“I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. [Revelation 2:9-10 NKJV] This letter is the first of only two, where there is nothing said against the church. Instead there is an encouragement that we do not fear any of those things which [we] are about to suffer. There is an honest realism to Scripture, which shows that our Heavenly Father is wholly in touch with us; understands our predicament and indeed says that this is all part of My creative plan for your life. The second part of The Lord’s reassurance here is that He is well aware of the way that the Devil works in our lives that [we] may be tested. This brings the realisation and confirmation the the Devil is actually working to God’s eternal plan, whether he knows this or not. We must understand that the hardships and trials of life are the testing of our faith. This is perhaps the hardest truth to get to grips with. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. [1 Peter 4:12-14 NKJV] Finally, we know that the tribulation will end — you will have tribulation ten days — the number ten represents God’s law (as in ten commandments) to show that He has put a legal constraint on any suffering — and there will be the victor’s crown of life, a life eternally with Him, as our reward. There can be no better outcome than this. There is a path that no fowl knoweth The vultures eye hath never seen Where no thorn tree, nor thistle groweth No hedge to hinder, completely clean High on the mountain Above earth’s stormy sphere Above the heavens coral plain It’s paved with gold And precious stones so dear, It leads to life, the highest gain To walk this path there is a cross to bear But in the end there is a crown to wear A crown of life and love unheard before When we shall pass o’er on the other shore. "There Are Trials In Life" -- BLISS ZIMBABWE OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Monday 31st August 2020 It does not matter where a man may get to in the way of tribulation or anguish, none of it can wedge in between and separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus. “I know your works, your labour, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. [Revelation 2:2-4] The Church at Ephesus is often called ‘The Loveless Church’, but really that is not strictly accurate. The text says that you have left your first love, not that you do not love. Perhaps it would be better called ‘The Misplaced Love Church’, or ‘The Church That Loved Others Before God’. Plainly the Ephesians were doing many things aright as verses 2 and 3 reveal — they seem adept at religious observance and ‘doing’ things correctly — but it seems that they did not follow the first and second commandments. Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” [Matthew 22:37-40] Can I lay my hand on my heart and say that my first and foremost love is The Lord: do I love Him more than I love my life, my wife, my children or grandchildren? This first love is not an early infatuation before finding true love; it is a love before all others; it is the agape love that God has for each of us; the highest, purest form of love imaginable. I did not answer my question, and the truthful answer is I believe so, I hope so, I trust so, but only God can judge. He has evidenced His love for me time and again. In the final analysis, what we seem to be looking at here is passion. We might be great at the work, persevering in faith, patient and resisting evil, but none of these things reveal a passion for Him, certainly nothing like the passion He pours out on us. Let your life be a passionate expression of The Lord. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your passion is overwhelming and restoring to me. You lift me up when I fall down. You are always there for me and I need your help to keep me focussed on You, acknowledging You as my first and greatest love. “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” — Mass of The Rock OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Tuesday 25th August 2020 It is easy for me to talk about what I could do with a thousand pounds if I had it; the test is what I do with the 2 pence I have got. It may be hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, but it is just as hard for a poor man to seek first the kingdom of God. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”. [Revelation 1:10-11 NKJV] As a fellowship we have looked at the seven churches before and know that John was speaking to the church of Jesus Christ — the fellowship of His saints — and revealing His plan and purpose in this picture. Christ confirms this by stating at the very beginning that He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last; He is all, and there is no disputing. The message is to the gathering of His church, but equally to each one as His called out ones who form His body. “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. He reassures us that we are secure if we are in Him and goes on to reveal to each one the challenges and trials facing every believer in His company by speaking to the fullness of His church in seven ‘letters’. These are warnings and encouragements, setting before us a glorious pattern to those who are His overcomers; those who will take the warnings to heart and take joy in the encouragements. Jesus knows what is in man and His understanding of the depth of us in the letters to the seven churches which are in Asia, reveals an aspect of the Father’s heart which should make us all glad. He wants us to succeed and have the victor’s crown. DARLENE ZSCHECH —“Victor’s Crown” OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Monday 24th August 2020 “Except your righteousness shall exceed”—not be different from but “exceed,” that is, we have to be all they are and infinitely more! We have to be right in our external behaviour, but we have to be as right, and “righter” in our internal behaviour. We have to be right in our words and actions but we have to be right in our thoughts and feelings” “For I will look on you favourably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new. I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. [Leviticus 26:9-11 NKJV] With all our here and there activity recently, it might have been easy to put the things of the Spirit on the back-burner, so to speak. We can all get so busy at times that we can readily forget that The Lord is always guiding, illuminating and making the paths straight. So much stuff (no other word will do) has been thrown away in our mad decluttering of, not only my late mother’s home, but our own as well. 80+ black bin bags sent to the skip from Mum’s house; and today, we began to clear out excess books from Dove Cottage. Excess books? No such thing I hear you cry, particularly if you are a bibliophile like me, but we feel that The Lord is asking us to de-clutter. He says, in every season, clear out the old because of the new. Our treasures are really ties that bind us, and we need to be free of such encumbrances. The real danger in holding on to the old is that the old becomes an idol and clouds our relationship with the Almighty. Not in every case of course, but if your possessions take precedence over your life in Christ, you need a fresh infilling from the Holy Spirit to revitalise your faith - and we all need that from time to time. All of our clearing out work has and continues to be tough, but it is no more than The Lord asks of us. At all times, no matter what the circumstances, we must look to Jesus Christ, first and foremost. Sometimes the choice He asks will be difficult, but His reasoning is always sure and Given in love. Trust in His judgement, for our own is shaky at best. Clear out the old stuff today, so that He can set His tabernacle amongst us. “Fresh Outpouring” — Kim Walker-Smith and Jesus Culture OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAYS RACE Sunday 23rd August 2020 The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD.” There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. [Ephesians 4:4-6 NKJV] Paul says there is but one baptism, but in Luke 3, John the Baptist shows us that this one baptism is made up of three; water, Holy Spirit and fire. John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. [Luke 3:16-17 KJV, which gives a clearer distinction between ‘Holy Spirit’ and ‘Fire’, than do some other translations] We know that God has established a principle of three-in-one; He is the Triune God. So just as He is The one true God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; His one baptism is by water, Holy Spirit and fire. (See also Run Today’s Race below). Paul is not wrong in his declaration to the Ephesians; he is uncovering the deeper truth in three verses packed with three-within-three revelations:
The simple lesson for all of us in our daily walk is to be aware of our God’s threefold working in us through His word, His Spirit and His life. ... And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. [Ecclesiastes 4:12b NKJV] “Threefold Amen” — Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), from his anthem ‘Great King of Gods’, sung by Milwaukee Chamber Choir. OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Saturday 22nd August 2020 Things go by threes in the Bible: Father, Son and Holy Ghost; God, Church, converts; Husband, wife, children. It is God’s order, not man’s. Whenever one of the three is missing, there is something wrong. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [John 17:14 NKJV] Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee O Lamb of God, I come! I come Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt Fighting and fears within without O Lamb of God, I come, I come Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot O Lamb of God, I come, I come Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind Sight, riches, healing of the mind Yea, all I need, in Thee to find O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, Thou wilt receive Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve Because Thy promise I believe O Lamb of God, I come, I come “Just As I Am” is a beautiful hymn, with a poetic appeal that readily holds in the mind — particularly if it was regularly sung at primary school assembly, which is where I first encountered it. Yet something about it always makes me pause and consider. It may be that the phrase just as I am, can be interpreted in different ways. In the way that Jesus used it in John 17 (Jesus says the expression twice, and it is found only in John 17), but it is really just as I am not, rather than Him saying who He is. No, I believe that my problem with it — and I am aware of being overly pedantic in this — is that the repetition of just as I am implies that I do not need to change, because Jesus will always accept me just as I am no matter how badly I behave, no matter what the problem. However, there is an element of Victorian complacency here; the idea that I need take no responsibility for my attitudes and behaviour, because Jesus will still save me; all of which stresses ‘me’ instead of ‘Him’. What I am saying is that this is a song of reassurance, but not necessarily theologically precise. It may be however that it is saying that at whatever place we reach on our walk of faith is just as I am at that time. For all that, I love the song, and appreciate the comfort it was no doubt intended to give, but I feel - generally - that we should always be careful and aware of what we are singing in praise to Him. Listen for His voice. Just as He is not of this world, He wants us to be not of this world also, and to hear His heart. Be just as He is. “JUST AS I AM” — G Michael Eldridge OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Friday 21st August 2020 God is never away off somewhere else; He is always there. And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. [Mark 4:1-5 NKJV] Today’s meditation is taken from Oswald Chambers’ ‘Devotions For A Deeper Life’, and this is his devotion for today, August 20th, and meditates on what I believe to be a very real danger in these troubling times - which is that we can tend to direct our prayer focus in the wrong direction. Some people receive the Word of God and run well for a time, but they permit something to hinder them—usually the cares of this world. They will tell you, “If you only knew what I have to contend with” or, “If you only knew my peculiar situation, my trials, my difficulties.” This kind of self-sympathy, arising from the cares of this life, is carnal. It will kill the Spirit of God within you. Jesus said, “If you look at your problems instead of Me, the Word will be choked in your heart.” Satan will try his best to have you look at the difficulties of your life. He knows that if he can get your eyes off of Jesus and onto these, he will be able to choke your spiritual life. Have you ever noticed how many times Scripture warns us not to be anxious, not to worry? He tells us to cast our cares upon Him, to trust Him, to wait on Him, and to fret not. May God help us to keep the thorns from growing up in our hearts and choking the Word of God in us! PRAYER THOUGHT: Forgive me when I cease to trust You, Lord, and begin to worry selfishly. “Seed, Scattered and Sown” — Dan Feiten OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Thursday 20th August 2020 There is nothing so secure as the salvation of God; it is as eternal as the mountains, and it is our trust in God that brings us the conscious realisation of this. And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?” Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.” Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” [Exodus 16:7-9 NKJV] So often we do not see the hand of God upon us, and we mistake the trials of life as a snare from which God has failed to protect us. Then we cry out to God “Why have You abandoned me?”. Seen like this, our God can seem selfish and unconcerned about His people. Moses and Aaron felt the rising resentment amongst the Israelites and were getting the blame from the many who merely saw the store of provisions dwindling and nothing but misery on the path ahead. “We would be better back in Egypt!” was the cry. “This was all a big mistake.” Aaron and Moses then tried to reassure their people that God had it covered - that He hears your complaints. Notice the progression of Moses’ attempt to convince the Israelites to put their trust in God in adversity:
These verses help us to see that we must trust our Heavenly Father to care for us. This is the trial of our faith; to continue walking the road with God, knowing He will lead us in His way. And so it proved in the next verses ... God honours His promises. Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'" [Exodus 16:10-12 NKJV] “I Love The Lord, He Heard My Cry” — Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Monday 17th August 2020 The need is not to do things, but to believe. “What must I do to be saved?” Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” “Say to them, “Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God.’ On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’ the glory of all lands. [Ezekiel 20:5-6 NKJV] The land around us is special and glorious to be sure, but God is concerned above all things about the land within us, and when we give that land to Him, we see His glory, for He is the glory of all lands. I cannot help but think of our late and much lamented John Whitefield. If I had to link John with one word it would be ‘glory’, for that was something that was ever present for him. John desired the glory of The Lord, and he surely found that glory in everyday living. The Lord assures us — indeed gives an oath — that if we heed His voice, He will bring us out of Egypt (a type of the world) — and lead us into His promised land, the one flowing with the good things of milk and honey, to enter His glory of all lands, which is His eternal presence. Let us glory in that today — even for a little moment. One of my favourite Christian singing groups is ‘The Cathedrals’, particularly the great George Younce with his amazing vocal range. Here he is with a glorious song, “Movin’ Up To Gloryland” ... “Movin’ Up To Gloryland” — The Cathedrals OSWALD CHAMBERS — RUN TODAY’S RACE Sunday 16th August 2020 There is something in human pride that can stand big troubles, but we need the supernatural grace and power of God to stand by us in the little things. |
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GEORGE and GILL STEWART |