding involves a dual choice. Wecan abide in the old nature and therebybecome the victims of the internal civilwar as depicted in Romans Seven. Or,we can abide (rest) in the risen LordJesus, the Source of our new nature,and thereby become the glad recipientsof His life and liberty, as depicted inRomans Eight. “The Spirit of life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

“How do we abide? ‘Of God are yein Christ Jesus’ (1 Cor. 1:30). It is allthe work of God to place you there, andHe has done it. Now stay there! Do notbe moved back onto the ground of the

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old nature. Never look at yourself asthough you were not in the risen LordJesus Christ. Look at Him and seeyourself a new creation in Him. Look atHim as the very source of yourChristian life. Abide in Him. Rest in thefact that God has placed you in eternalunion with His Son, and let the HolySpirit take care of His work in you. It isfor Him to make good the gloriouspromise that sin shall not havedominion over you’ (Rom. 6:14).”

“We should be spared years ofstruggle and failure if we learned atonce-as the converts did in the days ofPaul-that we ourselves were takenthrough the death of the Lord Jesus.The past blotted out, the pardonedsinner accounted crucified with thecrucified Lord, henceforth joined as anew creation to the risen Lord and nowsharing His life (Rom. 5:10).”

“The Lord Jesus is all that we needfor all that we are.”

“Your life is hidden with Christ inGod” (Col. 3:3).

5-9. Wrong Source

“Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and haveno confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3).

There are two ways in which Godreveals to us the true condition of thenatural man. The first is via the Word:“In me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth nogood thing” (Rom. 7:18). The second isvia experience: years of struggle withthe constant sinfulness and failure ofthat old nature. If we were more willing

to face up to the incorrigibility of theAdamic life within, it might not take usso long to be freed from its domination.

“It is quite possible for every one ofus to have a perfectly good conscience.A happy state to be in! Have you agood conscience? Are you underaccusation, under condemnation? Areyou fretting and worrying about thebadness of your own heart? Thatmeans that you have not the answer ofa good conscience to God. What is thematter? You are still looking forsomething from nature, from the oldman. You had better give it up, as thatis the only way out; repudiate it.

“Tell yourself and tell the accuseronce for all that in you, that is, in yourflesh, dwelleth no good thing, and younever expect to find anything. Theenemy knows it, and yet he is trying toget you on an impossible quest forsomething he knows you will never find,and that is how he worries you. Yearsof it! Then why not come onto theLord’s ground and out-maneuver him?Let us settle it that we can never expectto find any good in our old nature. Allour good is in another, even our LordJesus. It is the law of the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus (Rom. 8:2).” -T. A-S.

“Stand fast, therefore, in the libertywith which Christ hath made us free”(Gal. 5:1).

5-10. “Search Me, O God”

“I, the Lord, search the heart”(Jeremiah 17:10).

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During the early, carnal years weare afraid to face up to the sinful naturewithin, not fully realizing that it wasdealt with in condemnation to God’s fullsatisfaction at Calvary. When we cometo see that all the old nature was takendown into the death of the Cross, and inChrist Jesus we are completely clear ofits penalty and power, then it is that webegin to welcome the work of the Crossupon all that of which the Holy Spiritconvicts us.

“The natural man cannot bear thethought of being searched by God; hecannot stand to think of being found outin his true condition and character. Butto the truly hungry believer it is apositive comfort to be assured that Godknows everything about us; He knowsthe very worst that can be discovered.He has searched out all that we are,and in spite of all He has thoughts ofblessing concerning us. There is,therefore, no fear of anything coming tolight that might cause Him to change orreverse His thought of blessing andacceptance.” -C.A.C.

“Our acceptance with God in Christis perfect, and therefore unimprovable.It never alters; never varies. And it isvery important for us not to mix theacceptance itself with our enjoyment ofit. Our acceptance is ‘in Christ,’ andtherefore eternal; the enjoyment is ‘bythe Spirit,’ and therefore (because ofthe working of the flesh) oftenhindered.” -J.B.S.

“The sense of His goodness

removes the guile of heart that seeks toconceal its sin.” -J.N.D.

“For I know the thoughts that I thinktoward you, saith the Lord, thoughts ofpeace, and not of evil, to give you anexpected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).

5-11. Reliant Rest

“Not by might, nor by power, but byMy Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts”(Zech. 4:6).

Our Father allows us to beindependent until by that means wecome to know our own weakness andneed. “Strength is always the effect ofhaving to do with God in the spirit ofdependence.”

“Some say, ‘I want to feel that I amstrong.’ What we need is to feel that weare weak; this brings in Omnipotence.We shall have a life of feeling by-and-by in the glory; now we are called uponto lead a life of faith. What believer butknows from the experience of thedeceitfulness of his own heart, that, hadwe power in ourselves instead of inChrist, we should be something. This iswhat God does not intend.”

“The very essence of the conditionof a soul in a right state is consciousdependence. Now one may use the factof completeness in Christ to make oneindependent. Two things are implied independence: first, the sense that wecannot do without God in a singleinstance; and, secondly, that He is ‘forus.’ In other words, there is confidencein His love and power on our behalf, as

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well as the consciousness that withoutHim we can do nothing.” -J.N.D.

“We are to walk humbly and leanever and only on the mighty arm of theliving God. Thus the soul is kept in awell-balanced condition, free from self-confidence and fleshly excitement, onthe one hand; and free from gloom anddepression, on the other. If we can donothing, self-confidence is the height ofpresumption. If God can do everything,despondency is the height of folly.”

“But my God shall supply all yourneed according; to His riches in gloryby Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

5-12. Trusted Trainer“He knoweth the way that I take;

when He hath tested me, I shall comeforth as gold” (Job 23:10).

In every field, whether the arts,industry, sports, or the Christian life andservice in general, the necessarytraining goes far deeper and is muchmore rigorous than the actualperformance. “Now, at the time,discipline seems to be a matter not forjoy, but for grief; yet it afterwards yieldsto those who have passed through itstraining a result full of peace-namely,righteousness” (Heb. 12:11, Wey.).

“The Father chooses the servantwho is suited to carry out His will; butthough that servant be endowed by Himwith power to do so, yet unless he becontrolled and disciplined by the Spiritof God he will continually fall into thedevisings of his nature, no matter how

godly and divine may be his intent. Forwe greatly err if we think that having thedivine thought is all that is necessary asto our service; we must truly andefficiently be expressive of the thought;and this subjects us, as servants ofGod, to discipline which we oftencannot understand.

“Discipline for known faults orshortcomings we can easilycomprehend; but when it is that peculiarorder of training which fits a man to beGod’s instrument and witness, we canno more understand it than the plants ofthe earth can understand why theymust pass through all the vicissitudes ofwinter in order to bring forth a moreabundant harvest.” -J.B.S.

“God leaves us in the world that wemay learn the sufficiency of His grace inpractice, as we know the triumph of it inChrist.”

“Jesus answered and said unto him,What I do thou knowest not now, butthou shalt know hearafter” (John 13:7).

5-13. Free, To Serve“No man that warreth entangleth

himself with the affairs of this life, thathe may please Him who hath chosenhim to be a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4).

God has a unique plan concerningeach one of us. The secret of realizingour personal calling is not to look atothers, but simply to walk in closefellowship with the Father. “My soul,wait thou only upon God; for myexpectation is from Him” (Ps. 62:5).

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“No one Christian has a right to stopon his way for another; he must goforward himself in individualfaithfulness. The effort to drag othersalong with us is in reality but a device ofSatan to keep ourselves back. NoteJehovah’s word to Jeremiah, ‘Let themreturn unto thee; but return not thou tothem’ (Jer. 15:19). Are any desirous ofgoing forward, let them not stop to carryalong with them ‘the men of Ephraim.’Far better is it to go on with but a few tofollow, than to get numbers with us whoare only halfhearted.”

“You may say, ‘Show me a patternman.’ We all like to copy; but there is nogain in copying. You have to learn theLord for yourself. All you learn foryourself will remain, and nothing else.Every one has his own history.”

“It is plain enough that everybeliever is called of God to somethingdefinite. The real difficulty is toascertain the specialty, and this I do notthink can be discovered but in nearnessto the Lord, and when you areinterested in His interests. We first learnthat He is interested in us, and then wegradually become interested in Hisinterests. It is then you apprehend yourmission in life.” -J.B.S.

“And if a man also strive formasteries, yet is he not crowned,except he strive lawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5).

5-14. Full Provision

“Let him ask in faith and have nodoubts; for he who has doubts is like

the surge of the sea, driven by the windand tossed into spray. A person of thatsort must not expect to receive anythingfrom the Lord-such a one is a man oftwo minds, undecided in every step hetakes” (James 1:6-8, Wey.).

First, we are to rest in the fact thatour Father has made full provision forall our needs; positionally, we arecomplete in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thenit is that we can trust Him daily for His“exceeding abundantly above.” “But myGod shall supply all your needaccording to His riches in glory byChrist Jesus” (Phil. 4:19)

“It is true that all God requires of uswe lack; but it is also true that all weneed He supplies. The believer cangive thanks that God has supplied allhis need as to standing, and Heengages to supply all his need as towalk. But while we see our Father’srequirement, and recognize Hisprovision, let us not overlook ourresponsibility.

“When we fail it is to this our failuremay be traced. It is not because theprovision has been insufficient, orunavailable, or afar off-but because thechannel has been obstructed, theavenues of the soul have been closed,so that the need has remainedunsupplied. Our responsibility lies in theexercise of faith.” -E.H.

“I will not think of the infinities of myneed, except to lead me to the divinesimplicity of the infinity of His supply.” -

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H.C.G.M.“And this is the confidence that we

have in Him, that, if we ask any thingaccording to His will, He heareth us;and if we know that He hear us,whatever we ask, we know that wehave the petitions that we desired ofHim” (1 John 5:14, 15).

5-15. The First Cause“A man’s goings are established of

Jehovah; and he delighteth in His way”(Ps. 37:23, ASV.) .

Throughout time and eternity theGod of circumstances has everysituation planned for our good and forHis glory (Rom. 8:28, 29). That is allthat should matter to us. “Surely thewrath of man shall praise Thee” “For allthings are for your sakes, that theabundant grace might through thethanksgiving of many redound to theglory of God” (Ps. 76:10; 2 Cor. 4:15).

“What the other person said or did toyou was undoubtedly wrong and cannotbe justified. Nor did he do it at God’sdirection; but God permitted him to do itfor some wise reason which will yetprove to have been abundantlyworthwhile for you. By the time thataction reached you it had become thewill of God for you, since to a yieldedbeliever there are no second causes.

“He believes the Psalmist’sdeclaration that every step of his life’spathway has been ordered by the Lord.No trial or affliction can reach you whoare abiding in Him, without His

permission. You can, therefore, beconfident in every circumstance of life,however baffling, that it has beenpermitted in your own best interest bythe wisest and most loving of fathers,who knows our ‘load-limit’ (1 Cor.10:13).” -O.S.

“All that we pass through is that wemay get a fresh view of the Lord Jesus,or a deepening of a former one; butoften we are so occupied withourselves and the circumstances, thatwe fail to ‘behold the glory of the Lord.’“-C.T.

“If the external plannings of men orSatan further God’s plans, theysucceed; if not, they come to nothing.” -J.N.D.

“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly castdown; for the Lord upholdeth him with Hishand” (Ps. 37:24).

5-16. Selfless Service“In whom also we have obtained an

inheritance, being predestinatedaccording to the purpose of Him whoworketh all things after the counsel ofHis own will!” (Eph. 1:11).

It is easy to just “let George do it,”but it is so unrewarding. There is aChrist-honoring ministry of being andsharing awaiting each believer, and thesecret is to let Christ do it!

“Our Father has a different line ofthings for everyone, and each of us hasbeen sent into this world for somespecial mission. It is not a question

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whether it is great or small; it may beonly a flower to shed fragrance, thoughthis is really the greatest of all.

“There is no higher service thanmoral influence, ‘thy whole body . . . fullof light’; and this, of all the highestmoral order, is within the compass ofall. ‘Christ shall be magnified in mybody whether by life or by death’ (Phil.1:20).” -J.B.S.

“A mark of the true servant is that heis consciously nothing. John couldspeak of himself as only a ‘voice,’ and agreater than John was consciously ‘lessthan the least of all saints.’ The momentwe think ourselves to be anything, weare out of the servant’s true positionand spirit. There is a beautiful contrastbetween John’s account of himself, andthe Lord’s description of him (John1:22-27; Luke 7:26-28). The moreworthy we are of the Lord’scommendation, the less do we think ofourselves.” -C.A.C.

“For we are His workmanship,created in Christ Jesus unto goodworks, which God hath before ordainedthat we should walk in them” (Eph2:10).

5-17. Frustrated Enemy“Then saith Jesus unto him, Begone,

Satan” (Matt. 4:10).There is a great difference between

a foe, and; defeated foe. A conqueredenemy can be put to valuable use in thehands of the victor, and that is exactlywhat God is doing with that old serpent.

Satan is allowed to sift, and try thebeliever; he is used of God as awinnowing machine to clear away thechaff in us.

“No power in present things allowedto Satan annuls the will of the invisibleGod.” -W.K.

“The story of Job shows clearly thatit is God who sets the limit to the extentof the devil’s activities and power. Fromthe human viewpoint the Cross lookslike a colossal failure. In it the victory ofthe power of evil seemed complete. But‘the weakness of God is stronger thanmen’ or the enemy, and by the power ofweakness having ‘spoiled principalitiesand powers, He made a show of themopenly, triumphing over them in it’ (Col.2:15).” -C.J.M.

“It is inevitable that in a world likethis the faith of Christians must be tried.For we are in an enemy’s land, and heresents our presence. And we have anenemy within our gates-the old man-that opposes us too. But take heartfellow believer, the trials of your faithwill be found unto praise, honor andglory at the appearing of the Lord JesusChrist (1 Pet. 1:7). The happy outcomeis a foregone conclusion. Trials workpatience, experience, hope-and theseare abiding qualities. Satan, as it were,is God’s scavenger, and all he can do isto remove out of your life those thingsthat mar your joy, your growth, and yourservice.”

“For this purpose the Son of God

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was manifested, that He might destroy[undo] the works of the devil” (1 John3:8).

5-18. Gain Through Loss

“But what things were gain to me,those I counted loss for Christ” (Phil.3:7).

As far as our Father is concerned,the early and middle years of theChristian life have to do primarily withour spiritual development. Maturitymust underlie all abiding effectiveness.Most of our service during this time islearning how not to do it.

“Incalculable harm has been done tothe deeper spirituality of the Church, bythe idea that when once we are savedthe using of the gifts in His servicefollows as a matter of course. No; forthis there is indeed needed very specialgrace. And the way in which the gracecomes is again that of sacrifice andsurrender. We must see how all ourgifts and powers are, even though webe children of God, still defiled by sin,and under the power of the old nature.We must feel that we cannot at onceproceed to use them for God’s glory.We must first lay them at Christ’s feet,to be accepted and cleansed by Him.

“We must feel ourselves utterlypowerless to use them aright. We mustsee that they are most dangerous to us,because through them the flesh, the oldnature, will so easily exert its power. Inthis conviction we must part with them,giving them entirely to the Lord. When

He has accepted them, and set Hisstamp upon them, we receive themback, to hold them as His property, towait on Him for the grace to daily usethem aright, and to have them act onlyunder His influence.” -A.M.

“Above all the difficulty which Paulhad to meet in his care of the churches,that which arose from our disposition toreturn to the law, or to ‘confidence inthe flesh,’ was the most frequent andthe greatest.”

“I count all things but loss for theexcellency of the knowledge of ChristJesus, my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

5-19. Abiding Prayer“And this is the confidence that we

have in Him, that, if we ask any thingaccording to His will, He heareth us” (1John 5:14).

In order for us to pray according toHis will, we must first know His will; notonly that, but His blessed will mustbecome our will. “If ye abide in Me . . .ask what ye will, and it shall be doneunto you” (John 15:7). Prayer is thefellowship of an intimate, living union;as with all of the Christian life, it mustbe carried on in dependence upon theHoly Spirit. He is known as “the Spirit ofgrace and of supplications” (Zech.12:10).

“If I ask anything of God, and havereceived His answer, I then act withassurance, with the conviction that I amin the path of His will; I am happy andcontented. If I meet with some difficulty,

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this does not stop me; it is only anobstacle which faith has to surmount.

“But if I have not this certainty beforeI begin, I am in indecision, I know notwhat to do. There may be a trial of myfaith, or it may be that I ought not to dowhat I am doing. I am in suspense, andI hesitate; even if I am doing the will ofGod, I am not sure about it, and I amnot happy. I ought therefore to beassured that I am doing His will before Ibegin to act.” -J.N.D.

“All flows from the soul beingconsciously in the place where it is set,in Christ risen. He can then trust us withthe knowledge of His will; He can trustthe sons of the family with the familyaffairs.”

“And if we know that He hear us,whatever we ask, we know that wehave the petitions that we desired ofHim” (1 John 5:15).

5-20. Spirit-motivated Surrender“Keep on seeking the things above

where Christ is seated at the right handof God (Col. 3:7, Wms.).

When the Spirit of Christ has thehungry heart prepared, there will besurrender. No struggle; no questions.“We reason when we ought to repose;we doubt when we ought to depend.Confidence in our Father’s love is thetrue corrective in all things.” “For I knowwhom I have believed and ampersuaded that He is able to keep thatwhich I have committed unto Him” (2Tim. 1:12).

“If a believer surrenders or laysaside anything without an adequatedivine motive, he will either secretlyhanker after it, and probably long toreturn to it, or he will take credit tohimself for having given it up, and willthus reveal self-righteousness andspiritual pride.

“A certain school of religiousteachers make much of ‘surrender’ asthe way to attain blessing, but it ends inself-sufficiency, because the onlymotive that is presented for it is theacquisition of a better spiritual state, orpower for service, or something of thatkind. A divine motive and attraction isneeded if souls are to be drawn into therace and prepared to surrender in atruly spiritual way, and this divinemotive and attraction is our risen Lordin Glory.” -C.A.C.

“Communion with the Lord Jesusrequires our coming to Him in the Word.Meditating upon His person and Hiswork requires the prayerful study of HisWord. Many fail to abide in Himbecause they habitually fast instead offeast.” -J.H.T.

“Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us;for Thou also hast wrought all ourworks in us. O Lord our God, otherlords beside Thee have had dominionover us; but by Thee only will we makemention of Thy name” (Isa. 26:12, 13).

5-21. Fulness Of Life

“To know the love of Christ whichpasseth knowledge that ye might be

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filled with all the fulness of God” (Eph.3:19).

Our Father’s fulness of supplyinfinitely exceeds the sum of our needs.Positionally it is so: “For in Him dwellethall the fulness of the Godhead bodily.And ye are complete in Him.”Conditionally it is so: “He that sparednot His own Son, but delivered Him upfor us all, how shall He not with Himalso freely give us all things?” (Col. 2:9,10; Rom. 8:32).

“As to the Gospel and the work ofthe Lord Jesus, I do not find that it isadequately apprehended that thebenefit conferred by the Father is farbeyond the need of the sinner. Youcannot measure the benefit by theneed. You may ask, ‘Does it not coverthe need?’ It does; but you get no clueto the benefit from the measure of theneed. You cannot find it in your ownthoughts or expectations; it cannot befound anywhere save in our Father’sheart. It is ‘above all that we ask orthink. . . . ‘

“How little, indeed, do we enter intothe fulness of the benefits of theGospel! The elder brother in Luke 15did not object to his brother beingforgiven, but it was unwelcome to himto see the wonderful excess of gracebestowed on him by the Father. ‘Thouhast killed for him the fatted calf.’ Manyhave the sense of forgiveness withoutthe knowledge of His abundance.” -J.B.S.

“We shall never be able to glorifyGod, if we only take what we need.”

“Now unto Him who is able to doexceedingly abundantly above all thatwe ask or think according to the powerthat worketh in us, unto Him be glory”(Eph. 3:20, 21).

5-22. From Milk To Meat“By people who live on milk I mean

those who are imperfectly acquaintedwith the teaching concerningrighteousness. Such persons are merebabes” (Heb. 5:13, Wey.).

Promises and blessings have mainlyto do with the milk of the Word. In orderfor a believer to grow in grace and inthe knowledge of the Lord Jesus, hemust fellowship with Him in the Word.There is general Bible study, and thereis feeding upon the Lord Jesus in theWord of life. The former serves forfoundation, the latter is needed forgrowth.

“People may receive ‘blessings’ andtemporary ‘deliverances’ in answer toprayer, for God is merciful to Hischildren and His Spirit refreshes andblesses us even apart from the realwalk of faith. But it is of greater benefitfinally to us, and much greater glory toGod, if we simply accept His Word andlearn to walk in the power of it by nakedfaith; which asks no longer certainecstasies, but being sure of God’s truthbecause it is His truth, maintains anattitude of faith therein; attitude-a fixedheart.

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“Faith, when once we see the truth,consists of a believing attitude of thewill toward God. This involves anegative attitude toward all doubt of Hispromises or anything that would raise adoubt; and it also involves a continuedrefusal to rest upon appearances orfeelings, even though these may comein great abundance. It is God’s writtenWord that supplies strength to the heartof faith.” -W.R.N.

“It is an easy thing to set sail and getfairly out into the ocean; but when manydays have passed and no land is insight, one is apt to weary. If the heart isnot fully occupied with the Lord in theWord, something is taken on board tofill up the void.”

“Nourished up in the words of faithand of good doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6).

5-23. God Will Do It

“For it is God who works in you bothwill and deed” (Phil. 2:13, Cony.)

As we mature we come to see moreand more clearly that our Father just asfully controls our lives as He does theuniverse. As C.A. Fox said, “Climb on,and you will find the correcting, thechastening, the cleansing, the calmingof the deep affection of God.”

“All the testing and trying is to firstdeal with, by the Cross, that which cannever stand the stress and which mustbe forever failure to the Lord, and thento develop that which is Christ withinus. That is the spiritual life-Christ in usin all His fulness. ‘I will make him a

pillar.’ ‘I will write upon him the name ofmy God.’ He is going to do it. All thestriving will never bring that end about,but He will do it.

“The great majority of us would say,‘If it all depends on me, then it is a badlookout!’ Well, of course, that is true,but let us look at the blessing ofJoseph-’The arms of his hands weremade strong, by the hands of theMighty One of Jacob . . . even by theGod of thy father’ (Gen. 49:24, 25).” -C.O.

“Let a man renounce himself, andsee himself as crucified with Christ, andsoon another Himself-the Lord JesusChrist-will take the central place in theheart, and quietly bring all things underHis sway.”

“It is a great thing to offer the LordJesus Christ as the Saviour to sinfulman, but it is still greater to expressHim in a world where He is rejected.” -J.B.S.

“According as His divine power hathgiven unto us all things that pertain untolife and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

5-24. Grace Crown“The God of all grace, who hath

called us unto His eternal glory byChrist Jesus, after ye have sufferedawhile, make you perfect (mature),establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Pet.5:10).

At first, the old nature hides from us.Then, we try to hide from it. But when

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we begin to grow in grace and in theknowledge of the Lord Jesus, we areable to face up to the awful factsconcerning the old man and hiscondemnation at the Cross. As the HolySpirit reveals the old man (Col. 3:9), wecount upon death; as He reveals thenew man (Col. 3:10), we count upon life(Rom. 6:11).

“The believer, at the opening of hiscourse, never knows his own heart;indeed, he could not bear the fullknowledge of it; he would beoverwhelmed thereby. ‘The Lord leadsus not by the way of the Philistines lestwe should see war, and so be plungedinto despair. But He graciously leads usby a circuitous route, in order that ourapprehension of His grace may keeppace with our growing self-knowledge.”-C.H.M.

“It was not for nothing that God letSatan loose upon His dear servant,Job. God loved Job with a perfect love;a love that could take account ofeverything, and, looking below thesurface, could see the deep moral rootsin the heart of His servant-roots whichJob had never seen, and, therefore,never judged. What a mercy to have todo with such a God! to be in the handsof One who will spare no pains in orderto subdue everything in us which iscontrary to Himself, and to bring out inus His own blessed image!”

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time, casting all

your care upon Him; for He careth foryou” (1 Pet. 5:6, 7).

5-25. Stand Where You Are!“God, who is rich in mercy, for His

great love with which He loved us . . .hath made us alive together with Christ. . . and hath raised us up together, andmade us sit together in heavenly placesin Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-6).

Believers are not occupying theirposition! At best, most are trying toattain a victorious position by means ofprayer, Bible study, commitment,reconsecration, surrender, and so forth.But the answer is simply to abide wherewe have already been placed-in ourrisen Lord Jesus Christ. Abide above,and keep looking down!

“Our Father has taken us overJordan and placed us in Canaan, butthe reality of it is never known until byfaith we accept the fact on the basis ofhaving died with Christ, and thattherefore heaven is our place, and weknow it to be our place now; and thatthis side is not our place, and we knowthat it is not.

“The more we abide in the Lord onthe other side, the less disappointed wewill be here, for when we are there weimport new joys and new hopes intothis old world, from an entirely new one,and we therefore in every way surpassthe inhabitants of this lost world.” -J.B.S.

“You must abide in Christ in heavenbefore you can descend with heavenly

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ability to act for Him down here. Thegreat secret of all blessing is to comefrom the Lord. Most Christians go toHim.”

“Christian experience is ourmeasure of apprehension of that whichis already true of us in the Lord JesusChrist.” -A.J.

“Stand fast in the Lord” (Phil. 4:7).

5-26. “Good Ground”

“Jesus answered and said unto him,Before Philip called thee, when thouwast under the fig tree, I saw thee”(John 1:48).

“And other fell on good ground, andsprang up, and bore fruit anhundredfold” (Luke 8:8). The more fullyand thoroughly hearts are cultivatedbefore conversion the more healthy andfruitful they will be after conversion.Many Christians hurriedly seek to plantthe seed in unprepared soil, and thenwonder why it is so soon withered,choked, or snatched away. “Goodground are they who. . . having heardthe Word, keep it, and bring forth fruitwith patience” (Luke 8:15).

“I believe that a work of Godsometimes goes on behind a particularman or family, village or district beforethe knowledge of the truth ever reachesthem. It is a silent, unsuspected work,not in mind and heart, but in the unseenrealm behind these. Then, when thelight of the Gospel is brought, there isno difficulty, no conflict. The battle hasbeen won.

“It is, then, simply a case of ‘standstill and see the salvation of God.’ Thisshould give us confidence in prayingintelligently for those who are far fromGospel light. The longer thepreparation, the deeper the work. Thedeeper the root, the firmer the plantwhen once it springs above the ground.I do not believe that any deep work ofGod takes root without long preparationsomewhere.” -J.O.F.

“Concentrate your prayers on behalfof some soul or souls and pray forsuch, night and day, until they come toChrist. Then continue to pray for themuntil Christ is formed in them!” (Phil.4:19).

“Behold, I will send my messenger,and he shall prepare the way beforeMe” (Mal. 3:1).

5-27. Slow But Sure

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patientlyfor Him; fret not thyself” (Ps. 37:7).

Our Father moves on the basis ofHis finished work, therefore hurry is nota factor with Him nor should it be withus. We are to ‘walk in the Spirit,’ andthe blessed Holy Spirit will see to it thatwe obtain all that our Father has for us,step by step. “The steps of a good manare ordered by the Lord, and hedelighteth in His way” (Ps. 37:23). Don’tbe discouraged-Enoch walked with Godfor three hundred years before he wastranslated!

“We cannot become spiritual all atonce; we must be content to begin as

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babes. Spiritual maturity and strengthdo not come by effort but by growth;and growth is the result of beingnourished by proper food. But if we donot grow by effort it is important toremember that we do not grow withoutexercise.

“God begins by giving our hearts asense of the blessedness of the gracein which He has called us, that we maybe awakened and enhungered topursue the knowledge of all this withpurpose of heart and prayerful study.” -C.A.C.

“Whatever we do accurately musttake time and collectedness of mind,and there is no accuracy in all the worldlike keeping company with God, and yetnothing so free from bondage ortediousness. By going slow with theLord we accomplish more than by goingwith a rush, because what we do isdone so much better and does not haveto be undone. It is done in a betterspirit, with deeper motives, and bearsfruit far out in the future, when allmushroom performances have beendissipated forever.” -G.B.W.

“Delight thyself also in the Lord, andHe shall give thee the desires of thineheart” (Ps. 37:4).

5-28. Heaven Now And Forever

“[God] hath raised us up together;and made us sit together in heavenlyplaces in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

In the first stage of our Christian lifewe seek to bring the Lord Jesus down

to our level, for our use; later on welearn to take our position in Him at Hislevel, for His use.

“The desire of many and thetendency of all is to connect the LordJesus with ourselves on this earth,instead of accepting that we are inliving union with Him in heaven. TheLord give us to apprehend the reality ofour true position; that we are outsidethis scene when we are in our trueplace. We are thankful that Christ washere, and that He made a pathwaythrough the wilderness, but we haveproperly to come from Him in glory tolearn the path and to find His succor init.”

“If you do not know your union withthe Lord Jesus in heaven, you cannotcome out in the power of the heavenlyMan to act from Him on earth, to bedescriptive of Him. You can never beheavenly by effort. Many seek to beheavenly by prayer, reading the Word,devotedness, but the only pathway to itis to be brought by the Holy Spirit torealize union with our risen Lord. Youare heavenly by union, by nature. Abidein Him.”

“Are we prepared to accept ourunion with the crucified and risen Lord,not only as the basis of being receivedby the Father, but also as the way wewalk day by day? If this question washonestly faced, and answeredaffirmatively by the members of ourchurches, there would be no need toendeavor to whip up a ‘revival.’ There

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would be a spontaneous upsurge of lifeand blessing-the direct work of theSpirit of God Himself.” -J.C.M.

“Risen with Him through the faith ofthe operation of God, who hath raisedHim from the dead” (Col. 2:12).

5-29. Christo-centric

“Let this mind be in you, which wasalso in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).

Just whose side are we on? Theenemy who would occupy us withourselves, or the Comforter who wouldoccupy us with the risen Lord Jesus?The spirit of death, or the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus? “Know ye not that towhom ye yield yourselves servants toobey, his servants ye are whom yeobey, whether of sin unto death, or ofobedience unto righteousness?” (Rom.6:16).

“If we have only learned the Lord atour own side, the tendency is to beoccupied with ourselves, or to seek tobe an object of consideration; whereasif we have been led by the Spirit to Hisside, His interests and concerns willsingularly occupy us.”

“The natural inclination is to makeoneself the center of everythingpassing, how it pains or cheers oneself,even musing on oneself as if one werethe one solitary object for the sunshineor the cloud to rest on. If I am a hero, ora martyr to myself, I look at and regarddivine things as they suit my thinkingabout myself, and not as answering towhat He is thinking of me. I am

confining the Lord to myself instead ofrising up and seeing myself lost in Him,and then following Him in all thegreatness and blessedness of His workand ways down here.” -J.B.S.

“We may love as Jonathan, andfollow as Ruth, but until we know thatwe are united to the Lord Jesus Christin glory, we will not be free enough fromour own interests, to take up His.”

“[Who] made Himself of noreputation, and took upon Him the formof a servant” (Phil. 2:7).

5-30. “Love Never Faileth”“And to know the love of Christ,

which passeth knowledge, that ye mightbe filled with all the fulness of God”(Eph 3:19).

God led the children of Israel intothe desert with its thirst, that He mightbless them. “For they drank of thatspiritual Rock that followed them, andthat Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). It isfor no less a reason that He takes usinto the desert at times. “How shall Henot with Him [Christ] also freely give usall things?” (Rom. 8:2).

“Our Father disciplines us that wemay be more fully free from the oldnature, and find everything in the LordJesus. But He begins the lesson withthe assurance, ‘I love you perfectly.’

“‘I bring you into the desert to learnwhat you are, and what I am; but it is asthose I have brought to Myself!’ Hegives us a place with the Lord Jesus,

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but then shows us what He is and whatwe are. The discipline of the wayteaches this; but if He, in His love,strikes the furrows in the heart, it is thatHe may sow the seed which shall ripenin glory.”

“Those who receive deliverancefrom their troubles never, grow likethose who get strengthened in thedifficulties.”

“How slowly one learns that Hissympathy is not expressed in removingthe affliction but in raising one above itto Himself, so that He becomes soendeared to the heart that He is morean object to the heart than oneself.” -J.B.S.

“The hand of God never deals but inconcert with His heart of infinite lovetowards us.” -J.N.D.

“Now no chastening for the presentseemeth to be joyous, but grievous;nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth thepeaceable fruit of righteousness untothem who are exercised by it” (Heb.12:11).

5-31. Eternally Nigh

“But now in Christ Jesus ye whoonce were far off are made near by theblood of Christ” (Eph 2:13).

Until we know our position in therisen Lord Jesus, we can never reallyface up to the sinfulness of our oldnature. But “hidden with Christ in God,”we can both face up to and face awayfrom the old, “looking unto Jesus, the

author and perfecter [marg.] of ourfaith” (Heb. 12:2).

“God sets me in nearness to Himselfin the Lord Jesus; and as I learn mynearness to Him, I am prepared for theexposure of my natural distance fromHim, and I am, through grace, morallyapart and sheltered from it (Rom. 8:9),at the very moment when I see it. Thegreater my height, the greater theenormity of the depth appears; but I amsafe from it. As a consequence I‘rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have noconfidence in the flesh’ (Phil. 3:3).”

“Two things mark spiritual growth;one is a deeper sense of the sinful oldnature, the other is a greater longingafter the Lord Jesus Christ. Thesinfulness is discovered and felt as thepower of the Holy Spirit increases; formany a thought and act passes withoutpain to the conscience where the LordJesus is less before the soul, which willbe refused and condemned as theknowledge of the Lord increases inspiritual power within.” -J.B.S.

“When the Lord Jesus Christ isenjoyed, things unlike Him drop off likefading leaves.”

“For the word of God is living, andpowerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to thedividing asunder of soul and spirit, andof the joints and marrow, and is adiscerner of the thoughts and intents ofthe heart” (Heb. 4:12).

Number 6

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It has been with much satisfactionand thankfulness that we have watchedthe Lord draw together the quotes andScripture portions that now formulateNone But the Hungry Heart #6.Especially encouraging has been theassurance that He has prepared anddirected these growth truths for yourheart, hungry as it is to grow in the TrueVine and share the fruit of His Spiritwith others. “Wherefore, I will not benegligent to put you always inremembrance of these things, thoughyou know them, and are established inthe present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

“By Him, therefore, let us offer thesacrifice of praise to God continually,that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanksto His name. But to do good and toshare forget not; for with such sacrificesGod is well pleased” (Heb. 13:15, 16).

Miles J. Stanford; February 1976

6-1. Time To Grow“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently

for Him” (Ps. 37:7).Lincoln said that “a short speech

requires great preparation; a longspeech can be given anytime on shortnotice.” Now, are we going to “spendour years as a tale that is told” (Ps.90:9); or are we going to settle downand grow in the image of our eternalLord?

“In our spiritual experience we oftenfind that not least of our trials is the factthat God seems so slow to respond;

sometimes it would appear that He iscareless or indifferent-and that justwhen our needs are most acute. Two ofthe major elements in the spiritual lifeand experience of His own are theseemingly slow and hidden ways ofGod, and the demand for persistentfaith in His servants.” -T. A-S.

“The work of God in the lives of Hispeople is designed to make them‘partakers of His holiness.’ Heundertakes their training in His schoolwith the intention that, however difficultin practice the course may be, it willyield ‘the peaceable fruit ofrighteousness’ in the lives of those whoundergo it.

“This evidently represents His norm-no shortcuts and no exceptions. Atleast, He did not make an exception ofAbraham, or Joseph, or Moses, or anyof the great men and women whosenames are listed in the eleventhchapter of Hebrews. Their traininglasted for decades and led them intopainful situations and difficult places.But their lives, as a result, wereincomparably fruitful.” -J.P.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God;for my expectation is from Him” (Ps.62:5).

6-2. Cross Of Love

“Nor height, nor depth, nor any othercreation, shall be able to separate usfrom the love of God, which is in ChristJesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

John 3:16: The Saviour laid down

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His life for His enemies. 1 John 3:16:We are to “lay down our lives for thebrethren.” The death of the Cross spellslove for both friend and enemy.

“If we get a wrong idea about theinward working of the Cross we shalllose our own enjoyment of God’s loveand fail to manifest that love to others.We have no doubt that, for the sinner,the Cross is the outstanding expressionof God’s love, but when we realize thatit brings us, as believers, into a verypersonal experience of being crucifiedtogether with Christ, we are apt to losesight of the love of God.

“We set our teeth, as though makingup our minds that from now oneverything is going to be grim andharsh. It almost seems that the carnalChristian may be cheerful and happy,but the crucified ones must expect topass into a gloomier experience.Nothing is farther from the truth. TheCross will always bring us back to thelove of God in ever-increasing fulness.”

“The challenge of the Cross, theinsistence that we have been crucifiedwith Christ, may sometimes appear tobe a dark and forbidding message. TheCross is not the end: It is the waythrough to His end. God is working forsomething beyond the immediate; He isworking towards the glory.” -H.F.

“I know the thoughts that I thinktoward you, saith the Lord, thoughts ofpeace, and not of evil, to give you anexpected end” (Jer. 29:11).

6-3. Nothing But A Nothing“Sanctify the Lord God in your

hearts” (1 Pet. 3:15).Many sincere believers are apt to

put up an insincere front in order to“protect the Gospel,” so as not to “letthe Lord down.” But He will increase, ifwe but decrease. There is nothing likebeing nothing!

“It is true that there is the hunger tobe devoted, and to be like the LordJesus, long before one’s acts andmanner corroborate the hunger, andmake it a fact; but the more the hungerswhich grace has generated in yourheart are given a place, the sooner willthey become experiential facts; and themore the Lord Jesus has His thronewithin you, the more you will ‘rejoice inHim, and have no confidence in theflesh’” (Phil. 3:3).

“‘I know so little of the Lord Jesus,’one may say, and this may be true; butevery grace that is in Him is in everysaint, though not developed. If I am ababe in Christ, where there is truelowliness of heart, I display God, as ababe manifesting Him; but if, as a babe,I am attempting to manifest Him as aman, there will be frustration andfailure.

“My wisdom will be, not to set myselfup above that which I really am. Ifwalking in true lowliness andmanifesting that measure of the LordJesus in which we have grown, therewill be certain progress.” -W.K.

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“Perhaps there is nothing so hard asnot to appear anything but what youare. If you do so to your advantage, youwill be some day found out, but if toyour disadvantage, there is no doubtthat He who searcheth the heart andtrieth the reins will one day vindicateyou.”

“But now I forbear, lest any manshould think of me above that which heseeth me to be, or that he heareth ofme” (2 Cor. 12:6).

6-4. Gaze And Grow

“Who (Jesus), being the brightnessof His (God’s) glory, and the expressimage of His person” (Heb. 1:3).

Basically, the Bible is the Biographyof the Beloved. Its primary object is toprovide the Object for ourcontemplation and conformity.

“Many a Christian has not gotbeyond this: Christ is a shelter for me,and takes care of me. Souls look fortheir barrel of meal not to waste, andtheir cruse of oil not to fail. But is thatall? Is it that Christ comes and dwellswith me and cares for me?

“I make bold to say it is not. Is itshelter only? No! You are mutilatingChristianity if you confine it to that. Godsays: I have saved you by My own Son,and now another factor must come in;you are to live by the One who hassaved you; My purpose is that you areto be conformed to His blessed image.”

“There comes a moment when the

soul knows union with Christ. Has yoursoul ever got a glimpse, by the Spirit, ofChrist risen? Of ‘the mark’ of whichPaul speaks? It is Christ in heaven; Heis my Object!

“Practically it is what souls have lostsight of. They do not look foracquaintance with Christ Risen. Thefirst thing is the education of the Word;the second, Christ Himself must beseen (2 Cor. 3:18). The Word delightsthe heart, but till the eye of your spirithas rested on the Person of Christ, youhave not the model for the Word totake; there is no formation.”

“Looking unto Jesus the author andfinisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

6-5. “Free Born”

“If God be for us, who can beagainst us”? (Rom. 8:31)

Faith in the facts alone gives the restof reliance.

“Is there an accuser, a judge, or anexecutioner, still after us? The accusermay go away rebuked by this, that Godhas justified us; the judge may go awayrebuked by this, that the Lord Jesushas died-has already suffered thejudgment, and His work has beenaccepted to the full in heaven itself; theexecutioner may go away rebuked bythis, that all the malice of earth and helltogether shall never drag us away fromthe firm embrace of our God. And ifthere be now neither accuser to charge,nor judge to condemn, nor executionerto slay, the court is cleared!” -J.G.B.

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“It is a blessed thing to be shown ourenemies and told with Gideon, thatJehovah has delivered them into ourhands (Josh. 8:7). Our old man hasbeen crucified (Rom. 6:6), the world‘overcome,’ and its prince ‘judged’(John 16:33, 11). If we are walking byfaith, as risen with the Lord JesusChrist, Satan, the world, and the fleshare under our feet.” -J.N.D.

“Not a hair of the child of God canfall without God’s permission. Satan isbut the unintentional instrument toaccomplish God’s will; he can do nomore than he is allowed to do. If trialscome as a host against us, we knowthat the Almighty is between us andthem. They will but work out for us Hisown purpose of love.”

“What shall separate us from thelove of Christ? Shall tribulation, ordistress, or persecution, or famine, ornakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay,in all these things we are more thanconquerors through Him that loved us”(Rom. 8:35, 37).

6-6. Circumstantial Evidence

“If any man suffer as a Christian, lethim not be ashamed, but let him glorifyGod on this behalf” (1 Pet. 4:16).

Often the lapidary will polish thejewel with its own dust. Just so ourFather makes use of the weak andbeggarly element of our nature toproduce the mirror-like lustre in whichHis image is finally reflected for all tosee. “They shall be Mine. . . in that day

when I make up My jewels” (Malachi3:17).

“Those who know the Lord best arethose who have gone the deepest way.Those who go the deep way of trial doso because God puts the premiumupon their knowledge of Him. They arethe people who are shut up to God. Butthis knowledge is firstly, constitutional:that is, it is to constitute a certain kindof person and character; and secondlyit is vocational: it does not end with theperson concerned, but is the essenceof service, in time and eternity. God isvery practical, and requires that thingsin His service are never merelytheoretical but real and true to life.” -T.A-S.

“Our path ought to be the mold, theopportunity, for the expression andvirtue of Christ’s life. Saints seek to useHim rather in order to get through theircircumstances, instead of seeing in thecircumstances the mold in which theyare to be taught the strength and powerof the Lord Jesus. May we grow in Him,knowing Him, not only as helping usthrough circumstances, but using thecircumstances which He puts usthrough as opportunities for enlargingour souls in Himself.”

“But rejoice, inasmuch as ye arepartakers of Christ’s sufferings, that,when His glory shall be revealed, yemay be glad also with exceeding joy” (1Pet. 4:13).

6-7. Proffered Provision

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“We have known and believed thelove that God hath to us” (1 John 4:16).

The Spirit convicts us of sins that wemay be convinced of God’s cleansing.We do not deserve to be forgiven, butthe Lord Jesus deserves to be trusted.

“We find the greatest difficulty oftenin bringing our sorrow to God. How canI do so, some may be saying, as mysorrow is the fruit of my sin? How can Itake it to God? If it was suffering forrighteousness’ sake, then I would, but Iam suffering for my sin; and can I, inthe integrity of my heart towards God,take my sorrows to Him, knowing Ideserve them?

“Yes: the Lord Jesus has been toGod about them. This, then, is theground on which I can go. There hasbeen perfect atonement for all my sins;Christ has been judged for them. WillGod judge us both? No; I go to Him onthe ground of atonement, and God canjustly meet me in all my sorrow,because Christ’s work has been soperfectly done.” -J.N.D.

“The guilt which the throne detects,the altar removes. If in the light of thethrone one object is seen, namely,ruined, guilty, undone self; then, in thelight of the altar, one object is seen,namely, a full, precious, all-sufficientChrist. The remedy reaches to the fullextent of the ruin, and the same lightthat reveals the one reveals the otherlikewise. This gives settled repose tothe conscience. God Himself has

provided a remedy for all ruin which thelight of His throne has revealed.”

“If we walk in the light, as He is inthe light, we have fellowship one withanother, and the blood of Jesus Christ,His Son, cleanseth us from all sin” (1John 1:7).

6-8. The Word’s Word“Having therefore, brethren,

boldness to enter into the holiest by theblood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).

The written Word is meant to revealthe Living Word, not to hide Him. Manyknow prophecy better than the Prophet.Our Father gave us His written Wordthat we might know His Son, not onlyas Saviour but as our very Life.“Sanctify them through Thy truth; ThyWord is truth” (John 17:17).

“The knowledge of the Lord JesusChrist is the basis of the believer’s life.That is, it underlies our very relationshipwith God; it underlies all our growth ingrace; it underlies every fragment of ourservice. There is nothing which comeswithin the compass of the life of theChristian which does not depend uponthe knowledge of the Lord Jesus.” -T.A-S.

“Heart acquaintance with Christ isthe secret of spiritual growth. One mayknow all the truths of the Bible, and yetbe practically ignorant of the person ofthe Lord Jesus. It is possible to go backinto the world with acquaintance withthe scriptures, but it is virtuallyimpossible to return thither with the

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scriptural acquaintance of Christ in theheart.”

“The believer should have but oneobject: knowing Christ has laid hold ofhim for glory, his heart is running afterHim. He is to have no other object,though he may have many things to do.The Lord Jesus is ‘in all’ believers asthe power of life, and He is ‘all’ as theobject of that life. He is ‘all and in all’(Col. 3:11). And, ‘all to Him I owe.’”

“Having an high priest over thehouse of God, let us draw near with atrue heart in full assurance of faith”(Heb. 10:21, 22).

6-9. Victorious Vinedresser“No chastening for the present

seemeth to be joyous, but grievous;nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth thepeaceable fruit of righteousness untothem who are exercised by it” (Heb.12:11).

Vision: The Word gives us the truepicture of growth. Verification: TheSpirit gives us a taste thereof.Vindication: The Lord Jesus, later,gives us maturity.

“A great mystery surrounds thespiritual growth of the hungry-heartedbeliever. The Spirit gives a foretaste ofa deeper life before the believer is ledinto the fulness of it. Many believersmistake their foretaste for the fulness,not realizing that the Lord is justbeginning to lead them

“The forwardness of nature is the

failure of our youth-our spiritual youth,as well as our natural youth; eagernessto run in God’s path, but notapprehending what the path is, or whatit requires to walk in it. On the otherhand, when the cost is counted, andour weakness known, the energybegotten of self-confidence being gone,we need a stimulating call on God’spart, to get out of the persistentoccupation with our weakness now, aswith our strength before.” -F.W.G.

“Suffering is not meant by God to beloss and deprivation. Satan says that itis. God means suffering to result inincreased spiritual capacity, which isthe basis of added responsibility, trust,and fruitful sharing. The branch of thevine may bleed from the drastic pruningand feel stripped of much glory; butmore and better fruit is thevinedresser’s vindication.”

“As we have borne the image of theearthy, we shall also bear the image ofthe heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49).

6-10. Divine Layaway“Not as though I had already

attained, either were already perfect;but I follow after, if that I mayapprehend that for which also I amapprehended of Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:12).

In faith we apprehend the growthtruths; in fact the Lord Jesusapprehends us for growth in thosetruths.

“I have been much struck by the

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thought of the hiddenness andslowness of God’s workings. It must bea matter of distinct faith. If we do notunderstand this it will make usimpatient. If we understand it will teachus to rest in God and to yield ourselvesall the more joyfully to Him to work outHis purpose. In all creation time is thegreat perfecter of growth. So with us,God will perfect that which concernsus.”

“‘Abraham believed God, and it wascounted unto him for righteousness’(Rom. 4:3), when his faith apprehendedthe promise of God; yet it was nearly 40years after that this Scripture wasfulfilled, when he offered his son. Thefaith had its apprehension andenjoyment for many a year before thework of faith.

“In proportion as the revelation is ofGod, in like measure must there be ananswer to it sooner or later. Effect mustfollow cause. If the light has beenreceived, the day will come that it mustassert and obtain an expression ofitself.”

“Two glad services areours,Both the Master loves tobless.First we serve with all ourpowers,Then with all ourhelplessness.”

“I press toward the mark for theprize of the high calling of God in Christ

Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

6-11. Treasure Trove

“But ye are not in the flesh but in theSpirit, if so be that the Spirit of Goddwell in you” (Rom. 8:9).

The Spirit’s ministry is to makeChrist all to each.

“We are the objects of the continualcare and discipline of our heavenlyFather. If we walk after the flesh,instead of after the Spirit, this may callfor His loving rebuke and chastening(child training); but that in no wayinterferes with the precious truth of ourcontinual acceptance and position inthe risen Lord Jesus Christ, by whoseone offering we have been perfectedforever.

“Through grace, we are not in theflesh, but in Christ, yet the flesh is in us;but our part is to reckon it as havingbeen, before God and to faith, judiciallyput to death in Christ crucified, thussetting us free to be so constantlyoccupied with the triumphant Son ofGod, as to find all our resources, all ourstrength, all our springs, in Him.” -H.H.S.

“If we have the Lord Jesus, we haveall-without Him, we have nothing. Youcan be happy without money, withoutliberty, without parents, and withoutfriends, if He is yours. If you have notChrist, neither money, nor liberty, norparents, nor friends can make youhappy. Christ, with a chain, is liberty;liberty without Christ is a chain. Christ

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without anything is riches-all things,without Christ, is poverty indeed.”

“If children, then heirs-heirs of God,and joint heirs with Christ-if so be thatwe suffer with Him, that we may be alsoglorified together” (Rom. 8:17).

6-12. Our One Object

“The love of God is shed abroad inour hearts by the Holy Spirit who isgiven unto us” (Rom. 5:5).

Acknowledging our insufficiency andappropriating His all-sufficiency are thebasic building blocks for our growth inthe “not I but Christ” life.

“There is no child of God that hasset his face to go through with Him,who has not grieved over the weaknessof his love for the Lord Jesus. Ourhearts have mourned, and we havesuffered when we have realized ourselfishness and mixed motives; theweak, unstable love we have for Him.

“Truly none of us can rejoice in ourlove for Him. But when we begin toapprehend His great, eternal love forus, our hearts are filled with joy. And wepraise Him for His love, Hislongsuffering and patience; and wemagnify His Name for that love whichnever fails.”

“When we slip out of communionwith God, how wretched we are, andhow we contribute to the unhappinessof others! Whereas in communion withour Father there is power to enable usto resist the devil, to enjoy the Lord and

to promote the true blessing of His own.May we have our Lord Jesus verysimply and constantly before ourhearts.”

“Nothing but an intelligent andgrowing acquaintance with the LordJesus can satisfy the renewed heart.The very mercy that delivers a soulbecomes a hindrance unless the LordHimself be the one Object.”

“Not that we are sufficient ofourselves to think anything as ofourselves, but our sufficiency is of God”(2 Cor. 3:5).

6-13. Three-fold Cord

“For I reckon that the sufferings ofthis present time are not worthy to becompared with the glory which shall berevealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

The Word of life, the Lord of life, andthe exigencies of life all must combineto give us a ministry of life.

“There is no personal knowledge ofGod but as we count on Him, as we arepractically conscious of depending onHim and of His caring for us. Onewithout straits, and victories, really hasno growing acquaintance with God; andwhere there is not this, however greatthe intelligence or sincerity, there is littleor no savor.”

“It is the trials and difficulties of theway that are the opportunities for ourhearts to grow in acquaintance withHim; and it will be found, while theremay be a great enjoyment in ministry,

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and in the unfolding of truth, that reallythere is not strength but in proportion asone has learned how God has been forand with one in the trials and sorrows ofthe way; and as one has known Him inthem, so is one able to speak of Him.”

“The one purpose which our Fatherhas in view, in all His ways, is toconform us to the image of His Son.This may explain our perplexities as tothe past; it will govern our behavior inthe present; it is to be our guidance inthe future. The chief concern of ourLord is not to instruct us about amultitude of details, not to explain to usthe reason for the trials which we arecalled to pass through. He is workingout everything to serve His supremepurpose in displaying the character ofHis Son in His redeemed ones.”

“For all things are for your sakes,that the abundant grace might throughthe thanksgiving of many redound tothe glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15).

6-14. “Thy Will Be Done”“My brethren, count it all joy when ye

fall into various trials” (James 1:2).You can be sure that you are in the

will of God when He keeps youdependent upon Himself, walking in theHoly Spirit, and abiding in the LordJesus Christ.

“Often all we think of is, having ourneed met; but how little a thing is thatwith God! It would cost Him nothing, wemay say, to meet the need of a lifetimein a moment; and a lesser love than His

would supply it at once, and get rid ofthe constant burden.

“But that is not His way. To supplythe need is a small thing; but to supplyit in such a way as to make us feel ineach seasonable supply the Father’sheart never withdrawn from us, theFather’s heart ever employed about us-that is what He means. ‘Give us ourdaily bread’: is it not much more than toask, ‘Give us now, that we may nothave to come again?’”

“The God-given experience of theSpirit’s working many a time passesaway, and leaves the soul apparentlydull and dead. This is only until thedouble lesson has been fully learnt: (1)that a living faith can rejoice in theLiving God, even when feeling andexperience appear to contradict thepromise (Rom. 8:28, 29); and (2) thatthe divine life only predominates as thelife of the flesh is held in the place ofdeath, inoperative (Rom. 6:11a). Thelife of the Lord Jesus is revealed as Hisdeath works in us (2 Cor. 4:11, 12), andas in weakness and nothingness welook to him (2 Cor. 3:18).” -A.M.

“Knowing this, that the testing ofyour faith worketh patience” (James1:3).

6-15. “Raison D’etre”

“These things I have spoken untoyou, that in Me ye might have peace”(John 16:33).

Great will be the day when youcome to realize that the sole reason for

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the existence of your Bible, your souland your spirit is to glorify-and share-the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The moment we begin to rest ourpeace on anything in ourselves, welose it. And this is why so many saintshave not settled peace. Nothing can belasting that is not built on God alone.How can you have settled peace? Onlyby having it in God’s way. By notresting on anything, even the Spirit’swork within, but on what the Lord Jesushas done entirely outside you. Thenyou will know peace-consciousunworthiness, but yet peace.

“In the Lord Jesus alone, God findsthat in which He can rest concerningus, and so it is with His saints. Themore you see the extent and nature ofthe evil that is within, as well as without,the more you will find that what the LordJesus is and did, is the only ground atall on which you can rest.

“Alas! the freedom which the Gospelbrings may be used to take things easy,and, more or less, retain or gain in theworld; but where this is the case, it isseldom a soul possesses any largemeasure of spiritual enjoyment, and it isnever accompanied by solid peace. Thesoul becomes thus unsettled anduncertain. These oscillations may go onfor a certain time, until God carries onthe work more deeply in the heart.”

“As free, and not using your liberty for a cloakof maliciousness, but as the servants of God”(1 Pet 2:16).

6-16. Undivided Attention

“Beware that thou forget not theLord thy God” (Deut. 8:11).

Our Father would be free to favor uswith far more of His riches in ChristJesus if we would keep more in mindthat grace is unmerited favor-so that“He might make known the riches of Hisglory on the vessels of mercy” (Rom.9:23).

“It seems so natural, when one issurrounded with blessings, and thussensible of being an object of divinefavor, that the eye is turned from God tooneself; for when God is before one,self gets no place, though there be thedeepest awareness of His favor.

“Hence it is the saint who is theobject of the greatest favor who needsto be on his guard, that he allow not hiseye to rest on himself where the favorsare sent, but on God from whom theycome. If his eye turns to himselfbecause of the favor, then the favor hasbeen the means of turning his heartfrom God to a mere gift of His.”

“If there be a growing up into themeasure of the stature of Christ, theremust be a conscious refusal of thatwhich would tend to revive or invigoratethe old nature. The saint is not only anew creature to grow into the likenessof the Lord Jesus, but he has to watchand beware lest the things he has to dowith should in any way minister toanother will in him, which would divert

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him from God to himself. Self is thecircle and center of man’s mind in hisfallen state; but when Christ is formedin the soul, God is the center andsource of everything.” -J.B.S.

“For we . . . worship God in thespirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, andhave no confidence in the flesh” (Phil.3:3).

6-17. Satisfaction Guaranteed

“And you, that were once alienatedand enemies in your mind by wickedworks, yet now hath He reconciled inthe body of His flesh through death, topresent you holy and unblamable andunreprovable in His sight” (Col. 1:21,22).

In order for our Father to be satisfiedwith us, He placed us in His Son. Inorder for us to be satisfied with ourFather, we “rejoice in Christ Jesus, andhave no confidence in the flesh” (Phil.3:3).

“On what ground is our faith tested?It is on the ground of our veryrelationship with God and God’sattitude toward us. The concentration ofthe enemy is upon that point-to interferewith our link with God.

“What is our link with God? It is this-the Lord Jesus Christ, as the answer toGod and to Satan for us. It will never bewhat we are in ourselves. If you areexpecting a day to come when in virtueof what you are in yourself you cansatisfy God, you are destined to anawful disillusionment. The day will

never come when we can satisfy God inourselves, not even more or less.”

“How could there be any doubtabout the believers perfect security ifhis position in the Lord Jesus wererealized? It would be impossible. CanHe change? Or will God say to Him, Icannot any longer accept You asstanding for this people? Or, onceagain if standing for them, is He onprobation? Is His work completelydone, or still to do?” -F.W.G.

“And you, being dead in your sinsand the uncircumcision of your flesh,hath He made alive together with Him,having forgiven you all trespasses”(Col. 2:13).

6-18. Beloved Object

“For we are His workmanship,created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10).

The Holy Spirit creates within us ahatred for the old nature, and a hungerfor the new nature. Without a rejectionof the old, there cannot be a projectionof the new.

“I want a testimony that delivers mefrom the things I am occupied about inmyself when I am suffering from them. Iget it from God’s gift that is perfect. Iam ‘accepted in the Beloved’ (Eph.1:6). You say, There is somethingabout myself I cannot get over.Remember, the testimony of the Spiritin us is the contrary of the testimony ofthe Spirit to us. In me, He takes noticeof every fault that is not righteousness;but the testimony to us is, ‘Their sins

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and their iniquities will I remember nomore’ (Heb. 8:12).”

“If we make morality our standard,we will be sure to fall below what wepurpose. Whatever we put before us asour criterion, there will be always afalling short. If we have the Lord JesusChrist risen and in heaven as ourObject, we shall prove the power of Hisresurrection, not only in lifting us upwhen we are conscious of ourexceeding short-comings, but instrengthening us to ‘press toward themark for the prize of the high calling ofGod in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 3:14).”

“The Word of God teaches meunion, but the Person of Christ bringsout all that I derive from union with Him.The Word is always my authority for myposition, but acquaintance with thePerson confirms and manifests myposition.”

“Finally, my brethren, be strong inthe Lord” (Eph 6:10)

6-19. Proper Presentation“The things that thou hast heard

from me among many witnesses, thesame commit thou to faithful men, whoshall be able to teach others also” (2Tim. 2:2).

Truth based upon law will bepresented legally-it will be legislated.Truth based upon grace will be sharedgraciously, in love. “Adorn the doctrineof God” by “speaking the truth in love”(Titus 2:10; Eph. 4:15).

“There are two things that have tobe taken into account in communicatingtruth. Not merely should there becertainty that it is the truth from God,but it must also be suited truth to thosewhom you address. They might need itall, but they may not be in condition toreceive it; and the more precious thetruth, the greater the injury, in a certainsense, if it is presented to those whoare not in a state to profit by it.”

“We are to serve under His direction,and according to His pleasure; not justbecause opportunity or need offers. Werequire His direction, and theknowledge of His pleasure, howeverfavorable the opportunity or theoccasion. We see a servant in Acts 8taken away from an interesting field ofservice, to meet one man in the desert.“It is not a question of how we succeed;but have we the assurance that we aredoing the Lord’s pleasure? Happy is theservant who is so led by Him that healways presents the measure of truthsuited to the state of souls, and refusesto supply the knowledge that puffethup.”

“Which things also we speak, not inthe words which man’s wisdomteacheth, but which the Holy Spiritteacheth, comparing spiritual thingswith spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13).

6-20. Self-abandonment“Reckon ye also yourselves to be

dead indeed unto sin” (Rom. 6:11a).All of the cults, from TM to ST to

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SDA, are simply self-improvementaberrations. The Cross alone providesdeath to self and life in the Lord JesusChrist. “God forbid that I should glory,except in the Cross of our Lord JesusChrist, by whom the world is crucifiedunto me, and I unto the world” (Gal.6:14).

“What becomes us now is to havethe Lord Jesus before us, and not thecorrection of the old man. The snare oftrying to improve oneself is verycommon, and it is important to see, thathowever well-meaning it may be, it isreally a denial that our old man hasbeen crucified, and a revival of thatwhich has been judged in the death ofthe Cross.

“It is plain that if you are clear of thedomination of the old man you canhave no man before you but the LordJesus, and the more sensible you areof how ready the flesh is to intrude.”

“God never means me to be able,with the Pharisee, to thank Him for thegoodness that I find in myself. If I will beat it, He leaves me to find in thisirreparable flesh, which cannot bemended, what I may break my heartover, but never alter.

“It is a quicksand which spoils all mybuilding-a morass impracticable tocultivation; and God uses this, in Hissovereignty over evil, to wean me fromself-confidence and self-complacency,and to cast me upon Himself.”

“Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves

to be. . . alive unto God through JesusChrist, our Lord” (Rom. 6:11b).

6-21. Personification“God hath caused me to be fruitful in

the land of my affliction” (Gen. 41:52).To share what we have may minister

temporarily to the physical; but tominister to the spiritual in an eternalway we must share what we are, andthat calls for growth in the Lord JesusChrist.

“We can only comfort others with thecomfort wherewith we ourselves havebeen comforted of God. Others canonly really be helped by what has beenthe power of life in the would-be helper.

“Information, by itself, howevercorrect and orthodox, however stronglyheld in conviction and passed on inpassion, will lack an essential andindispensable quality or value forspiritual constitution.

“Hence it has ever been God’s wayto raise up a vessel, personal orcorporate, in which His message hasbeen wrought by fiery ordeal. Themessenger must not only have themessage in him, but he must be in themessage: not only in mind and feeling,but in experience and being.” -T. A-S.

“We really can only come into thereality of things by being ‘pressed out ofmeasure’ (2 Cor. 1:8). So the Lord hasto take much time to make our spiritualhistory. When at length our eyes areopen, we cry, ‘O, why did I not see it

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before!’ But everything else had toprove insufficient before we could reallybe shown, and that takes time.”

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time” (1 Pet 5:6).

6-22. Truth Triumphant!

“To this end was I born, and for thiscause came I into the world, that Ishould bear witness unto the truth.Everyone that is of the truth heareth Myvoice” (John 18:37).

Charismatic Arminianism’sexperience omits truth. CovenantCalvinism’s legality chokes truth. Cross-centered Christianity’s Christ-life isTruth!

“Greater zeal for the salvation ofsinners, and the amelioration of thecondition of mankind, never was moremanifested than at present (1850). Thisis ground of rejoicing to all the friends ofthe Gospel. But there is one unhappysymptom of the present times, withrespect to Christianity. Zeal for thepurity of divine truth has not kept pacewith zeal for the salvation of sinners.” -A.C.

“The semblance of love which doesnot maintain the truth, butaccommodates itself to that which is notthe truth, is not love according to God.In the last days the test of truth is themaintenance of the truth.

“God would have us love oneanother; but the Holy Spirit, by whose

power we receive the divine nature, andwho pours the love of God into ourhearts, is the Spirit of truth, and Hisoffice is to glorify Christ.

“Therefore it is impossible that alove which can put up with a doctrinethat falsified Christ, or which isindifferent to anything that concerns Hisglory, can be of the Holy Spirit-still lessso, if such indifference be set up as aproof of that love.”

“In all things commending ourselvesas the ministers of God. . . by the wordof truth” (2 Cor. 6:4, 7)

6-23. Love’s Legacy

“Be anxious for nothing, but ineverything, by prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving, let your requests bemade known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

Ignorance insures insecurity;scriptural knowledge secures strength.“For God hath not given us the spirit offear, but of power, and of love, and of asound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).

“In mechanics, wobbling isweakness. Power issues from God’srestfulness. Are we resting in the Lord?Can we wait patiently for Him to act?Anxiety reduces spiritual energy. Lackof rest of heart is one of the mostserious hindrances to Christians.

“Fret of soul when wronged, or fussover financial or other concerns, is adepletion of power, a dissipation ofenergy. From the rock basis of rest inHim we can put forth the whole of our

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energies. Perfect peace is our promisedportion.”

“Martha gets instruction; we all getthat, for our Lord neglects none of us;but she did not get His company;company is what gives rest to theheart.”

“Nothing can separate the believerfrom the love of God, and under nocircumstances whatever can he comeunder the infliction of wrath from God.He may have to correct His saints fortheir sins, and where there has been nofailure He may chasten (child train)them for their profit, that they maybecome partakers of His holiness; butall this is in love, not in wrath. Everyaction of God toward His saints is ingrace and blessing; it is ever theoutcome of His love.”

“And the peace of God, whichpasseth all understanding, shall keepyour hearts and minds through ChristJesus” (Phil. 4:7).

6-24. Gratuitous Grace“Sin shall not have dominion over

you; for ye are not under the law butunder grace” (Rom. 6:14).

Grace forsaken is freedom forfeited.“In considering the whole testimony

of the Bible, it is almost as important forthe believer who would do the will ofGod to recognize that which does notconcern him as it is for him to recognizethat which does concern him.

“It is obvious that, apart from the

knowledge of dispensational truth, thebeliever will not be intelligently adjustedto the present purpose and will of Godin the world. Such knowledge alone willsave him from assuming the hopelesslegality of the dispensation that is pastor from undertaking the impossibleworld transforming program belongingto the dispensation which is to come.” -W.S.C.

“The Law of Moses is interrelatedand wholly dependent on the sacrificesand ritual provided for Israel in the land.The laws of the kingdom (Sermon onthe Mount) are only related to the futurekingdom conditions which shall be inthe earth under the power andpresence of the King when Satan isbound, creation delivered, and all shallknow the Lord from the least unto thegreatest.

“All harmony of truth is shatteredwhen there is the slightest comminglingof the principles of law and grace.Grace alone now reigns through Christto the glory of God the Father, the Son,and the Holy Spirit.”

“By the grace of God I am what Iam; and His grace, which wasbestowed upon me, was not in vain, butI labored more abundantly than they all;yet not I, but the grace of God whichwas with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

6-25. Plus, Or Minus?“For in Jesus Christ neither

circumcision availeth anything, noruncircumcision, but faith which worketh

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by love” (Gal. 5:6).Grace + Law = Death. Grace - Law

= Life!“Covenant theology, which has

molded the major theologicalconceptions for many generations,recognizes no distinctions as to ages,therefore can allow for no distinctionsbetween law and grace. Thisdominating attitude of Covenantismmust account for the utter neglect of lifetruth (growth) in all their works oftheology.

“No more representative theologicaldictum from the Covenant viewpointhas been formed than the WestminsterConfession of Faith, which valuable andimportant document recognizes lifetruth only to the point of imposing theTen Commandments on Christians astheir sole obligation, and in spite of theteachings of the New Testament whichasserts that the Law was never given toGentile or Christian.” -L.S.C.

“While freeing believers from thebondage of Rome, the ProtestantReformation brought them back, inlarge measure, under the bondage ofSinai. The Reformation took away oneset of bindings, but bound the believerswith another-and this has atrophied thespiritual life of multitudes.” -D.G.B.

“Not a single cluster of living fruitever was, or ever will be, culled fromthe tree of legality. Law can onlyproduce ‘dead works,’ from which weneed to have conscience purged just as

much as from ‘wicked works.’” -C.H.M.“Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty

with which Christ hath made us free”(Gal. 5:1).

6-26. Edifying Equilibrium“That ye may be blameless and

harmless, children of God, withoutrebuke, in the midst of a crooked andperverse nation, among whom ye shineas lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).

There should be neitherundergrowth, nor overgrowth, butbalanced growth. Spiritual equilibriumalone will bring forth much fruit both inus and in others.

“A popular notion that the firstobligation of the Church is to spread theGospel to the uttermost parts of theearth is false. The first obligation is tobe spiritually worthy to spread it. . . tospread an effete (worn out) anddegenerate brand of Christianity topagan lands is not to fulfil the GreatCommission.”

“We were created for more than ourown spiritual development;reproduction, not mere development, isthe goal to mature being-reproductionin other lives. There is a tendency insome characters, running parallel to thehigh cultivation that spends its wholeenergy on the production of bloom atthe expense of seed.

“The flowers that are bent onperfecting themselves, by becomingdouble, end in barrenness, and a like

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barrenness comes to the soul whoseinterests are all concentrated upon itsown spiritual well-being, heedless of theneeds around. The true, ideal flower, isthe one that uses its gifts as means toan end; the brightness and sweetnessare not for its own glory; they are but toattract the bees and butterflies that willfertilize and make it fruitful.” -L.T.

“Holding forth the word of life, that Imay rejoice in the day of Christ that Ihave not run in vain, neither labored invain” (Phil. 2:16).

6-27. Truth, Or Consequences“I have written unto you, young men,

because ye are strong, and the word ofGod abideth in you” (1 John 2:14).

Experience may ratify, or it mayrepudiate, truth. The Word alone, tofaith, is truth unalterable.

“If I allow the thought that what I amtoward God will in some way or otheraffect what God is toward me, I shall befilled with the spectre of bondage. Butwhen I see that what God is toward meis altogether the outcome of what He is,and that He is this though knowingperfectly what I am, it puts my heart inthe right direction for liberty.” -C.A.C.

“God speaks to us according to Hisestimate of our standing, our position: itmay not be our heart’s experience.There is a distinctness between theoperation of the Spirit of God in bringingme unto the Lord Jesus, bearingwitness to me of God’s love, and of theefficacy of what Christ has done-and

His operation in my soul to produce theimage of His Son.

“That which is the subject ofexperience is what is produced in mysoul, whereas that which gives mepeace is His testimony to the work andlife of Christ. A Christian who doubtsthe Father’s love to him, and who looksfor peace to that which passes in hisown heart, is doubting God’s truth. TheWord is the revelation God has given ofHimself; it displays the love of Godtoward us, and what is in His heart. Ican trust the declaration of what is inGod’s heart, and not what I think ofmyself.” -J.N.D.

“If thou put the brethren inremembrance of these things, thoushalt be a good minister of JesusChrist, nourished up in the words offaith and of good doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6).

6-28. The Tree Of Life“Not I, but Christ” (Gal. 2:20).It is not a matter of what fruit, but of

which tree!“What salvation has done is not

merely forgiving me my sins;forgiveness, cleansing, justifying,applies to my responsibility and guiltycondition in the first Adam; but salvationapplies to my standing in the LastAdam. It is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).

“What would you do if you wanted tomake something of a crab tree? Notnurture, and prune, and dig about it.That God has done with His fig tree

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(Israel). If you know anything about it,you will cut it down and graft it. Untilyou find out that the old man is utterlybad, and that there is no mending it,you will not give it up. If you cultivatethe old crab tree you will have fairblossoms but only bigger and moresour crab apples.” -J.N.D.

“Before we were saved, worldlyobjects and affairs usurped the place ofChrist; but after being saved, spiritualobjects and affairs now tend to occupyHis place. Earlier God took from us thethings of this world; presently He istaking away our spiritual thing or things.He removes our personal patience,love, power, gentleness, humility.

“Indeed, He removes all, that wemay not live by these good things butlive by a Person instead. We are patientnot because we have received a powerto be so, but because we have got apatient Person. So it is with humility andthe rest: not a power but a Person.” Thefruit of the Spirit is the life of Christ.

“For to me to live is Christ” (Phil.1:27).

6-29. Applicable Application“Blessed be God, even the Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofmercies, and the God of all comfort” (2Cor. 1:3).

We have all cringed at the sadspectacle of the “nouveau riche.” Andyet many of us as believers present thesame failure-flaunting and mishandlingour spiritual riches in Christ Jesus.

“The Lord deals with us in order thatwe might be able to minister in an aptway. His stewards are to be men ofunderstanding, who can touch thevarious needs, who can reach theheart, so that the Lord’s children aresaying: That just fits me! That touchesmy case! That person must know! Thatone must have been through it! Yes,the Lord knows, and He would take youand me through experiences such aswill make us sharers in a living way-andthat is what He is doing.” -T. A-S.

“It is a new day to your soul whenyou realize that Christ is the Source ofeverything, and that it is from Himselfyou must draw, and not from ministryabout Him. Many can explain Scriptureand even apply it, who are not underthe effect of it themselves. They havenot come from Him, and are notthemselves imbued with that which theyare trying to convey.

“There is much wise counsel andgood teaching which is not applicable tothe moment and to the need. It doesnot effect what is the Lord’s desire asthe end of the ministry, which is to leadthe soul to Himself, because it is notspoken in communion with Himself.You must first get to where He is, andthen you are brought into harmony withthe scene where He is.”

“Who comforteth us in all ourtribulation, that we may be able tocomfort them who are in any trouble, bythe comfort with which we ourselvesare comforted of God” (2 Cor. 1:4).

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6-30. No Cross, No Christ!“Whosoever doth not bear his cross,

and come after Me, cannot be Mydisciple” (Luke 14:27).

One hears much today about “bodylife,” with its emphasis upon NewTestament gathering, rather thanChrist-centered growth. The Body ismeant to manifest the Head, and thatnecessitates spiritual members.

“Where there is no Cross there is nolife, and no ministry of life. The object ofsuffering is that there may be a full andabundant ministry. . . . We are not toinvite trouble, nor by austerity to ill-treatour bodies. The Holy Spirit Himselftakes responsibility for our experience,leading us in paths where weencounter, in body, heart, or spirit, thatmeasure of ‘the dying of Jesus’ that willmean enrichment of our ministry.”

“There are many today who seem tothink that it is all or largely a matter ofthe order, technique, and form, and ifwe are to return to the ‘New Testament’form or order of churches all would bewell. The fact is that, while certainthings characterize the N.T. churches,the Word does not give us a completepattern according to which churchesare to be formed!

“There is no blueprint for churches inthe N.T., and to try to form suchchurches is only to create anothersystem which may be as legal,sectarian and dead as others.Churches, like the Church, are

organisms which spring out of life,which life itself springs out of the Crossof Christ wrought into the very being ofbelievers. Unless believers are crucifiedpeople, there can be no true expressionof the Church.” -T. A-S.

“God forbid that I should glory,except in the Cross” (Gal. 6:14).

6-31. Manually Controlled“Having spoiled principalities and

powers, He made a show of themopenly, triumphing over them” (Col.2:15).

“For all things are for your sakes,that the abundant grace might throughthe thanksgiving of many redound tothe glory of God. For which cause wefaint not; but though our outward manperish, yet the inward man is renewedday by day. For our light affliction,which is but for a moment, worketh forus a far more exceeding and eternalweight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:15-17). Amen!

“The sovereignty of God is whatalone gives rest to the Christian heart inview of a world full of evil, which is goneastray from Him. To know that after all,in spite of the rebellion of the creature,things are as absolutely in His hand asever they were-this brings, and alonebrings, full relief. Still He rules over all,and where evil cannot be turned togood, limits and forbids it: He makeththe wrath of man to praise Him, and theremainder of wrath (what would gobeyond this) He restrains (Ps. 76:10).” -F.W.G.

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“People may quarrel with thesovereignty of God, but I love it,because I know enough about mynatural bent and will to be sure that ifleft to myself I should have gonestraight to perdition. Some believerstalk about man’s free will when they areon their feet, but all are firm believers inGod’s sovereignty when they get ontheir knees.” -C.A.C.

“Human history is not in the grip offate, but in the hands of Him Who waspierced for us on Calvary.” -W.G.S.

“Now thanks be unto God, who alwayscauseth us to triumph in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:14).

Number 7Years are as months at our age!

Nevertheless, we are thankful to beable to share None But The HungryHeart #7, after a five-year gap in theSeries.

We trust there will be much spiritualbenefit for you as you daily perusethese verses of Scripture, and theprinciples and thoughts that accompanythem.

“Grace be to you, and peace, fromGod, our Father, and from the LordJesus Christ.

“Blessed be God, even the Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, the Father ofmercies, and the God of all comfort,who comforteth us in all our tribulation,that we may be able to comfort themwho are in any trouble, by the comfortwith which we ourselves are comforted

of God. For as the sufferings of Christabound in us, so our consolation alsoaboundeth by Christ” (2 Cor. 1:2-5).

-Miles J. Stanford; January 1982

7-1. Adults Only!“I have learned, in whatever state I

am, in this to be content” (Phil. 4:11).All we have to do is love the Lord

Jesus-that will take us through all thefire necessary to conform us to Hisimage.

“Hopes have precariouslife;They are oft blighted,withered, snapped sheeroffIn vigorous youth, andturned to rottenness;But faithfulness can feedon suffering,And knows nodisappointment.”

“Adam might defy the will of God,Elijah might doubt it, but John wouldglory in it-even on Patmos. This is theway of certain triumph; to accept God’swill, however painful it may be, and totrust Him in the certain faith that His willmust triumph in the end. John stood hisground, maintaining his testimony in theface of every foe, and as aconsequence has exercised a mightyministry of life down through thecenturies.” -T. A-S.

“Much depends on the way greateras of our life are entered on. The

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germ of faith will outlive the sternestwinds and roughest seas. We enter onthem enthusiastically or stoically.Nature or disposition may have much todo with our external manner, but it isfaith in our Father which stands thewear of years, and the sorrows of life.”

“One does not feel the pain of theCross when his mind is on heavenlythings.”

“Thou, therefore, endure hardness,as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2Tim. 2:3).

7-2. Personal Appreciation“As ye have, therefore, received

Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk ye inHim, rooted and built up in Him” (Col.2:7).

We appreciate His benefits towardus, but are we appreciative-do weexpress to Him our appreciation?

“Let us be very watchful that theinner life, communion with the LordJesus, be the true source of ouractivities.”

“The Lord Jesus longs for fellowshipwith us. He does not want patronage. Itdoes not meet the desire of His heart tobe followed, or admired, or gazed at,because of what He can do or give. Hedelights in a heart taught of the Spirit toappreciate His Person, for this glorifiesand gratifies the Father. He retires fromthe gaze of an excited and tumultuousthrong who would fain make Him aking, because they had eaten of the

loaves and were filled; but He couldturn with touching earnestness to thelittle band of disciples who stillremained, and challenge their heartswith the question, ‘Will ye also goaway?’“

“Love could never be too near to itsobject. Nearness to the Lord Jesus isthe instinct of divine life, as we see inthe first question of the two discipleswho followed Him, ‘Where dwellestThou?’ Why is not this the first questionnow? Because there is not simpledevotedness of heart to the Lord JesusChrist.”

“There is nothing in all the world soprecious to the Father as a heart that,in any measure, appreciates His Son.”

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor andare heavy laden, and I will give yourest” (Matt. 11:28).

7-3. Now And Forever Free!“Waiting for the coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ, who shall also confirmyou unto the end, that ye may beblameless in the day of our Lord JesusChrist” (1 Cor. 1:7, 8).

We can trust Him for ourmatriculation here, and we can trustHim for our examination and graduationin Glory!

“That word, ‘blameless,’ may betranslated ‘unimpeachable’ orunaccusable.’ In other words, when westand at last at the judgment seat ofChrist, God Himself is going to see to it

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that no charge can stand against anybeliever, because the Lord Jesus Christhas atoned for all our sins with His ownprecious Blood. Every failure in life willbe dealt with there, and all the wood,hay, and stubble will be burned in thefire of that day and we shall standbefore our Lord unimpeachable,unaccusable.” -H.A.I.

“Instead of my sins being betweenmyself and Him, as before, it is Himselfwho is now between me and my sins;and the One who has thus interposedhas given me to know that in the doingit He has brought me to Himself, andtuned my heart to His own praise.

“He has borne the judgment due tomy sins, and condemned sin in theflesh; in the Person of my Substitute Iam clear from, and carried beyond, thejudgment forever; the power of death isannulled, that of Satan finally broken.”

“Who shall lay any thing to thecharge of God’s elect? Shall God thatjustifieth? Who is he that condemneth?Shall Christ that died, yea rather, that isrisen again, who is even at the righthand of God, who also makethintercession for us?” (Rom. 8:33, 34)

7-4. Rest And Rejoice!“Rejoice in the Lord always!” (Phil.

4:4)Exhaustive effort brings home the

necessity of strengthening rest. Thebeliever will not be ready to enter intohis spiritual rest until he is utterly wornout by his unsuccessful efforts to

conquer sin and the old man. There isno rest for the “wretched man” ofRomans 7-that struggle must lead tothe rest of Romans 8.

“Grace is sufficient for favorablecircumstances, but they are by far themost trying (spiritually) to the believer.There is an easy way of going on inworldliness, and there is nothing moresad than the quiet comfortable Christiangoing on day by day, apart fromdependence upon the Lord.

“It must be as with Israel and themanna; there must be the dailygathering and daily dependence uponGod. If circumstances come betweenour hearts and God, we are powerless.If the Lord Jesus is nearer,circumstances will not hinder our joy inGod “

“The heart of man naturally seeksrest, and seeks it here. Now, there is norest to be found here for the believer;but it is written, ‘There remaineth,therefore, a rest to the people of God’(Heb 4:9).

“To know this is both full of blessingand full of sorrow: sorrow to the flesh;because it is always seeking its resthere, it has always to be disappointed;blessing to the spirit, because the spirit,being born of God, can only rest inGod’s rest, as it is said, ‘If they shallenter into My rest’ (Heb. 4:5). WhatGod desires for us is to bring us into theenjoyment of all that which He Himselfenjoys.” -J.N.D.

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“Rest in the Lord, and wait patientlyfor Him” (Ps. 37:7).

7-5. His Cross-Our Cross“He said to them all, If any man will

come after Me, let him. . . take up hisCross daily” (Luke 9:23).

We go all the way to Calvary in faithand there find ourselves identified withthe Lord Jesus in His death andresurrection. And Calvary comes all theway to us in experience as the HolySpirit applies that finished work to ourlives.

“In the Reformation there was,through grace, a great deliverance. Thegroundwork of Christianity wasrecovered; namely, justification by faith.But though this was recovered, it wasnot maintained that the old man wascrucified on the Cross, and hence theyonly refused the exactions of popery,but recognized the flesh as still beforeGod. Refusing the exaction was right;but the retention of that in which theexaction could be made, the old man,was the weakness of the Reformation.”

“I do not see the Cross truly if I onlysee it as opening a way of escape forme, and yet allowing that in me toescape which has incurred thejudgment of the Cross.”

“In the present day (1867) the truthis lowered to the measure of man’sneed; hence if the need is met, whichgrace does, the convert makes little orno advance; he rests in the satisfactionof his need, instead of being directed to

the scope of God’s thought, which onlybegins with his need.

“Where would souls be put if theywere simply and definitely instructed inChrist Jesus and Him crucified andrisen; connected by faith with the livingOne, who was crucified, and whosedeath terminated man in the flesh?” -J.B.S.

“Whosoever doth not bear his Cross,and come after Me, cannot be Mydisciple” (Luke 14:27).

7-6. Affliction’s Effect

“But what things were gain to me,those I counted loss for Christ” (Phil.3:7).

Our Father has many reasons foradministering trial -all good. Trialteaches us the futility of the old life, andthe faithfulness of the Lord Jesus-ournew life.

“The Christian suffers the samecalamities as others, perhaps evenworse; he faces difficulties and lossesin the things of this life; he has to beprepared to meet death itself. In allthese circumstances he is calm andtrustful; he is not only sure of ultimatelygoing to heaven, but already abidesthere and enjoys something of it in hisown heart.

“God is real to him and ever near.He knows a peace which passes allunderstanding, and he experiences ajoy which no man can take from him.This, surely, should be our testimony in

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the world, but it can only be as the LordJesus Himself lives out this life in us.” -H.F.

“The world is divided into two things-pleasures and afflictions; I am moreafraid of the pleasures than theafflictions. In afflictions you turn to theLord. The danger is of being carriedaway by the very favors God has givento man.”

“Those who suffer from chasteningought to be before the Father, owningHis hand; and He who has woundedwill heal. The Lord Jesus did not takethe cup which He had to drink from us,from man, nor from Satan; but from HisFather’s hand.”

“Yea doubtless, and I count allthings but loss for the excellency of theknowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord”(Phil. 3:8).

7-7. “Peace On Earth”“Let the peace of God rule in your

hearts” (Col. 3:15).Peace does not, and cannot, exist in

the fallen Adam life; and as long as theold man reigns within, there is going tobe turmoil both within and without. Thepath of the Cross is alone the path ofpeace.

“The moment came when the LordJesus could say, ‘Peace I leave withyou, My peace I give unto you’ (John14:27). This could only be on theground of His death, for the man inAdam could never give up his will: to do

so would be to give up his veryexistence. But the death of the LordJesus is-judicially, and for faith-the endof that man, and the Christian walkingin the Spirit owns him no more.

“The believer can thus, and onlythus, have freedom from the tyranny ofsin as he reckons himself to have diedunto sin, and to be alive unto God asone ‘alive from the dead.’ He presentshis body a living sacrifice unto God, andproves what is the good and acceptableand perfect will of God. Thus walking,the peace of the Lord Jesus becomesan experiential reality in the heart of thebeliever. Thank God! we are no longerlinked with the fallen Adam, and theHoly Spirit has placed us in union withChrist risen and glorified.” -C.A.C.

“The more clearly we enter, by faith,into objective truth, or what is true of usin the Lord Jesus, the deeper, moreexperiential and practical will be theSpirit’s subjective work in us, and themore complete will be the manifestationof the moral effect in our life andcharacter.” -C.H.M.

“Both He that sanctifieth and theywho are sanctified are all of one” (Heb.2:11).

7-8. Spirit-taught And Spirit-wrought“Hath made us alive together with

Christ” (Eph. 2:5).If we fail to rely upon the Holy Spirit

for the practical day-by-day realizationof the identification truths, we will fallshort of Romans 8, and find ourselves

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bound in the struggle of Romans 7.“If some of you who have been the

Lord’s for a long time cast a glanceover your past history, you will be ableto recall occasions when He spoke andyou obeyed instantly. But you can recallother occasions when He spoke andyou failed to respond; yet strangely,after a time you just found yourself inthe way of obedience.

“Such is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’sgovernment in our lives. Even if we aretotally unable to obey and cannot evenexercise faith, a day comes when theresistance has vanished and we aretrusting the Lord Jesus in simplicity ofheart. It is the tireless energy of theindwelling Spirit that has accomplishedthis.

“Our union with the Lord Jesus is aunion of life. We were raised with Him,we are made alive in Him. True, ourbodies are to be changed, and thosewho have died in Christ are to be raisedas to their bodies, but now we areraised with and are made alive in Him.

“The trouble is that many are notaware of this wonderful fact andposition; all of it seems so far away andunreal. If we will believe God’s Wordand begin to thank Him for the truthsthat He tells us, the Holy Spirit will erelong begin to make these truths livingrealities in our lives.” -L.L.L.

“And hath raised us up together, andmade us sit together in heavenly placesin Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

7-9. Path Proximity“God is able to make all grace

abound toward you, that ye, alwayshaving all sufficiency, may abound toevery good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).

Suffering takes us in conditionwhere truth has us in position.

“We will never learn any truth inexperience excepting in the deepeningknowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Itis the lack of this which is the cause ofweakness among believers; baredoctrine is not personal fellowship withHim. We have that which is lovely andfull of blessing in Him; but if we are toknow it as such; to prove its truth, toenjoy it always, it must be in takingthese things as connected with Him.” -J.N.D.

“The passive power of faith needsfor its sustenance closer communionwith the Father than its active energy.Action, as it were, nerves us to theconflict; but quiet endurance of wrong,or suffering of any kind, which neitherfriend nor foe sees, but only God, thisindeed needs divine power, and withoutGod’s support none would bear thestrain. Many a saint has shown thecourage of faith before his enemies, asElijah when he faced Ahab, but who,like him, quails and flees, where thereis nothing to do, but quietly trust inGod.”

“There is but one thought with ourFather in disciplining us, namely, tomake our trials an opportunity for our

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heart to learn and discover more of Hislove, and the resources which are inHim as He has revealed them to us inHis Son.” -J.B.S.

“There is no way of learning faithexcept by trial. It is God’s school offaith, and it is far better for us to learn totrust our Father than to enjoy life.”

“As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;as poor, yet making many rich; ashaving nothing, and yet possessing allthings” (2 Cor. 6:10).

7-10. Behold, The Man!

“[God] hath raised us up together,and made us sit together in heavenlyplaces in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

There aren’t many truly happyChristians simply because there aren’tmany who really abide in the LordJesus Christ. Our risen Lord is thesource of our happiness as we rest inHim-triumphant over circumstances; nothopelessly underneath them. Happy isthe abiding believer, “hid with Christ inGod” (Col. 3:3).

“I must not only see my position inthe Lord Jesus, but I must come near tothe One who set me there. Many aredisappointed that after hearing withdelight and receiving the truth of theirposition they are not more affected byit.

“The reason is that they rest toomuch in the position and have notoccupied themselves increasingly withtheir risen Lord; have not drawn nearer

to Him, and recognized Him as the onlyOne who can make it all experiential inthem.” -J.B.S.

“Is the living Person now in heavenlyglory really the Object of our hearts?For some time after I knew the SaviourI used to think of Him as One who hadlived and died on earth long years ago,and I well remember the day when Iknelt down with a dear brother whoprayed that we might know the LordJesus as a living Person in heavenlyglory, and it dawned upon me that therewas a present Object for my heart inheaven. Our hearts will never besatisfied until that glorified Lord Jesusbecomes our Object bright and fair.” -C.A.C.

“Set your affection on things above,not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

7-11. Grace And Mercy

“But my God shall supply all yourneed according to His riches in glory byChrist Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

If and when the trial comes, you willfind Him waiting there.

“We should always be prepared forcircumstances that will arise, and forblessings that are to come, withoutforeseeing what these circumstancesand blessings will be. This preparationconsists in attention to presentresponsibility, and acceptance ofpresent discipline.

“If day by day we first seek divinedirection, and then follow it, we shall be

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ready, when new circumstances arise,for the new blessings which will beoffered. Today should be preparationfor tomorrow. The only proof that weshall be equal to tomorrow’s test is thatwe are meeting today’s test believinglyand courageously. The only evidencethat we shall be willing for God’s willtomorrow is that we are subject to Hiswill today.” -W.G.S.

“Our Lord has special reserves ofgrace for special needs. If ever you feelthat you could not go through a certaintrial, that if you had to face that, you justcould not go through with it, you aretaking on something that you have noright to take on.

“If the Lord calls you to go throughfire or water, He has a special reserveof grace for you in that. And that gracewill be from the throne of grace. It is thethrone above, mediating grace for needand suffering as it is required.” -T. A-S.

“Let us. . . come boldly unto thethrone of grace, that we may obtainmercy, and find grace to help in time ofneed” (Heb. 4:16).

7-12. Positional Conduct“They who receive abundance of

grace and of the gift of righteousnessshall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”(Rom. 5:17).

Law and grace are separated by theinfinite chasm of the Cross. Lawrequired right conduct first, with earthlyposition to be earned thereby. Gracegives heavenly position immediately,

which ultimately produces rightconduct. “Ye are not under the law, butunder grace” (Rom. 6:14).

“The believer does not walk in orderto reach the throne. On the contrary.His walk is determined by the fact thathe has been placed with the Lord Jesusin a position of immeasurableascendancy. He has been made to sittogether with Christ in heavenly placesin order that, having received anabundance of grace and the gift ofrighteousness, he might reign in life byone, even the Lord Jesus.

“He walks like a king because he isa king (Rev. 1:6). He is not called uponto walk in kingly fashion in order that hemay reach the throne. God’s order isdifferent. The Christian begins at thethrone and his kingly manner is only theinevitable outcome of his exaltedposition.

“Our frustrations and agonies in aneffort to attain the unattainable, ourshame and our defeats such as we findin Paul’s own experience tabulated sofaithfully in Romans 7, come aboutnaturally and inevitably when, failing tograsp all this, we put the emphasis onour conduct rather than our position,which must come first.” -F.J.H.

“Unto Him that loveth us, andwashed us from our sins in His ownblood, and hath made us a kingdom ofpriests unto God and His Father, to Himbe glory and dominion for ever andever” (Rev. 1:5, 6).

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7-13. Look And Live!“But we all, with unveiled face

beholding as in a mirror the glory of theLord, are changed into the same imagefrom glory to glory, even as by the Spiritof the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

As the plant to the sun, we look tothe Son for growth!

“What is the good of a man beingennobled, made a prince of, if he feelshe has gained no more or sensibleacquisition by it? This is thedisappointment which souls feel withoutbeing able to account for it; and theyare subject to nights of wrestling,because they have rested in their grandtitle, instead of in the means ofsupporting their titles, which isdependence on, and ever deepeningacquaintance with, the One who hasconferred them.” -J.B.S.

“I cannot conceive anything moresatisfying or cheering to the heart thanthe consciousness that I may not onlydraw near, but that I draw near inanswer to the thought and interest thatthe Lord Jesus has about me, and that Idraw nigh to enjoy myself in Hispresence where there is so muchthought and interest about me. It isthere my heart goes out inacknowledgment of Him in answer toHis deep, gracious, and everlastinglove.”

“By means of the Word, look to theLord Jesus in faith. Exercise theblessed trust that He is yours, and that

He has given Himself to you, and thatyou have a claim to all that is in Him. Itis His purpose to work out His image inyou. Behold Him with the joyful andcertain expectation: the glory that Ibehold in Him is destined for me!” -A.M.

“For God, who commanded the lightto shine out of darkness, hath shone inour hearts, to give the light of theknowledge of the glory of God in theface of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

7-14. The March Of Time“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently

for Him” (Ps. 37:7).The difference between knowing the

Lord Jesus as Savior and knowing Himas Life, is the better part of a lifetime;even for the hungriest of hearts. “Ipress toward the mark for the prize ofthe high calling of God in Christ Jesus”(Phil. 3:14).

“In receiving the Word of God byfaith, there is first, light; then exercise ofconscience; third, prayer-you are caston God; fourth, the work of the Spirit tolead you into it.

“Not one of us is beyond the work ofthe Spirit in us. Many think, becausethey have the light of a truth that theyare in the power and reality of it. No!you may have all the Bible, have muchlight, but there is no growth beyond themeasure of the Spirit’s work in us.”

“Conception of a truth is one thing,and execution is quite another. Gracemay have been furnished you with a

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true conception, but you must wait onthe Lord to carry it out by His Spirit. Theworking out of a true conception is thereal discipline.”

“Do not be discouraged becauseyou may not carry out your purpose atonce; God will carry it out, but you mustkeep in the place where you will bepreserved, in the circle of His interests.

“Moses had to wait forty years tocarry out his purpose, which was a rightone, though in the first flush the fleshsought to carry it out; but in the Lord’stime, how fully every purpose of hisheart was met-all the way to the Mountof Transfiguration!”

“Then shall we know, if we follow onto know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3).

7-15. The Hand Of Life“That I may know Him. . . being

made conformable unto His death”(Phil. 3:10).

The life that emerges from death isadministered by a loving, nail-piercedhand.

“As with the seed that is buried oncefor all, but then disintegrated through agradual process that sets free the newlife, even so does our Father deal withour old nature by delivering it to deathwith the Lord Jesus once for all, andthen bringing about its mortifying indetail through the circumstances ofdaily life, until the power of the old manhas lost its hold on us.” -L.T.

“We are going to have to learn death

in order to know life. Redemption mustbe known first, and the ultimate effectwill be death to sin, to selfishness; andall this is very trying. One might betempted to say, All this trial comes uponme because I have not been redeemed.Not so; it is just because you areredeemed. We may seek to avoid thebitter waters of Marah, but our Fatherwill bring us to them. He intends tobreak down what is of the old man, andthen, in His own good time, He will pourin that which sweetens all.

“But because God has brought meto Himself, He is putting His finger oneverything that hinders completedependence upon Him, or my soul’s fullenjoyment of Himself. So count it notstrange, though it be a fiery trial whichis to try you; for the Father will have youdrink of the very thing (death) thatredeemed you.” -J.N.D.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also inChrist Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).

7-16. Passive Resistance“There is, therefore, now no

condemnation to them who are in ChristJesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Until the believer realizes that his lifeis safely hid with Christ in God, he willnever get free from the harassment ofthe enemy. “When He giveth quietness,who then can make trouble?” (Job34:29).

“If the Lord Jesus is not positivelybefore the soul, it is enough: theenemy’s work is done!” -F.W.G.

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“There is a world of differencebetween the nagging, corrodingcondemnations of the devil, and theclear convictions of the Holy Spirit. Theenemy speaks in generalities, seekingto smear us by a vague sense offailure, uncleanness, confusion,heaviness of spirit. The answer to thatis there is ‘now no condemnation tothem who are in Christ Jesus.’

“The Holy Spirit speaks specifically,and His convicting, although rebukingus, is sweet and clean and true andacceptable. He points out some exactand immediate action by which we havetemporarily given in to sin. Satan pointsdownward to despair, but the Spiritpoints upward to cleansing.”

“The tempter’s suggestions are aptto make one feverish. There is a suretest for ambitious plans. Any trace ortaint of fever produced is a pretty sureindication of the enemy’s influence. Insharp contrast with this, the HolySpirit’s work always makes us quiet andclear and deliberate. Our Master’stouch still has the same power andeffect as when He touched the hand ofPeter’s wife’s mother; the fever leaves.”

“In nothing terrified by youradversaries” (Phil. 1:28).

7-17. Zeal’s Precocity

“For I bear them witness that theyhave a zeal for God, but not accordingto knowledge” (Rom. 10:2).

It takes more to break inertia than toease momentum. Misdirected zeal is

more easily corrected than inert sloth.“It is possible, and very humiliating,

to be awakened to the fact, though wehave had a measure of zeal for theLord, that we have barely known thethings we should have known, nor thebehavior that is becoming to us in thismarvelous day of grace.

“But it is the love of the Lord Jesusthat would lead us on, through thejudgment of ourselves and ways, intodeeper communion with Himself to bebetter representatives of Him here inwhose likeness we shall soon appear.”

“The snare with zealous, butunprepared and unbroken hearts, is todo the right thing in the wrong way. It isnot enough to know the right thing, but Imust know the right way of doing it. Thelatter is not easily learned; the former isthe fruit of light; the latter is neveracquired but as there is practical graceand love-the activity of the Lord Jesus’nature in me by the Spirit.” -J.B.S.

“Denial of the old man is where he ismost felt, not where he is least felt; andall the light of Scripture cannot promotegrowth without self-denial. Here iswhere most fail, and in this day there isa great deal more zeal to acquireknowledge and intelligence in thewonders of revelation, than to deny theman that has no sympathy with it, norpart in it, but condemnation.”

“Not a novice, lest being lifted upwith pride he fall into the condemnationof the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6).

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7-18. His Way And Time“That ye might walk worthy of the

Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful inevery good work, and increasing in theknowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

When once we see and accept ourFather’s purpose for our lives to theextent that it becomes our will also, thetime and details of His process cease tomatter. “Thy will be done” (Lk. 11:2).

“It is the knowledge of the LordJesus that matures the soul. Our Fatherchooses His opportunities to teach usthese things, and when He hasaccomplished this work the specialcommunications of His wisdom andlove no longer continue, for He desireswe should walk by faith, according towhat we know we possess in the LordJesus. Hence our path is in companywith a Christ much better known, and inmuch closer communion with Him.

“After receiving the instruction, wehave to return to the ordinary activity ofa life of responsibility, and to thoserelationships with our brethren in whichlove is developed and exercised, as it isput to the proof, either in the assemblyor in individual relationships.”

“Patience is the secret of it all. Wewant to hurry God sometimes, but wenever can. We find this at times in thedesire for restoring a soul-a right thingto want, but God must first go to thebottom.

“Patience requires thoroughconfidence in God. He is working His

own purposes meanwhile, but I mustfollow Him, not go before Him. If I am‘strengthened. . . unto all patience,’ Ishall be long-suffering toward others.”

“Strengthened. . . according to Hisglorious power, unto all patience andlongsuffering” (Col. 1:11).

7-19. Loved, To Love“Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, who hathblessed us with all spiritual blessings inheavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

His love is mine when I know whatHe did for me; my love is His when Iknow who He is to me-He who is Love,is my Life. He loved, and died; that Imight live, and love. “I am mybeloved’s, and my beloved is mine”(S.S. 6:3).

“My Father, in His grace, has comein and ended my history in the flesh, bythe Cross, and now by the Spirit I ambrought into association with His Son atHis own right hand in heaven.

“The Lord Jesus wins my heart inHis humiliation; He satisfies it in Hisglory. A won heart is not necessarily asatisfied heart. But if a heart is trulywon by the Lord Jesus it never will besatisfied without Him. No heart that iswon is ever satisfied but in thecompany of the One who won it.Absence does not ‘make the heart growfonder’! You only discover in absencewhat you have gained in presence.”

“We talk of difficulties and

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perplexities. How little the heart is reallyin concert, in simple concert with theLord Jesus! He has gone up to the righthand of the Father in greater powerthan ever, and He is using the elevationthat He has gone to, to effectdeliverance for me from all things thatwould break fellowship between Himand me. And He uses His Word to keepme from all that would interfere withthat blessed communion.”

“Thy Word have I hidden in mineheart, that I might not sin against Thee”(Ps. 119:11).

7-20. Calvary’s Secret

“Partakers of the divine nature,having escaped the corruption that is inthe world” (2 Pet. 1:4).

We are to find out in Romans 6,through the gracious teaching of theSpirit of truth, all that happened to theLord Jesus there on the Cross. Thenwe will know our own position andstanding, since we were judicially inHim there.

“Have you ever thought about God’sthought about you, that you are ‘to beconformed to the image of His Son’? ‘Itdoth not yet appear what we shall be,but we know that, when He shallappear, we shall be like Him’ (Rom.8:29; 1 John 3:2).

“This cannot fail. The Lord Jesuspresses on our hearts that He brings usinto association with Himself. He ‘hathblessed us with all spiritual blessings inheavenly places in Christ Jesus’ (Eph.

1:3). He puts us in this positionanswering perfectly to His nature, andwith a nature to enjoy it.”

“He imparts to us of Himself in orderto qualify us for Himself.”

“Not only is my blessing in heaven,but I need the Lord Jesus’ power toenable me to rise above the sense ofmy infirmity down here; for this world,instead of contributing to me, makesme feel my weakness and need, andthat I must rise out of it to find andenjoy my blessing.

“The very infirmity which this evilage makes me conscious of makes medraw upon the power of Christ, as theOne outside it, passing into theheavens, so that I take pleasure in thevery infirmity which is exposed here,that the power of Christ may rest uponme.” -J.B.S.

“God forbid that I should glory,except in the Cross of our Lord JesusChrist” (Gal. 6:14).

7-21. Counter-balanced“Having therefore, brethren,

boldness to enter into the holiest by theblood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).

Personal knowledge of andfellowship with our risen Lord Jesus iscounter-balanced by personalknowledge of and fellowship in thedeath of the Cross. The principle ofbalance prevents our slipping past theCross and pushing into His presence.

“Where do you dwell? ‘Come and

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see. They came. . . and abode withHim’ (John 1:39). The highestsatisfaction He can have is that weshould be at home with Himself. He hasremoved the distance from His ownside.

“If you believe that, you say, I willapproach Him. That is one thing. Thenext thing is, His love is so great Hedelights to have your company. It is notthat you will feel yourself out of placethere-you will be there in all the beautyof the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Our Father delights in having uswith Himself. Love yearns to satisfyitself about me. It is not only that I cango in, but a much greater thing-myFather, in all His majesty and glory, cancome out! All is equipoised. Not onlyhave I entree, but I am shaped to thegrandeur of the scene, conformed tothe glory of God. Not admitted like astranger, but changed into the sameimage; not to equality but similarity;transformed into moralcorrespondence.” -J.B.S.

“If we are not with Him where He is,we cannot be for Him where He is not.We must be inside the veil to be outsidethe camp.”

“Let us draw near with a true heart infull assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22).

7-22. Guarded And Guided“My God shall supply all your need

according to His riches in glory byChrist Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

How difficult it is for the hungry heartto adjust to the Father’s pace. He is sodeliberate and thorough, while our needis so pressing and paramount. Apartfrom never being behind time, ourFather is an eternity ahead of time! Wehave but to see in the Word what Hehas accomplished on our behalf in theLord Jesus, and then quietly rely uponHim, “according as His divine powerhath given unto us all things that pertainunto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

“God will perfect that whichconcerneth His own; and even wherethere are mistakes and failures, as alas!there are in abundance with all of us,the Lord’s rich grace abounds over all,and actually takes occasion from ourvery mistakes to shine out all the morebrightly-though, assuredly, the mistakesand failures must produce their ownpainful and humiliating results.

“It is the remembrance of this whichalone can give calm repose in the midstof the most discouragingcircumstances. If we take the eye offaith off God, our souls must soon beoverwhelmed. It is our privilege to beable, in our little measure, to thank Godin view of everything, and take refuge inHis eternal counsels, which must bemade good despite all the unbelief ofman, and all the malice of Satan.”

“May God give us to increasinglyknow Him! If we had only to learn whatwe are, we should surely be cast down,and sink into despondency; but Hisobject in giving us a knowledge of

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ourselves and of His grace, is to give usan expected end.”

“Surely goodness and mercy shallfollow me all the days of my life” (Ps.23:6).

7-23. Sacrificial Service“I endure all things for the elect’s

sake” (2 Tim. 2:10).Our Father’s mercy is all-

encompassing. It includes oursalvation-” . . . according to His mercyHe saved us” (Titus 3:5); and ourservice-” . . . by the mercies of God,present your bodies a living sacrifice. . .which is your reasonable service”(Rom. 12:1).

Reasonable service is based uponsacrifice: “I, Paul. . . rejoice in mysufferings for you, and fill up that whichis behind of the afflictions of Christ inmy flesh for His body’s sake, which isthe church” (Col. 1:23, 24).

“To truly minister to others is alwaysto accept new happiness and newdistress, both of them foreverdeepening and entering into closer andmore inseparable union with eachother, the more profound and spiritualthe ministry becomes. The one whogives himself to others can never be awholly sad person; but no more can hebe one of unclouded gladness.” -G.M.

“The fuller the service, the greaterthe surrender and sacrifice. It is notgiving what one can spare withoutfeeling it, for I will not offer the Lord

‘that which doth cost me nothing’ (2Sam. 24:24).

“The service declares its virtue andaim by the suffering which is endured inrendering it, for what can be done atone’s ease is generally done withoutmuch concern for the one to whom it isrendered, and thus the true quality islost.”

“I will very gladly spend and bespent for you; though the moreabundantly I love you, the less I beloved” (2 Cor. 12:15).

7-24. Terminal Condition-EternalPosition

“Ye have put off the old man with hisdeeds” (Col. 3:9).

Sometimes our Christian life andlove are divided between the twoAdams. It may be 60-40 in favor of theLast Adam, still it is shared. But theLord Jesus paid it all, gave His all,deserves our all, requires all, becauseHe is our ALL. Ours is to be totalseparation-death to the old, life in theNew.

“Our Father has removed everythingto His own satisfaction, and you learn inthe first eleven verses of Romans 5 theterms He is on with you. It means muchto the heart of the believer to know thathe is received on the ground of anotherMan who perfectly glorified God.

“We are accepted in Him, theBeloved. God has changed His man,and you are never happy until you

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believe that and are able to say, I have,too. If you do not see that God haschanged His man you will never changeyour man.”

“The only way to freedom is to leaveAdam for Christ-to change your man;then it is ‘not I, but Christ liveth in me’(Gal. 2:20). There are two sides; one,that you are cleared from the old in theeye of God in the Cross; the other, thatyou are now new in Christ risen. ‘Forthe law of the Spirit of life in ChristJesus hath made me free from the lawof sin and death’ (Rom. 8:2). The old isheld in the place of death as you walkin newness of life in the Spirit.”

“And have put on the new man, thatis renewed in knowledge after theimage of Him that created him” (Col.3:10)

7-25. Love’s Eternality

“The Lord direct your hearts into thelove of God” (2 Thess. 3:5).

Between the activity of the old manand the accusations of Satan, we oftenfind it very difficult to believe andunderstand that God is lovingly andlegally on our side, both now andforever.

“One of the great secrets of growthis the looking upon the Lord Jesus asgracious. How strengthening it is, toknow that He is at this moment feelingand exercising the same love and gracetowards me as when He died upon theCross for me.” -J.N.D.

“I have got away from grace if I havethe slightest doubt about God’s love forme. I shall then be saying, I am nothappy, because I am not what I shouldlike to be. But, dear friend, this is notthe question: the real question is,whether God is what we shall like Himto be, whether the Lord Jesus is all wecould wish.

“If the consciousness of what we arein ourselves, has any other effect than,while it humbles us, to increase ouradoration of what our Father is, we areoff the ground of pure grace. Theimmediate effect of such consciousnessshould be to make our hearts reach outto God and to His grace as aboundingover all.”

“May our hearts get such a lesson inthe love of the Father, that, instead ofbeing depressed by tryingcircumstances, or elated by what arecalled providential interpositions, wemay know that we are the objects ofthis wonderful love, and are beingeducated into it by the only One whoknew it in all its power as He walkedhere below through this wildernessworld.” -J.B.S.

“To know the love of Christ, whichpasseth knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).

7-26. Rightly Dividing

“If [since] ye, then, be risen withChrist, seek those things which areabove, where Christ sitteth on the righthand of God” (Col. 3:1).

The Christian cannot thrive but in his

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environment, “hidden with Christ inGod” (Col. 3:3).

“Let us rightly divide the Word oftruth. To go back to the Psalms forproper Christian experience is to losethe savor of grace and to breathelegalism; it is to climb down fromheaven to earth. If the Psalms are reallyunderstood, they yield a harvest ofblessing to the soul; but ifmisunderstood and misapplied, as alas!is too often done, only loss can result.” -W.K.

“If we confound the Jewish spirit ofthe Psalms with the Epistles, and take itas the expression of our feelings, wefalsify Christianity. No doubt I shall findlovely confidence in the Lord in respectof His government of this world, thecomfort of forgiveness, the happyconfidence of integrity of heart, andremarkable prophecies of Christ; butwhere shall I find heavenly hopes, ormy union with the glorified Lord Jesus,or even the out-flowings of divine grace,as manifested in His person on earth,or the blessed affection which flowsfrom hearts acquainted with these?

“Where is the blessed Spirit ofadoption? Every saint knows thetouching expression of piety which thePsalms furnish to us; but no intelligentbeliever can turn from the writings ofJohn and Paul to the Psalms withoutfinding himself in an altogether differentatmosphere.”

“Set your affection on things above,

not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

7-27. Treasured Trials

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

The Blesser sends trials becausethe trials are blessings. Most covet the“blessing” of having the trial removed.

“I find the brightest summer is whenthe winter has been longest and mostsevere. The wheat, the best grain,passes a winter in the soil. The bud, theblossom, or fruit, most fragrant ofChrist, is the one which nobody knowswhat it cost me but Himself; and whereone had hardly noticed it; like thebeautiful wild flowers in the hedgerow,contending with bushes and briars, toshed their fragrance on the unthankfulor unthinking traveller going by.”

“I think we are sometimes ready tosay to the Lord-Could you not havetaught me without subjecting me to somuch sorrow and humiliation? Theanswer I have had is, You could not beeffectually taught any other way. TheLord knows the nature of the obstaclein me which He has to overcome: a lessefficient hand might think that it couldbe dealt with in some other way.

“A weakness be it bodily orotherwise, is sometimes allowed tocontinue in order that there may bedependence, and when there isdependence, the weakness becomes again; the grit-the trying thing-issuperseded by a pearl of great price.” -

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J.B.S.“The God of all grace, who hath

called us unto His eternal glory byChrist Jesus, after ye have sufferedawhile, make you perfect [mature],establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Pet.5:10).

7-28. Free-born“For I through the law died unto the

law, that I might live unto God” (Gal.2:19, ASV).

No true believer expects the Law togive life, yet many expect it to governlife. Too few realize that their death onthe Cross separated them from theentire principle of law, and that theirresurrection united them to the LordJesus, “full of grace and truth” (John1:14).

“All of the Lord’s commands to meare according to the new nature Ialready have. He is my life, and all Hiswords are the expression of that life.Therefore when His words are given tome, they only give me the authority todo what my new nature likes to do. ‘Anew commandment I write unto you,which thing is true in Him and in you” (1John 2:8). -J.N.D.

“Does our Father mock us bybidding us do what He knows we areunable to do? No! He gives commandswe cannot perform in our strength, thatwe may know what we ought to requestfrom Him.”

“Legalism is an effort to shape

oneself to given laws or rules. Seekingto urge oneself into conformity to law,the old man is before the eye, andsatisfaction is felt according as there isconformity to a given standard.

“The moment legality is sanctioned,it must be with reference to that whichneeds to be made subject. This is notChristian, because as believers we arenot in the flesh, but in the Spirit, againstwhich there is no law.”

“Stand fast, therefore, in the libertywith which Christ hath made us free,and be not entangled again with theyoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

7-29. Hand Crafted“Thou art my God. My times are in

Thy hand “ (Ps. 31:14, 15).The environment necessary for

one’s growth, and the enablementnecessary for one’s service, are both inthe hands of one’s Creator. “So He fedthem according to the integrity of Hisheart, and guided them by theskillfulness of His hands” (Ps. 78:72).

“What we have all to do is to walkclosely and quietly with the Lord Jesus,and the blessing will come when Hehas established His work. There is asifting government of God as well as aperfect redemption, and He is full ofpatience. His purpose is glory; His waysare the wilderness.”

“There are various ways in which assaints we are tried, but through allcircumstances God is threading our

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way, occupying Himself with us, ourparticular characters, etc., to instructand develop us. What we want is torealize that our Father loves us somuch that He has taken such pains tomake us ‘partakers of His holiness’(Heb. 12:10). We are apt not to believethe activity of His love. Some troublecomes on us; our Father has beenwatching us individually for weeks,months, years; watching us to bring thistrouble which He sees is needed.” -H.H.S.

“How varied are the ways in whichour Father bringeth down and lifteth up!We have to learn the grace of our LordJesus Christ in the bright day as well asin the sorrowful day. If He is everythingto me in my brightest day there is nofear but He will be my chief joy in theday of sorrow.”

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

7-30. The Real Enemy“For sin shall not have dominion

over you; for ye are not under the law,but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).

Hatred for others comes easy forsome; but to fully hate one’s old mancomes hard for all. The Lord Jesusloves us too much to allow us to go onloving ourselves.

“The Christian’s victory is not overothers, but over himself. His sword isdrawn, not to slay his fellowman, but toslay himself. He wins by losing. He

triumphs by being defeated. He lives bydying. His crown is a crown of thorns.His throne is a Cross. His weapon isnot strength but weakness.

“His victory is not found inestablishing his own cause but inestablishing that of his fellow-men; thepoor, the sick, the disinherited, thebrokenhearted, the wayward, the lost.This may be foolishness to men. But wemust not forget that ‘the foolishness ofGod is stronger than men’ (1 Cor. 1:25).-F.J.H.

“How blessed it is to know, and atthe same time how solemn to realize,that the sin of the child of God isagainst his Father, and that it is the loveof relationship that is called intoexercise about it-love which actstowards us ‘for our profit, that we mightbe partakers of His holiness’“ (Heb.12:10).

“It is impossible that He should treatit lightly; and it will be impossible in theend for any one of His own to treat itlightly either. Grace abides towards us;and because grace abides, sin cannotbe permitted to have sway over theobjects of it.” -W.K.

“Let not sin, therefore, reign. . . “(Rom. 6:12).

7-31. All Glory To God

“Whether, therefore, ye eat, or drink,or whatsoever ye do, do all to the gloryof God “ (1 Cor. 10:31).

The present and eternal ministry of

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the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son; thepast, present, and future ministry of theSon is to glorify the Father. Our life andministry will bring glory to our Father tothe extent that we abide in the Son, andare controlled by the Holy Spirit.

“When one’s ministry or outreachflows from close communion with theFather, one’s influence and moralauthority will be recognized. Moreover,such a workman is not carried beyondwhat he has received from the Lord, sothat his ministry finds sanction in heartswithout any pressure.” -J.N.D.

“The object of all Christian life andministry, of whatever kind, must surelybe to bring glory to God. Any lessermotive is inferior. If this were kept in theforefront of our thinking and praying, itwould have two beneficial results. Thehectic strain would be taken out of ourlives and service, and spontaneousfruitfulness would follow.

“We can aim to meet the needs ofpeople as a primary objective, and fretbecause so many of our efforts proveabortive. We may secretly prideourselves on our ability to minister, oron our efficient service, and reapnothing but frustration. It is only whenour whole outlook is made radiant byHis glory, because we are hungry to doHis will and that only, that our activitieswill be quickened into new life, andothers be truly blessed.” -J.C.M.

“He [Abraham]. . . was strong in faith, givingglory to God” (Rom. 4:20).

Number 8

Most writing has a slant to it. Theangle of the entire Hungry Heart Seriesis upward. The purpose is to help thegrowing believer realize more clearlythat his new life began in heaven, isnow in heaven, and ever more shall bein heaven.

Mr. John Darby shared this samePauline perspective.

To abide in heaven in theLord Jesus is my place. Myfaith is exercised here, andthe suffering here may beprolonged and continued;but I abide there, and whileabiding I engage myselfwith everything connectedwith my Father, and withreference to the place Hehas set me in.In that blessed regionwhere He has placed me,and where He alone cankeep me, and where I amsimply dependent uponHim, it is His interestsalone which engage me,and thus it is that I ministerto the saints.

“That the name of our Lord JesusChrist may be glorified in you, and ye inhim, according to the grace of our Godand the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess.1:12).

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Miles J. Stanford; January 1983

8-1. Let God Be God!

“Being filled with the fruits ofrighteousness, which are by JesusChrist, unto the glory and praise ofGod” (Phil. 1:11).

It goes without saying thatChristianity is a vertical relationship withthe God and Father of our Lord JesusChrist. But are your arrows pointing up,or down? “Let us offer the sacrifice ofpraise to God continually” (Heb. 13:15).

“Grace is the Father’s favor to manaccording to His own heart, and for Hisown glory. If the need of man were thesole measure of His grace, then manonly would be thought of, the work ofthe Lord Jesus would be simply forman, and the power of God expendedmerely in rescuing man and securinghis relief. Man would be the object andend of it all, and not God.” -J.B.S.

“When I have rest in the Lord Jesus,then I begin to find all my joy andstrength in Him, and I occupy myselfwith Him. This is the foundation of truedevotedness. I do not become devotedin the true sense until I have found myrest in Him. I am, up to this, ratherlooking to receive from Him. I am morean object to myself; but when I find howfully I am an object to Him, then myheart is at liberty to make Him itsobject, He having made me His.” -J.B.S.

“When the advantages of grace do

not call forth praise to the Father, whenHe is not prominently before the soul,as the source of everything possessed,then the gifts take the place of the Giverin the heart, and must soon lose theirvigor and value like flowers cut awayfrom their roots.”

“The great question is, not whether Isee a certain thing, and how it stands inrelation to me, but do I see it as myFather sees it, and as it stands inrelation to Him?”

“Unto him be glory in the church byJesus Christ throughout all ages, worldwithout end. Amen” (Eph. 3:21).

8-2. Servlceabllity“Beloved, think it not strange

concerning the fiery trial which is to testyou, as though some strange thinghappened unto you” (1 Peter 4:12).

The joy of sowing is exceeded onlyby the joy of harvesting; and yet bothsowing and reaping are a matter ofdeath.

“If we follow and note the history andways of any true servant of the Lord,we shall see, that on the one side they,like Moses on the Mount, or Paul inArabia, are entranced with thebrightness and most marvelous displayof divine glory; yet on man’s side, thosewho know most of the divine ways,suffer most because of the indifferenceof those who have professed to be theLord’s people.

“It is nowhere admitted in Scripture

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that a servant can be merely the heraldof the light of God’s grace; that is, thathe should only have the joyful side ofservice. For every real servant, be heevangelist, teacher, or anything else,there must be the side of suffering,burden, and humiliation.”

“We must bear in mind that, while itis the Father’s purpose, in His dealingswith Job, to vindicate His own estimateof His servant; it is, at the same time,shown us how He educates ordisciplines that servant so as to renderhim worthy of that estimate.”

“In every trial, however gloomy,there are gleams of light and relief; butfull deliverance is often delayed by ouranxiety to obtain it. God Himself, andnot the deliverance, is to be thesatisfaction of His servant;consequently the deliverance is oftenpostponed until we are without prospector expectation of it; and then it may beaccorded in a manner sotranscendently beyond our conception,that we must see and understand thelove and interest which surrounded usduring the whole period of our trial.”

“But rejoice, inasmuch as ye arepartakers of Christ’s sufferings, that,when his glory shall be revealed, yemay be glad also with exceeding joy” (1Peter 4:3)

8-3. No Hunger-No Growth“Let us go on and get past the

elementary stage. . . advancing steadilytoward the completeness. . . that

belongs to spiritual maturity” (Heb. 6:1,Amp.).

The birth truths of Romans 1-5 arenot meant for our spiritual growth. Thegrowth truths of Romans 6-8 arepresented for our spiritual developmentand maturity. The Reformation broughtback the birth truths, but the Cross andthe Life truths are necessary for ourgrowth.

“So many rest content with thethought that their sins are pardoned,and that they are in the path of life, butknow nothing of a personal attachmentto the risen Lord Jesus Christ as theirlife, or of faith that lives in the invisibleand walks with the Father.

“With many this is the consequenceof the hopelessness that came from thefailure of their utmost efforts to live asthey desired. They struggled in theirown strength; they lost heart, they wentback. The profession of faith is not castaway; religious habits are kept up; butthere is nothing to show that they haveentered or are seeking to enter theHoliest to dwell there.

“The power of the world, the spirit ofits literature, and temptations ofbusiness and pleasure, all unite tomake up a religion in which it is soughtto combine a comfortable hope for thefuture with the least possible amount ofsacrifice in the present.” -A.M.

“Struggle and effort in themselveswill never secure blessing, but byleading to despair and complete self-

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disgust they serve a divine purpose inthe experience of the soul. I wouldrather see a soul in honest exercise,however legal he was, than see thelight and careless acceptance of divinetruth. I do not think God gives anythingwithout preparing us for it by making usfeel the need and value of it. It is adivine principle that ‘He satisfieth thelonging soul’ (Ps. 107:9).” -C.A.C.

“He humbled thee, and suffered theeto hunger” (Deut. 8:3).

8-4. From Law To Life

“Oh, wretched man that I am! Whoshall deliver me from the body of thisdeath?” (Rom. 7:24).

As sinners, the law revealed ourneed of deliverance from the penalty ofsin; as believers, the law reveals ourneed of deliverance from the power ofsin.

“Our Father knows that we areweakness incarnate; that we can donothing. The trouble is that we do notknow it. He must bring us all to theplace where we see that we are utterlyweak and helpless.

“The more we try to keep the law themore our weakness is manifested andthe deeper we get into Romans Seven,until it is clearly demonstrated to us thatwe are hopelessly weak. The Fatherknew it all the time, but we did not, andso He has to bring us through painfulexperiences to a recognition of thefact.”

“‘It is God who worketh in you’ (Phil2:13). Deliverance from law does notmean that we are free from doing thewill of our Father. It certainly does notmean that we are going to be lawless.Quite the opposite! What it does meanhowever is that we are free from doingthat will as of ourselves.

“Being fully persuaded that wecannot do it, we cease trying to pleaseGod from the ground of the old man.Having at least reached the point ofutter despair in ourselves so that wecease even to try, we put our trust inthe Lord Jesus to manifest Hisresurrection life in and through us, ‘thatthe righteousness of the law might befulfilled in us, who walk not after theflesh, but after the Spirit’ (Rom. 8:4).”

“What would be effected by the law,if all its commands and precepts werecarried out and maintained? It wouldform man in the flesh; it would makeAdam what he ought to be for God inthe world. The law would form Adam inus.” -C.A.C.

“I thank God through Jesus Christ,our Lord” (Rom. 7:25).

8-5. Our Father, Untrustworthy?

“The Lord redeemeth the soul of hisservants; and none of them who trust inhim shall be desolate” (Ps. 34:22).

We can only trust our Father to thedegree that we know Him. And He onlyreveals Himself to us by His means.That is by the Word, by the Spirit, andhence by the Son-in that sequence.

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“Could it be possible that God wouldso love an individual as to give His onlySon to die for him and still love him tothe extent of following him with thepleadings and drawings of His graceuntil He has won that soul into His ownfamily and created him anew by theimpartation of His own divine nature,and then be careless as to whatbecomes of the one He has thus givenHis all to procure?” -L.S.C.

“A life of patience intervenesbetween the day of illumination and theday of glorification. I am not to count ona path of pleasure-a path of ease-apath of prosperity-on being moredistinguished tomorrow than today; butI am to count on a path of patience.And is not there glory in that? Yes,there is companionship with the LordJesus Christ.” -J.G.B.

“Let my circumstances be what theymay, if I can see them ordered for meunfailingly by One in whom infinitewisdom, power, and goodnesscombine, and whose love toward me Iam assured of, my restlessness isgone, my will subjected to that other willin which I can but acquiesce anddelight.” -F.W.G.

“We are called to fellowship withGod, and fellowship means commonhappiness, common thoughts, commontrust. The Father’s delight is in His Son;and we have fellowship with Him inthat. The Son’s delight is in the Father,and we have fellowship with Him inthat. So our fellowship is with the

Father and with His Son Jesus, Christ.”-J.N.D.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,and lean not unto thine ownunderstanding. In all thy waysacknowledge him, and he shall directthy paths” (Prov. 3:5, 6).

8-6. Hidden To Reveal“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfill the lust of theflesh” (Gal. 5:16).

As we walk in the Spirit, worship inthe Spirit, and pray in the Spirit, weshall come to know, not the Spirit, butthe Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesusexplicitly said, “He (the Comforter) shallglorify me; for he shall receive of mine,and shall show it unto you. All thingsthat the Father hath are mine; thereforesaid I, that he shall take of mine, andshall show it unto you” (John 16:14, 15)

“What is it to ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Gal.5:16)? It is to walk in communion withthe Father, in dependence upon theSpirit, having the Lord Jesus as my oneobject. What held the attention ofStephen, ‘full of faith and of the HolySpirit’ (Acts 6:5)? Two things: the Wordof God on earth, and the Christ of Godin heaven (Acts 7:55).”

“To walk in the Spirit is not self-occupation, nor even occupation withthe Spirit. Walking according to theSpirit is occupation with the Lord Jesus.When the believer looks to the LordJesus, depends upon Him, draws all heneeds from Him-if the Lord Jesus is his

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all, then the believer walks in the Spirit.”-A.C.G.

“To be Spirit-controlled does notmean the loss of free-agency. A freeagent acts as he pleases, and theSpirit-controlled individual pleases toact in accordance with the mind and willof the Spirit.” -A.McC.

“‘I say then, walk in the Spirit, and yeshall not (in no way) fulfill the lust of theflesh’ (Gal. 5:16). It might be objected, ifa Christian were not under the restraintof the law that his life might becareless. The ‘no way’ of our verseforbids such a notion.” -H.F.W.

“For the law of the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2)

8-7. On To Maturity“That I may know him” (Phil. 3:10).“The one unchanging factor on this

earth is the Word of God. It is upon thewritten Word, and in the Living Word,that the Christian life is to beestablished. Yet there are Christiansthroughout the world who are seekingto get along on the basis ofquestionable blessings, and fluctuatingself-centered experiences.

“How many rest on the initial step ofthe new birth, ‘Begotten again. . . ofincorruptible seed through the word ofGod’ (1 Peter 1:23), and fail to press onto know ‘Begotten. . . by theresurrection of Jesus Christ. . . unto aninheritance’ (1 Peter 1:3).

“If our hearts are really true to Himwe may be assured He will lead us onin the knowledge of Himself just as fastas we are able to advance. He knowshow much we can take in, and He doesnot fail to minister to us the very foodthat is suitable to our present need. Wemay sometimes feel inclined to beimpatient with ourselves because we donot make more rapid progress, but wehave to learn to trust the Lord with ourspiritual matriculation.

“If our eyes are upon the LordJesus, and we follow with steadfasthearts as He leads us, we shall find thatHe leads us by the right way and bringsus through all the exercises we need inorder to form our souls in theappreciation of Himself, and of all thoseblessed things which are brought topass in Him. We have to trust Him allthe way through, and to learnincreasingly to distrust ourselves.” -W.N.

“The enemy will encourage you todo anything but carry out thesystematic, Spirit-taught study of theBible. He will give religiousexperiences, feelings and piousthoughts-all apart from God’s Word. Donot be deceived. The Scriptures are ouronly sustenance-there are nosubstitutes.” -J.B.

“Then shall we know, if we follow onto know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3).

8-8. Prayer Preparation“He shall be a vessel unto honor,

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sanctified, and fit for the master’s use,and prepared unto every good work” (2Tim. 2:21).

“Prepared unto every good work”-especially prayer.

“It does not follow that because athing is the will of God, He willnecessarily lead you to pray for it. Hemay have other burdens for you. Wemust get our prayers from God, andpray to know His will. God was dealingwith Hudson Taylor for fifteen yearsbefore He laid upon him the burden ofdefinite prayer for the foundation of theChina Inland Mission (now theOverseas Missionary Fellowship).

“Our Father is not in a hurry. Hecannot do things with us until we aretrained and ready for them. We may becertain He has further service, furtherburdens of faith and prayer to give uswhen we are ready for them.” -J.O.F.

“In the true ‘prayer of faith’ theintercessor must spend time with theFather to appropriate the promises ofHis Word, and must permit himself tobe taught by the Holy Spirit, whetherthe promises can be applied to thisparticular case. He remains in thepresence of God, till He, by His Spirit,awakens the faith that in this particularmatter the prayer has been heard.” -A.M.

“In praying there are two alternativesset before us. The one, prayer as ameans by which we get from heavenwhat we need. The other, prayer as

infinite grace of God, lifting us up intoHis fellowship and love, and then whenHe has thus brought us to Himself,bestowing upon us the blessing weneed. In the former case, the gifts that Ican receive through prayer are the chiefthings. In the latter, God and His love,and fellowship with Him, and thesurrender of the suppliant to His gloryand His will is the supreme objective.” -A.M.

“Continue in prayer, and watch inthe same with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2).

8-9. Rest Via Struggle“Come unto me, all ye that labor and

are heavy laden, and I will give yourest” (Matt. 11:28).

Hard as it is for the believer to finallycome to rest concerning his spiritualbirth, it seems to be even more difficultfor him to simply rest in the Lord Jesusfor his life and service.

“There are two stages in theChristian life. The one in which, afterconversion, a believer seeks to workwhat God would have him do. Thesecond, in which, after many a painfulfailure, he ceases from his works, andenters the rest of God, there to find thepower for work in allowing the Father towork in him.

“It is this rest from their own workwhich many Christians cannotunderstand. They think of it as a stateof passive and selfish enjoyment, of stillcontemplation which leads to theneglect of the duties of life, and unfits

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for that watchfulness and warfare towhich Scripture calls. What an entiremisunderstanding of God’s call to rest!

“Truly to rest in God is to yieldoneself up to the highest activity. Wework, because He worketh in us both towill and to do (Phil. 2:13). As Paul saysof himself, ‘I labor, striving according tohis working who worketh in me withmight’ (Col. 1:29). Entering the rest ofGod is the ceasing from self-effort, andthe yielding of oneself in the fullsurrender of faith to God’s working.” -A.M.

“Not only does the Lord Jesus live inus, but He becomes the motivatingObject of our life as Christians. The lawis no longer our motive or rule of life. Itis entirely displaced by a Person, andthat Person ‘the Son of God, who lovedme and gave himself for me.’Henceforth the soul has a new centerand source-it is no longer self-centered,but Christ-centered.” -C.A.C.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learnof me; for I am meek and lowly in heart,and ye shall find rest unto your souls”(Matt. 11:29).

8-10. Beloved Enemy

“Christ hath redeemed us from thecurse of the law, being made a cursefor us; for it is written, Cursed iseveryone that hangeth on a tree” (Gal.3:13).

The legal Christian considers thelaw to be his best friend who will enablehim to live righteously. But in reality the

law, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, ishis beloved enemy. The Spirit’spurpose is to bring the well-meaningbeliever down into defeat, wretched andready to realize, “I thank God throughJesus Christ, our Lord” (Rom. 7:25).

“It is perhaps the most alarmingsymptom of decay to be seen amongstevangelical believers today, that somany have accepted (at any ratementally) the fact that they cannot bejustified before God except by thesacrifice for sin once made for all uponCalvary, proceed to build a new legalcode by which to live, and seek to besanctified by their own efforts andendeavors.

“The more conscientious, whenfaced with the failure of this scheme ofthings, become the victims of thecondemnation of the ‘accuser of thebrethren’; and take their place amongthe great company of Christian menand women who are constantly besetwith doubts and fears, and who, often inspite of intense activity in the cause ofthe Gospel, are living in the consciousbitterness of defeat. “ -J.C.M.

“The law cannot be broken ordivided. It stands as a unit. Toundertake any part of it is to becommitted to it all. Nothing can be moreunreasonable or more unscriptural thanto borrow some portions from the lawsystem, either that of Moses or of themillennial kingdom, and, at the sametime, reject other portions. He who willchoose the law must, to be consistent,

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do the whole law (Rom. 10:5), and if heshould break it at one point, he is guiltyof all (James 2:10).” -L.S.C.

“The law was our schoolmaster. . . .But after faith is come, we are no longerunder a schoolmaster” (Gal. 3:24, 25).

8-11. Church Plight

“For I have not shunned to declareunto you all the counsel of God” (Acts20:27).

In regard to the external Cross, theobvious fact is that “Christ died for oursins.” As to the internal Cross, while notso obvious, it is still a fact that we are tobe “always delivered unto death forJesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesusmight be made manifest in our mortalflesh” (2 Cor. 4:11).

“Popular Fundamentalist theologyhas emphasized the utility of the Crossrather than the beauty of the One whodied on it. The saved man’s relation tothe Lord Jesus has been madecontractual instead of personal. The‘work’ of Christ has been stressed untilit has eclipsed the Person of Christ.Substitution has been allowed tosupersede identification. What He didfor us seems to be more important thanwhat He did to us.” -A.W.T.

“The death of the Lord Jesus wasnot only an atonement for sins, but atriumph over sin. By faith we see oursins not only on His head for ourpardon, but sin under His feet for ourdeliverance. Multitudes who glory in theoutward Cross know nothing of that

inward crucifixion which it has alsomade possible, whereby they aredelivered from the power of self andsin, the world, the flesh, and the devil.That they do not know: That their ‘oldman was crucified with him, that thebody of sin might be done away, so thatthey should no longer be in bondage tosin’ (Rom. 6:6).” -G.M.

“We are not only to take by faith thefact that the Lord Jesus died for us topay the price and penalty of our sins,but we are to appropriate by faith thefact that He also took us to the Crosswith Him. In Christ, God put to deathour old man that we might be deliveredfrom the power and dominion of sin inour lives. So the story of the pathway offaith begins with Calvary and ouridentification with the crucifixion of theLord Jesus.” -G.M.

“You were set free from the tyrannyof sin” (Rom. 6:18, Wey.).

8-12. Sacrificial Service

“For we who live are alwaysdelivered unto death for Jesus’ sake,that the life also of Jesus might bemade manifest in our mortal flesh” (2Cor. 4:11).

The growing Christian is oftenaccused of passivity by the doingChristian. The Lord Jesus was notpassive; the Apostle Paul was notpassive; nor is the believer passive whoseeks to “grow in grace and in theknowledge of our Lord and Savior,Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

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Compulsive activity is not necessarilyfruitful, as the “works of the flesh”attest.

“The Lord keep you in the freshnessof faith in Himself, going forth in Hiswork, not undertaking more than Hegives you grace for. I have pressedupon my brethren not to give up theirsecular employment until the work ofthe Lord so increased upon them thatthey must give up one or the other.”

“The one who knows best theFather’s love will be the best exponentof that love-the best qualified servantfor the Father to send on a mission ofinterest to those who are ignorant of it.Abide in Him. ‘The only begotten Sonwhich is in the bosom of the Father, hehath declared him’ (John 1:18).”

“Under the Mosaic law-system, lovefor others was to be in the degree inwhich one loved himself; under grace itis to be in the degree in which the LordJesus has loved the believer and givenHis life for him (1 John 3:16).” -L.S.C.

“Perversion of truth takes its risefrom having the eye turned to man, andseeking to make the truth suit him, andnot to conform man to the truth; so thatthe way to resolve this difference is bythe simple question, Is it God-ward I amlooking, or man-ward?”

“If you only know the work of theLord Jesus you are prepared to makesacrifices, but if you know Him as yourlife then you are ready to suffer forHim.”

“So then death worketh in us, but lifein you” (2 Cor 4:12).

8-13. Heart To Heart“That I may apprehend that for

which also I am apprehended of ChristJesus” (Phil. 3:12).

Our spiritual puppy-love is soon lost,to be replaced through the years by ourbridal-love. The bride always gravitatesto her Bridegroom. “My beloved spoke,and said unto me, Rise up, my love, myfair one, and come away” (S.S. 2:10).

“All of our Father’s arrangements forus, if rightly accepted, will lead usabove, instead of binding us to what ishere below. His gifts come down toease us in a world like this, that ourhearts may rise the easier to the scenewhere He displays the fulness of Hislove for us.

“And if there be chastening in thecircumstances here, it is only to detachus the more effectively from all here,and to lead us to the place where Hehas given all to us. So that seeing thethings above ensures every good thingfor us in every condition.”

“You may know the Lord Jesus asyour relief-for what He has done; but itis quite another thing to know Him asyour resource-for what He is. It is onething to know Him as the One who hasrelieved you from every pressure, it isanother thing to know Him as the Oneattraction of your heart.” -J.B.S.

“The Lord grant that you may know

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the wonderful blessing, and portion oflight and joy we are brought into,instead of going through the worldtrying to overcome this and that, andsaying, ‘I must give up this thing andthe other.’ It is not a question of givingup at all; but I have something better,greater, brighter, and I just let it drop.”

“Yea doubtless, and I count allthings but loss for the excellency of theknowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord”(Phil. 3:8).

8-14. Ointment Poured Forth

“Death working in me works life inyou” (2 Cor. 4:12, Cony.).

At first the heart hunger for maturityin the Lord Jesus is personal,subjective-and necessarily so. Later,when the path to maturity is known andentered upon, this hunger is projectedto His Body, and becomes sacrificiallyobjective.

“The great lack in servants is nothaving a sufficiently self-less walk,because you cannot lead anyonebeyond where you have been ledyourself. Moses was himself manyyears in the wilderness before he ledthe people. I cannot ask anyone toleave anything that I have not leftmyself. It is not the man who seesdefects, but the man who removesthem who is being used of God.”

“Will you choose the path of deaththat others may have life? Will youchoose to ‘fill up the afflictions of Christfor His Bride’s sake’? But what does it

mean? It means living, weeping,suffering, loving with infinite patience,infinite tenderness, unwearying love forevery member of the Body of Christ. Itmeans the whole being bound up, notin your own progress, but in theprogress of the Body of Christ. It meanssinking all the personal element into theservice of God, wanting neither credit,nor notice, nor recognition. It means anutter dropping of yourself, and ahanding over of yourself to God to bepoured out for His Body’s sake, theChurch.”

“The unwearied care of our Fatherfor us, His patient grace, Hisgentleness, His leading us on from theworld nearer, in spirit, to Himself,indicate what should be the character ofour love’s activity towards one another.Our joy in the Father’s presence, as HeHimself and His Son, our Lord JesusChrist, are made manifest to our hearts,gives us the character of the joy of truefellowship one with another.” -H.F.W.

“I, Paul. . . rejoice in my sufferingsfor you, and fill up that which is behindof the afflictions of Christ in my flesh forHis body’s sake, which is the church”(Col. 1:23, 24).

8-15. My Father’s Choice“What I do thou knowest not now;

but thou shalt know hereafter” (John13:7)

When our Lord takes us down intoan area of processing and trial it seemsas though He deliberately takes away

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our understanding, and we often reactas though we had never gone throughanything before. One of His reasons forthis is that we may receive the full effectand benefit of the child-training.

“We should give our consent to ourFather when He seeks to lead usthrough devastating processes. And weneed have no fear, for He knows how toapportion our suffering. He exactlymatches the suffering to our condition.He measures all things with unfailingaccuracy and selects the particular trialsuited to our particular need.

“He invariably chooses the lot ofeach with this in view-an increase of thedivine content in our lives. If Hechastens us, it is always ‘for our profit,that we may be partakers of hisholiness.’ And ‘all things work togetherfor good to them that are calledaccording to his purpose.’ What good?What purpose? This, ‘that we may beconformed to the image of his Son.’“

“Let suffering come from any causein the universe, if we give it overentirely into the hand of our Father, andsink ourselves into His blessed will, withthe desire for Him to work His purposein us, He will make every pain, everytear, every particle of our suffering workin us a death to sin and to the old man,and to all things on earth which will befor our highest development and for Hisglory.” -G.W.

“If we lay claim to the blessing of ourFather, we must not fear what may lie

in the path of blessing. It is everthrough suffering to glory, through theCross to the Crown.” -O.S.

“In every circumstance of life be thankful; forthis is God’s will in Christ Jesus respectingyou” (1 Thess. 5:18, Wey.).

8-16. Self-imposed Burden“Being justified by faith, we have

peace with God through our Lord JesusChrist” (Rom. 5:1).

Few see and stand upon the factthat our history in Adam ended on theCross. Our past will plague us until weacknowledge that we are now clear ofAdam and safely hidden in the risenLord Jesus-newly-born creations inHim. One of the penalties of self-occupation is self-pity and corrodingremorse.

“Regret for a sinful past will remainuntil we truly believe that for us in theLord Jesus that sinful past no longerexists. The man in Christ has only Hispast and that is perfect and acceptableto the Father. In the Lord Jesus hedied, and in Him he rose, and he is nowseated in Him within the circle of theFather’s favored ones. He is no longerangry with himself because he is nolonger self-regarding, but Christ-regarding: hence there is no place forregret.”

“The knowledge of our union withthe Lord Jesus is what will deliver thebeliever from all that is low and feeble,and will lift him to a life of joy and

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peace. To gaze upon our risen Lord inthe Father’s presence, to whom allthings are subject, will transform us intoheavenly Christians, dwelling all theday in the Father’s presence.” -A.M.

“The believer shares the Lord Jesus’Cross (‘knowing this, that our old manwas crucified with him’ Rom. 6:6); Hisdeath (‘ye died and your life is hid withChrist in God’ Col. 3:3); His burial (‘wewere buried with him by baptism intodeath’ Rom. 6:4); His resurrection (‘asChrist was raised up from the dead bythe glory of the Father, even so we’Rom. 6:4); His ascension (‘made us sittogether in heavenly places in ChristJesus’ Eph. 2:6).” -F.J.H.

“There is, therefore, now nocondemnation to them who are in ChristJesus” (Rom. 8:1).

8-17. Lifeless Law

“For if there had been a law givenwhich could have given life, verilyrighteousness should have been by thelaw” (Gal. 3:21).

Paul devoted two full chapters toestablish our freedom from the fallenAdam. Romans Six sets forth ourfreedom from the dominion of Adamicsin; Romans Seven explains ourfreedom from Adamic law.

Whereas our liberty was won on theCross, it is worked out in our daily lifeand experience by the Holy Spirit. Onthe Cross, by the Spirit, in the LordJesus Christ.

“If ministers and teachers of God’sWord would set saints free andestablish them in the Gospel, let theirpreaching and teaching be based uponthe sixth and seventh of Romans, thecentral theme of which is our union withthe Lord Jesus in death and burial; andour resurrection and ascension withHim into newness of life; where not thelaw, but grace, reigneth; where not theletter but the Spirit, moveth the heartand life of the believer. Satan will fightmost fiercely against such teaching, butno other will establish the Lord’speople.”

“If God has declared that we died,we did die. If God has declared usdischarged from the law, we aredischarged and are hereby God’s freechildren, ‘new creatures,’ ‘created afterGod in righteousness and trueholiness.’

“Our longing for conformity to theimage of God’s Son shall be confirmedand fulfilled by the Holy Spirit who hathbeen given unto us. No man canbelieve he has a right to walk freely andfully in the Spirit until he believeshimself to be free from the law.” -W.R.N.

“Law cannot give eternal life, norhave, therefore, any control over it.” -L.S.C.

“But now we have been dischargedfrom the law, having died to thatwherein we were held” (Rom. 7:6,ASV.).

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8-18. Another, Altogether“This is my beloved Son, in whom I

am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt.17:5).

Seeing the blackness of my heartprovides the perfect backdrop for thebright and shining glory of the LordJesus Christ, who is my life. I am to beas well pleased with Him, and Himalone, as is my Father.

“The learning of what I am and ofwhat I have been in Adam, is trulyhumbling; but it need not be distressingif I see that all those conditions whichhave been present with me have justbeen the occasion for my Father tobring to light what is in His heartconcerning me. When I see this, thosevery conditions magnify before my soulthe greatness of His salvation in theLord Jesus Christ.

“The weakness that is in myself, andthe many things which I have to deplorein my past, or perhaps even in mypresent, make me thankful to know thatmy Father has brought in another Man,and has secured in Him all his ownthoughts of blessing manward.

“There is what is perfect andabsolutely for God’s satisfaction anddelight in the Lord Jesus, and it remainsunaffected by what I find in myself. Nay!every self-discovery makes Hisperfection more a necessity to myheart. What I learn and experience inmyself makes me rejoice to believe onAnother in whom every promise of God

is Yea and Amen.” -C.A.C.“The secret of being like the Lord

Jesus is, that we are to count ourselvesdead to the old and alive in the new.We are to give up our self-efforts afterlikeness to Him; we are to distrust ourown strength as much as we distrustour own weakness and our own sin;and instead of striving to live like theLord Jesus, let Him live through us, asHe greatly desires to do.”

“For God, who commanded the lightto shine out of darkness, hath shone inour hearts, to give the light of theknowledge of the glory of God in theface of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

8-19. Reign In Pain“For you have had the privilege

granted you on behalf of Christ-not onlyto believe in Him, but also to suffer onHis behalf” (Phil. 1:29, Wey.).

The Father prepares His sufferers,by means of their sufferings.

“I believe in perpetual favor withGod, but I do not believe in unbrokensunshine here. On the contrary, ‘wewhich live are always delivered untodeath for Jesus’ sake.’ I say this thatyou may not think it strange when thecollar which you have rightly acceptedbecomes trying or difficult to you; forsurely if it be service it must be so; theservant must be more or less asufferer.”

“The Lord grant you to be soassured in heart of His interest in you,

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that daily you may more and moreanswer to His pleasure; and not be inany way cast down because youapparently do so little. The fragrance ofHis name is a crown of glory to thegreatest invalid.”

“‘Unto you is given on the behalf ofChrist not only to believe on him, butalso to suffer for his sake’ (Phil. 1:29).Yea, ‘if we suffer, we shall also reignwith him’ (2 Tim. 2:12). The graciousgift of suffering is as distinct andspecific a gift as any other of God’sgifts. But this gift transforms theblessed recipient more surely perhapsthan all the others into resemblance toHimself, and is for this fellowship, thehighest, greatest, noblest of them all.”

“We naturally shrink from trials andsorrow, but when we find ourselvesenjoying the resources that are in ourFather, to which our trials have causedus to have recourse, we remember nomore the path of affliction which led usthereto.”

“The child of God is ever in the light,though not always in the sunshine.”

“If we suffer, we shall also reign withhim” (2 Tim. 2:12).

8-20. Up Here!“And hath raised us up together, and

made us sit together in heavenly placesin Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

The spiritual babe has faith for thewondrous fact that he will go to heavenwhen he dies. The spiritual father has

faith for the inexpressible fact that hehas died in Christ, and that he is nowhid with Him in God.

“When I look at this place, He is nothere; and when I look at myselfnaturally I am not fit for Him. Howhappy then to know that I belong to theplace where He is; and that throughgrace I am made suited to Him in thatnew place; so that I set my mind andaffections there, as the place where mydeepest joys are to be realized.” -J.B.S.

“The truth is, we have a position inheaven and the Lord Jesus is now ourlife there; and if this be not simplyenjoyed, there will be an effort to modifythe desolation here, and an inability tointerpret the various inroads whichdeath makes on us.”

“My taste is formed in glory, andthere it is nurtured and strengthened,and as it is, so do I find nothing here inkeeping with my taste. Association withthe Son of Man, the One most perfect,and in every way the most beautiful,develops my new nature, which is thesame as His. Where He is, is my home-there I feed and rest; but here, on earth,I am learning to set aside in deatheverything in me which hinders themanifestation of the life of the LordJesus.” -J.B.S.

“The reason there is so little growthis that there is so little occupation andfellowship with the Lord Jesus whereHe is. The glory invites now, instead ofthe law repelling, and the practical

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effect is ‘changed into the sameimage.’“

“For ye died, and your life is hid withChrist in God” (Col. 3:3, ASV.).

8-21. Life Above All“That the life also of Jesus might be

made manifest in our mortal flesh” (2Cor. 4:11, ASV.).

The love motive is not adequate tocarry the believer through to fruitfulwalk and service. Few seem to be ableto face up to this fact, possibly becausethey see no higher alternative. Butthere is one: the life motive. “For thelaw of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesushath made me free from the law of sinand death” (Rom. 8:2).

“By the body of Christ on the Crossbelievers were made dead to the law(Rom. 7:4), in order righteously to bejoined to Another, even the risen LordJesus Christ. The reason why we hadto die to the law was, not at all becausethe law was bad (it, on the contrary, is‘holy, just and good’), but because wewere bad.

“Our flesh was so powerless to dogood and so ready to do evil, that theapplication to us of God’s holy law onlygave sin an occasion to involve ourenslaved members in open rebellionagainst the law.

“So that even if a man loves God’slaw, as Paul did, he has no power tokeep it; but sin only makes the law aconstant means of working death to

him, and the more a man tries to keepthe law the more he comes under thepower of sin. Hence there is only thisleft for us-to die to the law, and bejoined to the risen Lord Jesus in aresurrection life absolutely beyond thesphere of the law.” -W.R.N.

“The law is for the man whodeparted from God-that man has beenremoved from God’s sight in the Crossof our Lord Jesus Christ, and I rejoicethat now by the ‘law of the Spirit of lifein Christ Jesus’ I am ‘free from the lawof sin and death’ (Rom. 8:2).”

“Not after the law of a carnalcommandment, but after the power ofan endless life” (Heb. 7:16).

8-22. He Dares To Discipline!

“My son, do not think lightly of theLord’s discipline, and do not faint whenhe corrects you” (Heb. 12:6, Wey.).

Most of us sought to avoid ournatural father’s discipline, when hesought to administer it. And most of usseek to avoid our heavenly Father’sdiscipline, until we finally learn that “Hedoes it for our certain good, in orderthat we may become sharers in Hisown holy character” (Heb. 12:10, Wey.).

“There is an idea that often troublespeople, namely, that God always wantsto bring us down when He chastens us.When He corrects a man it is not thatHe may bring him down, but that Hemay lift him up. He says, ‘Humbleyourselves therefore under the mightyhand of God, that he may exalt you in

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due time’ (1 Peter 5:6). I discipline mychild in order that I may exalt himmorally.”

“Our Father purges us on theprinciple of ‘we which live are alwaysdelivered unto death for Jesus’ sake.’ Inservice you are sure to find some kindof pressure on you.

“It may be on your body, and oftenis; or it may be persecution; but you willhardly ever have a fruitful field ofservice before you, unless you arecrippled for it. ‘He purgeth it, that it maybring forth more fruit.’“

“We come to feel our need, andoften attempt independently to supply itby our own means; the Lord mustconfound us in the attempt; but havingdone so, He leads in dependence tofind and acquire an inconceivablygreater answer to our wishes than eventhat which we prescribed for ourselves.The prodigal only sought ‘sustenance’from the citizen in the ‘far country,’ butback in his father’s house he found notbread merely, but abounding welcomeand a fatted calf.”

“For those whom the Lord loves hedisciplines: and he scourges every sonwhom he acknowledges” (Heb. 12:6,Wey.).

8-23. The Fruit Of Grace

“For as many as are of the works ofthe law are under the curse: for it iswritten, Cursed is everyone thatcontinueth not in all things which arewritten in the book of the law, to do

them” (Gal. 3:10).None can be born again by the law,

and none can live anew under the law-neither its precepts, nor its principle.“The life I now live by faith-byadherence to and reliance on and(complete) trust-in the Son of God”(Gal. 2:20, Amp.).

“The Gentile never was under thelaw; and being set in the Lord JesusChrist, now that he believes, he standson other ground, to which the law doesnot apply. Every believer is regarded byGod as alive from the dead, to bringforth fruit (not works) unto God. The lawonly deals with a man as long as helives, never after he is dead. ‘Ye arebecome dead to the law by the body ofChrist’ (Rom. 7:4).

“And that is not at all what is said ofus, after a ‘second blessing,’ or anyother step of imaginary perfection. Webegin with. . . ‘alive in Christ.’ I amidentified with the Lord Jesus dead andrisen. It is no longer the law dealingwith me to try if it can get any good outof me. I have relinquished all byreceiving Christ, and I take my stand inHim dead and risen again, as one alivefrom the dead, to yield myself as a ‘newcreation’ to God and walk in ‘newnessof life.’“ -W.K.

“The teachings of grace are perfectand sufficient in themselves. Theyprovide for the instruction of thebeliever in every situation which mayarise. There is no need that they be

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supplemented, or augmented, by theaddition of precepts from either the Lawof Moses or the teachings of thekingdom.” -L.S.C.

“What an indignity religion puts onevery Person of the Godhead alike, onthe grace and truth which came byJesus Christ, when it drags souls backto the dread distance of Judaism.” -W.K.

“I do not frustrate the grace of God:for if righteousness come by the lawthen Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:21).

8-24. Adamic Awareness“For ye have died (not changed)”

(Col. 3:3).Realization of what the first Adam is

prepares us for the realization of whothe Last Adam is.

“Many a justified one might describehis experience in words like this: ‘I fullyrecognize, and rejoice in the fact, that Iam righteous before God according toChrist risen; and this being so, nothingbut Christ can be my standard ofholiness or rule of life.

“‘If I could only walk up to it I think Ishould be a perfectly happy man. But itis one failure after another; and when Ithink I have got on a bit, somethingturns up, and I find myself as bad asever, and the thought of this damps allmy spiritual joy.’

“In this stage of spiritualdevelopment there are continualdiscoveries of the old man which make

that old self more and more repulsive,and there is also the presentation of theLord Jesus again and again in whichthe soul finds increasing delight.Growth! ‘He must increase, but I mustdecrease.’

“This repulsion and attraction go ontogether until the soul accepts with Godthe reality of the incorrigible badness ofthe old man. This fact prepares one tosee that the death of the Lord Jesussevered us from our old man, and thatthe Lord Jesus is now our Christian life.We are free, by the finished work of theCross, from the domination of the manwho is now so repugnant to us, and wediscover with untold delight that theOne who so attracted our hearts is ourvery life.” -C.A.C.

“Fruit is not produced by making fruitan object, nor by thinking of fruit; it isthe outcome of having the Lord Jesusas one’s object, of thinking of Him. Heis the one True Vine who precedes andproduces fruit.” -H.S.

“And your (new) life is hid with Christin God” (Col. 3:3).

8-25. The Last Is First“As is the earthy, such are they also

that are earthy; and as is the heavenly,such are they also that are heavenly” (1Cor. 15:48).

Christians have a poor self-imagesimply because they are thinking andlooking upon the condemned andcrucified first-Adam life within, insteadof being occupied with their glorified

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Last-Adam life above. “Beholding as ina mirror the glory of the Lord, arechanged into the same image fromglory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).

“‘If any man be in Christ, he is a newcreature; old things are passed away;behold, all things are become new’ (2Cor. 5:17). Does this not mean a newsort of creature, as the Word implies?Do we go back to Adam, the innocentman in the garden in which God set himto dress and keep? No, that would beno creature new in kind. Adam even,pure and good before his fall, was yetof the earth, earthy.

“Is the Lord Jesus but the first manset up afresh? No, He is ‘the secondman, the Lord from heaven.’ He is aheavenly man, the Last Adam-head ofa new race; beginning of a newcreation-and you and I who believe are‘in Him,’ seen and accepted before theFather ‘in His Beloved.’ The full imageof Him we have not yet: true. That willbe ours in the day of His coming. Thething we are!” -F.W.G.

“A sinner in himself, the believerhas, by faith, taken upon him thebeauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is‘in Him,’ he has been made therighteousness of God in Him. He is‘accepted in the Beloved’ (Eph. 1:6).Faith alone gives him all thiscomeliness. He has been recreated inthe Lord Jesus. This is the beauty ofthe believer; and he is lovely in the eyeof the Lord Jesus. ‘So shall the kinggreatly desire thy beauty; for he is thy

Lord, and worship thou him’ (Ps.45:11).” -J.C.B.

“And as we have borne the image ofthe earthy, we shall also bear the imageof the heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49).

8-26. Mansion There-Mission Here“The Spirit himself beareth witness

with our spirit, that we are the childrenof God; and if children, then heirs”(Rom. 8:16, 17).

It is the Holy Spirit alone who candraw us from the flesh and its earthlyenvironment. He does it in the practicalsense by manifesting to our hearts, viathe Word of God, the risen Lord JesusChrist in our heavenly environment.“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, andmake not provision for the flesh, to fulfillits lusts” (Rom. 13:14).

“When the Lord Jesus’ love is beforeyou, you find this love is drawing youfrom darkness to light. He begins byshowing His desire for your spiritualadvancement, and not by advancingyou in earthly position.

“It is beautiful to see that the work oftrue love is to set aside darkness, orwhatever would interfere withfellowship; and therefore it is notesteemed as it ought to be, because weare looking for something on the earth,and the tendency is to judge of His loveby earthly gifts or favors down here.”

“We have died with the Lord Jesusout of our old Adam position: our oldman was crucified with Him. The flesh

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is in us still indeed, but in us a foreignthing; we are not in it before God, noridentified with it in any wise, but withHim in whom it was never found. Weare in Him, as He is and where He is.

“Can we say quite confidently, eachfor himself, ‘Yes, we are identified withHim who represents us there before theeye of our Father-as He is, in whom nospot was ever found nor can be, butperfectness after God’s own heartwholly’?

“That is to be in Christ-a newcreature. Our rule is, to walk in Him, asbeing what we really are-heavenly,citizens of heaven, pilgrims andstrangers upon earth.” -F.W.G.

“Heirs of God, and joint heirs withChrist-if so be that we suffer with him,that we may be also glorified together”(Rom. 8:17).

8-27. From Here To There“But what things were gain to me,

those I counted loss for Christ” (Phil.3:7).

When we finally understand that theLord Jesus is our life, we, with Paul, nolonger think in terms of things.

“Every branch that beareth fruit, hepurgeth it, that it may bring forth morefruit” (John 15:2).

“One may eat with an appetite andfeel revived, but the sense of life orsustainment from the food in the hour oftoil, is a far greater and better thing.Thus, you have to learn now that the

Lord is with you, however great may bethe winds and the waves; and that He iswith you to prove to you now the valueof the truth about Himself, which Hehas heretofore taught you. The learningis at one time (head), the proving(heart) at another.” -J.B.S.

“Our Father must wean us. Oh, whatdays and nights of bitter tears we shedwhen the soul is being weaned fromsome long enjoyed mercy. Is it that Hewho gave His Son for us would notindulge us? Is it that our Father woulddeny us anything? No, but He mustwean us, or we shall never know what itis to depend on Him apart from anyhuman or natural intervention.”

“The Lord Jesus before our souls inthe power of the Holy Spirit-the glorifiedLord-is our Father’s means for bringingus into conformity with His belovedSon. But then it is through thechastenings of His hand, through thetrials and sufferings of our path, that Heweans the hearts of His own from otherobjects, that the Lord Jesus Christalone may fill the vision of our souls.” -E.D.

“It is quite right to obtain aknowledge of Scripture, as to itsgeneral meaning. It is well to read andget knowledge, but unless you are incommunion with the Lord Jesus, youwill not grow in likeness to what youadmire, as recorded in the Word.”

“And I count all things but loss forthe excellency of the knowledge of

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Christ Jesus, my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

8-28. Personally Delivered

“Having therefore, brethren,boldness to enter into the holiest by theblood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).

After years of reckoning with little orno deliverance from the dominion ofsin, when you are just about to sinkunder the futility of it all, the Holy Spiritwill turn your attention to the One whois your Deliverer. And by the Word, Hewill also begin to call your attention tothe fact that where the Deliverer is, youare. “Hath raised us up together, andmade us sit together in heavenly placesin Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

“‘. . . our Lord Jesus Christ, who diedfor us that, whether we wake or sleep,we should live together with him’ (1Thess. 5:10). Can anything affect yourheart so much as the way the man inChrist is received in the new position?What I press now is the right that wehave to be in the place, and that it is notonly that I delight to be there, but theineffable thought is that the God andFather of our Lord Jesus Christ delightsto have me in His place, sharing Hisjoys.” -J.B.S.

“We are not according to ourFather’s pleasure, nor are we in simplerestfulness as to our acceptance, if wedo not enter by faith into the newposition to which He in His grace hasplaced us. A further fact is, that wehave no place but that; and when weget even a glimpse of it, it alters

immensely this place; this worldthrough which we are passing, and allthings in it, appear in another coloraltogether.” -J.B.S.

“If I only think of my position in Himabove and do not study Him and Hisways while here, then, though theremay be a sense of power, there is nodirection given to it. It is only in thecombination of both that there can be atrue study of the Lord Jesus, andconformity to Him. The eye of the soulmust be open and receptive to learn ofHis ways and walk here.”

“But now in Christ Jesus ye whoonce were far off are made near by theblood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).

8-29. “Rise Up, My Love”

“Set your affection on things above,not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

It is sad to have to say that thepresent-day Church is so earthy that itis of little earthly good. “Sir, we wouldsee Jesus”! (John 12:21).

“The great failure of the Church wasin giving up Paul. ‘All. . . in Asia’ did notgive up evangelical truth but they gaveup Paul; anything popular you mayhave, but not Paul. Why? Because Paulis heavenly.” -J.B.S.

“It is essential that a believer have aclear understanding of his positionbefore the Father-his place in the risenLord Jesus Christ. This alone will givetrue peace of mind, joy and comfort ofheart, strength for conflict and power for

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service. We will never be able toproperly understand or fill our place forGod on earth if we do not realize ourGod-given standing before Him inheaven.

“And never forget that our placebefore the Father is His gift, and a giftworthy of the Giver; not a gift accordingto the measure of our worth but a giftintended to display the exceedingriches of the grace of the Giver. Thegreatness of the Giver then is themeasure of the blessings that are minein the Lord Jesus Christ, not what I amor what I deserve.”

“When you see and stand on yourheavenly ground, you come to rest, justas the Father rests. You need notworry-only keep on that ground by yourattitude of heart. If you are going toworry-if you must worry-worry lest youget down on earthly ground, for that isthe ground of worry. Abide above!Heavenly things are in safe keeping-inthe keeping of One who is ‘far aboveall.’“ -T. A-S.

“For ye have died, and your life ishid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3, ASV.).

8-30. Heart Affection

“If ye, then, be risen with Christ,seek those things which are above,where Christ sitteth on the right hand ofGod” (Col. 3:1).

Spiritual hunger and thirst arefulfilled in the Lord Jesus, while at thesame time they are enlarged for moreof Him. This satisfaction overwhelms all

lesser longings. Fleshly yearnings arenever fulfilled, and every attempt atsuch satisfaction soon cloys.

“Do we think of, and rejoice in, ourblessings more than in the Person inwhom we have them? As to even ourdoctrinal blessings, there is a wonderfulcharm about them when they are newto us, and they sustain the soul for acertain time; but when the first joy ofthem passes away, a settling-downprocess commences. Every new bit ofblessing may seem to put a new bit oflife into us, but it gradually loses itslustre and power, and we become justordinary Christians-we make very littleprogress.

“It is as we take the Lord Jesus byfaith into the affections of our heartsthat we make spiritual progress. It is asHe occupies an enlarged place in ouraffections that we go on. The head maybe filled with general theologicalinformation without producing onespark of heart-affection for the LordJesus, and the soul remains in a stateof spiritual emaciation.

“Many have been misled by thinkingthat by reading the Bible you becomelike Christ-transformed; but you will finddiligent students of the Word, who maynever say anything incorrect in doctrine,yet who never seem to grow in graceand walk in spiritual reality.

“All blessings of this dispensation ofgrace are wrapped up in a Person, and,by means of the Word of God, we make

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spiritual progress as our hearts learn tofind everything in Him-the Son of Godwho loved us and gave Himself for us.”-C.A.C.

“He satisfieth the longing soul, andfilleth the hungry soul with goodness”(Ps. 107:9).

8-31. Accessibility“For we. . . worship God in the spirit,

and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and haveno confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3)

Failure to live the Christian life isdue to one’s utter inability, but it is allgoverned by the Father. He teaches usto become proficient in failure, in orderto bring us to total reliance upon HisSon, who is our Christian life. “For tome to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21).

“It is a wonderful moment for thebeliever when we by faith occupy ourstanding in the favor of the Father-whenwe know that we are received by Him inall the acceptance of the Lord JesusChrist.

“We do not then think of ourselves,of our worthiness or unworthiness, atall. We think of the Lord Jesus-Hisperfections, His suitability to divinefavor, His infinite acceptance with theFather-and by faith, we have accessinto the favor of which He is so worthy.”-C.A.C.

“To find that we are objects ofconsideration to the Lord Jesus is aninfinite solace, and it brings Him beforeour hearts in such a way that we are

sustained above the consideration ofourselves.”

“There is an infinite differencebetween self-improvement and growingin the Lord Jesus, nourished andcherished by Him. Instead of beingelated by our own improvement, ordepressed because we cannot effect it,we are to be occupied with the graceand beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, inwhich we are thus made to share.”

“We cannot be in the presence ofthe Father in innocence, for we areguilty; so that we must be there in Hisrighteousness, and that place whichused to repel us, now forms me into alikeness of itself. I am not toleratedthere, I am at home; and where thedistance was, there is now nearnessand attraction.” -J.B.S.

“Now, therefore, ye are no more strangersand sojourners, but fellow citizens with thesaints, and of the household of God” (Eph.2:19)

Number 9In Spirit-led sharing there is always

a principle involved. “Give, and it shallbe given unto you; good measure,pressed down, and shaken together,and running over, shall men give intoyour bosom” (Luke. 6:38).

Dig channels for thestreams of love,That they may broadly run;

For love has overflowingstreams,

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To fill them every one.But if at any time thouceaseThese channels toprovide,The very fount of love fortheeWill soon be parched anddried;For thou must give, if thouwould’st keepThat good thing fromabove:Ceasing to give, we ceaseto have-This is the law of love.

“The Lord make you to increase andabound in love one toward another, andtoward all men, even as we do towardyou, to the end He may establish yourhearts unblamable in holiness beforeGod, even our Father” (I Thess. 3:12,13).

-Miles J. Stanford; April 1985

9-1. Wonder Of Weakness“He said to me, My strength is

sufficient, for it is only by means ofconscious weakness that perfect poweris developed” (2 Cor. 12:9, Wms.).

Our Father does not test our faith somuch as He exercises and develops it.In time, He makes us aware of our utterweakness; and, in time, we trust andrest in His all-sufficient strength.

“Until we are carried quite out of ourdepth, beyond all our own wisdom and

resources, we are no more thanbeginners in the school of faith. Only aseverything fails us and we failourselves, do we draw upon abidingstrength. ‘Blessed is the man whosestrength is in Thee’; not partly in Theeand partly in himself. The devil oftenmakes men strong, strong inthemselves to do evil-great conquerors,great acquirers of wealth and power.The Lord on the contrary makes Hisservant weak, puts him incircumstances that will show him hisnothingness, that he may lean upon thestrength that is unfailing. It is a longlesson for most of us, but it cannot bepassed over until deeply learned. AndGod Himself thinks no trouble too great,no care too costly to teach us this.”

“Faith counts on the Word of Godoutside and apart from everything andeveryone here. When you are in faithyour life is centered in the Lord Jesus.The moment the heart is detained byanything here, faith is obstructed. Thevisible is antagonistic to the invisible. Ifyou walk in the Spirit you will besensible of this in a moment; the effectsand influences of the visible are counterto the invisible. Eve had lost faith whenshe saw that the tree was good forfood, and pleasant to the eyes. If shehad kept faith-dependence upon God-she would not have looked, but she hadparted with the faith which overcomeththe world when she ‘saw.’ The momentone becomes occupied with the visibleone has parted company with faith.” -

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J.B.S.“Since His power is so glorious, may

you be strengthened with strength ofevery kind, and be prepared forcheerfully enduring all things withpatience and longsuffering” (Col. 1:11,Wey.).

9-2. Cross Purposes“The Lord is faithful, who shall

establish you, and guard you from evil”(2 Thess. 3:3, R.V.).

When once we see and accept Hispurpose for our lives to the extent that itbecomes our will also, the details of Hisprocess cease to matter. “Though Heslay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job.13:15).

“The one purpose our Father has inview, in all His ways, is to conform us tothe image of His Son. This may explainour perplexities as to the past; it willgovern our behaviour in the present; itis to be our guide in the future. Thechief concern of our Lord is not toinstruct us about a multitude of details,not to explain to us the reason for thetrials which we are called to passthrough. He is working out everything toserve His one supreme aim inmanifesting the character of His Son inHis saints.” -H.F.

“The God-given experiences of theSpirit’s working within many a timepasses away, and leaves the believerapparently dull and dead. This is onlyuntil the double lesson has been fullylearned: (1) that a living faith can

rejoice in the Living God, even when allfeeling and experience appear tocontradict the truth (Rom. 8:28, 29);and (2) that the Divine life onlypredominates as the life of the old manis held in the place of death, inoperative(Rom. 6:11a). The life of the Lord Jesusis revealed as His death works in us (2Cor. 4:11, 12), and as in weakness andnothingness we look to Him (2 Cor.3:18).” -A.M.

“While our Father is dealing withsomeone in discipline, when He isapplying the Cross in a life, be carefulhow you sympathize with him. You maybe taking sides with him against God.By such sympathy, you may, indeed,draw him away from the work of theCross.”

“For we who live are alwaysdelivered unto death for Jesus’ sake,that the life also of Jesus might bemade manifest in our mortal flesh” (2Cor. 4:11)

9-3. Stand Your Ground!“The law is not of faith” (Gal. 3:12).The law will break you; grace will

make you.“Nothing can be more sure than the

steps of one guided by the Spirit of Godand the Word of God, and yet nothingmore complicated than to have to walkin ‘separation’ from all that existsaround. It is indeed difficult to have towind one’s way through things soperplexing and so complex as thereligious systems of our own day. We

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have to avoid on the one handorganizations formed in imitation ofthings past (Israel-law), and on theother systems more characterized byanticipation of things future (Kingdom-law). We have to allow that such thingswere once given by God, and that theywill yet again be introduced by Him;while invariably contending that theyare positively opposed to His presentworking by the Holy Spirit sent downfrom heaven.” -J.L.H.

“With many Christians, it may bealmost thought that the Lord Jesus wasbut the introduction to Moses. That Hisdeath procured the payment of sin’sdebt, so that the debt being paid, thebeliever might be in a position to keepthe law, and that, accordingly, the law,and not the ‘Spirit of life in ChristJesus,’ might be the believer’s rule oflife.” -H.F.W.

“The walk of the believer shouldever be the natural result of realizedprivilege, and not the constrained resultof legal vows and resolutions-theproper fruit of a position known andenjoyed by faith, and not the result ofone’s own efforts to reach a position ‘byworks of law.’ All true believers are apart of the Bride of Christ; hence, theyowe Him those affections whichbecome that relation. The relationshipis not obtained because of theaffections, but the affections flow out ofthe relationship.” -C.H.M.

“For I, through the law, am dead tothe law, that I might live unto God” (Gal.

2:19).

9-4. My Father Reigns!

“Put on the whole armor of God “(Eph. 6:11a).

My sovereign Father gives me asubservient Satan.

“Our Father has better thoughts forus than a portion here. He is educatingus for a blessed and eternal rest, freefrom evil and all that could cause it, andHe is bent on the blessing of Hischildren; and moreover He is bound byHis holiness to purge us suitably(though most graciously) for the placeHe has called us to. How often He letsSatan do this painful work, and try tosift us as Job! But the Father’s handand will are behind it all. He gives Hissaints up to Satan’s hand to a certainpoint, but only so far as to bring theheart fully to a bearing before Himself.”-J.N.D.

“It is a wonderful thing to see theway in which through the overrulingpower of the Father, the efforts of Satanagainst His people only bring them outthe more distinctly in their own place ofblessing.”

“We cannot judge God’s wayswithout judging God: we may love Himin His ways, but the moment we judgeor question that which He has revealed,we get above God, we make ourselvesgods, and we put Him in the place ofthe creature as subject to us. Thisbrings our souls under the power ofeveryone that is more clever than

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ourselves: we are in their hands, andthey can do what they please with us.

“Now the devil is more clever thanwe are. Therefore we ought to keepGod ever in His place of God in oursouls, lest Satan should make gods ofus, and set us judging God Himself. IfGod be displaced, we get into the placeof those who are irresponsible, and ascreatures the prey of any more cunningthan ourselves.” -J.N.D.

“That ye may be able to standagainst the wiles of the devil” (Eph.6:11b).

9-5. Christ Our Position

“In [this] freedom Christ has madeus free-completely liberated us; standfast then” (Gal. 5:1, Amp.).

We are never going to be able tostand before our Father in prayer andfellowship because we are fit inourselves. We finally come to see thatwe are in His presence because of ourposition in His Son.

“The ground upon which our Fatherdeals with us is grace. Every blessingwe receive of Him as His children isundeserved. In all of our spiritualexistence we are debtors to the rich,free, sovereign grace of our Father.And what is it we are privileged to enjoyon that ground, when we enter ‘into thisgrace wherein we stand’? We thenhave a new position, and that positionis the glorified Lord Jesus Christ.

“We are not only pardoned, but

justified-made righteous; and this is notmerely by that which He has done, orby what He has procured or bestows-but in what He is. ‘As He is, so are wein this world’ (1 John 4:17). Thebeliever must never lose sight of thisfundamental truth: that the basis of hisfellowship with the Father is not his ownpersonal holiness, or what the LordJesus is in him, but his judicial positionbefore the Father, or what the LordJesus is for him. He, ‘the Lord ourrighteousness,’ is the foundation andsource of everything-of walk as well asof position.” -E.H.

“Most look to get victory in order toget peace, but it is peace already madeby the Lord Jesus’ work and risen lifethat is ours. Conflict we shall find, butwe know that the Father is for us, andthat makes all the difference.” -J.N.D.

“Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, whoof God is made unto us. . .righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30).

9-6. Solitary Source“That l may know Him” (Phil. 3:10).It takes us years of trial and error to

finally realize that nothing outside theLord Jesus Christ can fully satisfy andrejoice our hearts. Joy in Him includes‘the fellowship of His sufferings.’ So,‘rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakersof Christ’s sufferings’ (1 Pet. 4:13).

“We sometimes have the idea that ifwe were going on rightly, things wouldbe much smoother here for us. Hardly.There is a discipline to correct us and a

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discipline to develop us. If you are in awrong path, as you seek the Lord, youwill be corrected; but on the other hand,the more you are set for Him here, themore you will find that there is nothingfor you here, though at the same timeyou are daily finding more in Him. ‘Wewhich live are alway delivered untodeath.’ The more you enjoy the LordJesus who has been refused here, themore you are practically severed fromall here.” -J.B.S.

“It is a solemn moment when onewho has been going on for years with aflourishing profession wakes up to thefact that his heart is entirely unsatisfied.I believe we have very little idea hownatural feelings may be mixed up withwhat we think is our spiritual joy. Manygo on happily because theirsurroundings are happy, and they haveno opposition to speak of-perhaps in aChristian family, or in a happy Christianfellowship. They are carried along bythe stream of compatible things aroundthem.

“But anything that outwardlycontributes to our joy will sooner or laterfail us. Our Father loves us too well toallow us to rest in anything or anyoneshort of Himself-not even Christianfellowship, or what people call ‘themeans of grace.’ He wants to be soknown by us that He becomes the deepeternal spring of satisfaction and joy forour hearts.” -C.A.C.

“Give your mind to the things above”(Col. 3:2).

9-7. Heaven, Or Earth“Having. . . boldness to enter into

the Holiest” (Heb. 10:19).We are to draw nigh in faith where

we already are in position.“Instead of the priest coming out to

bless, as in Judaism, we are to go in forblessing. There are no barriers now.The Father has removed everyhindrance and now it is for me to go inand abide. The teachers ofChristendom have practically stitchedup the veil which He rent. The rent veilin the Gospels is the Father’s comingout, but the rent veil in Hebrews is thebeliever’s going in.” -J.B.S.

“Judaism has all the sanction of adivine origin and the splendor of animposing ritual; yet, for the earlyChristians, all this was a weight to belaid aside, a useless encumbrance, apositive hindrance. And we have thesame hindrance to lay aside today, forChristianity has been perverted into amodified kind of Judaism, in whichpeople are occupied with religiousthings on earth, and thus hindered fromrunning the race to heaven.” -C.A.C.

“Typical of the past, there is a greatdeal of Judaising in Christianity today.The Ten Commandments have a placeassigned to them as the sine qua non,the recognition of which was necessaryfor true religion while man was in theflesh and under law. To insist on theirhaving that place now tends to bringmen into fearful bondage, and to hinder

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them getting into the full liberty of thechildren of the Father.” -G.V.W.

“Judaism, in its full results, is themanifestation that God is come down toman upon the earth; and this will againbe displayed in the millennial days ofIsrael’s blessing. But Christianity isbased upon the wondrous fact thatman, in the person of the Lord JesusChrist, is gone up to the Father into theheavens.”

“Let us draw near with a true heart infull assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22).

9-8. Sans Effort“To him that worketh not, but

believeth on Him that justifieth theungodly, his faith is counted forrighteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

There is no work involved in ourreceiving the Lord Jesus for life, andthere should certainly be no self-effortinvolved in the manifestation of His lifein and through us. The principle is thesame, from re-birth to maturity.

“‘Thanks be to God, who giveth usthe victory through our Lord JesusChrist’ (1 Cor. 15:57). That is grace.That is the test of the real or thecounterfeit. Just remember this: anyvictory over the power of any sinwhatsoever that you have to get byworking for it is counterfeit. Any victorythat you have to get by trying for it isfalse. If you have to work for yourfreedom, it is not the real thing, it is notthat which the Father offers you in HisSon.”

“The effortless life is not the will-lesslife. We use our will to believe, orreceive, but not to exert effort in tryingto accomplish what only the Father hasdone. Our hope for freedom from thepower of sin is not ‘Christ plus myefforts,’ but ‘Christ plus my receiving.’To receive victory from Him is tobelieve His Word that solely by graceHe is, this moment, freeing us from thedominion of sin. And to believe on Himin this way is to recognize that He isdoing for us what we can never do forourselves.” -C.G.T.

“The Father has left us as muchdependent on the Lord Jesus’ work forour deliverance as for our forgiveness.It is wholly because we died with Himon the Cross, but unto sin and unto thewhole legal principle, that sin’s powerfor those in Him is broken.”

“Now to him that worketh is thereward not reckoned of grace, but ofdebt” (Rom. 4:4).

9-9. Unobjectionable Object“That. . . the Father of glory, may

give unto you the spirit of wisdom andrevelation in the knowledge of Him(Christ)” (Eph. 1:17).

The object of the Christian life is thatwe may center in the Object of theFather-His Beloved Son.

“If we go on with the Father, sweetas is the assurance that we belong toHim, yet the uppermost thought will inthe long run be Himself. We shall comeback to His Person. We shall in our

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praises weave with them what the LordJesus has done, suffered, and won forus; but the primary thought in ourhearts is, not what we have gained,however true, but what He has been forus and what He is for us, yes, what Heis in Himself.” -J.B.S.

“There is usually only occupationwith the Lord Jesus for the relief of theconscience, and if so, where does itstop? It stops when the relief is gained.But if He is the object of the heart, youwill never be satisfied but in fellowshipwith Him where He is.”

“I know of no arguments, and I amacquainted with no power, that willmove the heart to devotedness exceptthe knowledge of the Lord JesusHimself and His love. It is possible toread books by the score, and to listento the most faithful and blessed ministryfor years on end, and yet never knowthe Lord Jesus as a present lovingObject in heavenly glory. It is nighimpossible to see and know Him thereby faith without a resulting intensedesire to be wholly devoted to Himhere.” -C.A.C.

“We have a new Person before usas the Object of our faith and affections;and as we drop ourselves and have theLord Jesus as our Object, He is formedin us. What has been judiciallyaccomplished at the Cross has itsfruition by the Spirit in our souls, and itis by that principle that we grow.” -C.A.C.

“For it pleased the Father that in Him(Christ) should all fullness dwell” (Col.1:19).

9-10. Birth: Saviour; Growth: Spirit

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall notfulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

We receive life by reliance upon theSaviour; we grow in that life by relianceupon the Spirit.

“Many think that because of faiththey are cleared of everything beforeGod through the Cross, and thereforeby faith they are clear of everything inthemselves. But that is the error of‘holiness by faith.’ The objective(position) is that we are clear before theFather; the subjective (condition) is thatwe are cleared from ourselves by thegrowth ministry of the Holy Spirit.”

“As you by faith in the positionalfacts realize that you are in the Father’spresence, you will not try to dependupon any sense of His presence. Youknow His presence because you knowthat your position in the Christian life isa life of faith in the facts-nothing else.That the Father forces you to live byfaith so as to draw you into Hispresence-not you, by sense, trying todraw Him into yours.” -M.J.S.

“We are, naturally, suspicious of anyoffer to make us happy in God.Because our moral sense, our naturalconscience, tells us of our having lostall right even to His ordinary blessings.But in the Word of our Father, faithreads our abundant title to be near to

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Him and happy with Him, thoughnatural conscience and our sense ofthe fitness of things would have itotherwise. Faith feeds where the moralsensibilities of the natural mind wouldcount it presuming even to tread.” -J.G.B.

“The moment we walk by sight weare outside of faith. The Father wouldnever have us outside of faith; hence,even in answering faith, He so answersit that we need it again the nextmoment, even while we are enjoyingthe results of it.” -J.B.S.

“Faith is. . . the evidence of thingsnot seen” (Heb. 11:1).

9-11. Reception And Resistance“For he that is entered into his rest,

he also hath ceased from his ownworks” (Heb. 4:10).

Besides the rest of reception, thereis also the rest of resistance. Any timethere is effort involved in the matter ofresisting sin, we can be sure that weare depending to some extent upon theflesh, instead of resting in the finishedwork of the Cross.

“The question is ‘How are we tomeet sin?’ ‘Reckon yourselves deadunto sin.’ The moment that you begin tofight with it-no matter how resolutelyyou may struggle against it-thatmoment you begin to experience sin asyour master. For it is then that weforsake our true position, which is oneof freedom from sin as a master.

“Let it be remembered we are tofight ‘the good fight of faith,’ whichconsists of resting in our position offreedom, and not in obtaining thatposition. We are to fight not for it, butfrom it. He alone has obtained it. It isour Father’s free gift. Let us be fullyabiding in the One who is Life, and sinwhen it acts, will find us dead to it.” -E.H.

“Calvary is the secret of it all. It iswhat the Lord Jesus did there thatcounts, and what He did becomes agrowing force in the life of the believerwhen it is seen, and rested in by faith.This is the starting point from which allgodly living must take rise. We shallnever know the fact of the Lord Jesus’victory in our lives until we are preparedto count upon His work on the Cross asthe source of our personal freedomfrom the dominion of sin and the oldman within. There is no liberty for usthat was not first His. The beginning ofspiritual growth is faith in that fact.”

“Stand fast, therefore, in the libertywith which Christ hath made us free”(Gal. 5:1).

9-12. From Expounder To Exponent

“Now we have received. . . the Spiritwho is of God; that we might know thethings that are freely given to us of God“(1 Cor. 2:12).

The Holy Spirit ministers the truth ofthe Word via the mind, that we mayshare the One who is Truth via theheart.

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“If you do not know the Bible as thevery Word of God, all is lost! Wherehave you learned anything from theLord distinctly, but where every counterinfluence was inadmissible-in thesacred enclosure of His own Word andPresence, where nothing to qualifywhat He says can exist?”

“I must not only be an expounder ofthe truth, but an exponent of it. Thereshould be the sense, I have learnedthat word for myself. It is not just beingable to describe it, or to put it in correctdispensational order; but having thatword for myself from the Spirit.”

“The mistake with many saints in thepresent day is that they think becausethey can describe a truth, that thereforethey have learned it. When a truth isreally accepted, the consciencedemands that there should beaccordance with it.”

“The Scriptures tell me what theFather gives me, but they do not give itto me. The Spirit applies the Word tome in its divine meaning, and then Ipossess what Scripture tells me is minethrough God’s grace. For instance, theWord tells me that if I behold the Lord’sglory I shall be transformed. It doesn’ttransform me, however clearly I maysee what it states. It communicates tome a very great thing, but it is the Spiritwho makes it experiential to me.” -J.B.S.

“Changed into the same image fromglory to glory, even as by the Spirit of

the Lord. “ (2 Cor. 3.18).

9-13. Liberated From Law

“In Christ Jesus neither circumcisionavaileth anything, nor uncircumcision,but a new creature” (Gal. 6:15).

It required nothing less than theCross to liberate us from the law.

“The law is not our ‘rule of life’ forthe simple reason that it was theIsraelite’s. The Christian not being aJew, the law is not for him. ‘Holy, justand good’ it is, but the Christian’s ruleof life is ‘in Christ. . . a new creature’(Gal. 6:15). The believer’s place andrule is to walk as a ‘pilgrim andstranger’ upon the earth. The law hasnothing of this. Had it been fulfilled, itwould have made earth morally aparadise; and will, when written uponIsrael’s heart in millennial days. Butstrangership on earth and a heavenlywalk, it never taught.” -F.W.G.

“The Christian is on larger, higher,firmer ground than that on which Israelafter the flesh stood. The law is good ifa man use it lawfully; and its lawfulapplication is expressly not to form,guide, and govern the walk of therighteous, but to deal with the lawlessand disobedient, ungodly and sinful,unholy and profane, and, in short, withwhatever is contrary to sound doctrine(1 Tim. 1:9, 10).” -F.W.G.

“Any aspect of life or conduct whichis undertaken in dependence on theenergy and ability of the flesh is, to thatextent, purely legal in character,

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whether it be the whole revealed will ofGod, the actual written commandments,or the exhortations of grace.Dependence on the arm of flesh isconsistent with pure law; dependenceon the power of God is demandedunder pure grace.” -L.S.C.

“Stand fast, therefore, in the libertywith which Christ hath made us free,and be not entangled again with theyoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

9-14. Devastating Deviation“Study to show thyself approved

unto God” (2 Tim. 2:15a).There is as much error produced in

failing to divide the Word at all, as thereis in wrongly dividing it.

“Covenant Theology, at the utmost,is forgiveness of sins and divine favorenjoyed; and all that concerns theirposition in the Lord Jesus is ignored, oralas! guarded against as dangerous.Men are placed under the NewCovenant which does not go beyondremission of sins and the law written inthe heart. But being in Christ, andknowing it by the Holy Spirit, and what itinvolves now has dropped out of theircreed altogether.”

“We are come ‘to Jesus theMediator of the new covenant’ (Heb.12:24). We are not come to the newcovenant, but to Jesus the Mediator ofit. I am associated with Him who is theMediator; that is a much higher positionthan if we merely come to the covenant.He will make this new covenant with

Israel on the millennial earth.” -H.S.“Non-dispensational teachers have

endeavored to bring over the manypromises of the physical and materialaspects of kingdom salvation into thepresent dispensation, giving hope ofmaterial prosperity and physical health,as well as political peace. Failure torealize these promised goals hascaused many to lose faith and tobecome bitter toward God Himself. Thefailure, of course, is not of God, but ofteachers who have refused to rightlydivide the Word of Truth.”

“Calvin attempted by discipline ofChurch and State to make everyonelive like a Christian-as did the Puritansas a result. This effort resulted in theneed to use the Old Testament ratherthan the New as an ethical guide.”

“A workman that needeth not to beashamed, rightly dividing the Word oftruth” (2 Tim. 2:15b)

9-15. The Heart Of The Matter

“You. . . hath He reconciled” (Col.1:21).

Our Father’s Cross-love waspersonal; we were there in the Son. OurFather’s heart-love is personal; we arehidden there in the Son.

“Have you ever thought of theFather dealing with you not as to whatyou are in yourself, but as to where Hehas positioned you in His Son? Haveyou ever thought that it is the affectionsof the Father’s heart which flow down to

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us where we are, seeing us in the Son,not in our poor wretched selves? Whatwe are in the old man is not the thing toscan, but what we are, and where weare, in the Son; and what there is in theliving affections of the Father, who hasraised us up together with His Son, andhas given us all heavenly blessings inHim.” -G.V.W.

“Nothing can make up for a lack ofpersonal acquaintance with the LordJesus. Intimacy with Himself is certainlythe secret of true devotedness.Occupation with Him, the heart readilydetects, and rejects the voice of thestranger, and cannot but own the Lord’sclaims to be paramount. Nothing sothoroughly tests the state of our hearts,as whether or not we have intimacywith the Lord Jesus Himself.” -H.H.S.

“A great deal of our time is spent inlearning that there is nothing here tomeet the requirements of our newaffections. There is a wandering in thewilderness in a solitary way, and yet nocity is found to dwell in. But our Fatherallows this in order that His childrenmay find that their desires can only besatisfied by and in Him. We must learnthat their desires can only be satisfiedby and in Him. We must learn that weare not of this world.” -J.B.S

“To present you holy and unblamable andunreprovable in His sight” (Col. 1:22).

9-16. Spirit-dependent“God hath from the beginning

chosen you to salvation throughsanctification of the Spirit and belief ofthe truth” (2 Thess. 2:13).

To be Christ-centered, we must beSpirit-dependent.

“It is basically the belief of the truth;it is not belief of the fruits. The HolySpirit cannot present to me the fruit Hehas produced in me, as the object ofmy faith. He speaks to me of my faults,of my sins, but not of the good worksthat may be in me. He produces themin me, but He hides them from me; for ifwe think of them, it is but a more subtleself-righteousness. It is like the mannawhich, being kept, produced worms. Allis spoilt-it is no more faith in action. TheHoly Spirit must always present to methe Lord Jesus Christ, that I may growand have peace.” -J.N.D.

“An understanding of the ministry ofthe Holy Spirit is basic to Christiangrowth. Spirituality is Christ-likeness,and Christ-likeness is the fruit of theSpirit. Spiritual power is not themiraculous or the spectacular, butrather the consistent manifestation ofthe characteristics of the Lord Jesus inthe believer’s life. All this is the work ofthe Spirit, of whom the Lord Jesus said,‘He shall glorify Me’ (John 16:14).

“What are the ingredients ofspirituality? First, a spirit ofdependence, whatever may be thestate of faith and the blessings we mayhave realized. Secondly, an entireconfidence in the goodness of the

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Father; for He is love. Thirdly, the LordJesus as the constant object of theaffections of the heart, for the work ofthe Holy Spirit in the heart is to fill it withcontemplation of and fellowship with theLord Jesus in glory.”

“Changed into the same image fromglory to glory, even as by the Spirit ofthe Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).

9-17. Chastening = Child-training

“Now no chastening for the presentseemeth to be joyous” (Heb. 12:11a).

Our Father chastens us “for our ownprofit, that we might be partakers of Hisholiness” (Heb. 12:10). We are notchastened because we deserve it, butbecause we need it. And there is nowrath in His child-training.

“Many have the wrong idea of thatword ‘chastening.’ We think, perhaps,that it represents God as having a bigstick in His hand and knocking us aboutall the time. You have only to make amistake and down comes the big stick!That, of course, is a totally wrongconception of the Father, and is not atall what the word means. The word‘chastening’ simply means child-training, which has to do with sonship.Sonship in our Father’s mind is to havepeople who are reliable andresponsible, who know in their ownhearts what is right and what is wrong,and do not have to be constantly toldand admonished.

“We should always look at ourdifficulties in the light of this training. It

often seems that the life of a Christianis more difficult than any other life, andmore troubles come to us than toanyone else. Whether we recognize itor not, these difficulties and troubleswhich come to us are to train us forsomething and to develop in us thespirit of sonship; that is, to developspiritual intelligence and spiritual abilityin us.” -T. A-S.

“One of the main purposes of all theFather’s dealings with us is to bring usinto a greater knowledge of His Son.We never know anything aboutgreatness unless we have a great needto know it. Therefore we are broughtinto situations where we must knowsomething much greater than wealready know. This is why our Fatherbrings His children into difficultcircumstances-that they may learn howgreat their Lord Jesus is.” -T. A-S.

“Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeththe peaceable fruit of righteousnessunto them who are exercised by it”(Heb. 12:11b).

9-18. Recalcitrant Reformation

“Everyone that useth milk isunskillful in the word of righteousness”(Heb. 5:13).

The Reformation, for all of its risefrom Rome, to this day has never reallygotten off the ground.

“Almost all the theology of thevarious ‘creeds of Christendom’ datesback to the Reformation, which wenttriumphantly to the end of Romans

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Five, and, so far as theologicaldevelopment or presentation of thetruth was concerned, stopped there.Therefore, you must not regard yourselfas bound to accept all that legaldoctrine of sanctification, which hasbeen and still is predominantly, the sinequa non of orthodox belief.” -W.R.N.

“The contrast is painful in theextreme between the uniform languageof the New Testament about Christiansas thus called to worship in liberty andjoy and nearness to the Father, andthat of liturgies ancient and modern;and this because the results ofredemption soon became merged andhidden in Jewish forms, and the lawwas recalled to the place of the HolySpirit, and man in the flesh intrudedwholesale into realms which belongonly to those solemnly accredited asGod’s Church, the Body of Christ.” -W.K.

“The liturgies of ritualism merely fallback upon the feelings of man, with aslight tincture of Gospel and a largeinfusion of law. There may be sublimelanguage and glowing ideas, chieflyborrowed from the Old Testament; butin substance they are utterly beneathspiritual or even intelligent Christianuse.” -W.K.

“The only thing that God everacknowledged in religion and ritualismwas Jewish. It all had to do with theflesh. That is repudiated in the Cross;all is crucified: your life is now ‘hid withChrist in God’ (Col. 3:3).”

“But solid food belongeth to themthat are of full age” (Heb. 5:14).

9-19. The Spirit’s Object“He that is joined unto the Lord is

one spirit (with Him)” (1 Cor. 6:17).We are one spirit with the Lord

Jesus by the one and only Holy Spirit.“I can always know when the Holy

Spirit is leading me, because He everoccupies me with the Lord Jesus. True,He may have to call attention to myown condition, but if He does, He turnsme to the Lord Jesus, not merely toconvict me, but to relieve me.” -J.B.S.

“Spiritual growth is the Holy Spiritengraving the Lord Jesus on a man’sheart, putting Him into his thoughts, hiswords, and his ways, just as the Lawwas engraved upon stones. It is not thatthere is no failure. A man who isseeking to make money does notalways succeed; but everybody knowswhat his object is. Just so, the LordJesus Christ is the object of thebeliever’s life.” -J.N.D.

“The believer is not to clamor for thesolution of perplexities or for intellectualmastery of divine mysteries. Whatknowledge he has in this realm is hisbecause the Holy Spirit has declared itto him; and for the Spirit’s declarationhe must wait.”

“None of us is ever beyond the workof the Spirit in us. Many think thatbecause they have the light of a truth,they are in all the practical reality of it.

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No! You may know and reckon on allthe Bible, but there is no growth beyondthe measure of the Holy Spirit’s work inyou.” -J.B.S.

“The Holy Spirit is only truly yieldedto as the Cross, with its crucifixion ofthe flesh and the world, has becomethe attitude of our heart and mind.”

“He (the Holy Spirit) shall glorify Me”(John 16:14).

9-20. Hand-hewn“Now no chastening for the present

seemeth to be joyous, but grievous”(Heb. 10:11a).

You will be prepared, but neverpierced, by the nail-pierced Hand.

“Sufferings are for chastening (child-training). And chastening is from love, atoken of our Father’s care. We live in aworld full of trial and suffering. Many ofthe Lord’s people have complained thattheir circumstances were toounfavorable for a life of full devotion, ofclose fellowship with Him, or pressingon to maturity. The duties anddifficulties, the cares and troubles oflife, render it practically impossible, theysay, to live a fully consecrated life.

“Would God that they might learnthe lesson of His Word! Every trialcomes from the Father as a call tocome away from the world to Him, totrust Him, to believe in His love. Inevery trial He will give strength andblessing. Let but this truth be accepted,in each trial, small or great; first of all

and at once, recognize the Father’shand in it. Say at once, I welcome itfrom Him; my first care is to glorify myFather-He will use it all for my good.”

“Do not be afraid of the Father’straining school. He both knows Hisscholars, as to what they are, and Heknows for what service they are to befitted. A jeweler will take more painsover a gem than over a piece of glass;but the one he takes most pains over islongest under discipline and mostseverely dealt with. Once finished,however, the burnish never tarnishes,the brightness never dims. So with us.If we are placed, at times, as in afurnace, it is not merely for earthlyservice, but for eternity. May you soappreciate the plans of your Father thatyou can triumphantly glory in the lovethat subjects you to such discipline,though the trial itself be sharp and tothe flesh hard to bear.” -J.H.T.

“Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeththe peaceable fruit of righteousnessunto them who are exercised by it”(Heb. 12:11b).

9-21. Freely Come; Freely Abide“That our God may make you worthy

of His call, and by His power fullysatisfy your every desire for goodness”(2 Thess. 1:11a, Wms.).

If we are born into the Lord Jesus bysheer grace, surely He can manifestHimself in us on the same principle.

“It is this quiet expectation andconfidence, resting on the Word of the

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Lord Jesus that in Him there is anabiding place prepared, which is sosadly wanting among Christians. Theidea many have of grace is that theirconversion and pardon are God’s work,but that now, in gratitude to Him, it istheir work to live as Christians. There isalways the thought of work (law) thathas to be done, and even though theypray for help, still the work is theirs.They fail continually, and becomehelpless; and the despondency onlyincreases the helplessness.

“Abiding in the Lord Jesus is not awork that we have to do as thecondition for enjoying His salvation, buta consenting to let Him do all for us andin us, and through us. It is a work Hedoes for us-the fruit and power of Hisredeeming love. Our part is simply toyield, to trust, to abide, and to wait forwhat He has engaged to perform. As itwas the Lord Jesus who drew theewhen He said ‘Come,’ so it is the LordJesus who keeps thee when He says‘Abide.’“ -A.M.

“The heart is constantly looking toGod to give a testimony about itself; butthe Father is giving a testimonyconcerning His Son, and not aboutwhat we are; if He were to give atestimony about us, it must be aboutour sin and unbelief of heart. But no;and it is of great importance in this dayof infidelity to see that if the Fathergives a testimony, it is about His Son,and what He is to the sinner. If youbelieve that, you will have peace.” -

J.N.D.“And complete every activity of your

faith, so that the Name of our LordJesus might be glorified in you” (2Thess. 1:11b, Wms.).

9-22. Unfeigned Humility“God resisteth the proud, and giveth

grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).Humility is the hallmark of the

servant resting in, and sent from, theFather’s presence.

“There is a sense in which God’strue servant is always a defeated man.The one who drives on with a sense ofhis own importance, who is unwilling toappreciate the worthlessness of hisown best efforts and is always seekingto justify himself-that one will not bemeek, and so will lack the essentialenablement by which God’s work mustbe accomplished. Our brokenness mustnot be feigned; we must not be contentwith the mere language andappearance of humility. We, too, mustbe as conscious of Divine mercy in ourbeing recovered for God’s service aswe are of the original mercy which drewus from the dark waters of death.” -H.F.

“Humility is quietness of heart. It isto have no trouble. It is never to befretted or irritated or disappointed. It isto expect nothing, to wonder at nothingthat is done to me. It is to be at restwhen nobody praises me and when Iam blamed or despised. It is to have myblessed home in the Lord Jesus, whereI can go in and shut the door and be

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with my Father in secret, and be atpeace when all outside is trouble.” -A.M.

“The Father may allow His servantto succeed when He has disciplinedhim to a point where he does not needto succeed to be happy. The man whois elated by success and cast down byfailure is still a carnal man. At best hisfruit will have a worm in it.”

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

9-23. New Birth Place“(God) hath raised us up together,

and made us sit together in heavenlyplaces in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6)

We are to settle down to live andgrow precisely where we have been re-born: in Christ Jesus above.

“Do we not often harbor the thoughtthat something yet remains to be done-either by ourselves or by Him-in orderto our drawing near? Do we not oftenthus become occupied with thecircumstantials of worship rather thanwith the Lord Jesus-the substance? Arewe not often false to Him in questioningour title to draw near, because we finddistance in our own hearts, as if it wasthe warmth of our affections, instead ofthe Blood of the Lord Jesus, whichbrought us nigh?” -W.K.

“Our being perfectly cleansed by theBlood of the Lord Jesus, the Holiest ofAll is our place before the Father, and it

is so simply upon the ground of whatHis sacrifice has effected. Our dwellingplace is in the light, not by reason of oursubjective condition, but because theLord Jesus has made the position oursby the putting away of our sins, and bybringing us to the Father.” -H.F.W.

“The heart must enter intosomething more than the look behindinto those waters of judgment, out ofwhich the Lord Jesus rose, having leftour sins, and death, and judgmentforever! Such a joy would never carryus through the desert where faith andpatience are tried and tested every day.It needs that the heart be carried intothe glory of Canaan beyond; in thepresent sense of peace with the Father,and the consciousness of standing inHis present favor-the favor that is betterthan life.” -F.G.P.

“Having therefore, brethren,boldness to enter into the Holiest by theBlood of Jesus, by a new and livingway, which He hath consecrated for us,through the veil” (Heb. 10:19, 20).

9-24. Filial Faith

“He (the Spirit) maketh intercessionfor the saints according to the will ofGod” (Rom. 8:27).

Neither the Lord Jesus nor the HolySpirit ever thought of willing or prayingoutside the will of God the Father.Neither will we, while we walk in theSpirit, and abide in the Lord Jesus.

“Faith is not a power that onepossesses, by which he can move the

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arm of God and work miracles. ‘Faithaccepts quiet guidance; only unbeliefdemands a miracle.’ There is nothing intrue faith that the flesh can glory in. Thepower is God’s. It is the Father whoworks and does it according to His ownwisdom and will. Faith is simplyabsolute confidence in the Father whichgives the certainty that He will fulfill HisWord.” -A.H.

“Faith must be based upon certainty.There must be the definite knowledgeof and confidence in the Father’spurpose and will. Without that there canbe no true faith. For faith is not a forcethat we can exercise or a striving tobelieve that something shall be,thinking that if we believe hard enoughit will come to pass.” -A.H.

“Let us not be discouraged if thetransformation we long for does nottake place immediately. Let us feel theneed and lay it to heart. Let us stand infaith, and we shall never be put toshame. Cleaving to the Lord Jesus andHis Word with purpose of heart cannever be in vain. The hour will surelycome when out of our hearts, too, willflow rivers of living water.”

“Whatever sends us to the LordJesus-be it grief, disappointment orburden-is to that degree a blessing. Noprice is too great to pay in gaining thisfellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“That ye might be filled with theknowledge of His will in all wisdom andspiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9).

9-25. The Living Truth“I press toward the mark for the

prize of the high calling of God in ChristJesus” (Phil. 3:14).

We must be truth-centered if we areto be Christ-centered.

“With an increase of knowledge andapprehension of the truth, there is aconstant sense that we are notpractically up to what we have received;and hence the measure of our strengthis not the enjoyment of a truth, but theextent to which we maintain what webelieve in spite of every obstacle. It isthe way in which we surmount thedifficulties in our path, and not theenjoyment of the truth, which definesour position.” -J.B.S.

“We will not learn truth arightexcepting in the deepening knowledgeof the Lord Jesus. It is the lack of thiswhich is the cause of weakness amongus: bare doctrine is not connected withHim. When the flower is separated fromthat which is its source, its sustenanceand support, it is henceforth doomed todecay. We have that which is lovelyand full of blessing in the Lord Jesus;but if we are to know it as such, toprove its truth, to enjoy it practically, itmust be in taking these things asconnected with Him.” -W.K.

“The Lord Jesus Himself, and noteven truth about Him, must be filling ourhearts if we are to grow. This is nounnecessary admonition in a day whenknowledge of the most sacred truths

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may be intellectually attained by sosmall an effort. It is a happy andnecessary thing to understand theWord of God, but, with that Wordtreasured, the aim of the believer’saffections should be, ‘That I may knowHim.’ Desires after the Lord Jesus,desires to live with Him in heaven now,and to manifest Him on earth, make thegrowing believer separate from theworld, and separate him unto theglorified Lord.” -H.F.W.

“That I may know Him” (Phil 3:10).

9-26. Spirit Spirituality“Where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).Concerning the Holy Spirit, hidden

as He is, faith is required above all else.“Certainly the Holy Spirit directs in

the countless details of daily life. Thosewho have faith, and are dependentupon His direction, will not bedisappointed. But the Spirit leadsaccording to Scriptural directions;hence that which is called the leading ofthe Spirit, and which has not the truth ofthe Word for its line of thought andaction, is necessarily false.” -H.F.W.

“The principle of walking independence upon the Holy Spirit mustnever be abandoned, however we mayfail to carry it out. We must steer bydivinely given principles, even if windsand waves at times do throw us offcourse. To give up the Father’sprinciples because of opposingelements is to court shipwreck.” -

H.F.W.“Being led by the Holy Spirit is the

principle by which the Father deals ingrace with believers. Outside the circleof the Spirit, men are led by the flesh;under the law His people were inbondage and under the schoolmaster.Now, in Christian privilege, the Spiritleads: ‘if ye be led of the Spirit, ye arenot under the law’ (Gal. 5:18). -H.F.W.

“The Lord Jesus in glory is thestandard of perfection, and the Saviouron earth is the pattern for our walk. Noone’s walk is perfect, but the Spirit ofChrist who dwells in us is perfect, andas the believer yields to the Father asone alive from the dead, the desires ofthe flesh are not fulfilled, and the Spiritbrings forth His fruit in him.” -H.F.W.

“Walk in (dependence upon) theSpirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust ofthe flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

9-27. Support, Not Relief“In everything give thanks; for this is

the will of God in Christ Jesusconcerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

Relief from pressure may seemmerciful, but support in the pressureproduces growth and maturity.

“There is a greater blessing for usthan relief; there is the Father’s support,for it imparts to you an acquaintancewith Himself which relief does not.Relief makes one more satisfied withthings here. I have known some whocould tell you of a long list of mercies,

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most touching, truly proof of thetenderness of God.

“Thank God, we all know somethingof His tenderness. But then there is agreater blessing, namely, that He doesnot remove the pressure, but raises youabove it, so that, though you are notrelieved, you are better off than if youwere merely relieved, because youknow His heart who supports you in thepressure. You have made a deepacquaintance with your Father, andyour heart is more attached to Him.” -J.B.S.

“It is not getting away from ourcircumstances, our environment, ourassociations, that we need, but the LordJesus’ likeness where we are. TheFather placed us there, permitted thetrials for a purpose, and He standsready to bring us out into a life ofliberty, if we will stand with Him in trustand endurance while He works it out.”

“Have you asked to be made likeyour Lord; that it might be ‘not I, butChrist’? Have you longed for the fruit ofthe Spirit, and have you prayed forpatience and love? Then fear not thestormy tempest that is at this momentsweeping through your life. A blessingis in the storm, and there will be a richfruitage in the ‘afterward.’“

“The eternal God is thy refuge, andunderneath are the everlasting arms”(Deut. 33:27).

9-28. Accusation“Therefore, being justified by faith,

we have peace with God through ourLord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

There will be no standing against theenemy’s accusations until we are firmlyassured of, and settled on, the fact thatour Father is at peace with us becauseof our living union with His BelovedSon. And this alone will give us peacewith our Father.

“We thought we were being moreChristian by striving more, prayingmore, reading our Bible more, andconfessing our sins more. But all thatbrought no relief. The awful gnawing inour vitals continues. The sense of guiltincreases. We need not a Nathan tosay, ‘Thou art the man!’ A thousandvoices are forever ringing in our earsgiving the lie to what we long withinfinite yearning might be an altogetherconvincing testimony of a truly Christianwalk.

“Now the way out is to be found in aclear-cut recognition of the fact that, asPaul says in Romans 8:1, ‘There is,therefore, now no condemnation tothem that are in Christ Jesus.’ Letappearances, voices and feelings to thecontrary be what they may, still this is afact. The reason, of course, is found notin ourselves, but in Another.” -F.J.H.

“It is a wonderful thing to have theconsciousness that we are in livingunion with the Lord Jesus in heavenlyglory, knowing our position in that risensphere, participating in all thatconstitutes His life in the blessed circle

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of love and rest where He lives unto theFather. If we apprehend this we shallnot be deceived by what goes on uponthe earth.” -C.A.C.

“Stand fast, then, in the freedomwhich Christ has given us” (Gal. 5:1,Wey.).

9-29. The Excellent Glory“We all, with unveiled face beholding

as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. . . “(2 Cor. 3:18a).

During the first half of your Christianlife you are concerned about yourdoing; in the second half you will beburdened about your being.

“The more simply devoted you are tothe Lord Jesus, who is worthy of alldevotion, the more fragrance there willbe in all your ways; for it will bemanifested that you are not seekingyourself, not wincing because yourrights are invaded, or that you are notas much cared for as you are entitled tobe. Rather, there is only one governingthought of your life about everything,and that is, how you may distinguishHim who fills every need in your heart,and lights it up with unfading joy.” -J.B.S.

“Nothing can be so divinely beautifulon earth as a believer so transformedby the Spirit of God, that he is inheavenly manners here on earth; sothat he does not in any of his waysdeny the Lord Jesus Christ; but in themost trying hour of his history uponearth the Lord can say of him, ‘thou

hast a little power, and hast kept MyWord, and hast not denied My Name.’“-J.B.S.

“In creation God planted a man inthe garden in innocence; in redemptionHe has planted a Man in heaven, inglory. There is a glory that excelleth.The glory in redemption leaves theglory that was once in creation asnothing.” -J.G.B.

“For every believer who actuallycrosses over into the Promised Landthere are far too many who stand forawhile and look longingly across theriver, and then turn sadly back to thecomparative safety of the sandy wastesof the self-life.”

“. . . are changed into the sameimage from glory to glory, even as bythe Spirit of the Lord “ (2 Cor. 3:18b).

9-30. Groundwork

“Ye have died, and your life is hidwith Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).

When we rely upon and cater to theold man, that ground produces “theworks of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21). Butas we abide in the risen Lord Jesus,that new ground of our position, His lifewill be manifested in “the fruit of theSpirit” (Gal. 5:22, 23).

“God’s Word declares that we are‘dead indeed unto sin,’ but nowheredoes it say that we are dead inourselves. We shall look in vain withinto find death there. We have died to sin;not in ourselves, but ‘in Christ,’ and our

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death with Him is as sure as His death,and since we died with Him it isimpossible for His death to be certainand ours uncertain.

“We were crucified with Himbecause we were in Him (Gal. 2:20).We are raised in Him (Eph. 2:6); we arecomplete in Him (Col. 2:10); we areblessed with all spiritual blessings inHim (Eph. 1:3); the entire workregarding us is not done in us but in theLord Jesus-the Father has done all inHis Son. If you stand on the ground ofwhat the Lord Jesus is (abide), you willfind in your growth that all that is true ofHim is becoming true of you; but if youremain on the ground of what you are inyourself, you will find that all that is trueof the old man is true of you in life andwalk.”

“The purpose of Paul, in RomansSix, is to show how completely thebeliever is identified with the Lord Jesuswhen ‘He died unto sin.’ To enter fullyinto the meaning of that death is to seethat He has emancipated us from anyfurther dealings with our old master,sin. The believer is privileged thus totake his position in the risen LordJesus, who is now ‘alive unto God.’From that ground he is henceforth toregard sin.” -E.H.

“Stand fast, therefore, in the libertywith which Christ hath made us free”(Gal. 5:1).

9-31. True Love“If (since) ye, then, be risen with

Christ, seek those things which areabove” (Col. 3:1).

Our Father may cripple our earthlystanding in order to strengthen ourspiritual state, but He will never detractfrom our spiritual state in order toenhance our worldly standing. Never.“The world is crucified unto me, and Iunto the world” (Gal. 6:14).

“It is not only that the Lord Jesus isthe object of my heart, but I find that theOne I love has made me the object ofHis heart! A great day for the soul.People are ready to say how they loveHim, but how far can they say that theyare conscious of His love for them; thatthey so prize it, that it is the greatestsecret of their heart?

“When the Lord Jesus’ love is beforeyou, you find this love is drawing youfrom darkness to light. He begins byshowing His desire for your spiritualadvancement, and not by advancingyou in earthly position. It is beautiful tosee that the work of true love is to setaside darkness, or whatever wouldinterfere with association; and thereforeit is not esteemed as it ought to be,because we are looking for somethingon earth, and the tendency is to judgeof His love by earthly gifts and favorsdown here.” -J.B.S.

“Most growing believers rightlymaintain that all must come from theLord; but instead of taking their actualposition of being dwellers in heaven,and coming from there to earth, they

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only look up to heaven for help as totheir walk on earth; and their thoughtsand labors are always influenced anddictated by the state and order of thingson earth, and instead of seeking themind of the Lord as learned in heaven,they are occupied with the blessings ofman on earth.” -J.B.S.

“Set your affection on things above, not onthings on the earth. For ye have died, andyour life is hidden with Christ in God “ (Col.3:2, 3).

Number 10In the overall development of the

Church, it would seem that we are atthe dawn of the Father’s spreading ofthe Growth truths before His own. Weare not only to share the Gospel truthswith the lost, but also the Growth truthswith the saved.

The Psalms was the onlybook of Scripture fullytranslated into Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, andOld English, with theexception of Bede, who,with his dying breath,completed his translation ofJohn.Our fathers had to waiteight and a half centuries,from Caedmon to Tyndale,before the Epistles of Paulwere translated into thecommon tongue, and thusthey could have the full

truth revealed by Paul inhis proclamation of theCross.

How readily we take for grantedwhat the Father has given us, to give.

“Wherefore, also, we pray always foryou, that our God would count youworthy of this calling, and fulfill all thegood pleasure of His goodness, and thework of faith with power, that the nameof our Lord Jesus Christ may beglorified in you, and ye in Him,according to the grace of our God andthe Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:11,12).

Miles J. Stanford; May 1985

10-1. Perfect Provision“For when for a time ye ought to be

teachers, ye have need that one teachyou again the first principles of theoracles of God, and are become suchas have need of milk, and not of solidfood” (Heb. 5:12).

It is a great comfort, during ourgrowing up in the Lord Jesus, to knowthat He is our perfect provision, andthat He provides the perfect processing.

“When the queen bee lays an egg,there is deposited in the cell with it thefood on which the larva is to feed duringits development. Similarly, when theFather placed us ‘in Christ,’ He alsomade provision in Him for our wholelife. Christ is made unto us wisdom toenable us to walk aright in a perplexingworld, righteousness to replace our

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sinfulness, sanctification to impart thegrowth we so greatly need, andredemption of the body to consummatethe whole.”

“As with the seed that is buried oncefor all, but then disintegrates through agradual process that sets free the newlife, even so does the Father deal withour old man by delivering it to deathwith the Lord Jesus once for all, andthen bringing about its mortification indetail through the circumstances of life,until the power of the flesh has lost itshold.” -L.T.

“Our Father is faithful and wise aswell as a gracious and patient Teacher.He will not permit us to pass cursorilyover our lessons. Sometimes, perhaps,we think we have mastered a lesson,and we attempt to move on to another;but our wise Teacher knows better, andHe sees the need of deeper ploughing.He will not have us mere theorists orsmatterers: He will keep us, if need be,year after year at our scales until welearn to sing.” -C.H.M.

“Solid food belongeth to them thatare of full age, even those who byreason of use have their sensesexercised to discern both good and evil”(Heb. 5:14).

10-2. Afflicted And Comforted

“The Father of mercies, and the Godof all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).

Affliction provides opportunity for usto learn more of our Father in Hismercy, as well as providing a deeper

understanding of what others may becalled upon to go through.

“Many saints have been happy toassert that they would not have missedfor anything the exercises of prolongedillness and suffering! They have therebylearned the grace and sympathy of theLord Jesus, and they have been thesubjects of so much tender interest andconsideration flowing from the spiritualaffections of His saints, that they havebeen conscious of infinite gain andenrichment.

“And surely the development andexercise of such affections as these,eternal in their nature, though calledinto activity by circumstancesconnected with conditions of weaknessand trial, is a greater triumph of divinelove and power than restoring the sickones to health. It is a real loss for theattention of believers to be turned fromthe spiritual dealings of the Lord Jesuswith His own, and from all that is themoral result of those dealings, to beconcentrated upon the thought of bodilyhealing and self-centered experiences.”-C.A.C.

“There is a great difference betweengoing to the Lord Jesus in our troubles,as to the best Physician and Friend,and knowing Him as the One who lovesme best, the Bridegroom. In the formerwe turn to Him when anything is thematter; but in the latter, if we are true toit, we could never leave Him.” -J.B.S.

“Who comforteth us in all our

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tribulation, that we may be able tocomfort them who are in any trouble, bythe comfort with which we ourselvesare comforted of God” (2 Cor. 1:4).

10-3. Permanent Position“Alive unto God in Jesus Christ, our

Lord” (Rom. 6:11)Until the believer’s faith is firmly

established in the fact of his position inthe risen Lord Jesus, he will not be ableto rest in Him during the process of hisposition becoming his condition. Onemust be sure of the Source before hecan trust for the growth.

“The standing of the believer issettled, perfect, eternal. His state isimperfect and fluctuating. He is partakerof the new life which cannot sin; but hebears about within him the old manwhich can do nothing else but sin. Nowhis standing is in the new and not theold. He is not in the flesh, but in theSpirit (Rom. 8:9). He is not under law,but under grace. This is his perfect andunalterable position; his sins are gonebefore God; his person is accepted byGod-all complete in the Lord JesusChrist.

“His practical condition can nevertouch his position. It can very seriouslyaffect his fellowship, his worship, histestimony, his usefulness, his spiritualenjoyment, the glory of the Lord Jesusas involved in his practical career.These are great consequences in theestimation of every sensitiveconscience and well-regulated mind;

but the position of the true believerremains intact and unalterable. Thefeeblest member of the family of Godhas this place of security, and is perfectin Christ. To deny this is to remove thetrue basis of self-judgment and practicalgrowth.” -C.H.M.

“We are spiritually both in thewilderness and in Canaan; we arepartakers on earth of the heavenlycalling, and we are seated in Christ inthe heavenly places. The enjoyment ofthe favors of the Father to us, in theheavenly places in Christ, enhances thesense of His favors to us in thewilderness.” -H.F.W.

“We are identified in union with Himwho stands as really for us in the gloryof the heavens as once for us He hungupon the Cross.”

“For to me to live is Christ” (Phil.1:21).

10-4. Bold Belief“Having therefore, brethren,

boldness to enter into the Holiest by theBlood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19).

We enter our Father’s presencewhen we believe He has alreadypositioned us there in His Son.

“The Lord Jesus’ work on the Crossgave us present entrance into theHoliest of All. What removed our sinsrent the veil; and those who believe arepositioned in the innermost sanctuaryeven now. Boldness to enter there onany pretension of our love or holiness,

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of nature or even divine ordinance,would be shameless presumption. InHebrews Ten it is calmly claimed forbelievers, who are exhorted in thestrongest terms to approach by faith theFather’s presence without a doubt or acloud, now.

“Boldness to enter the Father’spresence is due to the shed Blood ofthe Saviour. Only unbelief hinders. It isa new and living way which Hededicated for us through the veil, thatis, His flesh; we honor Him by abidingthere in the fullest confidence thatpleases the Father. Being born of theFather we are abidingly His children. Assuch we have the right to take our placebefore Him. It is our privilege to think ofourselves according to what we are asbeing one spirit with the Lord Jesus;and this is ever maintained by Him.

“What we are by grace, as in Himbefore the Father, is unchangeable,and our interests are in His hands.Beloved, do our failures, our sins, inanywise alter what He is there beforethe face of our Father? What He isthere is what we are, not of course inourselves, but as being in the LordJesus who is our Life.” -C.A.C.

“There are two basic things that thebeliever has to learn. One is, you arenot to have the man here and the placewhere he is, the other is, you do haveanother Man, and the place where Heis.”

“By a new and living way, which He

hath consecrated for us” (Heb. 10:20).

10-5. Dethronement

“For, brethren, ye have been calledunto liberty” (Gal. 5:13).

Our “No” to the old will be absolutelyineffective unless we are standing uponthe facts of the new.

“At the Cross the old man wascrucified and buried. When I plant myfeet on that fact and say, ‘No, as forme, I stand in the Lord Jesus as mylife,’ its governing power is broken. It isnot annihilated or eradicated, but it haslost its throne. It is a greater testimonyto the power of the Father to let thatthing be in us and give us dominionover it, than to eradicate it to begin with.We want to get clear in our minds thatthe Father does not mean to improvethe old man on the one hand, nor toremove it on the other. The fact that itdoes not go away or get better does notmean that we are not growing.” -N.D.

“Our having been crucified with theLord Jesus was to make the body of sinof none effect while we live by faith, butthe old man can become active anddominant in the walk of the believerwhen faith becomes dormant andinactive. It is not the Father’s will thatsin should have dominion over anychild of His; all died with the LordJesus, all were united with Him incrucifixion, but few enter into the joy ofthe freedom of the sons of God,because they do not believe His Word.

“Will you not now bow before your

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Father and thank Him regardless offeeling? It may take a day or a month, Ido not know how long, but I do knowthat when any child of God will believeand begin to express that faith inthanksgiving, day by day thanking Himfor the fact which one may not yet haveexperienced, the Holy Spirit will leadthat one into a glorious personalrealization of his identification with theLord Jesus in His death, burial,resurrection and ascension.” -L.L.L.

“They who receive abundance ofgrace and of the gift of righteousnessshall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”(Rom. 5:17).

10-6. Merciful Death“Set your affection on things above. .

. for ye died and your life is hidden withChrist in God” (Col 3:2, 3)

The spiritual recession that occursafter the early joys of the new birth isnot necessarily backsliding at all. Thediscovery of the sinful old man is thefirst and foremost step in the discoveryof the righteous Christ-life.

“We are more disposed to beoccupied in telling the Father what weare in ourselves, than to allow Him totell us what we are in the Lord JesusChrist. So often the believer is moretaken up with his own self-consciousness than with the Father’sscriptural revelation of Himself. Hisrevelation is one thing; my self-consciousness is quite another “

“It gladdens the heart to hear the

new convert speak of the blessings hehas received, and of his new-found joyin those blessings; but we can oftensee very distinctly that he is wrappingall these benefits of grace roundhimself, and we feel pretty sure that hewill have to learn some lessonspresently that will take the shine out ofhim. He will have to learn what a poorwretched thing he is, as in the flesh,that his heart may be transferred to anew center altogether.

“Nothing can be more distasteful toa spiritual mind than to hear peopleprofessedly giving a Christian testimonywhich begins and ends withthemselves. It is for the effectualdisplacement of all this, and to transferthe heart to an entirely new center, thatthe revelation of the old man is divinelynecessary for our souls. The Father hasto come in and detach us from thatwhich is our natural center, that He maylink our affections with another Person-even with the glorified Lord JesusChrist-and make Him everything to ourhearts, so that our association with Himmay be known, and may become thedeep, abiding joy of our souls.” -C.A.C.

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slainto receive power and riches, andwisdom, and strength, and honor andglory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).

10-7. Me, Myself, And I“Oh, wretched man that I am! Who

shall deliver me from the body of thisdeath?” (Rom. 7:24).

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While both are essential, it is farmore difficult to get to know the old manthan it is to know the Lord Jesus. Manywho know something of Him, know littleor nothing of themselves.

“There is not a more difficult lessonin the Christian life than to come to atrue knowledge of what the flesh is. Itsterrible power, its secret and universalrule, and the blinding it exerts inkeeping us from the knowledge of whatit is, are the cause of all our sin andevil. Hence it comes that so few reallybelieve in their absolute inability to obeyGod or to believe in His love. And thereis nothing that can deliver us from it butthat entire willingness to die to the oldman, which comes when by faith weunderstand that we have died in ChristJesus.” -A.M.

“It seems that God’s Spirit has totake every growing believer through adrastic process of self-exposure. Thatfleshly principle lurking within has to belooked in the face. Its presumptuousclaim to be a sufficient source ofwisdom and ability has to be exposed inits big lie. Its save-yourself attitude hasto be recognized and rejected. Andsuch knowledge can only come throughfailure, humiliation and despair.” -N.G.

“If you come to feel, through ever-recurring misery and defeat, that unlessAnother shall lead you into the land offruitful obedience your whole Christiancareer will be a spiritual and moralchaos, then perhaps you are ready toventure your all upon your union with

the Lord Jesus in His death andresurrection.”

“There is no joy like that of realizingour nothingness, while at the same timereposing upon the Father’s all-sufficiency.”

“I thank God through Jesus Christ,our Lord” (Rom. 7:25).

10-8. Service Of Suffering“For I reckon that the sufferings of

this present time are not worthy to becompared with the glory which shall berevealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

Physical, mental, and spiritualsuffering are all involved to somedegree in our matriculation.

“The idea is very common amongstChristians that it is a great andwonderful thing to be ‘mightily used ofGod.’ ‘Oh, to be a great evangelist! Oh,to be a great teacher!’ That is anentirely false conception. The truth isthat those who serve the Lord most,truly go through the deepest suffering.You may have a more or less easytime. I do not want to dishearten you bysaying it may not always be so but ifyou really want to be greatly used of theLord remember it may be by a deeperdiscipline of the Lord.” -T. A-S.

“Many have lived under blue skiesfrom birth. To such I have a word. It isthis: Fear not; no lover of our Lord willbe overlooked. He knows where to findHis willing hearts. Just give Him time.He will not refuse to His dearest the joy

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that is bathed in the dews ofGethsemane.” -A.C.

“He shall not cry nor strive, nor letHis voice be heard in the street.’ Thereare very few servants of the Lord Jesuswho, Samson-like, could kill a lionwithout letting everybody know of it.They would like a little notice of somekind. But the Lord Jesus made noparade; He would not have His gooddeeds blazed abroad. His doctrinedropped as the rain from heaven, andHis speech as the gentle dew. Hecharged them that they should tell noman of His service. ‘Verily, Thou art aGod that hidest Thyself.’ May we bewilling to be hid, and to have our workknown only by its effects, doing it notunto men, but unto our Father inheaven, Who sees in secret and shallreward us openly.” -E.W.M.

“Wherefore let them that sufferaccording to the will of God commit thekeeping of their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator (1 Pet.4:19).

10-9. Home Free!

“Hath made us alive together withChrist” (Eph. 2:5).

The Father has placed us in His veryheart, and He intends for our heart tofind its place there.

“Think of the fast embrace withwhich I find myself held, right to theheart of my Father, when I discern myposition in His Beloved Son. Grace,absolute sovereign grace, has set me

there-to show its exceeding richesthroughout time and eternity. Whatcould effort of mine have done in thismatter? What can failure of mineundo?” -F.W.G.

“The first action of the Spirit in thesoul for growth is to assure you of theFather’s love for you, and then you arenot thinking about yourself or your ownstate, but of Him; though no doubt youwill be greatly exercised as to how youare answering to that love. Now youknow you have a living bond with theLord Jesus, you are linked with Him inspirit, and a new interest altogether isawakened in your heart; it is with Himyou are occupied.” -J.B.S.

“If I have lost the world and itsthings, what have I gained? I have aPerson, and the love of that Person formy heart. And when I think of who thatPerson is, and how He has broughtdivine love to me, and how He drawsmy heart to Himself in an ineffablescene of divine affections, I begin totaste divine satisfaction.”

“The Lord Jesus by His death hasundertaken to remove all myunsuitability. And by that death I amentitled to be with the Father and theSon as one set free from all thatattached to me as a child of fallenAdam. It is a love which has removedfor its own satisfaction everything that Iam morally as of the race of Adam, sothat I might be free in the presence ofthat love.” -C.A.C.

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“Hath raised us up together, andmade us sit together in heavenly placesin Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).

10-10. Position And Possession

“I follow after, if that I mayapprehend that for which also I amapprehended of Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:12).

To know our position in the LordJesus is necessary so that we mayunderstand His ways and rest in Hismeans. Then, by processing throughthe years He slowly narrows thediscrepancy between our heavenlyposition and our personal condition.Truth is received in the mind,assimilated in the heart, and manifestedin the walk.

“First, the believer, like a bird, flies atonce to the top and sees everythingaccomplished on his behalf, and thenhe, as it were, comes back and creepsup every inch of the way. It is likeascending a ladder of grace.

“The first step is, we believe that theLord Jesus was sent of the Father;second, that in the fulness of His workwe are justified; third, we make Hisacquaintance, fourth, we come to seeHim in heaven-we know our associationwith Him there, and His rest here, fifth,we learn the mystery, the great thingswe are entitled to because of being inHis Body, His Bride; sixth, that we areseated in heavenly places in Him;seventh, we rejoice in wonder and inpraise in the knowledge of Himself.” -

J.B.S.“As the result of the work of His

Cross and resurrection, eternal life isreceived complete by those whobelieve. But while that life is itselfvictorious incorruptible, andindestructible, the believer has to comeby faith to prove it, to live by it, to learnits principles, to be conformed to it. Thelife in itself in the believer needs noaddition, so far as its quality andquantity are concerned. So far as itspower, its glory, its potentialities areconcerned nothing can be added to it.But the course of spiritual experience,of spiritual life, is to discover, toappropriate, and to grow in all that thelife represents and means.” -T. A-S.

“Rooted and built up in Him, andestablished” (Col. 2:7).

10-11. Personal Christianity

“That I may know Him, and thepower of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10a).

Fellowship with the written Word isthe foundation, and fellowship with theliving Word is the superstructure, forspiritual growth.

“While Martha was cumbered aboutmuch serving, and her love, most truein its way, went forth in activelyproviding for the Lord’s outward need,Mary, unconsciously perhaps, provedher stronger faith and deeper love bysitting at His feet and drinking in Hiswords. The thought of Martha’s heartwas, What a feast I must give theMessiah, when I receive Him at my

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home!“Mary, on the contrary, felt that the

best feast for Him, and for herself, wasto receive and treasure up all she couldfrom Him-to see, and hear, and be withHim. If we are learning thus from theLord Jesus, we honor and please Himincomparably more than by anything wethink to confer upon Him. In the longrun, too, it is the listening at His feetwhich best fits for the most acceptableworship and service.” -J.N.D.

“We should ever remember thatChristianity is not a set of opinions, asystem of dogmas, or a number ofviews; it is pre-eminently a living reality-a personal, practical, powerful thing,telling itself out in all the scenes andcircumstances of daily life, shedding itshallowed influence over the entirecharacter and course, and imparting itsheavenly tone to every relationshipwhich one may be called of God to fill.

“In a word, it is that which flows frombeing associated and occupied with theLord Jesus. This is Christianity. Theremay be clear views, correct notions,sound principles, without any fellowshipwith the Lord Jesus in glory; but anorthodox creed without communion withHim will prove to be a cold and barrenthing.” -C.H.M.

“And the fellowship of His sufferings,being made conformable unto Hisdeath” (Phil. 3:10b).

10-12. Love Trials“I will allure her, and bring her into

the wilderness, and speak tenderly untoher” (Hosea 2:14).

As we begin to grow, we aregoverned; as we begin to mature, weare allured.

“By trial our Father reveals whetherwe can suffer His will as well as do it.By trial He weans us from the world,draws us to His Son, drives us to theWord and to prayer, and shows us ourhearts, and makes us humble. We areto learn to be patient in the days ofdarkness. Our trials are not meant to dous harm, but good. Our Fatherchastens us ‘for our profit, that we maybecome partakers of His holiness’(Heb. 12:10).” -J.C.R.

“The great teaching of thewilderness is dependence upon theFather. The really heavenly man mustbe in a scene like this the mostdependent man; and whenever anyonelearns his heavenly calling truly, andwalks according to it conscientiously,he ever finds that new circumstances ortrials occur, to keep him dependent; sothat the truly heavenly man is the bestwilderness man.”

“If our affections are true to theglorified Lord Jesus, they will make thisworld a wilderness to us but if ouraffections do not make it a wildernessHis government will. The Father lovesus too well to allow our hearts to nestlehere; and He makes us conscious thatit is a wilderness that He may haveopportunity in our loneliness and our

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sorrow to speak to our hearts. TheVoice that could not be heard in the dinand bustle, and amid the laughter of thecity, can be heard in the silence andsolitude of the wilderness.” -C.A.C.

“Why has the Father brought you todespair? In order to stop you looking forany ground of hope in yourself; that youshould not trust in yourself, but in GodWho raiseth the dead.”

“For the Father Himself loveth you”(John 16:27).

10-13. Mercifully Mastered

“But though He cause grief, yet willHe have compassion according to themultitude of His mercies” (Lam. 3:32).

We are going to discover that ourFather’s grace and mercy shinebrightest against the darkness of thedaily Cross.

“We make a most serious mistake,when, in any time of need or pressure,we turn to the creature for help orsympathy. We are sure to bedisappointed. Our Father will allow usto prove the vanity and folly of allcreature-confidences, human hopes,and earthly expectations. And on theother hand, He will prove to us, in themost touching and personal manner,the truth and blessedness of His ownWord, ‘They shall not be ashamed thatwait for Me’ (Isa. 49:23). No, never! He,blessed be His name, never fails atrusting heart. He cannot, nor would He,deny Himself. He delights to takeoccasion from our needs, our woes and

weaknesses, to express and illustrateHis tender care and loving-kindness, ina thousand ways.” -C.H.M.

“Our Father is ‘a very present help introuble.’ We may be sure that He whopermits the suffering is with us in it. Hewas even in Christ, reconciling theworld unto Himself (2 Cor. 5:19). It maybe that we shall see Him only when thetrial is past; but we must dare to believethat He never leaves the crucible.”

“What a melancholy reflection it isupon our old man that we have to be‘shut up’ to all the mercies of ourFather! If we could evade them andcheat ourselves of them,notwithstanding their gracious freedom,we would. The Father is still shuttingmen up to faith. It should be natural forus to trust Him, but it is not. Our Fathermust employ severe measures toreduce us to despair and root us out ofour self-confidence and self-righteousness. All of heaven’s wisdomis brought to bear upon us to confessthat our ‘help cometh from the Lord.’“ -L.E.M.

“That He might make known theriches of His glory on the vessels ofmercy” (Rom. 9:23).

10-14. Baptized Into-Filled With“For as many of you as have been

baptized into Christ have put on Christ”(Gal. 3:27).

The Holy Spirit baptizes us into theLord Jesus, and fills us with Him.

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“The one spiritual baptism positionsthe believer ‘in Christ’ (Rom. 6:3, 4;Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12), and into His Body(1 Cor. 12:13). Since this position in theLord Jesus is unchangeable, andeternal, the baptizing work of the Spiritis not repeatable. One ‘in Christ’positionally, can never again through alleternity be ‘out of Christ’ positionally, asthat position depends wholly upon theefficacy of the finished redemptive workof the Son, and does not hinge uponhuman merit or faithfulness.

“The filling with the Spirit, on theother hand, is repeatable (Acts 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17), and is, in fact, a continuousprocess, as it conditions mutableexperience, and has nothing whateverto do with immutable position. Christianposition is effected by the baptism ofthe Spirit at the moment of the newbirth. Christian experience is affectedby the filling with the Holy Spirit. Oneeffects our position, the other affectsour condition.” -M.U.

“The Holy Spirit gives a livingknowledge; His light is the light of life;He is the ‘Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.’We see the Father and the Son asseeing us. When we behold them bythe ministry of the Spirit it is asbeholding us with infinite love, andbestowing upon us the blessings ofgrace. We know because we areknown. ‘Thou Father, Thou Son, seestme’ is the immediate consciousness ofthe soul, when there is spiritualperception of the Father. In other

words, love, petition, listening to theFather’s voice, receiving the love andpeace of the Lord Jesus, fellowship, areinvoked in this knowledge.” -A.S.

“The communion of the Holy Spiritbe with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

10-15. Life-giving Crucifixion

“Stand fast, therefore, in the libertywith which Christ hath made us free”(Gal. 5:1).

First, the believer understands thathe has a right to be free in the LordJesus because of the finished work ofthe Cross; then he sees that same workof the Cross as his means to be free.

“When we truly hate ourselves, weare prepared to rejoice in the blessedfact that we have been crucified withthe Lord Jesus-that sin in the flesh wascondemned (not forgiven) when Hedied unto sin, that our whole history asin the flesh closed before the Father inHis Son’s death-and that this is our titleto be free. I have now a righteous titleto have done with myself because Ihave died unto sin in the Lord Jesus’death.

“To prepare me for this I learn thenecessity for death in my ownexperience, but the death of the LordJesus is my title to be free. It is by theappropriation of His death that I reachliberty and newness of life; that deathhas severed me from all that I was as infallen Adam. ‘I have been crucified withChrist.’ I am free from myself, and freeto have the One who is my Christian life

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before me.” -C.A.C.“The Lord Jesus will make it His

business to keep us alive and fruitful, ifwe will make it our business to relyupon Him. There must be no carnalstraining, no natural effort; we do nothave to keep ourselves alive. Everyfear to go down into daily death, everyclinging to that which belongs to us,every grasp on our own personalposition or ministry, will only hinder themanifestation of His life. It is to be lifeout of death. Even when our trust inHim brings us into the most helplessand impossible situations, we may restassured that all will be well, for He isindeed the God of resurrection.” -H.F.

“For ye died, and your life is hidden withChrist in God” (Col. 3:3).

10-16. Acceptable Consecration“Present yourself unto God, as those

that are alive from the dead” (Rom.6:13).

The growth and consolidation ofone’s spiritual life is predicated uponclear knowledge of the dual facts ofRomans 6:11-dead unto sin; alive untoGod. This must come first: Know!“Consider what I say, and the Lord givethee understanding in all things” (2 Tim.2:7).

“Many have taken the word ‘present’to imply consecration (which it does),without looking carefully into its content.It is not the consecration of our ‘oldman’ with its instincts and resources,his natural wisdom, strength and other

gifts, to the Lord Jesus for Him to use.This will be clear at once from the littleclause ‘as alive from the dead’ (Rom.6:13).

“For what is to be consecrated is notwhat belongs to the old creation. The‘presenting’ spoken of is the outcome ofmy knowing my old man to have beencrucified (Rom. 6:6), and my reckoningmyself alive unto God in Christ Jesus(Rom. 6:11). Knowing, reckoning,presenting ourselves to Him: that is thedivine order.”

“It is one thing to renounce or todrop off certain old things, and quiteanother to be occupied with new things.Nuns renounce the world, but they arenot engrossed with the risen Lord JesusChrist. It must be not only forgetting thethings that are behind, but alsoreaching out unto the things that arebefore.

“It is what I give myself to that colorsme and imparts character to me, notthe fact of having abandoned otherthings. People often dwell unduly onwhat they have renounced, and are tooindifferent to that which they shouldpress toward, forgetting that it is thelatter that will form them (2 Cor. 3:18).”

“Set your affection on things above,not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

10-17. Subdued Servant“For the weapons of our warfare are

not carnal, but mighty through God tothe pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor.10:4).

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The true servant is finally subdued,but not stultified; prepared but notdeprived of individuality. All that isrendered inoperative is the old man-andthank God for that!

“When we are finally prepared, ourLord says: ‘When I died, you died.When I went to the Cross I not onlytook your sins, but I took you. I not onlytook you as a sinner, but I took you asbeing all that you are by nature; yourgood as well as your bad; your abilitiesas well as your disabilities; yes, everyresource of yours. I took you as aworker, a preacher, and organizer. MyCross means that not even for Me canyou be or do anything out from yourself;but if there is to be anything at all itmust be out from Me, and that means alife of absolute dependence and faith.’“-T. A-S.

“How little does one know of theantagonism of our nature to the will ofthe Father, who thinks that service canbe undertaken without that self-renunciation which can only be learnedby experiential knowledge of thesuperiority of His ways and counsels!We never surrender what we value untilwe find a better, and man is so full ofhimself and his own will that until hefinds out the sovereignty of his Father’swill he can be neither an obedient nor asuitable servant.

“And this is usually learned throughvaried and painful processes. Thedisciplined servant always finds a wayto do his work however difficult it may

appear. The greater the difficulties thegreater must be the evidence that ourresources are of a different order andcharacter from those arrayed againstus, and this will be found true in verysmall matters as well as in great ones.”

“Casting down imaginations, andevery high thing that exalteth itselfagainst the knowledge of God, andbringing into captivity every thought tothe obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

10-18. Remember To Forget“God resisteth the proud, and giveth

grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).Resting in His glory there will

manifest His humility in us here.“Our hearts have such a tendency to

turn back to legalism, and to think ithumility. The only real humbleness andstrength and blessing is to forgetourselves in the presence andblessedness of the Father. We may bebrought thither by a humbling processbut it is not in merely thinking evil of theold man that we are truly humble; wehave the privilege of forgettingourselves in the love of our Father.” -J.N.D.

“It is as knowing the Lord Jesus tobe precious to our souls, with our eyesand hearts being occupied with Him,that we will be effectually kept frombeing taken up with the vanity and sinaround. And this too will be our strengthagainst the sin and corruption within.Whatever I see in myself that is not inHim, is sin. It is not in thinking upon my

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own sins that will humble me, butthinking of the Lord Jesus and dwellingupon the excellencies in Him.

“It is well to be done with ourselvesand to be taken up with the Lord Jesus.We are entitled to forget ourselves-weare entitled to confess and forget oursins-we are entitled to forget all but theLord Jesus. It is by looking unto Himthat we can give up anything, and canwalk as obedient children.” -J.N.D.

“Many think that talking badly ofourselves is the ideal of humility;whereas the simplest and more realhumility is to feel unaffectedly that weare too bad to be worth talking about.Only One is worthy of all our thoughtsand words and ways, even the LordJesus Christ.” -W.K.

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

10-19. Ministry Of Life“Holding forth the word of life; that I

may rejoice in the day of Christ that Ihave not run in vain, neither labored invain” (Phil. 2:16).

Many Christians are bogged downbetween the nursery and theschoolroom; between the playpen andthe workshop. These resist the weaningperiod; but the hungry-hearted areeager to have their feelings replaced byfaith.

“It is true that the Father does takeup those who are spiritually immature

and permit them to speak His wordsyears before they fully understand theirimport; but He does not wish any of usto stop there. We may go on that wayfor awhile, but is it not true that from thetime when He begins in us His work offormation through discipline andchastening, it growingly dawns on ushow little in fact we know of the truemeaning of what we had been saying?

“Our Lord intends that we shouldreach the place where we can speak,with or without manifest gifts, becausewe are that which we share. For inChristian experience the spiritual thingsof God are less and less outward, thatis, of gift, and more and more inward, oflife. In the long run it is the depth andinwardness of a work that counts. Asthe Lord Jesus Himself becomes moreand more to us, other things-and thismust include even gifts-matter less andless. Then, though we teach the samedoctrine, speak the same words, theimpact on others is very different,manifesting itself in an increasing depthof the Spirit’s work within them also.”

“Our Father’s hand is on the helm.We are being guided, even when wefeel it least. The closed door is as muchHis Providence as the open, andequally for our good and theaccomplishment of His own great ends.And one learns at last it is not what weset ourselves to do that really tells inblessing so much as what He is doingin and through us.”

“Thou wilt show me the path of life”

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(Ps. 16:11).

10-20. Dependable Dependence

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”(2 Cor. 5:7).

Our Father often uses our failure tofoster and fortify our faith.

“Faith is dependence upon theFather. And this God-dependence onlybegins when self-dependence ends.And self-dependence only comes to itsend, with most of us, when sorrow,suffering, affliction, broken plans andhopes bring us to that place of self-helplessness where we throw ourselvesupon our Father in seeming utterhelplessness and defeat. And only thendo we find that we have learned thelesson of faith; to find our tiny craft oflife rushing onward to a blessed life offruitfulness and service undreamt of inthe days of our fleshly strength andself-reliance.”

“The divine counsel shall stand, andthe divine good pleasure shall beaccomplished. What relief for the heartamid rebuffs and disappointments! TheFather will perfect that which concernsHis own; and even where there aremistakes and failures, as alas! there arein abundance with all of us, His richgrace abounds over all, and actuallytakes occasion from our very mistakesto shine out all the more brightly-though, assuredly, the mistakes mustproduce their own painful andhumiliating consequences.

“It is the remembrance of this which

alone can give calm repose in the midstof the most discouragingcircumstances. If we take the eye offaith off the Father, our souls must soonbe overwhelmed. It is our privilege to beable, in our little measure, to thank ourFather in view of everything, and takerefuge in His eternal counsels, whichmust be made good despite all theunbelief of the Christian, and all themalice of Satan.” -C.H.M.

“We are bound to thank God alwaysfor you, brethren, as it is fitting,because your faith growethexceedingly” (2 Thess. 1:3).

10-21. Busily Barren“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the

branch cannot bear fruit of itself, exceptit abide in the vine, no more can ye,except ye abide in Me” (John 15:4).

A barren life means barren service,and no amount of self-effort will evermake up for that!

“‘Not I, but Christ.’ The Lord Jesusdoes not ask that we should work forHim, but He intends to work through us.There is all the difference in the worldbetween the two. In the one I plan andthen ask His blessing upon it; in theother He plans and lets me into thesecret of His glorious purpose. The oneends in futility and disappointment; theother in life, progress, and joy.

“In the one I slave and work worthilyfor Him, and constantly feel thebarrenness of a busy life; in the other Ilet His life flow through me in all His

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glorious effortlessness, and rest in theassurance that the Lord Jesus at workcannot fail. The one is a life ofendeavor, always being keyed up to dosomething greater; the other a life offaith always looking to the Lord Jesusto reveal the next step and then givethe enablement to carry it out.” -H.G.

“The great question is not what youare doing, how successful you are, howgreat are your crowds, how impressiveyour work-but the question is, by whatpower are you doing it? It is difficult toattend any large religious gatheringwithout perceiving the governinginfluence, consciously orunconsciously, of the psychological-which is of the human. Many apparentlysuccessful ‘revival’ meetings havemuch more in them of psychology thanSpirit. Large numbers of seekers arebrought to the altar by human soul-power rather than by the power of theHoly Spirit. And this accounts for thelarge number of so-called backslidersand ‘repeaters’ at the altar.”

“Without Me ye can do nothing”(John 15:5).

10-22. True Sanctification

“Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, whoof God is made unto us. . .sanctification” (1 Cor. 1:30).

If we keep in mind that the LordJesus is our Sanctification, theseemingly difficult subject will clearlyunfold for us day by day.

“Many fall into the Methodistic, or

Quaker, or Pearsall-Smith scheme ofsanctification-all of which issubstantially the same. The truescriptural means of sanctification is thatyou are set apart to God. It is not at alla question of whether there is evil inyour flesh, for there is a great deal.Why, that is all the old man is made of!

“But yet you are sanctified.Sanctification has nothing whatever todo with the extinction of evil in the flesh.That idea, begun with Pelagius, revivedby Thomas a’Kempis, handed downthrough Jeremy Taylor, the French andDutch mystics, Wm. Law and JohnWesley, has passed into othercommunions where they have no notionwhatever whence it came.” -W.K.

“The Christian life is nothing short ofthe life of the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:4). It isHis life reproduced in us. ‘That the lifealso of Jesus might be made manifestin our mortal flesh’ (2 Cor. 4:11). Thecommon conception of sanctification isthat every area of the life should beholy; but that is not holiness, it is thefruit of holiness: holiness is the LordJesus Christ.

“When we are conscious of pride wefancy that humility will meet our need,but the answer to pride is not humility, itis the Lord Jesus, and He is the answerto every need. The Father will not giveyou humility or patience or love asseparate gifts of grace; He has givenyou the Lord Jesus, and if you simplytrust Him to live out His life in you, Hewill be humble, patient, loving and

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everything else you need.”“God hath from the beginning

chosen you to salvation throughsanctification of the Spirit and belief ofthe truth” (2 Thess. 2:13).

10-23. Hidden Within, ManifestedWithout

“Those who are planted in the houseof the Lord shall flourish in the courts ofour God” (Ps. 92:13).

Defeat reveals the flesh; testingreveals the Father.

“The inward exercise of RomansSeven and the testing of the wildernessserve the purpose of teaching us whatsin in the flesh is, and what is in ourhearts; while such special discipline ofthe Father as Paul’s thorn in the flesh israther to protect us from the unalterabletendencies of the flesh. The latter isalways needed, and goes on in oneform or other to the end of our coursehere.”

“We belong to another spherealtogether. We have died, and our life ishidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). Weare like a tree that has its roots inheaven, and its branches down here.No doubt our branches are fretted andripped by the atmosphere here, butnothing can touch the roots up there.Planted inside, they flourish outside.” -J.B.S.

“No one can question the right of theFather and the Son to have and to holdthe sheep; and if we see what it has

cost them to secure us, it cannot fail togive us the most blessed assurance.Much yet may have to be done for us.We shall need support, preservation,discipline. If we are left here a littlelonger we shall need the grace, mercy,and forbearance of the Father in athousand ways, but all that will beneeded in the future to keep us fromourselves is small compared with thestupendous cost at which divine loveforever secured us.” -C.A.C.

“There is more in the Lord Jesus, inthe Father, in the Spirit, in heaven togive us rest and peace and joy, than inthe whole universe to disquiet, trouble,or grieve us.” -G.V.W.

“Heirs of God, and joint heirs withChrist” (Rom. 8:17).

10-24. Personal Influence“I proclaim not myself, but Christ

Jesus as Lord and Master, and myselfyour bondsman for the sake of Jesus “(2 Cor. 4:5, Cony.).

All Christians are fit for heaven, butall too few are fit for earth. One of thetrue tests of one’s spiritual growth is inone’s influence: affecting others thatthey not only begin the Christian life but“grow in grace and in the knowledge ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:18).

“We may be separated and yet notChrist-like; we may be orthodox and yetnot spiritual; we may be ‘dead unto sin’and yet not ‘alive unto God.’ We mayhave cut ourselves loose from every

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form of worldliness but in so doing wehave become critical and self-righteous.We may be loyal defenders of the faith,yea, ready even to lay down our livesfor it and in so doing become bitter andunloving.”

“We may often have a measure ofthe power of the Spirit, but if there is nota large measure of the Spirit as theSpirit of grace and love, the defect willbe manifest in our work. We may bemade the means of conversion, but wewill never help people on to a higherstandard of spiritual life, and when wepass away a great deal of our work willpass away too.” -A.M.

“One may have a great zeal in God’sservice, and may be used to influencemany for good, and yet, when weighedin the balance of love, be found sadlywanting. In the heat of controversy orunder unjust criticism, haste of temper,slowness to forgive and forget, quickwords and sharp judgments, oftenreveal an easily woundedsensitiveness, which proves how littlethe Spirit of the Lord Jesus has fullpossession or real mastery of the life.” -A.M.

“We have this treasure in earthenvessels, that the excellency of thepower may be of God, and not of us” (2Cor. 4:7).

10-25. Side Effects“God, who commanded the light to

shine out of darkness, hath shone inour hearts” (2 Cor. 4:6a).

The Father tolerates our side ofthings until we learn to value His side ofthings.

“Make your Father’s side of thingsyour interest and concern, and yourside will be fully ensured; but turn youreye to your own side, and, with muchapparent effort and work, you will lookfor much and bring in little. Thisexplains the small progress in manysouls in this day, notwithstanding theamount of truth and light they havereceived. May the Lord Jesus in HisWord be more simply the Object of ourhearts in this evil day.” -J.B.S.

“Love really does not think ofanyone but its Object until it is quitesure of its place with Him, and thenwhen at rest about itself it studies themind and heart of the Object. I find thatthe Lord Jesus loved me and gaveHimself for me when I was in a mostunattractive state; but He makes mesuitable to Himself, and I am soassured of the permanency of His loveand of my association with Him that myheart is free to study Him. The more Iam in His company, the more I grow inthe characteristics which answer to Hismind and nature.” -J.B.S.

“All here comes to me from onespring, and that source is the heart ofmy Father. You must connect yourheart with the love and not with thebenefit otherwise you are not yetestablished. I am not only clear ofeverything that was against me, but Iam brought into a new kind of love-the

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love of the Father. It is not merely Hisgifts, His power, His greatness, but it isthe knowledge of what He is in Himselfto me.”

“The law demands, love God; gracedeclares, God so loved!”

“To give the light of the knowledgeof the glory of God in the face of JesusChrist” (2 Cor. 4:6b).

10-26. Quietness And Confidence

“In quietness and in confidence shallbe your strength” (Isa. 30:15).

Time is a prime factor in one’sassurance of the Father’s leading. Rushand agitation are the prime factors inthe Enemy’s leading. God will give ustime to watch and make sure; Satandemands action, right now!

“There is a way to distinguishbetween the Father’s leading andSatan’s ‘angel of light’ leadings. TheFather’s promptings never nag, orworry, or harass. Satan’s do just that. Ifone has a seeming ‘leading’ to dosomething that in itself is good, yet withthe impulse there is a sense of naggingdisquiet, and being driven in a certaindirection, that is the Enemy’strademark; and his false leading is to beimmediately recognized and rejected.The Holy Spirit’s leadings come with asense of peace and quiet, even if theypoint in a really difficult direction whichonly the grace of the Father can enableone to follow.” -C.G.T.

“Be careful who takes you up into

the high mountain! When the deviltakes you into the heights, he alwaysshows you the kingdoms of this world,and the glory of them; when the LordJesus takes you up, He is alwaystransformed before you.”

“It is because our life is hid withChrist in God that it is beyond the reachof Satan. The Enemy cannot touch ourlife in its source, for the Father is itsSource and he cannot touch Him. Hecannot touch our life in its channel, forthe risen Lord Jesus is its channel, andhe cannot touch Him. He cannot touchour life in its power, for the Holy Spirit isits power, and he cannot touch theSpirit. He cannot touch our life in itsduration, for eternity is its duration, andhe cannot touch eternity. The child ofGod is eternally safe.” -J.E.C.

“The work of righteousness shall bepeace; and the effect of righteousness,quietness and assurance forever” (Isa.32:17).

10-27. Branch Life“As the branch cannot bear fruit of

itself, except it abide in the vine, nomore can ye, except ye abide in Me”(John 15.4).

The old life is a dead branch, andcannot abide in the Lord Jesus. Ournew life is one spirit with Him: a livingbranch abiding in the True Vine. As welearn to rest upon this fact of ourposition in Him, abiding becomes ourrestful attitude.

“The path through the desert must

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be rough, and it is well that it is so; forthere is no right-minded person whowould not rather be set in a rough thana ‘slippery’ way. The Lord sees ourneed of being exercised by roughnessand hardness, not only that we may findthe rest at the end sweeter, but alsothat we may be the more effectuallytrained and fitted for the place we areyet to occupy.”

“We are constantly ensnared bylooking at secondary causes; we do notrealize God in everything. Were wemore alive to the fact that there is notan event which happens to us, frommorning to night, in which the voice ofour Father may not be heard, His handseen, with what a blessed atmospherewould it surround us! Man andcircumstances would then be receivedas so many agents and instruments inour Father’s hand; so many ingredientsin His cup for us. Thus would our mindsbe solemnized, our spirits calmed, ourhearts subdued.” -C.A.C.

“As a branch each believer isdirectly united to the True Vine, whichreceives all things needful through thecare of the great Husbandman Himself.He will train and sustain everyindividual branch, the needs of eachare upon His heart. The branch of thevine does not worry, and toil, and rushhere to seek sunshine, and there to findrain. No, it rests in union andcommunion with the vine; and at theright time, and in the right way, is fruitfound on it. Let us so abide in the Lord.”

-J.H.T.“I am the Vine, ye are the branches.

He that abideth in Me, and I in him, thesame bringeth forth much fruit; forwithout Me ye can do nothing” (John15:5).

10-28. Mind And Heart

“The life-giving power of the Spirit. . .has set us free from the power of sinand death” (Rom. 8:2, Wms.).

The Holy Spirit ministers to our mindvia the Word, and He conditions ourheart via our daily experiences.

“A believer may know that he ispositionally free, and yet have to mournthe fact that his experience is that of awretched captive. The freedom is soentirely in Christ Jesus, and themaintenance of the living union withHim is so distinctly and entirely thework of divine power, that it is only aswe see that the Spirit dwells within usfor this very purpose, and know how toaccept and yield to His working it, thatwe can really stand in the liberty withwhich Christ has made us free.” -A.M.

“There is no strength or power inourselves against the law of sin whichis in our members. The Father has leftus as much dependent upon the LordJesus’ work for our deliverance fromthe power of sin as for our forgiveness!It is wholly because we died with Himon the Cross, both to sin and to thewhole legal principle, that sin’s powerfor those in the Lord Jesus, is broken.” -W.R.N.

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“Have we not often sought, byearnest thought, to enter more deeplyinto the significance of the Cross? Havewe not, as we got a glimpse of someaspect of its glory, gone from book tobook to discover what it really means?Have not some given up hope thatwords like ‘I have been crucified withChrist,’ ‘the world is crucified to me,’‘baptized into His death,’ ‘dead unto sinand alive unto God in Christ Jesus’should have become truly intelligibleand helpful? Is not the reason of all thisthat we want to grasp the hiddenwisdom of the Father with our mindalone, forgetting that the Holy Spiritintends to work it into the heart andinner life also?” -A.M.

“The wisdom that is from above isfirst pure, then peaceable. . . free fromdoubts and insincerity” (James 3:17,Wms.).

10-29. No Word, No Truth“Without faith it is impossible to

please Him” (Heb. 11:6).Rationalism defies God; Ritualism

degrades God.“With Rationalism’s intellectual

audacity on the one hand, which daresto speak against the Word of God; andon the other hand, the outward piety ofRitualism-there is really the same rootof infidelity at bottom. There is thesupplanting of the plain truth of theinspired Word. Both get rid of it,depriving the soul of that which is theonly means of a living link between God

and man.“It does not matter what the means

or forms may be, whether the negativeprocess of Rationalism, or the morepositive claim of Ritualism: if mancomes in-whether it be his rites or hisreasonings-so as to exclude God’sWord, or step between its authority andthe soul of man, it becomes prettymuch the same result in the end.

“Rationalism is the deification ofhuman powers, in which man presumesby his own mind to judge the Word ofGod, and is therefore the infidelity ofthe intellect when either carried out toits results or judged in its principle.

“On the other hand Ritualism is theinfidelity of the imagination, very oftenwith piety underneath it, with a love forthe Saviour that may preserve from thefull consequences of the system, but initself always savoring of and tending toidolatry.

“We cannot know the value of Christthe Truth unless we have the Spirit ofTruth. Nevertheless, the test of havingthe Spirit of Truth, and of not being aprey to fanaticism, is that the soul isattracted and subject to the Lord JesusChrist-and this cannot be without faithproduced and nourished by the Word ofTruth.” -W.K.

“Faith cometh by hearing, andhearing by the Word of God” (Rom.10:1).

10-30. Personal Poverty

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“For ye were as sheep going astray,but are now returned unto theShepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1Pet. 2:25).

It is during the time of our beingbroken that we learn that His promisesconcerning us cannot be broken.

“It is more than comforting to realizethat it is those who have plumbed thedepths of failure to whom the Fatherinvariably gives the call to shepherdothers. This is not a call to the gifted,the highly trained, or the polished assuch. Without a bitter realization of theirown inadequacy and poverty they arequite unfitted to bear the burdens ofspiritual ministry.

“It takes a man who has discoveredsomething of the measure of his ownweakness to be patient with the foiblesof others. Such a man also has afirsthand knowledge of the loving careof the Chief Shepherd, and His ability toheal one who has come humbly to trustHim and Him alone. Therefore he doesnot easily despair of others, but looksbeyond sinfulness, willfulness, andstupidity, to the might of unchanginglove. The Lord Jesus does not give thecharge, ‘Be a shepherd to My lambs. . .to My sheep,’ on hearing Peter’s self-confident affirmation of undying loyalty,but He gives it after he has utterly failedto keep his vows, and has wept bitterlyin the streets of Jerusalem.” -J.C.M.

“As to Simon Peter, we not only seehim restored to the work to which he

was called at the first, but to somethingeven higher. ‘Feed My lambs-shepherdMy sheep’-is the new commission givento the man who had denied his Lordwith an oath. ‘When thou art restored,strengthen thy brethren.’ There isnothing in all this world nearer anddearer to the heart of the Lord Jesusthan His sheep, His lambs: and henceHe could not have given Peter a moreaffecting proof of His confidence thanby committing to his care the dearestobjects of His deep and tender love.” -C.H.M.

“Depart from me; for I am a sinfulman, O Lord. . . And Jesus said untoSimon, Fear not; from henceforth thoushalt catch men” (Lk. 5:8, 10).

10-31. Life Given And Maintained“He who hath begun a good work in

you will perform it until the day of JesusChrist” (Phil. 1:6).

When one begins to realize thecomplexity of simple spiritual growth, helearns to keep his hands off, and hisfaith on.

“Regeneration is a birth: the centerand root of the personality, the spirit,has been re-created and takenpossession of by the Holy Spirit. Buttime is required for that center to extendthrough all the circumference of ourbeing. It is akin to a seed: the life of theLord Jesus within must grow; and itwould be against the laws of nature andgrace alike if we expected from thebabe in Christ the strength that can only

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be found in the young man, or the richexperience and stability of the fathers.Even where in the new convert there isgreat singleness of heart and faith, withtrue love and devotion to the Saviour,time is needed for a deeper knowledgeof the old man and sin, for a spiritualinsight into what the Father’s will andgrace are.” -A.M.

“The process of conformity to theLord Jesus’ image is going on day byday in the growing believer’s life. It is aprogression from obedience toobedience, from dependence todependence, from righteousness torighteousness, and from love to love.As the maturing one gets a larger visionof his perfect Pattern through the dailystudy of God’s Word, he takes higherground along the line of that blessedrevelation, so that his life is aprogressive growing up into the LordJesus in all things.” -R.P.

“The more the believer abounds inthe riches of the Father’s grace, themore unsearchable and inexhaustiblehe finds them to be. The spiritual mannever stops growing, because he isalways reaching upward to that stillhigher height that is just beyond.” -R.P.

“I press toward the mark for the prize of thehigh calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:14).

Number 11The ongoing purpose of the None

But The Hungry Heart series has everbeen to help center you in the Personof the Lord Jesus, where He is.

The work of the Saviour isfor the sinner; the Personof the Saviour is for thesaint: what He has done isfor the former; what He is,is for the latter.He had eternal life to give,and He is the Son of theliving God; by the former,the sinner is drawn to Him;by the latter, the saint isbound to Him. He not onlymeets all our necessitiesas sinners by His work, butalso satisfies our affectionand desires as saints byHis Person. -C.H.M

“Having predestinated us unto theadoption of sons by Jesus Christ toHimself, according to the good pleasureof His will, to the praise of the glory ofHis grace, through which He hath madeus accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5,6).

Miles J. Stanford; July 1986

11-1. Born To Be Borne

“Walk in (dependence upon) theSpirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust ofthe flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

That which we most dread-weakness and failure-are the verymeans by which our Father turns usfrom self-reliance to full dependence

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upon the Holy Spirit.“Walking in dependence upon the

Holy Spirit, He leads up our hearts towhere we are in the Lord Jesus. Thenew man finds delight in Him, andnowhere else. The Spirit is the livinglink between us and the Son in glory.He causes us to gaze upon Him, andwe become changed into the sameimage, from glory to glory. This is trueChristianity-the heart drawn off thingshere, and lovingly occupied with theOne who is our Christian life.”

“As the believer grows, and his pathbecomes more involved, he is taughtmore about the Holy Spirit’s ministry,for he needs this doctrine increasinglyfor his comfort and rest in trial. His faithis not so strong and unwavering as heimagined; the ardor of his love soonvanishes; the power of sin, which at firsthe fancied was utterly broken, makesitself felt again, prayer becomeslanguid, and joy seems to have takenflight.

“In other words, the Father leadshim into the valley, and lest he shouldmake an idol of his faith, and a well-spring of a cistern, he is taughtsomething of himself. Who does notknow of this second stage of theChristian life, at first so painful, sohumiliating, and filling the soul withperplexity? It is thus that we learn thatthe Spirit who has renewed our spiritmust also sustain our new life; that wedepend entirely on divine grace andstrength, not merely to bring us to the

Lord Jesus, but to keep us abiding inHim where He is.” -A.M.

“Kept by the power of God throughfaith” (1 Peter 1:5).

11-2. Resting In His Rest“Now the just shall live by faith”

(Heb. 10:38).Until we grow beyond the childish

realm of sight and feelings we cannotgo forward; up and down, andsideways, but not forward.

“Our Father wants us in the placewhere we do not depend upon feelings;where, though we do not behold Him,though we do not sense Him, we shall‘endure as beholding Him who isinvisible.’ He wants us where we cantrust Him through darkness andapparent separation, as unflinchingly asin light and fellowship; where we knowthat His banner, Love, is always floatingover us, though it is so dark that wecannot see it.

“There is no grace in delighting inthe presence and favor of the Fatherwhen they are resting consciously andcontinuously upon us; for this rejoicingcomes from sight and feelings. Butthere is precious grace in that delightwhich is not dependent upon Hisfavors, nor upon our enjoyment ofthem; but which is wholly dependentand has its source in the Father’sexplicit Word, and His eternalfaithfulness.” -C.H.M.

“When circumstances seem

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impossible, when all signs of grace inyou seem at their lowest ebb, whentemptation is fiercest, when love andjoy and hope seem well nighextinguished in your heart, then rest,without feeling and without emotion, inthe Father’s faithfulness; abide in thefact that He loves you infinitely, andeven now is working in you faithfully;and honor Him, and put the enemy toflight by taking to yourself the words ofJob: ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trustin Him.’ ‘I have prayed for thee’ (saysthe One who ever lives to makeintercession for us) ‘that thy faith failnot.’“ -D.T.

“Cast not away, therefore, yourconfidence, which hath greatrecompense of reward” (Heb. 10:35)

11-3. His Patience“Tribulation worketh patience” (Rom.

5:3).The source of our Christian life is a

Person, and the growth of that life in usis a gradual process-comparable to agrain of wheat, or a branch in the vine.

“A person whose ancestors for threeor four generations have all beenChristians, may inherit their virtues; butalthough affecting his life for good, theydo not count before God asrighteousness, for they are not the fruitof the directly imparted divine life. Abeliever may thus inherit patience, andalthough he may be but a babe inChrist, he is seen to be more stablethan a more advanced believer,

because whatever goes wrong hestands unruffled.

“To empty him, the Father puts himin circumstances where his natural‘patience’ fails. After repeated failuresof his natural virtue of patience, herealizes that it is not enough to meet alltrials, and carry him triumphantlythrough them all. Then he turns to theFather to give him His own unfailingpatience.” -E.R.

“Spiritual growth is from stage tostage. There are great days, days ofdecisive battles, days of crisis inspiritual history, days of triumph inChristian service, days of the right handof the Father upon us. But there arealso idle days, days of apparentuselessness, when even prayer andservice seem a burden. Are we, in anysense, renewed in these days? Yes, forany experience which makes us moreaware of our need of the Father mustcontribute to spiritual progress, unlesswe deny the Lord who bought us.” -W.G.S.

“It is not a man’s thanksgiving thathe has been set free from suffering; it isto be thanksgiving that he has been setfree through suffering. ‘Thou hastenlarged me when I was in distress’(Ps. 4:1).”

“For you surely know that what isgenuine in your faith produces thepatient mind that endures” (James 1:3,Wms.).

11-4. The Way Up Is Down

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“But what things were gain to me,those I counted loss for Christ” (Phil.3:7).

“Whosoever will lose his life for Mysake, the same shall save it” (Lk. 9:24).Once we learn this great paradox of theLord, all will be gain, our good, and Hisglory.

“‘Unto me, who am less than theleast of all saints, is this grace given,that I should preach among theGentiles the unsearchable riches ofChrist’ (Eph. 3:8). ‘Unto me, who amless than the least.’ In spiritual learningwe take degrees downward, notupward, as in ordinary universities. It isa great temptation to those who serveto be arriving at something above thecommon standard, but God gives outHis best work to ‘less than the least.’His service wants depth, not height.” -C.A.C.

“The test of genuine revelation is asto whether the one concerned ismanifestly well crucified to a desire forpower, position, influence. Can that onebe resisted, assailed, thwarted,rejected, without in some form seekingto come out even or on top? Anelement of personal domination or self-vindication will spoil the outreach anddiscredit the servant. Oh, the peril ofgetting hold of Divine Truth in order touse it!” -T. A-S.

“We are wounded in order that wemay learn from the great Physician howto bind up wounds and give aid. The

Father visits us with trials in order toteach us to carry the burdens of others.We ourselves must first go to schoolbefore we can be teachers of others.”

“Ye have not chosen Me, but I havechosen you” (John 15:16).

11-5. Sonship

“You really need some one to teachyou over again the very rudiments ofthe truths of God. . . Such persons aremere babes” (Heb. 5:12, 13, Wey.).

When it comes to spiritual growth,sooner or later the thought arises,“Surely the work of the Cross producedmore than this!” It surely did! Now youare on the march for the Father’s verybest as it is in Christ Jesus.

“Sonship represents growth untofullness and maturity. It is quite a goodthing to be a babe while babyhoodlasts, but it is a very bad thing to be ababe when that period is past. This isthe condition of many Christians. Whilesonship is inherent in birth, in the NewTestament sense sonship is growth tomaturity. With this growth comes thegreater fullness of the Lord Jesus andthe abundant spiritual wealth untowhich we were saved. It is a matter notso much of that from which we weresaved, as of that unto which we weresaved. The grand climax of the newcreation is ‘the revealing of the sons ofGod (Rom. 8:19).” -T. A-S.

“It is one thing to drop off orrenounce certain things, and quiteanother to be engrossed with the right

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thing. Monks renounce much, but theyare not occupied with the glorified LordJesus Christ. It must be not only‘forgetting those things which arebehind,’ but also reaching out unto thethings that are before. It is that whichyou give yourself to, not what you haveabandoned, that colors you and whichimparts character to you.” -J.B.S.

“Old things are passed away;behold, all things are become new” (2Cor 5:17).

11-6. Legally Dead

“Seeing that we have died to thatwhich once held us in bondage, theLaw has now no hold over us” (Rom.7:6a, Wey.).

For the believer, the dominion ofLaw is just as devastating as thedominion of Sin. At Calvary, death freedus from both.

“Theological teaching since theReformation has not set forth clearlyour utter end in death with the LordJesus on the Cross. The fatal result ofthis error is to leave the law claimantover those in the Lord Jesus, for ‘thelaw hath dominion over a man as longas he liveth’ (Rom. 7:1). Unless you areable to believe in your very heart thatyou died with Him, and that you wereburied, and that your history before theFather in Adam the first came to anutter end at Calvary you will never getfree from the claims of the law uponyour conscience.” -W.R.N.

“The principle of the new life is faith.

Faith, hope, and love are itscharacteristics. All these require, notself-occupation, but occupation with theLord Jesus Christ. If you take up thelaw to help you, it tells you just whatyou must be and do, but it gives nopower for it. Power is in the Spirit; thusgrace, not law, is the way of growth.That the law cannot justify iscomparatively simple; but that it hindersfruit-bearing is hard to realize. ‘Sin shallnot have dominion over you, becauseye are not under law, but under grace.’“-F.W.G.

“Those who put the believer underlaw destroy the authority of the law, orput the Christian under the curse, for inmany things we offend all. They fancythey establish the law, but they destroyits authority. They only establish thefull, immutable authority of the law, whodeclare that the believer is under grace,and therefore cannot be cursed by itsjust and holy curse.” -J.N.D.

“So that we render a service which,instead of being old and formal, is newand spiritual” (Rom. 7:6b, Wey.).

11-7. From Tears To Joy“They that sow in tears shall reap in

joy” (Ps. 126:5).Our Father is never our debtor.

Whatever price He asks of us He willrepay with infinite and eternalcompound interest.

“There is a universalmisapprehension that godliness meansimmunity from suffering. It is so often

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expected by believers that they will notgo through suffering as other men. Thisis far from the truth. It is a part of thecalling of saints to show men how tosuffer: how, even in the midst of thehard and bitter experiences of life, theLord Jesus is sufficient to give joy andcomfort.” -H.F.

“There is no human being alivewhose existence is not the outcome ofvicarious agonies. The child inherits theboons of life, love, and light from thesuffering of the mother. And in everydirection this strange principle operates;for it may be doubted whether there bea possession that we have worthholding-material, political, or religious-which is not the result of the toil, tears,and blood of sages, prophets, andmartyrs, most of whom have died inshame and apparent failure,bequeathing gifts in exchange forblows, and benedictions forimprecations.” -J.C.B.

“Our Father lets folks walk all overus until the grime of our carnality comesout. Our suffering is cruel. Oursensibilities are outraged. But this isjust the beginning of that deep work ofthe Cross which is to deal with thecarnality of our cherished affections,our spiritual comforts, our dearestfriendships, our creeds, and ourdenominations, our devotion to whichprevents the dying of the old man thatmakes impossible whole-hearteddevotion to the Person of the LordJesus Christ.” -J.M.

“The uncrucified life has noreproductive power. Withoutassociation with the Lord Jesus in Hisdeath, the believer must abide barren,sterile, and unfruitful.” -F.J.H.

“Ye shall be sorrowful, but yoursorrow shall be turned into joy” (John16:20).

11-8. Conditioned, Not Conditions“We have received. . . the Spirit

which is of God; that we might know thethings that are freely given us of God”(1 Cor. 2:12).

The Spirit’s ministry is to present aPerson, rather than to produce anexperience.

“Where man calls for conditions,God calls for the Cross. As the finishedwork of the Cross is applied to the lifeby the Holy Spirit, thereby progressivelyholding the old man in the position ofdeath, the believer is conditioned forthe Spirit’s fulness. It is not asurrendered self, but a crucified selfthat gives the Spirit freedom in the life.

“The sixth of Romans comes beforethe twelfth. In the latter we have thesurrender, but it is not to get, or toattain; it is because he has entered intowhat is his; he has accepted thewondrous fact of his death with the LordJesus, and of the Spirit’s presence andministry. A crucified man relies upon noexperience. To him the Lord Jesus ishis very life.” -S.R.

“Whether it be for the initial

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revelation to our hearts of divine things,or amid the discipline that must followere those divine truths become a part ofus, we shall find it necessary to turnagain and again to this graciouscomforter of our infirmities.

“It is by His revelation through theWord that we behold spiritual realities; itis by His loving discipline that we enterinto those realities. By the former, Heopens the gateway to progress; by thelatter, He leads us on in the pathway ofgrowth. The former is foundation, thelatter is the temple. Without Hisscriptural revelation we cannotcommence the course, but without thediscipline of His ministry we cannotcomplete it. Both these aspects of theSpirit’s work are equally essential, andfor both we can assuredly count uponHim.”

“The spirit of truth... will lead you intoall truth” (John 16:13).

11-9. Living Access

“In Him dwelleth all the fullness ofthe Godhead” (Col. 2:9).

Our personal fellowship with theFather is predicated upon ourrealization that we are already in Hispresence, in His Son.

“Most do not care to go beyond thethought of forgiveness and a godly walkin the world; but it is our Father’spleasure and purpose to bring us aspriests into His presence. If weapproach Him it is entirely apart from allthe imperfections of the flesh. We stand

there in all the sweet savor andperfection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It isas we are identified with His perfectionsand acceptance that we can approachfor fellowship and worship.” -C.A.C.

“It is not a question of correcting thisor that, but of heavenly things in theLord Jesus separating our hearts fromthings on earth. When we look fromheaven, and work from heavendownwards, earthly things soondwindle, and the praise of theirdisappearance returns not to ourselvesin any way, but to the Lord Jesus. ThusHe Himself has all the glory, whatevergood thing there may be wrought in usby the Holy Spirit.” -W.J.H.

“The Lord Jesus is at the Father’sright hand, and He is there as our Life.By Him, therefore, we have access intoour Father’s presence and favor. Tounderstand this grace we need to havevery distinctly before our soul the OneMan by whom it has come to us. Wenever can learn the grace of our Fatherby thinking of those to whom it comes;we must think of the One by whom itcomes.”

“The believer is placed before theFather according to the beauty of theLord Jesus Christ, and is, according tothe Father’s eye and heart, as HisBeloved-nothing less.” -J.B.S.

“And ye are complete in Him, who isthe Head” (Col. 2:10).

11-10. The Doctrinal Walk“Ye have obeyed from the heart that

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form of doctrine which was deliveredyou” (Rom 6:17).

The purpose of doctrine is toproduce the personification of truth.

“The sublimest truths are stillneeded to enforce the simplestresponsibilities. As the laws whichmould the stars and move the giganticorbs of Saturn and Uranus in theirtremendous circuits, shape thedewdrop that glistens at the end of ablade of grass, so should everything inthe Christian’s life be regulated by theprinciples which lie in the Person andCross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Toisolate Christian morality from Christiantheology is to rend asunder theteachings of the New Testament, as toits deepest and most vital elements.” -W.G.S.

“The knowledge of doctrine,essential as it is, gives no power. Onemight be very well up on the doctrine ofdeliverance, and know absolutelynothing of its practical reality. It is asour hearts are under the sway of thatgrace which is ministered to us throughour Lord Jesus Christ, and as we areknit to Him in affection, that we touchand taste a new life, and are severed inheart from all that constituted the life ofour old man. Thus the body of sin isannulled for our hearts, and we do nothenceforth serve sin.” -C.A.C.

“In the New Testament literature ofthe Church, creed and conduct arealways related. Doctrine and practice,

theology and morality, knowledge andaction are inseparably connected, beingrelated to one another as foundation tosuperstructure, as center tocircumference, as cause to effect.Some expound without applying, andsome endeavor to apply what has notbeen expounded, but the Apostlesalways do both. When revealed truth isdivorced from Christian living itbecomes an impotent abstraction.” -W.G.S.

“Being, then, made free from sin, yebecame the servants of righteousness”(Rom. 6:18).

11-11. Nature, Not Law“But now we are delivered from the

law” (Rom. 7:6a).The Christian life is not regulated by

Moses and the Law, but lived by “theSpirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Not rules,but nature.

“God gave His people Israel, anation living in the world, the law; oneof its purposes being to act as a curb orrestraint, a kind of bit and bridle on theirrebellious flesh. It had to be checked onthe one hand; it had to be pushed onthe other, so to speak. Thus it was thatthe law dealt with man’s flesh. But to goback to the law now is just the denial ofChristianity.

“Some good men who in grievouserror would impose the law as a rule oflife for the believer mean very well by it(for they strive to be pious); but thewhole principle is false. The law,

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instead of being a rule of life, isnecessarily a rule of death to one whohas a sin nature. Far from being adelivering power, it can only condemnsuch; far from being a means ofholiness, it is, in fact, and according toPaul, the ‘strength of sin’ (1 Cor.15:56).” -W.K.

“In man the law and the flesh alwaysgo together. The Cross was the end ofboth in the sight of God. The flesh wasjudged and condemned there; it wastreated as a dead thing before God-dead and buried. And the law whichdeals with the flesh we are dead to.

“We have passed out of both: weare not in the flesh, and are no longerunder the law. The flesh being that inus with which the law grapples, and theflesh being now by faith reckoned adead thing, there is no more for the lawto lay hold of. We pass out of itsprovince into another country andatmosphere-’hid with Christ in God’(Col. 3:3).”

“That we should serve in newness ofspirit and not in the oldness of theletter” (Rom. 7:6b).

11-12. Cross-less Church

“I determine not to know anythingamong you save Jesus Christ and Himcrucified “ (1 Cor. 2:2).

The harvest can be no better thanthe sowing and cultivating. The burdenover the need of others develops ourhunger of heart to be a “vessel untohonor, sanctified, and meet for the

Master’s use, and prepared unto everygood work” (2 Tim. 2:21).

“It is a universal law that everythingpossessing productive power bringsforth ‘after its kind.’ This is no less truein sharing. ‘Religious ministry may bepsychic, orthodox, heretical, social,humanitarian, educational, political, orspiritual. In each case it producesresults ‘after its kind.’ But are outward‘results’ (as such) the main objective ofevangelism? God forbid! By thoseinitiated in the art, ‘results’ of a kind canbe easily and cheaply produced. Butthe true end of evangelism is theestablishment of the Lord Jesus’sovereignty in hearts. This is the workof the Holy Spirit, and it cannot bemeasured by statistics.” -R.W.

“How much there is that is calledspiritual that is but flesh! How many ofthe Lord’s people are seeking to touchthe living God and fail to find Him andto satisfy their heart-hunger for truefellowship with Him. Theoretically webelieve in His presence, but we findonly a mere stirring of emotions. Weare told of the Spirit’s power, but wesee results produced by showmanship,oratory, and emotionalism. We arecounseled to depend upon the Spirit,but in practice dependence is really onhuman wisdom, ability, personality andprograms. We do not get through,behind all that is of man, to touch theliving God.” -A.H.

“‘Ten thousand tutors! Not manyfathers!’ How true it is today! Many

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teachers, but not many willing to suffer,and to bear others on their hearts, untilthey are borne through their babyhoodstage to maturity.”

“Preach the Gospel: not with wordsof wisdom, lest the Cross of Christ bemade of none effect” (1 Cor. 1:17).

11-13. Personal Repose“Come unto Me. . . and I will give

you rest” (Matt. 11:28).We rest in the One upon whom the

universe rests.“I find when I sit down with people

quietly to have a talk that they begin atonce to speak of the trials of the way.And after that, if I say, Suppose wechange the subject and talk of thethings of God-then I find that they cantalk of nothing but His mercies tothemselves, but it is all His temporalbenefits they talk of. And they go nohigher than this. How few can say, TheFather has shown me wonderful thingslately about the Lord Jesus Christ.” -J.B.S.

“‘In everything ye are enriched byHim’ (1 Cor. 1:5). The favor of theFather is given to us in His BelovedSon, and in everything we are enrichedin Him. If we are not happy it isbecause we have lost sight of the favorgiven us in the Lord Jesus. In ourfoolishness we turn to the world or lookinto our own hearts, instead of keepingour eyes upon the Lord Jesus, the risenand exalted Man in whom the Fatherhas given us His favor.” -C.A.C.

“The Lord Jesus Christ, as Man, hasglorified the Father on the earth. TheFather rests in that; as Man havingaccomplished redemption, He ‘haspassed into the heavens, now toappear in the presence of God for us.’ Itis the glorified Lord Jesus who givesabiding rest to our souls, and not whatour thoughts about ourselves may be.

“Faith never thinks about that whichis in ourselves as its ground of rest; itreceives, loves, and apprehends whatthe Father has revealed in His Word,and what are His thoughts about theLord Jesus, in whom is His rest.” -J.N.D.

“Take My yoke upon you. . . and yeshall find rest unto your souls” (Matt.11:29).

11-14. Response To Revelation“You were set free from the tyranny

of sin” (Rom. 6:18, Wey.).There is no use in forcing any

spiritual issue in our lives, nor inanyone else’s. When our Father has usprepared for progress through theknowledge of His facts, we will believe;we will reckon upon and rest in therequired truth.

“What is the secret of reckoning?We need revelation from the Word ofGod (Matt. 16:17; Eph. 1:17, 18). Weneed to have our eyes opened to thefact of our union with the Lord Jesus.Most of us can remember the day whenwe saw clearly that He died for us, andwe ought to be equally clear as to the

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time when we saw that we died withHim. It is not that I reckon myself to bedead, and therefore I will be dead. It isthat, because I died-therefore I reckonmyself to have died. It is not reckoningtoward death, but from death.

“There is no need talking aboutvictorious Christian living unless we arewilling to face the fact that as believerswe are out of our element here in thisworld. We are living in enemy territory.Believers may be in bondage becauseof deception or ignorance of the fullscope of their inheritance in the LordJesus, or because they have not,according to Romans 6:11, reckonedthemselves dead to sin and alive untoGod in Jesus Christ our Lord.” -F.J.H.

“Through grace ‘the old man’ wasnailed to the Cross and buried in thetomb; through faith the old man will bekept there. Continuously reckonyourself to be totally severed from allthat belongs to the old man and all thatpertains to the old sphere, and faith willeventuate into experience.” -R.P.

“The Sixth of Romans is not anaspect of truth, but the foundation truthupon which every believer must stand ifhe is to grow and mature in the ‘not I,but Christ’ life.”

“Let us hold fast the profession ofour faith without wavering” (Heb.10:23).

11-15. Contrasting Hearts

“The Lord is very pitiful, and oftender mercy” (James 5:11).

There are two hearts that we learn inthe process of suffering: our own sinfulheart, and our Father’s loving heart.

“There is a Divine mystery insuffering, a strange and supernaturalpower in it, which has never beenfathomed by human reason. Therenever has been known great saintlinessof soul which did not pass through greatsuffering. When the suffering soulreaches a calm sweet carelessness,when it can inwardly smile at its ownsuffering, and does not even ask theFather to deliver it from suffering, then ithas wrought its blessed ministry; thenpatience has its perfect work; then thecrucifixion begins to weave itself into acrown.” -T.W.

“There is no place for learning thetender sympathy of the Lord Jesus, andthe blessings of the Father’s love andpatience and care, as in the trials of thewilderness journey. True, we must firsthave reached by faith the Canaan towhich we have already come in theLord Jesus. Then we find that this worldis not the sphere in which the Fathercan bless us fully; but that there is noplace where our own heart is morethoroughly learned, and the heart of theLord Jesus, as in the wildernessjourney.” -F.G.P.

“‘Ye have forgotten the exhortationwhich speaketh unto you as untochildren; My son, despise not thou thechastening of the Lord, nor faint whenthou art rebuked of Him’ (Heb. 12:5). Iam not to despise the child-training, like

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a duck in the rain, indifferent to it,braving as it were everything; neitheram I to ‘faint when. . . rebuked of Him,’like a hen in the rain, which is amiserable object. I am neither to bemiserable nor indifferent, but thoughtfuland exercised.” -J.B.S.

“The Father of mercies, and the God of allcomfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).

11-16. Our Weakness-His Strength“He said to me, My spiritual strength

is sufficient, for it is only by means ofconscious weakness that power isdeveloped” (2 Cor. 12:9, Wms.).

Early in our Christian life the generalconception is that God is a wonderfulHelper. Later, as we experience failure,we come to know full well that ifanything is going to be accomplished inand through us, He must do it all.

“Everything you need in theChristian life, no matter what it may be,comes from the Father alone. You willsee more and more the utter futility oftrying to make yourself a keenChristian; that your best efforts are asfutile as your worst failures; that yourChristian life is to be a continual miraclethat the Father must work every minute;that the only thing you have to do is todepend utterly, and altogether, and allthe time on Him. You will see that whatyou need is not more effort ordetermination, but more of the Father; adeeper, more continual trust anddependence upon Him.” -D.T.

“For the discovery of our sinfulcondition and getting deliverance fromthe reign of sin, there is an experientialprocess in us. The doctrine is that wedied unto sin with Christ: that isRomans Six. But the resting on thetruth found there as a doctrine, isconnected with the experience found inRomans Seven; the result being inRomans Eight.

“Now this experience is the painfullearning that we have no strength tomake good what we would and what isright. There is a point in the experiencewhich often helped, but it is notdeliverance; that is, hating the evilwhich yet works in me. But after this Ifind what I hate too strong for me, and Iam brought to the consciousness of mybeing without strength-the point towhich the Father was leading me allalong.” -J.N.D.

“For when I am weak (in myself),then I am strong (in Him)” (2 Cor.12:10, Wey.).

11-17. Broken Bread“Jesus took bread, and blessed it,

and broke it, and gave it” (Matt. 26:26).The Lord Jesus is not going to

‘break’ anything in our lives that doesnot require breaking. But that of the oldwhich remains unbroken, which weseek to hold back from the processingof His nail-pierced hands, willcontinually leaven and spoil ourattempts to feed others.

“How often we have murmured

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under trial only to see later thepreparation of the Lord Jesus of ourhearts that we might be His ministers ofcomfort in an hour of need in the life ofanother (2 Cor. 1:4). Afflictions,therefore, many times are the advancetoken of the Father that we are beingprepared for a special ministry ofcomfort to others. This is a principleseen throughout the Word. All thatwould be used of the Father in thehands of the Lord Jesus to meet theneeds of the hungry-hearted must firstbe made a blessing by Him. Thisinvolves being broken in His hands.This process is necessary because ofour tendency to think more of workingfor the Lord Jesus than becoming achannel for the outflowing of heavenlybread to broken hearts on every side.” -H.R.

“Others come to us in their deepneed, and, with our hearts breaking, weare called upon to give out of ouremptiness and loss what we seem toneed ourselves. We are asked to ‘claimvictory’ for others in distress, when itseems that we are in greater distressthan they. Thus it was at Calvary! Hewho had loosed others from bondagewas given up, as it appeared, to the fullrage of the murderous enemy. He whohad done the mighty works of God forothers, lay in impotence and weaknessin the hands of men. Yes, this is theCross. Life, power, blessing,deliverance for others-and nothing forthyself, but to lie in the will of the

Father, and accept from His hand allthat He pleases to permit to come uponthee.”

“Come and let us return unto theLord; for He hath torn, and He will healus; He hath smitten, and He will bind usup” (Hosea 6:1).

11-18. Height Advantage“But now in Christ Jesus ye who

once were far off are made near by theBlood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).

To know the Lord Jesus is to loveHim; and to love Him is to insist onbeing with Him; to “press toward themark for the prize of the high calling ofGod in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

“Our growth is wrought out in ourlives down here; but it is formed upthere in fellowship with the Lord Jesus,where our affections and minds get intothe condition to be manifested downhere.” -J.N.D.

“Every blessing is now connectedwith the Lord Jesus at the right hand ofthe Father. ‘Hath blessed us with allspiritual blessings in heavenly places inChrist’ (Eph. 1:3). It is a great thing tohave the consciousness that we arebound up with Him there in heavenlyglory, and to know that we are with Himin that sphere of ascension toparticipate in all that constitutes His lifein that blessed circle of love and glorywhere He lives unto the Father. If weapprehend this we shall not bedeceived and intoxicated by what goeson upon the earth.” -C.A.C.

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“Most do not go beyond Hisresurrection; they do not extend to Hisascension. They do not know the LordJesus in glory. They are occupied withHim in relation to their own side. Hewas at my side and glorified the Fatherperfectly in His walk here, and in death;but He is now at His own side, and it isthere I intelligently realize the vastnessof my life in Him, for He is my life.

“His death, resurrection andascension translated the believer fromhis own side to His side, so that as Heis so are we in this world; andaccording as we are at full rest aboutourselves, we are occupied with Himwho has set us free for fellowship.” -J.B.S.

“Having therefore, brethren,boldness to enter into the Holiest by theBlood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19)

11-19. Blessed Sovereignty“He (the Father) hath chosen us in

Him (the Son) before the foundation ofthe world” (Eph. 1:4).

By His grace and mercy, our willbecomes the Father’s will when wechoose the Saviour. May it evercontinue!

“As the master musician knowsexactly how the symphonic renditionwill sound before its notes vibrate uponthe air, anticipating with accuracy everytone, cadence, and change of tempo,so God knows precisely what will occurand keeps it under control, thoughenacted by independent moral

agencies. It is because God knowswhat the reactions of such ‘freeagencies’ will be under any given set ofcircumstances, that He encompassesthe inner circle of ‘freedom’ with Hisouter circle of sovereignty.” -K.G.

“The will of man is guided by whathe knows and what he desires. Thedivine method of reaching the will is bygraciously increasing man’s knowledgeand by stimulating his desires, while onthe divine side of this method thereremains not the shadow of possiblefailure. The end is as certain as anyeternal reality in God. On the humanside, man is conscious of doing onlywhat he actually does: he chooses asan act of his own volition to receive thegrace God offers in Christ Jesus. Bypersuasion and enlightenment Godrealizes His purpose to the point ofinfinite completeness; yet no human willhas ever been coerced, nor will oneever be.” -L.S.C.

“God’s elective purposes are carriedout in such an incomprehensible waythrough the internal and externalinfluences of infinite love and wisdomthat man is at no time conscious of anyexternal compulsion, but only ofchoices and decisions in the exercise ofhis own free will. Knowledge of whatGod has accomplished by His own freewill comes later by the channel of theWord.” -K.G.

“Being predestined according to thepurpose of Him who worketh all thingsafter the counsel of His own will “ (Eph.

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1:11).

11-20. Heavenly Object

“Now are ye light in the Lord” (Eph.5:8a).

It takes us a long time to realize thatall is darkness outside the Light ofheaven and earth.

“The moment we begin to rest ourpeace on anything in ourselves, welose it. And this is why so many saintshave not settled peace. How can youhave settled peace? Only by having it inthe Father’s way. By not resting onanything, even the Spirit’s work within,but on what the Lord Jesus has doneentirely outside you.

“Then you will know peace-conscious unworthiness, but yet peace.In the Lord Jesus alone, the Fatherfinds that in which He rests; and so it iswith His saints. The more you see theextent and nature of the evil that iswithin, as well as that without andaround, the more you will find that whatthe Lord Jesus is and did, is the onlyground at all on which you can rest.”

“When the eye is turned away fromthe Lord Jesus, darkness must set in. Itis only as the eye is single that the bodyis full of light. And what is a single eyebut having Him for our Object? It is thusthat light divine pours in upon us, untilevery chamber of our moral beingbecomes lighted up, and we becomelight for others. In this way the believeris kept happily free from obscurity,perplexity, and anxiety. He finds all his

springs in the Lord Jesus.”“It is having the Lord Jesus as our

Object which alone gives us the powerof truth. When we have anything of ourown as an object, so far we slip aside,for the Lord Jesus alone is the full truth.It is only in proportion as we are filledwith Him, and have Him to theexclusion of our own evil, that weourselves walk in the truth. Let us haveour hearts fixed on any one thing orperson save the One who is our life,and evil results.” -W.K.

“Walk as children of light” (Eph.5:8b).

11-21. Association-Transformation“Looking away (from all that will

distract) to Jesus” (Heb. 12:2, Amp.).Since we are morally colored by the

human company we keep, whether highor low, think of the importance ofcontinually associating with the LordJesus on high, and having Him as thecenter of our love and interest (2 Cor.3:18).

“As babes in Christ we are left for aseason in the old surroundings,because the time is not yet ripe for usto know our high calling, and thediscipline needed for the heirs of God.The Father waits for His babes untilthey are weaned, and able to bear thedetaching from things necessary at first.

“Many chafe over the long years oftraining, they know not for what cause.The souls who are yet under ‘tutors and

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governors’ need sorely to learn how towait for the Father and rest in His will.Let us remember that circumstancesare planned by Him to fit us for thecalling He has in view for each of us, inthe economy of His purpose. Let uswait until we know His pattern for ourlife lest, in our impatience, we seek tothrow aside the very things permitted ofHim to fit us for some special service inHis vineyard.”

“Multitudes of believers are sick andtired of trying to be good. Paul rests ourfeet on the right path to goodness. Hehad learned from experience thatgoodness is not caught by pursuit butby association; not by struggling toobey laws and rules, but by living in theLord Jesus’ presence. By steadilylooking at Him, we are changed into Hislikeness.”

“Our Father will not deliver us frombondage unless we want Him to;therefore He must permit pressure tocome upon us in one way or another,so as to bring us to the point of askingHim to do for us what He has beenready and able to do all the time.”

“All things are yours. . . and ye areChrist’s and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor.3:21, 23).

11-22. Heaven-fostered Faith

“Faith cometh by hearing, andhearing by the Word of God” (Rom.10:17).

Walking in the Spirit, our faith isheavenly, spiritual; walking in the flesh,

our faith is earthly, carnal.“Is it the mind of the Father which

influences my faith and controls myactions, or is it the order of thingsaround me here? The latter is theworld. Faith overcomes the world. Theworld, in its influence on me, is the rivalof God’s Word, and many a one whoknows what faith is for the safety of hissoul, is nevertheless not safe from theworld.” -J.B.S.

“It is imperative that the believerknows his position in grace, becausegrace is the source of all spiritualsupply. ‘A man can take unto himselfnothing except it be given him fromheaven’ (John 3:27). Everything frombeginning to end of the Christian lifedepends upon a proper faith-apprehension of that which the Fatherhas bestowed upon him with and in Hisown Son in glory.” -J.C.M.

“Most growing believers rightlymaintain that all must come from therisen Lord; but instead of taking theiractual position of being dwellers inheaven, and coming from there toearth, they only look up to heaven forhelp as to their walk on earth; and theirfaith and labors are always influencedand dictated by the condition and orderof things on earth; and instead ofseeking the mind of the Lord as learnedin heaven, they are occupied with theblessing of man on earth.” -J.B.S.

“Very little abiding growth and fruitcan be known by the believer until he

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accepts the fact of identification (Rom.6:6), and to it responds by an attitude offaith (Rom. 6:11), thus yielding himselfto the Holy Spirit for the life of the LordJesus to be manifested in and throughhim (Rom. 6:13).” -G.W.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”(2 Cor. 5:7).

11-23. Triumphant Trials“Humble yourselves. . . under the

mighty hand of God, that He may exaltyou in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

Face it! Trials and suffering are theheart of growth.

“It is the Cross of the Lord Jesusthat makes what is naturally bittersweet to us. It is the ‘fellowship of Hissufferings’; and the knowledge ofsuffering with Him, what can it notsweeten? We are sharing Hisexperience who gives us therein torealize that wonderful path in whichdivine love led Him for our sakes. Wehave the reality of His sympathy withus. We have fellowship with Himself insuch a way as we could not else enjoy,for nothing brings hearts together likesharing a common lot of toil andsorrow.” -F.W.G.

“Faith is rooted in the Father’s greatFacts. Affliction, adversities, sufferings,sorrows, temptations, trials, doubts,disappointments roll in upon us. Howcan we go on in peace and patiencewith such things in our life? Are they notenough to overwhelm us? No, not iffaith spreads itself out over them and

sends its roots down into the rich soil ofour Father’s great eternal Facts.” -R.P.

“May you retire into the secret ofyour heart and wait on the Father, andthink that His heart is so relieved ofeverything about you, that He sees youaccording to the Son at His right hand.Amidst all the confusion and contrarietyof this scene I know how my Fatherfeels about me.” -J.B.S.

“If I am abiding in my risen Lord, itwill show itself. I shall not be afraid ofchanges around me. I shall live not inapathy and listlessness, but in theexercise of lively affections andenergies toward my Lord. Another greatevidence of my abiding in Him, isquietness. I have my portion in Himabove, and I walk on.” -J.N.D.

“Casting all your care upon Him; forHe careth for you” (1 Pet 5:7).

11-24. Progress Via Process“As the hart panteth after the water

brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee,O God” (Ps. 42:1).

The believer in the midst ofprocessing, is progressing.

“If spiritual thirst is the language ofyour heart, there is great blessing instore for you. When believers are beingturned upside-down and inside-out theyare apt to be much discouraged, and tohave their souls ‘disquieted’ withinthem. But even amid the exercise theFather would give us theencouragement of knowing that He has

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taken us up to bring us intoinconceivable blessing.

“We must travel through theseprocessings, for the simple reason thatif the Lord Jesus is to be everything, theold man must be nothing, and it is oftentimes a long journey to reach this pointin the history of the soul. Hence thelong, dreary, and painful years of ‘self-occupation’ through which mostbelievers drag their slow steps ofspiritual progress.” -C.A.C.

“The old man may not alwaysappear deceitful and hateful; on thecontrary, it may be cultured, refined,and religious. Whatever its behaviour, itis still changeless flesh, unimprovable,incorrigible, and incurable. Thereremains, then, no remedy but thatwhich the Father has provided-condemnation, crucifixion, death withthe Lord Jesus.” -G.M.

“He remaineth; and He leads us intoexperiences of desolation here in orderthat we may not only see how little weknow Him as the source of all joy, but inorder that we may turn to Him and findnot only relief, but full resources inHimself. It is only in solitude that wecome to realize this.” -J.B.S.

Right down to Romans 7:24 - “Oh,wretched man that I am! Who shalldeliver me from the body of this death?”

11-25. Verdant Vineyard“My speech and my preaching were

not with enticing words of man’swisdom” (1 Cor. 2:4).

There is human, soulish power andpersuasion that can produce“decisions,” and “commitments”; butonly the Holy Spirit has the life andpower to bring a lost sinner to healthyre-birth in the Saviour.

“That which is produced by thepreaching of the Gospel in man’sstrength is unsound. Men may besaved through hearing the Word of Godthat it contains but, unless they getpurer light later, their dependence forlife and service will be primarily uponhuman strength, and not upon ‘thepower and demonstration of the Spirit.’Paul (in spite of the Corinthians’demand for it) refused to permit anyhuman wisdom to enter into his ministryfor that reason-because he wantedpurely spiritual fruit: converts who haveseen the power of the Spirit and expectto know it in their lives and service. Herejected the popular reasoning: ‘It islegitimate to use any means that willbring souls to Christ.’ He very definitelyconsidered it was not legitimate to doso.” -A.H.

“When Joseph of Arimathea put agrave into his garden in which He whowent to the Cross was to be buried, hevery soon had a resurrection there.When the old man is buried in the graveof our hearts, we will also share theresurrection life and fruitful activity ofour risen Lord.” -J.E.C.

“You may be fruitful wherever youare. All of us can be fruitful. Do notgrieve the Spirit, and the first thing He

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will do will be to fill your heart with love,joy, and peace; and when the innercondition is right, then the outercondition will be right. ‘Herein is MyFather glorified’-that ‘ye are the meansof converting souls’? No; but that ‘yebear much fruit.’ Leave the birth of thesouls to the Father, and if you arefruitful He will do it through you.” -A.M.

“That your faith should not stand inthe wisdom of men, but in the power ofGod” (1 Cor. 2:5).

11-26. No Recycling!

“If any man be in Christ, he is a newcreation; old things are passed away;behold, all things are become new” (2Cor. 5:17).

The old life is neither to be recyclednor reformed. We are all-new creationsin the all-new Man, Christ Jesus.

“The illustration of a man drafted forthe army, and finding a substitute tostand in his stead is not the Gospel.The Gospel is that you were under thejudgment of death, and that the LordJesus has borne that judgment. It is notthat you should keep the man who wasunder judgment, but that you should becompletely severed from him in yourdeath on the Cross.” -J.B.S.

“We could not be saved by Him, andkeep the life on account of which Hedied. Here there is great confusionamong believers. If there were trueapprehension of the work of the LordJesus on the Cross-that He so bore thejudgment on man that all the man who

had offended against God has beenjudicially removed to His infinitesatisfaction, and that He who saved usfrom death is now our Life-there wouldbe a wonderful testimony to the graceof God.”

“The Reformers failed because theydid not see that as faith alone couldsave, and place man outside himself inthe Lord Jesus, he must not return tothat which through grace has beencrucified. In not seeing this, theReformers left the door open for thesystem and ritualism which have grownup since in the church; and hence thesimple and only effectual way of dealingwith either is, at the start, to refuse anyplace to the old man except crucifixion.”-J.B.S.

“The Lord Jesus is the answer, butthe Cross is needed to clear the way forHim.”

“For the law of the Spirit of life inChrist Jesus hath made me free fromthe law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).

11-27. Personalization“He that glorieth, let him glory in the

Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31).There should be a progression in

one’s faith from objective facts aboutthe Lord Jesus to personal fellowshipwith Him.

“It is sad to see the Lord’s people,even many who pass for spiritual, whohave very little concern about the LordJesus Himself. They can talk much

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about His work, but show very clearlythat the Person of the Lord Jesus hasnever really won their hearts. Theycould not truly say, ‘Yes, He isaltogether lovely.’ They are interestedin His work because that is for them-there is the selfish element in it. But tofind in the Lord Jesus Christ what theFather saw in Him when He said, ‘Thisis My Beloved Son in whom is all mydelight,’ this place in the purposes ofthe Father all too few seem to havefound.”

“It is a proof of immense favor fromthe Father if in our heart’s estimationthe Lord Jesus is ‘fairer than thechildren of men.’ It is easy to singhymns, and to use the most preciousexpressions in Scripture in asentimental way, but it is another thingfor our hearts really to find rest andsatisfaction in the moral perfections ofthe Lord Jesus.” -C.A.C.

“The Lord Jesus Christ is the onlyobject for faith, the only One thatsatisfies us, as indeed He is theFather’s object; and if we have got butone mind with the Father about Him,our fellowship is with the Father andwith His Son Jesus Christ.” -W.K.

“If you are walking in the Spirit, theLord Jesus is the Object before you;when you are walking in the flesh,yourself is your object.” -W.K.

“Truly our fellowship is with theFather, and with His Son, Jesus Christ”(1 John 1:3).

11-28. Travail“Feed the flock of God which is

among you. . . being examples to theflock” (1 Pet. 5:2, 3).

It is one thing to teach, but quiteanother to cultivate, nurture, and bringto maturity. “There are ten thousandtutors,” but “not many fathers.” Notmany who are willing to know theconformity to death which brings thetravail for souls, in fellowship with Himwho travailed on the Cross for us.

“We must not expect to win healthysouls or lead them on into spiritualmaturity without long travail. If itbecomes Him for whom are all thingsand by whom are all things, in bringingmany sons to glory, to make theCaptain of their salvation perfectthrough sufferings, who are we that weshould expect easily to bring manysons to glory? ‘My little children, ofwhom I travail in birth again until Christbe formed in you,’ that is what we mustexpect. And when this travail comes wemust go through with it, not try toescape it.” -C.A.C.

“Probably friendship is second onlyto prayer in its importance in soul-winning. With sincerity to offer one’sfriendship to another is an almostcertain way to gain an opportunity tospeak an effective word for the Lord.But can one introduce two people toeach other if one is a friend of onlyone? How can we introduce someoneto the Lord Jesus if we know only Him,

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but not the poor lost sinner?“The life with the most favorable

beginning will come to maturity thesoonest. Let us aim at well-born souls.Let us seek to do more careful sowing,so as to send babes in Christ into theworld handicapped as little as possibleat the beginning. Moreover, let usremember that our own level oft-timesdetermines the level of those we lead tothe Saviour.”

“Nourished up in the words of faithand of good doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6).

11-29. Harvest Conditions“The God of all grace, who hath

called us unto His eternal glory byChrist Jesus, after ye have sufferedawhile, make you mature, establish,strengthen, settle you” (1 Pet. 5:10).

The type of plow employed hasmuch to do with the resultant harvest.The primitive stick-plow places quite alimitation upon what will be harvested-ifanything. But if the Husbandman’s plowis cutting deep into our lives, we canexpect a rich harvest. As SamuelRutherford said, “Why should I start atthe plow of my Lord, that maketh deepfurrows on my soul? He purposeth acrop!”

“‘Doth he that ploweth to sow plowcontinually? Doth he continually openand harrow his ground?’ (Isa. 28:24).No, of course not! It is a job that has gotto be done-the breaking up, the turningover, the exposing to the elements, theharrowing. The Lord is speaking to His

faithful people who are feeling that theyare under the plow; furrows are beingcut deep into their souls; they are beingturned up and turned over, laid bare,exposed, broken, harrowed. The Fathersays, even to faithful people, ‘This isnecessary, we are looking ahead to aharvest, to real values; this is anessential aspect of the work. But. . .take comfort-this is not going onforever.’“

“No matter what we may encounterin this life, we who belong to the LordJesus have this definite knowledge-ourFather will use it all in love as aninstrument in the carrying out of theglorious purpose to which He hasdestined us. If that purpose is to bewrought by delivering us from a trial, Hewill do so. But if it is to be accomplishedby means of the trial, He, in His perfectlove, will not free us from it butstrengthen us to go through it and bevictorious over it.” -A.M.

“Humble yourselves, therefore,under the mighty hand of God, that Hemay exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

11-30. Light Living“Ye were once darkness, but now

are ye light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8).It takes a long time for us to realize

that we have been in the light abovesince we first saw the Light below.

“Let the realization of the soul becompared to the condition of mengroping about in the dense, dark fog;still we know that it is clear daylight

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above the fog, and all we want is to gethigh enough. Now, the fact is, we arerisen with Him. Then may we set ouraffection on the things above where theLord Jesus sits at the right hand of theFather; and though the secret power isunseen, faith in Him will lift our spiritinto the clear light where He is.” -H.F.W.

“The first question is, where thebeliever walks; the next, how he walks.Is he in the golden palace, the Holiestof All, where the full blaze of the divinelight shines, or is he still outside thepalace and walking in the darkness ofthe world? The believer’s walk mayoften be faulty as he grows, but he is inthe light.” -H.F.W.

“Here it is that the child of God is towalk: ‘If we walk in the light as He is inthe light.’ How he walks is a question tobe settled after it is determined wherehe walks. And walking in the light,fellowship follows, not as an attainment,but as a consequence.”

“We are never called outside thecamp till we are inside the veil. Wehave title to our home in the Father’spresence; we are to come forth fromthat abiding place and let the worldknow that we are strangers to it.” -J.G.B.

“As a Christian I am now in Himbefore the Father, as He is in me beforemen; and the Holy Spirit has beengiven as enablement to enjoy theprivileges above and to make good the

responsibilities below.”“Giving thanks unto the Father, who

hath made us fit to be partakers of theinheritance of the saints in light” (Col.1:12).

11-31. Personal Preparation“I count all things but loss for the

excellency of the knowledge of ChristJesus, my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

Truth is acquired in fellowship withHis Word; truth is shared in fellowshipwith His heart.

“It is feared that when we speak ofbeing here for Christ it is often thethought of our service or conduct that isprominent, and therefore it is well to bereminded that there is something overwhich the Lord Jesus is moreconcerned than He is over our conductor our service. It is that ‘garden closed,’that ‘spring shut up,’ that ‘fountainsealed,’ from which all others butHimself are excluded-the hidden springof those affections which alone satisfyHis heart, or render conduct andservice acceptable to Him.” -C.A.C.

“All our trials in service only serve tolead us to know the Father, as we couldnot know Him otherwise, as ‘the Fatherof mercies, and the God of allconsolation’ (2 Cor. 1:3). It is in thisschool that we acquire the ability tocomfort others; so that our personalaffliction or personal comfort work untothe same end, even the profit of others-for we are their servants for Jesus’sake.” -J.L.H.

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“A preparedness is necessary forthe Christian soldier who hears hisLord’s words. We have to learn thathuman energy cannot cross rivers ofdeath, or break down walls of thisworld’s strongholds; and if we bearoused to follow the Lord, it must be inHis own way. Impulse is not faith.Going forward in the mere strength ofhumanity-acquired knowledge of God’struth-is not being led of the Spirit. TheFather would not have His people act inthe excitement of freshly-gainedknowledge, and well would it often be, ifinstead of pushing on in the impulse ofnewly-acquired truth, there were first atarrying, as it were, three days, todigest it, to make it, by the power ofGod’s Spirit, thoroughly part of the newman.” -H.F.W.

“Seek those things which are above, whereChrist sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col.3:1).

Number 12We trust that, by the Father’s grace,

and the Spirit’s ministry, the None Butthe Hungry Heart devotionals haveenabled you to rest in the Son. Number12 completes the first series, and isbeing followed by the None But theHungry Heart-Advanced.

What a wonderful day ofemancipation when youcome to the end of yourown deadly doings and findyourself shut up to the Lord

Jesus and His rest in glory!Whereas you had criedfrom your heart, “Oh that Ihad wings like a dove! forthen would fly away, andbe at rest,” you now findyour rest is near at hand,nearer than breathing,closer than hands and feet.You find your all in the LordJesus Christ, and there youare. The boat of your lifewhich, with all your toilingand rowing, had beenbrought no nearer itshaven of rest, hasimmediately arrived at theland. In His gloriouspresence with its fulness ofjoy there is no absence, nodistance, no departure, noseparation.” -L.E.M.

“For this cause also thank we Godwithout ceasing because, when yereceived the Word of God which yeheard of us, ye received it, not as theword of men but as it is in truth, theWord of God, which effectually workethalso in you that believe” (1 Thess.2:13).

Miles J. Stanford; November 1987

12-1. From First To Last Adam

“For it is a good thing that the heartbe established with grace” (Heb. 13:9).

Thorough and intelligentestablishment in the principle of grace

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concerning one’s justification (re-birth)is the necessary footing for relianceupon the same principle for one’ssanctification (growth). Unless theformer is well settled, the latter will bebadly unsettled.

“When the Lord Jesus has once diedand risen, He is through with sinforever. He is now living in the eternallight of His Father’s face. He is ourAdam, our life. We died in Him. Wewere raised in Him. Through our deathwith Him at Calvary we have escapedforever from the old Adam life. Ourfeelings have nothing to do with it. Itwas all accomplished at the Cross.

“We dare not deny God’s Word. Hesays we died with Christ. We can crytriumphantly, when we know: ‘I diedunto sin with the Lord Jesus on theCross, two thousand years ago! Ireckon myself what the Father says Iam in His Son-dead unto sin and aliveunto God. Sin has no claim on me inthe Lord Jesus, and cannot havedominion over me, as I yield myself tomy Father in this wonderful newrevelation of yielding myself to God, asone who is alive from the dead’ (Rom.6:13). Thus will we begin to find howtrue and how tremendous is thedeliverance that is in the Lord Jesus forus. And thus alone will we really honorthe grace of God.” -W.R.N.

“There is no way to a full abidingfellowship with our Father, but throughthe rent veil of the flesh; through a lifewith the old man crucified in the Lord

Jesus. God be praised that the HolySpirit ever dwells in us to keep the oldman in the place of crucifixion andcondemnation, and to give usprogressive liberty from all the old.” -A.M.

“As we have borne the image of theearthy, we shall also bear the image ofthe heavenly” (1 Cor. 15:49).

12-2. All-essential Spirit

“Ye are not in the flesh but in theSpirit” (Rom. 8:9).

It requires more faith concerning theSpirit than concerning the Son.

“The believer, having received ‘theSpirit of life in Christ Jesus,’ comesunder the influence of the ‘law’ of thatSpirit (Rom. 8:2). The operatingprinciple of ‘the Spirit of life in ChristJesus’ ever works in the direction ofprofound self-judgment, and of theconsciousness that we have in the LordJesus not only righteousness, but adivine Source of satisfaction andstrength.

“This ‘law’ operates not to give asense of claim (law), but of divine gift(grace) and resource and support. Andthus it makes the one in whom itoperates free from ‘the law of sin anddeath.’ It gives the consciousness thatdivine goodness is an unfailingresource for our hearts, and that all thetreasures of that goodness are storedup in Christ Jesus, that we may learnthem there, and find the life of ourspirits in the growing knowledge of

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Him.” -C.A.C.“‘The law of the Spirit of life in Christ

Jesus’ made me ‘free from the law ofsin and death’-not ‘the life,’ but ‘theSpirit of life,’-not our effort, but divinestrength; not self-occupation, butoccupation with Him in whom we arebefore the Father, and in whom thedivine favor rests upon us full andconstant, because on Him it rests.” -F.W.G.

“‘The law of the Spirit of life in ChristJesus hath made me free from the lawof sin and death’ (Rom. 8:2). There isthe substitution of the power of theSpirit for the power of a right will andhuman effort, the substitution thereforeof occupation with the glorified LordJesus Christ for occupation withspiritual growth; for then and thus aloneis growth obtained.” -F.W.G.

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall notfulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

12-3. The Joy Of Faith

“Whom having not seen, ye love; inwhom, though now ye see Him not, yetbelieving, ye rejoice with joyunspeakable and full of glory” (1 Pet.1:8).

Although both faith and joy areincluded in ‘the fruit of the Spirit,’ joycan only flourish upon the foundation offaith. When faith is present and active,favorable circumstances are notnecessary for joy; trials and tribulationscannot daunt it.

“There are some Christians whoseem to be afraid of enjoying all therays of the Son of Righteousness. Theyare afraid of being too happy. Perhapssome of us have not really consideredthat ‘joy’ is itself a part of that fruit bywhich the Father is glorified. There isnothing to be gained by despondency.Doubts are not marks of humility;unbelief is really evidence of pride. Andthere is no cloud that so effectivelyshuts out the glad sunshine of ourgracious Father’s face as the thickcloud of unbelief.” -E.H.

“Although as to His circumstancesthe Lord Jesus was the Man of Sorrowsand acquainted with grief, yet He had ajoy always before His eyes. But wenever find Him rejoicing in anything butthe will of His Father. ‘I delight to doThy will’ was His true testimony. Somay we ‘rejoice in the Lord’ though allis dark around, with the joy of faith thatsees the unseen and looks beyond thepresent and temporal to the eternal.” -G.G.

“The Old Testament believer had joyfor God’s gifts to him. God’s powermade things here contribute to him. Butthe Christian’s joy is in heaven andsprings from what the Father is to himthere. He demands nothing from thisworld, but in the life of the Lord Jesushe contributes to it, of the grace thatnourishes and comforts him outside it.”-J.B.S.

“Blessed are the people that knowthe joyful sound; they shall walk, O

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Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. Inthy Name shall they rejoice all the day”(Ps. 89:15, 16).

12-4. Quiet!

“The work of righteousness shall bepeace; and the effect of righteousness,quietness and assurance forever” (Isa.32:17).

The triune God is in His elementwithin a quiet, resting assured spirit.

“Just as a sinner is taught to rest inthe Lord Jesus’ shed Blood for hisforgiveness, so must the saint rest inthe Lord Jesus for his deliverance fromthe power of sin and the grip of the law-yes, and from himself, also. Thereforewe should not be in bondage to sin, ‘forhe that hath died (and that is everyonewho is in the Lord Jesus) is justified (orreleased) from (the power of) sin’ (Rom.6:7); and we are now under grace,which does not demand righteousnessof us, for the Lord Jesus was madeunto us righteousness andsanctification and redemption (1 Cor.1:30).

“The believer truly walking in theliberty wherewith Christ hath set himfree (Gal. 5:1), has Him ever before hiseye of faith; delighting that because ofHim he is in the Father’s favor. Heevermore learns to abhor himself as hesees the sinfulness of the old manwithin, only to delight himself the morein the Lord Jesus who is his life.” -W.R.N.

“It is only too possible for us to

harbor feelings of resentment evenagainst the Father Himself; and whatinner turmoil results from such anattitude. Until we deliberately enter thestillness of the acceptance of His will,we live in chaos. Once we lay aside ourrebellion in the tomb, and place ourconfidence in our Father, and in Hislove for us in the Son, we are obeyingthe command, ‘Be still,’ and we gain anunderstanding of the God ofdeliverance we could gain in no otherway. Then we shall be in position tohelp others.”

“Their strength is to sit still” (Isa.30:7).

12-5. Pioneering“An instrument for honorable uses,

consecrated, useful for the Master, andready for any good service” (2 Tim.2:21, Wms.).

To be a leader one must be adependent one, a led one; one who is“looking away (from all that woulddistract) to Jesus, who is the Leaderand the Source of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

“One of the greatest needs in theChurch today is for authoritative,spiritual, and sacrificial leadership.Authoritative, because people love tobe led by one who knows where he isgoing and who inspires theirconfidence. Spiritual, because aleadership which is carnal andexplainable in terms of the natural, be itever so competent, can result in sterilityand spiritual bankruptcy. Sacrificial,

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because its source is the life of Onewho gave Himself a sacrifice, andstated that the path of leadership wasby the lonely road of sacrificial service.”-O.S.

“The standard and measure ofspiritual leaders has to be ahead ofothers, and as human nature generallylikes not to be disturbed, but wouldseek the easy way, the pioneer is oftena bit too much for people. His is not theeasy way, and because the wholenature of man is either downward or toa quiet and happy snugness, the leaderis not always popular. The pioneer istherefore not always appreciated, butoften very much otherwise. He is quitecontrary to this mediocre gravitation. Apart of the price of leadership isloneliness.” -T. A-S.

“Paul could say, ‘I am glad to spendand to be spent for your sakes,notwithstanding the more earnestly Ilove you the less I be loved’; not, I willhelp you as long as you love me.People hurt you; you are notappreciated? Well, so be it! Spend andbe spent the more!”

The servant of the Lord must notstrive, but be gentle unto all men, apt toteach, patient” (2 Tim. 2:24)

12-6. Sustained

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, andHe shall sustain thee” (Ps. 55:22).

Our Father’s living waters flow bothin summer and winter (Zech. 14:8). Heprovides the barrenness of winter in

order to cut us off from every othersupply, and teach us to draw from Hisever-flowing water of life.

“The Father passes us through allthe seasons here; and the winter, themost trying one, is the most helpful, ifwe are really cast on Him in it. Then thereal measure of our dependence onHim is ascertained, and also the extentof our resources in Him; and we makeacquisitions in Him which we nevermake at any other time. All our growthand fruit depend on our winters, orrather on how we pass through them.

“The more we can rest in Him themore we are independent of everythingoutside of Him at such a time, the morevigor we really possess; and the betterwe get over the winter, be it ever sosevere. If I am independent of thewinter, it is evident that I have masteredit, and not it me; and if I have done so,through the strength of the Lord Jesus,I am relieved though in no human way.Peter is delivered from prison in asuperhuman way; but first he, thoughenduring a very trying winter, could layhim down and sleep-take his rest,because the Lord sustained him.” -J.B.S.

“It is a wonderful thing to be sosatisfied with the Lord Jesus’ company,that we can be tranquil abouteverything. I remember when I used tothink that I should be happy beyondconception if I were able to say, ‘I willfear no evil; my heart is fixed, trusting inthe Lord.’ In order to reach this, you

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must find Him enough, without anythingelse. You can never prove the worth ofanyone, until you are absolutelydependent upon him.” -J.B.S.

“I laid down and slept; I awaked; forthe Lord sustained me” (Ps. 3:5).

12-7. Safely In

“You are made partakers of Hisresurrection, through the faith wroughtin you by God, who raised Him from thedead” (Col 2:12, Cony.).

All true believers are gratefullyaware that they are not going to hell,but few realize that they are already inheaven.

“There is no question about therebeing a beautiful new position for thebeliever, but people limit it to its beingtheirs when they die. Scripture showsthat it is ours now! People say, ‘You getto heaven when you die.’ No suchthing. You have it now. It is not yourdeath that entitles you to it, but the LordJesus’ death. There is not a singleshade that was between us and theFather, but the Lord Jesus hasremoved in His death.” -J.B.S.

“The great work of the Lord Jesuswas wrought on the Cross to bring us tothe Father; His death and His Blood,His ascension and sitting on theThrone; all mean one thing-our beingbrought nigh to dwell in the Father’spresence. And with what object? Thatthe Father may have us, to mature us,to work in us that which is well-pleasingin His sight. Let no one think that the

entrance into the Holiest is the end; it isonly the beginning. It brings us into theright position, in which the Father in Hisdivine power can work out His will andpurpose in us-conforming us to theimage of His Son.” -A.M.

“The Lord Jesus stood where I was,and now I stand where He is, and thatis the only place I have before myFather. We may fail and grieve the HolySpirit, but that is where we are set.” -J.N.D.

“If there be progress upward theremust be progress in life and ways downhere; you cannot see the need for achange in your ways here until you aretransformed by the influence ofnearness to Him there. You thusgradually find things here are notsuitable for the order and nature of thethings which are so attractive to therenewed heart up there.” -J.B.S.

“Your life is hidden with Christ inGod” (Col. 3:3).

12-8. Avoid Ambush“I find therefore the law of my nature

to be that when I desire to do what isright, evil is lying in ambush for me”(Rom. 7.21, Wey.).

Struggle in yourself, and be trapped;rest in Him, and be free!

“Many Christians keep themselvesin a perpetual foment through hopingthey will get into a situation where theycan enjoy a better (and easier)Christian life. They feel enclosed in a

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net of circumstances from which theycannot escape. They are so weariedand baffled and beaten by thecontinous pressure about them thatthey wish and itch for things to bedifferent, quite sure that if they wereonly different Christ would be more real.It has not dawned upon them that at theheart of these very circumstances theyare to find the Lord Jesus, find Hisgrace sufficient, find the life moreabundant.” -L.E.M.

“You might be secretly attempting tocorrect and improve yourself, andsuffering a good deal of privatevexation and disappointment onaccount of the futility of your struggles.It was at a moment when I was utterlydiscouraged, and ready to give up thewhole thing in complete despair, thatthe Father showed me how I wasattempting to work upon the oldmaterial which He could only condemn,and had, and that my disgust anddespair as to myself were only a feebleecho of His.

“My Father was not looking for anygood in me, and had the Lord JesusChrist before Him, the perfect andinfinitely acceptable Object of His heart.And I, in my nothingness, had ceasedto look for good in myself, and begantasting the deep joy of being in Christ,and free to have Him as my Object;while as to life, I entered in somedegree into the blessedness of knowingthat it was ‘not I, but Christ liveth inme.’“ -C.A.C.

“For to me to live is Christ “ (Phil1:21).

12-9. Reliant Rest“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently

for Him” (Ps. 37:7).Those who rest in Him are often

accused of passivity. But the LordJesus, who is our life, never was, norever is, passive.

“Do you suppose that the Fatherever doubts the victory that has beenwon by His beloved Son? Do youbelieve that He has a single cloud as tothe result? And faith looks at things asthe Father looks at them. That is thesecret of all strength and courage.

“Why has the Father given us Hisrevealed Word? That we may think thesame thoughts, have the same feelings,in our measure, as Himself. There isnot a thought or feeling that arises fromthe old man that is not false. But wehave new life capable of receiving anddelighting in the very thoughts of ourFather.” -J.C.B.

“How am I to know what is theFather’s mind towards me? Is it byjudging of it from what I find in myself?Surely not! Supposing that I even foundgood in myself, if I expected the Fatherto look at me on that account, would itbe grace? There may be a measure oftruth in this kind of reasoning; for, ifthere be life in my soul, fruit will beapparent; but this is not to give mepeace any more than the evil that is inme is to hinder my having peace.” -

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J.N.D.“The Lord Jesus ‘has passed into

the heavens, now to appear in thepresence of the Father for us.’ It is theLord Jesus who gives abiding rest toour souls, and not what our thoughtsabout ourselves may be. Faith neverthinks about that which is in ourselvesas its ground of rest; it receives, loves,and apprehends what the Father hasrevealed, and what are His thoughtsabout the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom isHis rest.” -J.N.D.

“Let us labor, therefore, to enter intothat rest” (Heb. 4:11).

12-10. Spiritual Prosperity“That you may be filled with a clear

knowledge of His will accompanied bythorough wisdom and discernment inspiritual things” (Col. 1:9, Wey.).

Service does not come first; neitherdoes life! The proper sequence for thebeliever is death to the old, from whichemerges newness of life and fruitfulservice.

“It is a sad thing when serviceinterferes with soul-prosperity. It ispossible to be so engrossed withservice that one’s meditations arecolored by it, one’s prayers are full of it,and the Word of God becomes simply aquarry out of which material forsermons can be dug up. This is aserious loss to the soul and many arethereby hindered from making spiritualprogress.

“Very often new believers who havenot even peace with God areencouraged to take up service, andthey become so occupied with whatthey are doing that they are not atleisure to learn or to take their place inthe favor of the Father. Hence, so longas the service prospers, and they geton pretty well with it, they are happy.The service is their life! But when thereis no success, and the whole thingseems to be a failure, their joycollapses. They have to discover howlittle they have really got, and in manycases to find that they are perfectstrangers to the liberty and joy ofacceptance.” -C.A.C.

“There must be a profound andgenuine experience of Divine things; acultivation of the highest possibilities ofgodliness if the witness is to be reallyeffective and fruitful. There must be aman behind the message-a saintbehind the service. There must be thenameless effectiveness that comesfrom true fellowship with the Father.” -A.T.P.

“So that your lives may be worthy ofthe Lord and perfectly pleasing to Himwhile you manifest the results of rightaction of every sort and grow into afuller knowledge of God” (Col 1:10,Wey.).

12-11. High-born“Let us draw near with a true heart in

full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22).The darkness of this place will in

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time turn us to the light of His face-”thelight of the knowledge of the glory ofGod in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor.4:6).

“When the believer has a realunderstanding that he belongs to thatnew place in glory, the Holy Spiritdelights his heart with the things of thatplace. ‘Set your affection on thingsabove.’ I used to pity those who arealone in the world. I pity no one nowwho has a room where he can findhimself isolated from everyone, to bewith the Lord Jesus where He is; wherehe can have his feathers oiled, to comeout and face all the roughness here.” -J.B.S.

“May the Lord lead us into theshelter of His holy presence, that wemay daily grow in the elevation to whichHe has raised us, and consequentlyinto moral distance from the old manwhich is so entirely estranged from thelight and perfection of the Father’spresence.”

“If I am risen with the Lord Jesus, Imust occupy myself with Him where Heis, or I shall fall back to the things out ofwhich He has risen; and the very factthat I am in the scene where He is notmakes it the more necessary that Ishould be fellowshipping with Himwhere He is.”

“We are conversant with man indeath and sin and distance from theFather, for that is our state by nature;but to know the Man in glory, One in

acceptance with the Father accordingto all His moral greatness, is new to usand magnificent. And according as weknow Him there we become not onlysuperior to, but distanced from, our ownstate with which we are associated.” -J.B.S.

“For. . . your life is hidden with Christin God” (Col. 3:3).

12-12. Law-Grace-Kingdom

“Study to show thyself approvedunto God, a workman that needeth notto be ashamed” (2 Tim. 2:15a).

“There is an entirely baselesssentiment abroad which assumes thatevery teaching of the Lord Jesus mustbe binding upon the believer during thisage simply because He said it. The factis forgotton that He, while living under,keeping, and applying the Law ofMoses, also taught the principles of Hisfuture earthly kingdom, and, at the endof His ministry and in relation to HisCross, He also anticipated theteachings of grace. If this threefolddivision of His teachings is notrecognized and maintained, there canbe nothing but confusion of mind andconsequent contradiction of truth.” -L.S.C.

“Because the thing is in the Bibledoes not warrant the conclusion that itis God’s will for the Christian. We mustseek rightly to divide the Word of truth.What was formerly right for the Jews isfor us nothing but the elements of theworld. These forms pointed to a reality

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that is now come; the Body is of Christ.The blessed position of a Christian is,that he has died even to the best thingsof the world, religious and otherwise,and he is alive to the highest things inthe presence of the Father; for the LordJesus Christ is his life, in whom he ishidden (Col. 3:3).” -W.K.

“The Gospels are complex almostbeyond any other portion of Scripture,since they are a composite of theteachings of the law, of grace, and ofthe coming kingdom.” -L.S.C.

“We realize our privileges andpossessions in the Lord Jesus by faith;we enjoy them by the Spirit.”

“Rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Tim. 2:15b)

12-13. Combat Soldiers“Thou, therefore, endure hardness,

as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2Tim. 2:3).

What if there were conscientiousobjectors in the Lord’s army? Actually,our Lord does not have anynoncombatant soldiers whatsoever inHis service, since the battle lineextends from the front all the way to therear; to say nothing of the fact that weare all camped in enemy territory.

“Luther, speaking to the youngpreachers of his day, said: ‘I did notlearn to preach Christ all at once. Thedevil has been my best professor ofexegetical and experiential theology.Before that great schoolmaster took me

in hand, I was an unweaned child, not agrown man. It was my combats with sinand with Satan that made me a trueminister of the New Testament. It isalways a great grace to me, and to mypeople, for me to be able to say tothem: “I know this text is true! I know itfor certain to be true!” Withoutincessant combat, and pain, and sweat,and blood, no ignorant stripling of astudent ever yet became an effectivepreacher.’“

“Every bit of truth we receive, if wereceive it in faith, will take us intoconflict and will be established throughconflict. It will be worthless until therehas been this process. Take anyposition the Lord calls you to take, and,if you are taking it with Him, you aregoing through things in it, and there willbe an element added by reason of thepressure. You have taken a position,yes; but you have not really received asyet, the true value of it has not yet beenestablished. You have not come intothe real significance of the truth untilthere has been some sore conflict inrelation to it.” -T. A-S.

“I bear willing witness that I owemore to the fire, and the hammer, andthe file, than to anything else in myLord’s workshop. When my schoolroomis darkened, I see most.” -C.H.S.

“We also exult in our sufferings,knowing as we do, that sufferingproduces fortitude; fortitude, ripeness ofcharacter” (Rom. 5:3, Wey.).

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12-14. Faith’s Fortitude“Therefore will the Lord wait, that He

may be gracious unto you” (Isa. 30:18).Waiting upon the Father is not a

matter of longsuffering, but of expectantfaith-quiet, restful, confidentdependence upon One who is fullytrusted. Often the God of circumstancesmust teach this waiting by placing us insituations that offer no other alternative.

“When the testing comes, does ourfaith prove true? Does our confidencein the Father become shaken and ourhope prove uncertain? When the cloudshave gathered and the thunder rollsand the lightning stabs the darknessand the roar of the storm is in our ears,can we keep our eyes and thoughts offthe tempest and continue in the quietand peace of the Father’s presence?

“When the enemy of right and wronghas thrown down the gauntlet and istrampling ruthlessly upon that whichaffects the honor of our Lord, and whenhe seems about to bring ruin upon thatwhich our Father has purposed, can werefrain from rushing in to strive withhim, and wait for Him ‘in quietness andconfidence,’ with a true sense both ofour weakness and of His faithfulnessand strength? When we have no wordfrom the Lord except to wait andeverything seems to be at a standstill,does the certainty of hope remainundimmed?” -A.H.

“When you are in faith you will findthat the Lord Jesus does not remove

the pressure from off you until you areasleep in it, until you are able to take itquietly. You learn His grace first, andthen His mercy.”

“Faith possesses all things, andhope stretches on to the fulness of thepossession, yet in no restless mood, forpatience sits by the side of hope in thebeliever’s soul, and teaches him to waitfor the glory of his Father. ‘If we hopefor that we see not, then do we withpatience wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:25).” -H.F.W.

“I waited patiently for the Lord, andHe inclined unto me” (Ps. 40:11)

12-15. Personal Attention“Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:3a).One’s growth is gauged by one’s

gaze.“The first impression on my heart

when converted was, ‘Enoch walkedwith God.’ That was my start. Now then,I said, I will walk with God. Beautiful asfar as it went; but I very soon found, asLuther said to Philip Melancthon, Youwill find old Melancthon stronger thanyoung Philip!

“I came to my wit’s end, for I wantedto find whence to draw so as to live itout. You are unable to live out ofresources in yourself-you must not actas though your life is separate; the LordJesus must be the fountain. It is all verywell to get the heavenly side of truth;but let me remind you that this alone

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will not do, for nothing will compensatefor lack of walking in fellowship with theFather and the Son.” -G.V.W.

“It is one thing to drop off orrenounce certain things, and quiteanother to be engrossed with the rightthing. Monks renounce much, but theyare not engrossed with the Lord JesusChrist. It must be not only ‘forgettingthose things which are behind,’ but alsoreaching out unto the things that areabove. It is that which you give yourselfto, not what you have abandoned, thatcolors you and which imparts characterto you.” -J.B.S.

“Look at the Lord Jesus firmly andfixedly, never letting your gaze wanderelsewhere; and whatever temporalobjects come between you and yourLord, look right through them, asthrough a mist, and fix your eyes andheart upon Him and Him alone.Whatever condition you find yourself in,do not let either earth or heaven hideHim.” -J.H.

“Who hath blessed us with all spiritualblessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph.1:3b).

12-16. Unwarranted Disappointment“Oh, wretched man that I am!” (Rom.

7:24).The result of, and penalty for,

reliance upon the flesh, is RomansSeven. The result of, and reward for,dependence upon the Holy Spirit, isRomans Eight.

“Self-disappointment is a verydifferent thing from self-judgment.Indeed, if there were true self-judgmentthere would never have to be self-disappointment. If in honesty andsobriety of heart I have judged ‘that inme, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth nogood thing,’ I shall certainly not expectanything from myself, and it has beenwell said that where there is noexpectation there can be nodisappointment.

“But I feel sure that many youngbelievers, and I dare say some old onestoo, are very familiar with the wretchedand depressing experience of self-disappointment. They have made manyfresh starts; they have often beenstirred up, and have made up theirminds to be more for Christ; they havethought, ‘I shall do better now; I ammore earnest about it than I wasbefore’; but it has all ended indisappointment.

“They have no idea that they aretrying to improve themselves; theywould repudiate such a thought; theysuppose that they know better than tolook for good in themselves. And yettheir disappointment is the plain proofthat, in spite of all their knowledge ofScripture, they have expected to makethemselves different, for they aredisappointed because they have notsucceeded in doing so.” -C.A.C.

“The soul that turns back upon itselfto learn God’s judgment about it, andwhat His dealings with it are likely to be,

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is not leaning upon what the Father is-isnot standing in grace. Neither our joynor our peace is dependent on what weare to Him, but on what He is to us-andthis is grace.” -J.N.D.

“My soul wait thou only upon God;for my expectation is from Him” (Ps.62:5).

12-17. Be, To Do“The Spirit of truth takes of what is

Mine and will make it known to you”(John 16:15, Wey.).

Fruitful service results from growth,not works. All sharing must bemotivated and governed by life: “theSpirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2).

“The Holy Spirit came to reproducethe Lord Jesus in the lives of men andwomen. The Church is that or it isnothing; the teaching relates to that, orit has no meaning. Any movement ofthe Spirit is in that direction, or we haveentirely misunderstood. He came toconform us to the image of the Son;everything has to be tested by that.

“All our activities and efforts andenergies and expenditures; all oursacrifices, our movements and ourteaching: everything that has become apart of ‘Christianity’ has to be measuredby the one rule-is it resulting in thereproduction of the Lord Jesus Christ inthe lives of men and women, so that itis demonstrated from heaven that He isas truly here in this world now as everHe was in history?” -T. A-S.

“It is a mistake to measure spiritualmaturity merely by the presence ofgifts. They may be present and theymay be valuable, but the Spirit’s objectis something far greater-to form theLord Jesus Christ in us through thework of the Cross. It is not merely that aman does certain things or speakscertain words, but that he is a certainkind of man. In the long run it is whatwe are, and not simply what we say ordo-and the difference lies in theformation of the Lord Jesus within.”

“The Father first uses the activetalents of His servants; then Hepolishes the other side of the stone,making the passive graces shine-patience, meekness, etc.”

“My little children, of whom I travailin birth again until Christ be formed inyou” (Gal. 4:19).

12-18. Attitude“I heard, as it were, the voice of a

great multitude. . . saying, Hallelujah!For the Lord God omnipotentRElGNETH” (Rev. 19:6).

Once we become aware that oursovereign Father is reigning and is infull control, our faith becomes a setattitude and we are able to honor Himby resting in His faithfulness under allcircumstances.

“Joseph gives a wonderful exampleof a man who does not know what Godis doing and yet who by faithcooperates with Him at every step ofthe way. At each phase of his

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experience, even when perhaps he wasmost bewildered, Joseph gave God thecooperation which He requires for thefulfilment of His purpose. Thisrelationship can only come by faith. Itdoes not necessarily entail anunderstanding of the procedure ofthings, but it certainly cannot be givenunless we are absolutely convinced ofthe Father’s supreme control over all.

“The man who imagines that thingshave got out of the Father’s hands, thatthey are not working out as Heintended, or that Satan or his agentsare really in control, is the man who isnot in a position to give the Father therequired cooperation in it all. This isunbelief. And unbelief is the greatesthindrance we can offer to the Father’sworking. This cooperation is a matter ofheart-attitude, of spirit, and means thatwe go quietly on, cheerfully andfaithfully glorifying the Father where weare, not fretting or praying to be movedsomewhere else.” -T. A-S.

“The strength of the vessel can bedemonstrated only by the hurricane,and the power of the Gospel can befully shown only when the believer issubjected to some fiery trial. If theFather would make manifest the factthat ‘He giveth songs in the night,’ Hemust first make it night.” -W.T.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and givehonor to Him” (Rev. 19:7).

12-19. Touch Not!“I, through the law, am dead to the

law” (Gal. 2:19).The law will not touch us if we do not

touch it.“We were born in the first Adam. He

was responsible before God to stand inrighteousness. He failed. We wereresponsible in him and we failed. Wesinned in Adam (Rom. 5:12, 19). Whatdid God do about it? He gathered us upinto the Last Adam, and we died in Him.God allowed His holy law to condemnus utterly and the law, seeking to slayus, found us in Christ on the Cross andset upon us and slew us.” -W.R.N.

“‘Law hath dominion over a man aslong as he liveth’ (Rom. 7:1), but whenit has cursed him and killed him the lawhas no more to say to him; and we ‘arebecome dead to the law by the body ofChrist’ (Rom. 7:4), for we have diedjudicially with Christ on the Cross. Thenew life which we have in Him comes tous from Him in heaven, the risen andglorified Man before the Father.” -H.F.W.

“There prevails a notion that theLord Jesus was keeping the law for usand establishing our righteousnesswhen He was here below. Now His lifewas necessary to vidicate the Fatherand His holy law, as well as to manifestHimself and His love; but therighteousness that we are made inChrist is another thought altogether-notthe law fulfilled by Him, but thejustifying righteousness of the Fatherfounded on the Lord Jesus’ death,

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displayed in His resurrection, andcrowned by His glory in heaven.” -W.K.

“The Ten Commandments requireno life of prayer, no Christian service,no evangelism, no missionary outreach,no Gospel preaching, no life and walkin the Spirit, no union with the LordJesus, no fellowship of saints, no hopeof salvation, and no hope of heaven.” -L.S.C.

“Now we are delivered from the law”(Rom. 7:6).

12-20. Ex-prodigals

“Father, I have sinned againstheaven, and in thy sight, and am nomore worthy” (Lk. 15:21a).

From prodigals, our Father hasmade us possessors. “Giving thanksunto the Father, which hath made usmeet to be partakers of the inheritanceof the saints in light” (Col. 1:12).

“If I, once a lost prodigal, want toknow the measure of my acceptancewith the Father, He alone defines it forme. It is only as I know what the LordJesus is to the Father in glory that I canin any degree truly estimate my ownacceptance in Him: Had He my sins laidon Him? How is He now accepted? Foras He is now accepted, so am l; andtherefore it is the Gospel of the glory ofthe Lord Jesus Christ. Try for your ownacceptance, and it will always be adubious and imperfect thing. Get tounderstand His acceptance, and yoursoul will be enlarged into all the fulnessand blessedness not only of His, but of

your own, because you are ‘in Him.’“ -J.B.S.

“Many are looking to find some goodin themselves, and in most caseswithout being conscious that they aredoing so. Effort, disappointment, self-reproaches, and self-occupation, makeup the weary round of their lives, withnow and then, perhaps, a gleam ofspiritual happiness. No man’s heart willever be gladdened by the joy of divineacceptance until he has learned thatthere is not a single bit about him, as aman in the flesh, that does not deservethe judgment of God.” -C.A.C.

“It is a wonderful moment when byfaith we appropriate and occupy ourposition in the favor of the Father-whenwe know that we are received by Him inall the acceptance of His Son. We donot then think of ourselves, or ourunworthiness, at all. We think of theLord Jesus-His perfections, Hissuitability to divine favor, His infiniteacceptance with the Father-and by faithwe have access into the favor of whichHe is so worthy.” -C.A.C.

“But the Father said to his servants,Bring forth the best robe” (Lk. 15:22a).

12-21. Dual Gift“To him that worketh not, but

believeth on Him that justifieth theungodly, his faith is counted forrighteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

When our testimony concerning Hisgift of freedom from the power of sin isas valid as our testimony to His gift of

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freedom from the penalty of sin, we willhave matured. So long as there is onlythe first half, we are but babes, albeitfull-grown.

“The Lord Jesus, you know, makestwo offers to everyone. He offers to setus free from the penalty of our sin. AndHe offers to set us free from the powerof our sin. Both of these offers aremade on exactly the same terms: wecan accept them only by letting Him doit all. Every believer has accepted thefirst offer. Many have not accepted thesecond offer. They mistakenly think thatthey must have some part inovercoming the power of their sin; thattheir efforts, their will, theirdetermination, strengthened and helpedby the Holy Spirit, is the way of victory.”-C.T.

“All the powers of Deity whichalready wrought together in theaccomplishment of the first part of theeternal purpose, the revealing of theFather’s likeness in the man ChristJesus, are equally engaged toacomplish the second part, and workthat likeness in each of the Father’schildren.” -A.M.

“Like Christ: the longer we meditateon that word, the more we realize howimpossible it is without the other: InChrist. The outward likeness can onlybe the manifestation of a living, inwardunion. To do the same work as the LordJesus, I must have the same life. Themore earnestly I take Him for myexample, the more I am driven to Him

as my Head, my Life. Only an inner lifeessentially like His, can lead us to avisible walk like His.” -A.M.

“As ye have, therefore, receivedChrist Jesus the Lord, so walk ye inHim” (Col. 2:6).

12-22. Peaceful Knowledge

“I have been crucified with Christ”(Gal. 2:20).

The difference between stultifyingcarnality and growing spirituality is thebeliever’s realization that he the sinner,as well as his sin, were taken down intodeath. Seeing one’s identification in theLord Jesus’ death, burial, resurrectionand ascension is the necessaryfoundation for spiritual growth tomaturity.

“How often do we find believersplunged into the very depths of distressand darkness as to their spiritualcondition and prospects! So many donot as yet see the application of thedeath of the Lord Jesus to their oldman. They do not realize the glorioustruth that in that death they weredelivered from this present evil world,from the dominion of sin and the law,and from the power of the enemy.

“All believers see that the Blood ofthe Lord Jesus screens them from thejudgment of God; but most do not asyet see that they are ‘dead unto sin’ inthe Lord Jesus; that their ‘old man wascrucified with Christ’; that not only havetheir sins been put upon Him at theCross, but they themselves, as sinful

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children of Adam, have been personallyidentified with Him in His death untosin; that God pronounces them deadand risen with Him. But if thisfoundational truth is not apprehendedby faith, there is no bright, happy,emancipating sense of full andeverlasting salvation.” -C.H.M.

“We are to hold by faith the positionwhich the Father has given us in therisen Lord Jesus, and abide therein,occupied with the interests of ourFather and not our own. Taking thoughtof ourselves is a divergence from theplace of faith.”

“We enter the heavens in order to bequalified for earth; we do not begin onearth, to reach the heavens. Oursimplest earthly responsibilities requireus to be conversant with the ‘thingsabove.’“

“If any man be in Christ, he is a newcreation; old things are passed away;behold, all things are become new” (2Cor. 5:17).

12-23. Personal Privilege“This is My beloved Son, in whom I

am well pleased” (Matt. 17:5).All the Father accomplished on our

behalf is that we might have all He hasin His beloved Son. “For in Himdwelleth all the fullness of the Godheadbodily” (Col. 2:9).

“Of all the marvels of the Father’sgrace, none is more marvelous than thefact of His bringing men into fellowship

with Himself. That He should interestHimself in the concerns of our dailylives, is wonderful indeed; that Heshould give us glory in heaven abovethe angels is a wonder deeper still; butthat He should call us to like thoughts,feelings, and to common objects withHimself is beyond conception.” -H.F.W.

“It is by occupation with, andcontemplating the Lord Jesus Christ,that we are brought, by the enablementof the Holy Spirit, into fellowship withour Father; enabled to enter into Hisown thoughts concerning, and even toshare His own affections for, thatblessed One who is now seated at Hisown right hand.” -E.D.

“There is a marked distinctionbetween the Father’s actings in oldtimes and since the day of Pentecost.He had revealed Himself to man inman’s circumstances till that day; sincethen He has been requiring man tocome into His circumstances. Thewhole testimony of the Father now is towhat the Lord Jesus is in heaven.” -G.V.W.

“We only touch the positiveblessings of Christianity as we reachthe Lord Jesus Christ in glory. One mayhave a measure of relief and theassurance of eternal security becausewe trust the shed Blood and Hisfinished work on the Cross, but whenwe come to divine favor and the realityof the Christian life, that is all connectedwith a Person, and inseparable fromthat Person.” -C.A.C.

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“When they had lifted up their eyes,they saw no man, except Jesus only”(Matt. 17:8).

12-24. Only Jesus

“Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be theman that trusteth in man, and makethflesh his arm” (Jer. 17:5).

Sooner or later the believer goesthrough a period of disillusionment andbitterness because of what heencounters in the lives of otherChristians-leaders included. The HolySpirit uses this revelation, along withwhat He exposes in his own heart, toteach him to abide in the Lord Jesus;safe from the sin of others, as well ashis own.

“It is a part of our spiritual educationto discover the fallibility of those inwhom we trust. The experience can bea very painful one, but it is mostnecessary for us to find out thateveryone else but the Lord Jesus is afailure. Sometimes He seems to takepains to bring them to notice. He neverhid the failures of his disciples from thepeople, for he wants it clearlyunderstood that we must place our trustin Him alone. Some Christians getoffended with Him when they find thatothers on whom they relied are not,after all, perfect.” -H.F.

“Our Father will allow us to prove thevanity and folly of all creature-confidences, human hopes, and earthlyexpectations. And on the other hand,He will prove to us, in the most touching

and forcible manner, the truth andblessedness of His own Word: ‘Theyshall not be ashamed that wait for Me.’“-C.H.M.

“You will never be transformed bycontinually looking at your ownshortcomings, never! Nor will you everbe transformed by looking at theweaknesses of your fellow Christians.You will only be conformed bycontinually looking upon the glory of theLord Jesus; for they who live lookingand beholding, though they know it not,are ‘being changed from glory to gloryby the Spirit of the Lord.’“ -E.I.

“To give the light of the knowledgeof the glory of God in the face of JesusChrist” (2 Cor. 4:6).

12-25. Tranquil Trust“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,

and lean not unto thine ownunderstanding” (Prov. 3:5).

Restful trust is developed not somuch by what the Lord Jesus does forus, but by who He is to us-and thatnecessitates fellowship.

“It is a wonderful thing to be sosatisfied with the Lord Jesus’ company,that we can be tranquil abouteverything. You will often find that it isthe one of the most anxioustemperament who finds most in Him,when such an one begins to know Him.I remember when I used to think that Ishould be happy beyond conception if Iwere able to say, ‘I will fear no evil,’ ‘myheart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.’ In

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order to reach this, you must find Himenough, without anything else. We allsay that He is enough, but it is quite adifferent thing to know it practically. Youcan never prove the worth of anyone,until you are absolutely dependent onhim.” -J.B.S.

“What do you need? Ask yourFather about it. Instead of harassingyour mind about it, present it to Him;and it is not said that He will necessarilygive you what you ask, but He givesyou His peace. You put your cares intoHis heart, and He will put His peaceinto yours.”

“Our Father’s purpose is an ‘eternalpurpose,’ from eternity, embracing aneternity to come. He does not shapeHis thoughts according ascircumstances arise, but thecircumstances are controlled by Histhoughts and plans. How blessed toknow that He is absolute Master in allthings; that even ‘He maketh the wrathof man to praise Him, and theremainder of wrath He restrains.’ It isthe only thing that can give the smallestcomfort in the midst of such a scene ofconfusion all around us.” -F.W.G.

“Be anxious for nothing, but ineverything, by prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving, let your requests bemade known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

12-26. Cross Continuity“That I may know Him. . . being

made conformable unto His death”(Phil. 3:10).

The wondrous depths of the finishedwork of the Cross will always beadequate to deal with the terribledepths of the unfinished work of the oldman. As we glory in the Cross, the fleshis denied.

“When we have apprehended ourdeath-position with the Lord Jesus(Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20, etc.), we mayhave failed to see the on-goingconformity to His death (2 Cor. 4:11;Phil 3:10, etc.). The absence of thisbrings the anomaly of the Cross beingpreached with little or no marks of theCalvary spirit.

“This is the problem of teaching the‘identification’ truths without theconsequent conformity of death whichbrings forth life. We may rely upon thefact that we ‘died’ with the Lord Jesus,and assume that it is entirely wrought inus at once, not realizing that ‘thefellowship of His sufferings’ follows theapprehension of identification. That‘delivery unto death’ must becomedeeper and deeper, until the ‘conformityto His death’ in the path of the Crossbecomes a very real characteristic ofthe life.”

“We are not to think that our exaltedposition in the Lord Jesus, seated withHim in heavenly places, frees us fromthe need of further application of theCross. We never reach a point wherewe can leave the Cross. We areinvincible, more than conquerorsthrough Him who loved us, only as weare brought into ever deeper conformity

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to the Lord Jesus’ death unto sin.Otherwise the flesh reinstates itself andwe once more fall prey to the old man’sreign. There are always remaining,however much we have advanced,hidden strongholds of the old manwhich must be rendered inoperative bythe finished work of the Cross.” -F.J.H.

“Let him deny himself, and take uphis Cross daily” (Lk. 9:23).

12-27. Conditional Strength“My grace is sufficient for thee: for

My strength is made perfect inweakness” (2 Cor. 12:9a).

Whereas most feel that personalweakness is the great hindrance to asound Christian life, the real tragedy isthe astonishing strength of the old man.The Cross for our cursed strength; theLord Jesus for our blessed weakness.

“Let no one imagine that he can beeffectively used in the Lord’s service, oreven make progress in the Christianlife, without some measure of realentrance into the valuable principle:‘When I am weak, then am I strong’ (2Cor. 12:10). It is absolutely essential informing the character of the trueservant of the Lord Jesus. Where it isnot known and felt, there is sure to beunsubduedness, unbrokenness, andself-occupation in some form or other.On the other hand, where one has beenbrought into this principle, there willalways be a measure of brokenness,softness, and tenderness of spirit; andnot only so, but also largeness of heart,

and that lovely tendency to rise abovethose petty, selfish considerations,which so sadly hinder the work of God.

“All of His servants in the Wordstand before us as vivid illustrations ofthe value and necessity of brokenmaterial. All had to be broken in orderto be made whole-to be emptied inorder to be filled-to learn that, ofthemselves, they could do nothing, inorder to be ready, in the Lord Jesus’strength, for anything and everything.” -C.H.M.

“Our Father’s spiritual goal for hisown is neither continuous straitness norcontinuous poverty. For these are neverthe end; they are only the means to Hisend. Straitness is the pathway toexpansion; poverty is the pathway toabundance.”

“Most gladly, therefore, will I ratherglory in my infirmities, that the power ofChrist may rest upon me” (2 Cor.12:9b).

12-28. Unique Identity“If any man be in Chrisl, he is a new

creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).All the “religions” of Christendom are

mainly Judaistic, and the present-dayChurch is not far behind.

“The teachings of the kingdom (asillustrated in the Sermon on the Mount)have not yet been applied to any man.Since they anticipate the binding ofSatan, a purified earth, the restorationof Israel, and the personal reign of the

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King, they cannot be applied until God’sappointed time when theseaccompanying conditions on the earthhave been brought to pass.

“The kingdom laws will beaddressed to Israel and beyond them toall nations which will enter the kingdom.It will be the first and only universalreign of righteousness and peace in thehistory of the world. One nation was inview when the Law of Moses was inforce on the earth; the individual is inview during this age of grace; and thewhole social structure of mankind willbe in view when the kingdom isestablished on earth.

“Christianity is totally opposed toJudaism, and any mixture of the twomust result in the loss of all that is vitalin the present plan of salvation. Onemade its appeal to the limited resourcesof the natural man and conditioned hislife on the earth; the other sets asidethe natural man, secures a whole newcreation in Christ Jesus, and counselsthat new being in his pilgrim journey tohis heavenly home.

“The Jewish nation is the center ofall things related to the earth. TheChurch is foreign to the earth andrelated to it only as a witnessingpeople. They are strangers andpilgrims, ambassadors whosecitizenship is in heaven.” -L.S.C.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek(Gentile). . . for ye are all one (newcreation) in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

12-29. Blessed Lameness“My grace is sufficient for thee; for

My strength is made perfect in (your)weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Our greatest liability: self-confidence. Our greatest asset: Christ-confidence. It usually takes years todiscover one’s misplaced confidence.The flesh will fail us every time, andunder all conditions. The Lord Jesusnever fails us under any conditions.

“When the Lord Jesus was on theCross there were no mighty deeds tobe seen, yet Calvary did more for theworld than all the great deeds inGalilee. We think too much of thegreatness, and too little of the death-fellowship with our Lord. The ‘mightydeeds’ may mean the ‘greater works,’but death-fellowship means ‘much fruit.’You might toil all your life, and only doso much, even with the wonderfuldeeds; but if you are willing to die withHim there will be effortlessmultiplication. There is no limit to thefruit that comes out of death.”

“An increasing number of the Lord’speople are seeking to enjoy the powerof the Lord Jesus’ life by accepting thefact of their union in His death asexpressed by Paul, ‘That I may knowHim, and the power of his resurrection,and the fellowship of His sufferings,becoming conformed unto His death’(Phil. 3:10). We died with Him, but mostof us are not being conformed to Hisdeath and hence are not like Him in

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life.” -L.L.L.“There is no escape from the Cross,

if believers would know the ‘power ofHis resurrection.’ This crafty, defiant,defensive ‘I’ must be held in the placeof death by the Spirit if there is to betrue fruitfulness. In the measure thatone dies to the old, in the samemeasure does one experience life inthe New.”

“Then shall the lame man leap as anhart. . . for in the wilderness shallwaters break out, and streams in thedesert” (Isa 35:6).

12-30. Christ-filled

“He (the Holy Spirit) shall glorify Me(the Lord Jesus)” (John 16:14).

The Spirit’s ministry within is thedisplacement of the old man, and theemplacement of the New Man.

“The Father works to will, and He isready to work to do, but, alas! manyChristians misunderstand this. Theythink because they have the will it isenough, and that now they are able todo. This is not so. The new will is apermanent gift, an attribute of the newlife in Christ. The power to carry out thiswill is not a permanent gift, but must beeach moment received from the HolySpirit. It is the one who is conscious ofhis own utter powerlessness, as abeliever, who will learn that by the Spiritalone he can live the Christian life.” -A.M.

“Our manner of speaking may often

mislead us. We would say, The work ofthe Spirit is to save souls. Yes, but why-just to save them? No; in order that theLord Jesus may have His place. Thosesouls are to be ‘residences’ of the LordJesus. The Spirit may instruct believersand build them up-for what purpose?Just that they should be matureChristians? Not at all; but so that theLord Jesus shall have a larger place.

“No matter what the Spirit does, Hehas one all-inclusive object and end-theglorifying of the Lord Jesus Christ: thatis, the giving of Him His place, and thenfilling all things with Him. Do not think ofthe ‘being filled with the Spirit,’ or the‘fulness of the Spirit,’ in any other waythan this. The Holy Spirit’s filling isintended to be a filling of all things withthe Lord Jesus Christ.” -T. A-S.

“How we have degraded the HolySpirit into a mere power by which wehave to do our work! Oh, that the Spiritmight be held in honor as the One to fillus with the very life of our Lord JesusChrist!” -A.M.

“Unto the measure of the stature ofthe fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

12-31. There’s More!

“Let us go on past the elementarystage in the teachings and doctrine ofChrist” (Heb. 6:1a, Amp.).

The milk of the Word is necessaryfor the immature years. But in order tocarry out His purpose in our lives, ourFather brings in needs that call for morethan milk-we become hungry for the

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meat of the word, and are therebystrengthened and matured.

“‘When I see the Blood, I will passover you’ (Ex. 12:13). The Bloodshelters from the Judge, but there is norest there. In this state, the believer islike a man in a lifeboat: he is rescued,but still in the place where the dangeris; he would like to get to shore. He issafe, but not clear of the power of theenemy, not clear of Pharaoh and theEgyptians. That is really where mostChristians are today.” -J.B.S.

“There are vast numbers whoprofess to believe in the atoning virtueof the death of the Lord Jesus, but whodo not see aught therein beyond theforgiveness of their sins. They do not asyet see the crucifixion, death, and burialof the sinner-the entire displacement ofthe old system of things belonging totheir first-Adam position; in a word, theirperfect identification with their risen andascended Lord.” -C.H.M.

“With Israel, after its deliverancefrom Egypt, there were two stages. Theone, this life in the wilderness, with itswanderings and its wants, its unbeliefand its murmurings. The other, the landof promise, with rest instead of desertwanderings, and with abundanceinstead of want-symbols of the twostages of the Christian life. The one inwhich we only know the Lord Jesus asSaviour from Egypt, in His work on theCross for atonement and pardon. Theother, where He is known andwelcomed as our Life in heaven; Who,

in the power of that endless life, leadsus to find our home in the Holiest of ourFather’s presence.” -A.M.

“. . . advancing steadily toward thecompleteness and perfection that belong tospiritual maturity” (Heb. 6:1b, Amp.).