Morning, June 27 Go To Evening Reading
“Only ye shall not go very far away.”
—Exodus 8:28
This is a crafty word from the lip of the arch-tyrant Pharaoh. If the poor bondaged Israelites must go out of Egypt, he bargains with them that it shall not be very far away; not too far for them to escape the terror of his arms and the observation of his spies. In the same fashion, the world loves not the nonnonconformity nonnonconformityr the dissidence of dissent; it would have us be more charitable and not carry matters with too severe a hand. Death to the world, and burial with Christ, are experiences that carnal minds treat with ridicule. Hence, the ordinance sets them forth is almost universally neglected and even condemned. Worldly wisdom recommends the path of compromise and talks of “moderation.” According to this carnal policy, purity is admitted to be desirable, but we are warned against being too precise; the truth is, of course, to be followed, but the error is not to be severely denounced. “Yes,” says the world, “be spiritually minded by all means, but do not deny yourself a little gay society, an occasional ball, and a Christmas visit to a theatre. What’s the good of crying down a thing when it is so fashionable, and everybody does it?” Many professors yield to this cunning advice, to their own eternal ruin. If we follow the Lord wholly, we must go right away into the wilderness of separation and leave the Egypt of the carnal world behind us. We must leave its maxims, pleasures, and religion too, and go far away to the place where the Lord calls his sanctified ones. Our house cannot be too far from the flames when the town is on fire. When the plague is abroad, a man cannot be far from its haunts. The further from a viper, the better, and the further from worldly conformity, the better. Let the trumpet call be sounded to all true believers, “Come ye out from among them, be ye separate.”
Go To Morning Reading Evening, June 27
“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”
—1 Corinthians 7:20
Some persons have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming ministers, missionaries, or Bible women. Alas! How many would be shut out from any opportunity of magnifying the Most High if this were the case? Beloved, it is not an office; it is earnestness; it is not a position; it is grace that will enable us to glorify God. God is most surely glorified in that cobbler’s stall, where the godly worker, as he plies the awl, sings of the Saviour’s love, aye, glorified far more than in many a prebendal stall where official religiousness performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is promoted by the poor unlearned carter as he drives his horse and blesses his God or speaks to his fellow laborer by the roadside, as much as by the famous divine who, throughout the country, like Boanerges, is thundering out the gospel. God is glorified by our serving him in our proper vocations. Take care, dear reader, that you do not forsake the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not feel too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the gospel to the noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labor connected either with the most daring deeds of faith or with persons whose lives have been illustrious for holiness. Therefore be not discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position or your work, abide in that unless you are sure he calls you to something else. Let your first care be to glorify God to the utmost of your power where you are. Fill your present sphere to his praise; if he needs you in another, he will show it to you. This evening lay aside vexatious ambition and embrace peaceful content.
Spurgeon, C. H. Morning and Evening: Daily Readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1896. Print.
June 27: The Truth about Truth
Nehemiah 12:1–13:31; 2 John 1–6; Psalm 115:1–18
John the Evangelist’s letter to the “elect lady” presents a picture of joy and hope, as he “rejoiced greatly to find some of [her] children walking in truth, just as we were commanded by the father” (2 John 4). One word keeps reappearing in John’s letter, focusing on his message: truth. John says he loves the elect lady and her children “in truth” (2 John 1). He says that all who know the truth also love them. His reason is simple: “the truth … resides in us and will be with us forever” (2 John 2). When John speaks of truth, he’s referring to Jesus (John 14:6).
After his initial greeting, John goes on to express his wishes: May “Grace, mercy, [and] peace … be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love” (2 John 3). In acknowledging the source of truth, John believes his connection to it. All believers live in fact because they are linked to God, who is the Truth. He is the source for all they do (that is godly), all they are (that is holy), and all that they will become (that is virtuous).
In a few brief statements, John teaches us an important lesson: God is the source of all the goodness in the world. If we’re to discuss truth, then we must talk about Him. Even in acknowledging others, we must acknowledge Him.
The elect lady that John addresses is not only truthful—she also leads others to the truth. When we act to encourage someone to work toward who they’re meant to be, we need to follow her example. We need to first lead them to the truth: God.
What is God teaching you about truth? How can you live it?
John D. Barry
Barry, John D., and Rebecca Kruyswijk. Connect the Testaments: A One-Year Daily Devotional with Bible Reading Plan. Print. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.
June 27
The overshadowing personal deliverance
I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 1:8.
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally—“Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey.” That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are a matter of indifference; we have to sit loosely to all these things; if we do not, there will be panic and heartbreak, and distress. That is the inwardness of the overshadowing of personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on Jesus Christ’s errands, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, ‘Do not be bothered with whether you are being justly dealt with or not.’ To look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will begin to grouse and indulge in the discontent of self-pity—‘Why should I be treated like this?’ If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we meet, whether it is just or unjust. Jesus says—‘Go steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.’ The most devout among us become atheistic in this connection; we do not believe in God; we enthrone common sense and tack the name of God onto it. We lean to our own understanding instead of trusting God with all our hearts.
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year. Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering, 1986. Print.
June 27
Be perfect, be of good comfort
2 Cor. 13:11
A glance at the words is enough to make us feel how contradictory they are. Be perfect—that is a word that strikes us with despair; at once, we think how far away we are from our poor ideal, and alas! How much further from God’s ideal concerning us. Be of good comfort—ah, that is very different! That seems to say, “Do not fret; do not fear. If you are not what you would be, you must be thankful for what you are.”
Now the question is this—How can these two be reconciled?
It is only the religion of Jesus Christ that reconciles them. He stands in our midst, and with the right hand of His righteousness, He pointeth us upward, and saith, “Be perfect.” There is no resting place short of that. Yet with the left hand of His love, He doth encompass us, as He saith, “Soul, be of good comfort; for that is what I came to do for thee.”
Mark Guy Pearse
Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.
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