DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

  Morning, October 31 Go To Evening Reading “Renew a right spirit within me.” —Psalm 51:10 A backslider, if there be a spark of life left in him, will groan after restoration. In this renewal, the same exercise of grace is required as at our conversion. We needed repentance then; we certainly need it now. We wanted faith that we might come to Christ at first; only the like grace can bring us to Jesus now. We wanted a word from the Most High, a word from the lip of the loving One, to end our fears then; we shall soon discover, when under a sense of present sin, that we need it now. No man can be renewed without as real and genuine a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s energy as he felt at first because the work is as great, and flesh and blood are as much in the way now as ever they were. Let thy personal weakness, O Christian, be an argument to make thee pray earnestly to thy God for help. Remember, David, when he felt himself to be powerless, did not fold his arms or close h...

  October 31: Speaking the Truth Daniel 11:1–12:12; 2 Thessalonians 3:1–18 ; Job 42:10–17 “And now I will reveal the truth to you” (Dan 11:2). How much better would our world be if more of us were willing to take this kind of stand—to make these kinds of statements? The truth Daniel refers to is the prophecies foretelling what will happen in the Persian Empire. Great power and wealth are coming, and the fear of how that power and wealth may be used comes with them. If we read between the lines of the prophet’s statements in Dan 11, we can feel trepidation, and he is concerned that wickedness will sweep over the land again. Such was the case for Paul: “Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may progress and be honored … and that we may be delivered from evil and wicked people, for not all have the faith” (2 Thess 3:1–2). Paul was aware that unbelievers would seek his life, and he wasn’t sure what the future would look like. We can imagine the fear that he must have felt, wonderi...

  October 31st Discernment of faith Faith as a grain of mustard seed.… Matthew 17:20 We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith; it may be so in the initial stages, but we do not earn anything by faith. Faith brings us into the right relationship with God and gives God His opportunity. God has frequently to knock the bottom board out of your experience if you are a saint to get you into contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of sentimental enjoyment of His blessings. Your earlier life of faith was narrow and intense, settled around a little sun-spot of experience that had as much sense as confidence in it, full of light and sweetness; then God withdrew His conscious blessings to teach you to walk by faith. You are worth far more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight and compelling testimony. Faith by its very nature must be tried, and the actual trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to tr...

  October 31 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened Eph. 1:17, 18 We were coming down a mountain in Switzerland one evening when a black thunderstorm blotted out the day, and all things were suddenly plunged into darkness. We could only dimly see the narrow, dusty footpaths and the downsides that were swallowed up in deeper gloom. What, then, of the majesty all about us, heights, and depths, and wonders? All was darkness. Then came the lightning—not flashes, but the blazing of the whole sky, incessant, and on every side. What recesses of glory we gazed into! What marvels of splendor shone out of the darkness! Think how with us, in us, is One who comes to make the standard, dusty ways of a life resplendent, illuminating our dull thoughts by the light of the glory of God; clearing the vision of the soul, and then revealing the grea...

October 30: An Obstructed View Daniel 9:1–10:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–17; Job 42:1–9 We need to see ourselves as we indeed are, but we can’t do that independently. Our communities can help us glimpse a more accurate reflection, but we truly know ourselves only when we know God. His light brings us understanding. After suffering an incredible loss, Job tries to understand his pain. He speaks some truth, but he often misunderstands God’s motives and minimizes His love. As his friends try to help him grapple with his grief, they sometimes point out the truth, but they often cause even more pain and confusion. It’s only when God arrives to enlighten Job’s understanding that everything changes. First, God questions Job’s knowledge (Job 38:19–21), power (Job 38:25–38), and ideas about justice (Job 40:10–12). Then He shows Job that He is all of these things. The realization exposes Job’s heart. “Then Job answered Yahweh and said, ‘I know that you can do all things, and any scheme from you will...

October 30th Faith Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Hebrews 11:6. Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense in antagonism to faith is rationalism. The life of faith brings the two into a right relation. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual; of impulse and inspiration. Nothing Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, it is revelation sense, and it reaches the shores where common sense fails. Faith must be tried before the reality of faith is actual. “We know that all things work together for good,” then no matter what happens, the alchemy of God’s providence transfigures the ideal faith into actual reality. Faith always works on the personal line, the whole purpose of God being to see that the ideal faith is made real in His children. For every detail of the commonsense life, there is a revelation fact of God whereby we can prove in practical experience what we belie...

  October 30 He placed … cherubims and a flaming sword … to keep the way of the tree of life.… Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree at life. Gen. 3:24; Rev. 22:14 How remarkable and beautiful it is that the last page of the Revelation should come bending round to touch the first page of Genesis ! The history of man began with angels with frowning faces and flaming swords barring the way to the Tree of Life. It ends with the guard of cherubim withdrawn, or rather, sheathing their swords and becoming guides to the no longer forbidden fruit, instead of being its guards. The Bible’s great symbolic way of saying that all between sin, misery, and death is a parenthesis. God’s purpose is not going to be thwarted. The end of His majestic march through history is to be men’s access to the Tree of Life, from which, for the dreary ages that are but as a moment in the great eternities—they were barred out by their sin. Alexander Maclaren ...

Morning, October 29 Go To Evening Reading “After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, etc.” —Matthew 6:9 This prayer begins where all true blessing must commence, with the Spirit of adoption , “Our Father.” There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, “I will arise, and go unto my Father.” This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father “in heaven” and ascends to devout adoration , “Hallowed be thy name.” The child lisping, “Abba, Father,” grows into the cherub crying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit , which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration— “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God— “Give us this day our daily bread.” Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent but sinful. Hence he entreats for mercy , “Forgive us ou...

  October 29: Apocalyptic at Its Best Daniel 7:1–8:27 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:1–12; Job 41:21–34 Daniel is full of spooky scenes. If Daniel doesn’t scare you a bit, you’ve probably watched too many horror movies. Apocalyptic literature in the Bible has a way of playing tricks on us. It’s full of vivid imagery that can be haunting—and that’s intentional. The pictures it paints are meant to stay with us, and we’re told to remember what these passages are teaching. Of course, the same can be said of the entire Bible, but apocalyptic literature is incredibly vivid because its message requires us to choose: to follow or turn away from God at the most critical time—the end. Daniel’s dreams, including those recorded in Dan 7:3–14, are images of what is and is to come. The beasts in Daniel were evocative symbols for his audience. When they heard of the lion with eagles, they envisioned Babylon (Dan 7:4). When the bear appeared, they thought of Media (Dan 7:5). Likewise, the leopard with fo...

October 29th Substitution He hath made Him be sin for us, … that we might be made the righteousness of God.… 2 Cor. 5:21. The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy. The New Testament view is that He bore our sin not by compassion but by identification. He was made to be a sin. Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the explanation of His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy with us. We are acceptable with God not because we have obeyed or because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and in no other way. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the Fatherhood of God, the loving-kindness of God; the New Testament says He came to bear away the sin of the world. The revelation of His Father is to those to whom He has been introduced as Saviour: Jesus Christ never spoke of Himself to the world as one Who revealed the Father, but as a stumbling-block (see John 15:22–24 ). John 14:9...

October 29 He riseth from supper, laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. John 13:4, 5 Acts are every day and mean because they are ordinarily expressive of the common and represent thoughts of men. Let us not accuse the actions that make up our daily life of meanness, but our ignoble souls that reveal themselves so unworthily through those acts. The same front may successively mount up through every intermediate stage from the depth of unworthiness to a transcendent height of excellence, according to the soul that is manifested by it. One of the glorious ends of our Lord’s incarnation was that He might propitiate us with the details of life so that we should not disdain these as insignificant but rather disdain ourselves for our inability to make these details interpreters of a noble nature. Oh, let us then look with affectionate...

  Morning, October 28 Go To Evening Reading "I have chosen you out of the world." —John 15:19 Here is distinguishing grace and discriminating regard, for some are made the particular objects of divine affection. Do not be afraid to dwell upon this high doctrine of election. When your mind is most heavy and depressed, you will find a bottle of the wealthiest cordial. Those who doubt the doctrines of grace or who cast them into the shade miss the richest clusters of Eshcol; they lose the wines on the lees well refined, the fat things full of marrow. There is no balm in Gilead comparable to it. If the honey in Jonathan's wood when but touched enlightened the eyes , this is honey which will enlighten your heart to love and learn the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Eat, and fear not a surfeit; live upon this choice dainty, and fear not that it will be too delicate a diet. Meat from the King's table will hurt none of his courtiers. Desire to have your mind enlarged...

October 28: Respect Daniel 5:1–6:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 ; Job 41:10–20 Instead of easing the burdens of our church leaders, we often add to them. The sometimes thankless job of ministry is weighed down by taking and not giving, complaining, and squirming under authority. We can see from Paul’s letters that church communities haven’t changed much since the first century. In his letter to the believers in Thessalonica, Paul requests: “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and rule over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them beyond all measure in love, because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thess 5:12). A passage like this might convict us of our wrong attitude or lack of service. We might make a more significant effort to love and respect those who are in positions of authority. Or we might try to ease a load of our leaders by serving in our communities. But unless we address the disorder within our hearts, our efforts won’t l...

October 28th Justification by faith For if we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:10. I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me; repentance is the sign that I understand what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to emphasize the effect instead of on the cause—It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because, before all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can get, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God, and by the supernatural miracle of God’s grace, I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The spirit of God brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do not know how that I am saved. ...

  October 28 Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you John 16:23 Prayer must be based upon promise, but, thank God, His promises are always broader than our prayers! No fear of building inverted pyramids here, for Jesus Christ is the foundation. Frances Ridley Havergal  Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour . Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

  Morning, October 27 Go To Evening Reading “It is a faithful saying.” —2 Timothy 2:11 Paul has four of these “ faithful sayings .” The first occurs in 1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” The next is in 1 Timothy 4:8–9, “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.” The third is in 2 Timothy 2:11–12, “It is a faithful saying—If we suffer with him we shall also reign with him” ; and the fourth is in Titus 3:8, “This is a faithful saying, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.” We may trace a connection between these faithful sayings. The first One lays the foundation of our eternal salvation in the free grace of God, as shown to us in the mission of the great Redeemer. The next affirms the double blessedness we obt...

  October 27: Dreams of Redemption Daniel 4:1–37 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11; Job 41:1–9 I’ve known people who seemed beyond saving—who seemed to have gone too far down the wrong path to ever turn to the right one. But in the Bible, we see that this is not the case. God is capable of turning anyone’s heart. One of the most shocking examples is Nebuchadnezzar. In a decree to all the nations he rules (and perhaps other countries as well), Nebuchadnezzar remarks: “It is pleasing to me to recount the signs and wonders that the Most High God worked for me. How great are his signs and wonders, how strong is his kingdom, an everlasting kingdom; and his sovereignty is from generation to generation” (Dan 4:2–3). He then goes on to recount a dream that Yahweh planted in his mind. Before Nebuchadnezzar experiences redemption, he tastes humiliation and endures excellent trials (Dan 4:28–33). But Yahweh does not intend to merely humble the king—He wants to make him a righteous man who can...

  October 27th The method of missions Go ye therefore and teach (disciple) all nations. Matthew 28:19. Jesus Christ did not say—‘Go and save souls’ (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but— “Go and teach,” i.e., disciple, “all nations,” and you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples came back from their first mission, they were filled with joy because the devils were subject to them, and Jesus said— ‘Don’t rejoice in successful service; the great secret of happiness is that you are rightly related to Me.’ The great essential of the missionary is that he remains faithful to the call of God and realizes that his one purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. There is a passion for souls that does not spring from God but from the desire to convert to our perspective. The challenge to the missionary does not come on the line that people are challenging to get saved, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, that th...

  October 27 Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12:6 Earthly prosperity is no sign of the special love of Heaven: nor are sorrow and care any mark of God’s disfavor, but the reverse. God’s love is robust and accurate and eager—not for our comfort, but for our lasting blessedness; it is bent on achieving this, and it is strong enough to bear misrepresentation and rebuke in its attempts to attune our spirits to higher music. It, therefore, comes instructing us. Let us enter ourselves as pupils in the school of God’s love. Let us lay aside our own notions of the course of study; let us submit ourselves to be led and taught; let us be prepared for any lessons that may be given from the blackboard of sorrow; let us be so assured of the inexhaustible tenacity of His love as to dare to trust Him, though He slays us. And let us look forward to that august moment when He will give us a reason for all life’s discipline, with a smile—that shall thrill our souls with ecstasy and cons...

Morning, October 26 Go To Evening Reading “Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? Saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” —Haggai 1:9 Churlish souls stint their contributions to the ministry and missionary operations and call such saving good economy; little do they dream that they are thus impoverishing themselves. Their excuse is that they must care for their own families, and they forget that to neglect the house of God is the sure way to bring ruin upon their own homes. Our God has a method in providence by which he can succeed in our endeavors beyond our expectations. He can defeat our plans to our confusion and dismay; by a turn of his hand, he can steer our vessel in a profitable channel or run it aground in poverty and bankruptcy. It is the teaching of Scripture that the Lord enriches the liberal and leaves the miserly to find out that withholding ten...

October 26th What is a missionary? As My Father hath sent Me, even so, send I you. John 20:21 . A missionary is one sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God. The great dominant note is not the needs of men but the command of Jesus. Today’s tendency is to put the inspiration ahead, sweep everything in front of us, and bring it all out to our conception of success. In the New Testament, the motivation is put behind us, the Lord Jesus. The ideal is to be faithful to Him, to carry out His enterprises. Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise, the great danger is that God’s call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The requirements are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation ...

  October 26 Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:10 It is true that these good tidings of great joy were to be “for all people,” but not first . The message falls on our own ears and is first for our own souls. Oh, ponder this well! Take all God’s truths home first to thine own heart. Ask in earnest prayer that the Spirit may write them with the pen of Heaven on thine own conscience. Then wilt thou be a vessel fitted for the Master’s use, and carry His message with spiritual power to the souls of others. F. Whitfield  Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour . Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

Morning, October 25 Go To Evening Reading “For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.” —2 John 2 Once let the truth of God obtain an entrance into the human heart and subdue the whole man unto itself, no power human or infernal can dislodge it. We entertain it not as a guest but as the master of the house—this is a Christian necessity , he is no Christian who doth not thus believe. Those who feel the vital power of the gospel, and know the might of the Holy Ghost as he opens, applies, and seals the Lord’s Word, would sooner be torn to pieces than be rent away from the gospel of their salvation. What a thousand mercies are wrapped up in the assurance that the truth will be with us for ever; will be our living support, our dying comfort, our rising song, our eternal glory; this is Christian privilege , without it our faith were little worth. Some truths we outgrow and leave behind, for they are but rudiments and lessons for beginners, but we cannot thus ...

  October 25: Good Opportunities and Difficult Decisions Daniel 1:1–2:16 ; 1 Thessalonians 2:1–3:5; Job 40:3–12 When Daniel is invited to dine at the king’s table—a great honor reserved for the favored (Dan 1:1–4)—he turns down the offer. Instead of eating food and wine fit for a king, Daniel and the other Israelites settle on a diet of vegetables and water (Dan 1:12). Daniel’s decision seems to contradict human nature. When a good situation comes along (like being invited to eat at the royal table), we often jump at the chance. Yet in doing so, we may fail to consider the ramifications. Daniel knows that eating at the king’s table means compromising Yahweh’s commands against eating certain foods. So when he’s offered a great opportunity, he is bold enough to say no and to offer an alternative (Dan 1:10–14). Daniel knows that God will provide for those who love Him. He also knows that being in God’s will is more important than anything else, even if it means facing opposition. ...