GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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FROM MILK TO MEAT
By M.Stanford




"By people who live on milk I mean those who are imperfectly acquainted with the teaching concerning righteousness. Such persons are mere babes" (Heb. 5:13, Wey.).

Promises and blessings have mainly to do with the milk of the Word. In order for a believer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, he must fellowship with Him in the Word. There is general Bible study, and there is feeding upon the Lord Jesus in the Word of life. The former serves for foundation, the latter is needed for growth.

"People may receive 'blessings' and temporary 'deliverances' in answer to prayer, for God is merciful to His children and His Spirit refreshes and blesses us even apart from the real walk of faith. But it is of greater benefit finally to us, and much greater glory to God, if we simply accept His Word and learn to walk in the power of it by naked faith; which asks no longer certain ecstasies, but being sure of God's truth because it is His truth, maintains an attitude of faith therein; attitude --- a fixed heart.

"Faith, when once we see the truth, consists of a believing attitude of the will toward God. This involves a negative attitude toward all doubt of His promises or anything that would raise a doubt; and it also involves a continued refusal to rest upon appearances or feelings, even though these may come in great abundance. It is God's written Word that supplies strength to the heart of faith." - W.R.N.

"It is an easy thing to set sail and get fairly out into the ocean; but when many days have passed and no land is in sight, one is apt to weary. If the heart is not fully occupied with the Lord in the Word, something is taken on board to fill up the void."

"Nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:6).

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WHY IS HEAVEN SILENT?
Part One of Two
by John D. LaVier




After the tragic event of September 11th a few years ago, we often hear the question "Where Was God?" or "Why did God allow this to happen?" The believer knows that God is still on His eternal throne, that He is sovereign, and nothing happens apart from His direct or permissive will, but for a season He has with-drawn from this earthly scene. He does indeed work on behalf of His own, and otherwise as well, but He acts covertly and His action seen only with the eye of faith. Bloody wars take place among the nations, thousands perish from famine, flood, earthquake and storm, but no voice or action is heard from above. In one of Sir Robert Anderson's books the opening words are: "A silent heaven is the greatest mystery of our existence."

What is the answer to this mystery? For two thousand years the heavens have been silent and this is strange when we compare it with Old Testament times. God was then dealing with the Hebrew nation and they saw marvelous displays of His person and power. He brought them out of slavery, making a path through the sea, and for forty years He fed them and led them and brought them into the land of promise with mighty victories over all their foes. Isaiah saw the Lord; Daniel fell at His feet; angels walked to and fro in the land; God fought for His people; heaven was not silent.

When Israel is enjoying the favor of God the heavens are open, but when Israel is in disfavor with God the heavens are silent. Between the two testaments, when Israel was being judged for their sins, there was a period of time which is often referred to as "the four hundred silent years." God spoke His last word through Malachi and then 400 years of silence. This silence was finally broken by the appearance of the angel Gabriel to  Zacharias announcing the birth of John the Baptist. Then Gabriel spoke to Mary, telling her of that Holy One which should be born of her, even the Son of God. Later the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of the Christ-child and from the opened heavens they heard the heavenly host praising God.

Heaven was not silent during the earthly ministry of Christ when He was presenting Himself to Israel as their Messiah nor was heaven silent after His resurrection and on into the Acts period, when Israel was given opportunity to repent. There were miracles, wonders, signs, angelic visitation, jail deliverances, sudden judgments, etc. The heavens were not silent. However, Acts 28:28 marks a great change. Israel no longer stands as a nation before God. They are set aside for a reason and a season. The reason was their rejection of Christ both in His incarnation and in His resurrection. The season is this present dispensation of the mystery.

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WHY IS HEAVEN SILENT?
Part two of two
by John D. LaVier




After the close of the Acts period we find a great man of God sitting in the Roman prison, but no angel comes to liberate him. An age of silence has begun. A silent God. A silent heaven. This silence has already lasted two millenniums. The nations rage and we see war, sin suffering and sorrow on every hand. The people of God oft suffer at the hands of their enemies, and we see the ever-increasing and God-defying masses sinning and sinning and sinning. And yet in the midst of it all, God remains silent.

When God turned away from Israel, that nation through which His earthly purposes are to be realized, He then and there withdrew from this earthly scene. C.H.M. wrote "So long as there was any ground of hope in connection with Israel, the heavenly mystery was held back; but when earth had been abandoned and Israel set aside, the apostle of the Gentiles, from his prison at Rome, writes to the Church, and opens out all the glorious privileges connected with its place in the heavens." God has for a season abandoned earth but we are here as His ambassadors in enemy land and we are asked to walk by faith and not by sight. God is allowing man's day to run its course and is permitting the full development of the mystery of lawlessness. The mystery of iniquity is working. Soon the whole will be leavened. Man's day will be replaced by the Lord's Day. Then...

THE SILENCE TO BE BROKEN

This is promised everywhere in Scripture. The psalmist declared: "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence!" Just as the silence of the 400 years was broken by His first coming, so the present silence will be broken by His second coming. But before He manifests Himself to the world, He will manifest Himself to His own. This is the bright and blessed hope of the Church, the rapture, and it will be the opening rift in the silent heavens. After the Body of Christ has been removed from the scene God will begin to deal again with Israel and the nations. The silence will be broken and God will speak again, not then in grace, but in wrath. The heavens will be opened, not to pour out blessing, but disaster. The judgments of the Apocalypse will be visited upon the world, when the seals will be broken, the judgment trumpets sounded, and the vials of God's wrath poured out.

Finally, the heavens will be fully opened and the blessed Lord Jesus Christ will return. The Apostle John saw Him as the rider on a white horse, followed by the heavenly armies, and He wrote: "He hath on his vestura and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." The silence will be broken. The King will return and have His rightful place upon the throne, with all beneath His feet. Every eye shall see Him and the earth will be filled with His glory. And never again will their be silence for the lines of communication will always be open between heaven and earth, both as to the millennial earth and on into the new earth.

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WHY STRUGGLE?
By Miles Stanford


"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord" (ll Cor. 3:18 ).

Our Father allows the believer to struggle with self, not for victory, but for defeat. Then the "wretched man" learns to rest in the Victor.

"Once you have begun the Christian walk, and know the blessedness of it, you are not trying to correct yourself, for you know that all has been removed from 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 man was crucified, and you cannot reform him; all attempts of amiable people to reform him are only denying the fact that he has been dealt with in judgment. The responsible (law) man is not before God now. It is now the day of grace. Everyone who receives His grace is set free from the domination of the old man. The appeal to the believer now is not to do, but to look." - J. B.S.

"The believer is never told to 'overcome sin,' but to reckon, on the ground of his death with Christ, that he has died to it. On the basis of death, he is told not to 'let' sin reign in his life. It is to be dealt with by an attitude of death not by 'overcoming.' The believer therefore is not to be spending his whole life in getting victory over sin, but understanding his position as having died unto sin."

" [We] are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Cor. 3:18 ).

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RAGS TO RICHES
By Miles Stanford

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:23).

Self is the believer's indwelling enemy; its degrading bondage is his deepest heartache. However, the reign of self is overthrown by its own enmity, since it creates the needs that cause us to hunger for and appropriate Christ's life and liberty.

"A sense of spiritual poverty is necessary to spiritual growth. This awareness of failure becomes acute to the believer during those days when he is attempting to attain holiness of heart through self-effort. Knowing what he ought to be and do, he proceeds to try to reach those goals. He purposes, resolves, promises, struggles, weeps, and fails again. His testimony, with Paul, is, 'The things that I want to do, I do not do, and the things that I do not want to do, I do' (Rom. 7:15).

"What a delightful day it is for him when he realizes that 'in him, that is, in his flesh, dwelleth no good thing' (Rom. 7:18 ). Only then does he, in his failure, cry out, 'Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' 'I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord' (Rom. 7:24, 25) comes back the reply. He begins to recognize that God expects only failure from the flesh, never success, but that 'in Christ' is his sanctification, his growth. Thus it is that freedom comes through bondage, life through death." - W.W.

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).

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PROGRESSIVE REVELATION
By Pastor Joel Finck

Scripture Reading: Romans 3:21

Two of the smallest words in the Bible actually carry the greatest impact of how we understand Scripture. These two words are, "but now." While the Bible is the Word of God from cover to cover, it was not all given at once or to the same audience. What was spoken to one group of people in an earlier time may not directly apply to another group of people in later times. This is called the principle of "Progressive Revelation," and we find many examples of this in Scripture.

In Romans 3:21, the apostle Paul writes, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets." At one time, the law of Moses played an integral part in righteousness. Not that the law itself could bring righteousness, it could not. But before the dispensation of the grace of God was committed to Paul (see Ephesians 3:1, 2), the law was God's prescribed method of demonstrating the righteousness which comes by faith. In other words, if a godly Jew under the law wanted to show that he believed God, there was only one way to do it: be in obedience to the law. Therefore, while the law did not bring righteousness, keeping the law went hand in hand with living a righteous life.

But according to Romans 3:21, God's righteousness is no longer associated with law-keeping. This is why Paul goes on to proclaim, "for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14b). Those who do not recognize the principle of progressive revelation continue to draw people back under the law with its sabbaths and ordinances. But let us rather move on in grace!

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LIFE'S PURPOSE
By Miles Stanford

"For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).

Our Lord the Vine provides all that His branches will ever need for fruit-bearing. All provision is according to our Father's riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:19).

"Christian growth is the becoming real in ourselves, of what is already true of us in the Lord Jesus. 'I am the vine, ye are the branches,' He says. But the vine furnishes the branches, not only with the principle of life, but with the type of life. No pressure or molding from without is needed to shape them to the pattern of the parent stock. Every minutest peculiarity of form, and color, and taste, and fragrance is determined by the root, and developed from it. A true believer, therefore, will ask no better thing of the Lord than that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in his body (II Cor. 4:11). For such a manifestation will, by a necessary principle, be the unfolding within him of every needed element of joy and sorrow, of suffering and triumph." - A.J.G .

"Straining, driving effort does not accomplish the work God gives a man to do; we must partake of Christ so fully that He more than fills the life. It will then be not overwork but overflow."

"And ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10).

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OUR WEAKNESS AND GOD'S POWER
by C. R. Stam



When our Lord was on earth He healed great numbers of sick and diseased people. The believers at Pentecost also healed many in the name of Jesus, offering to Israel His return from heaven upon condition of their repentance (Acts 3:19-21).

All those who were healed, however, finally succumbed to physical infirmity or disease again and died after all. This was because the Lord Jesus was rejected as King, not only in His incarnation but also in His resurrection. Rom. 8:22,23 declares the result as we see it in our own day:

"...we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit [that is], the redemption of our body."

But Christians in "this present evil age" often need physical infirmity to draw them closer to God in prayer and faith. Paul himself said:

"...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh... lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me: My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (II Cor. 12:7-9).

The Apostle's response to this shows how well he understood that suffering and weakness are an important part of Christian discipline.

"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me... I take pleasure in infirmities...for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Cor. 12:9,10).

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a for more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:16,17).

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WHICH GOSPEL?
by C. R. Stam



A friend asks: "Have you heard the good news?" and you reply: "What good news?" Naturally! All good news is not the same. Yet few people follow this procedure when they read in the Bible the phrase "the gospel" -- which simply means "the good news." They have been taught that "the gospel is the gospel" and "there is only one gospel," but this is simply not so in the light of the Bible itself.

God has not proclaimed only one gospel, one item of good news, down through the ages, but many. He has qualified the word "gospel" by distinctive titles, just as a woman labels her preserves to distinguish the different goodies she has put up for the winter.

The "gospel of the kingdom" and the "gospel of the grace of God" are not the same, and certainly the "gospel of the circumcision" and the "gospel of the uncircumcision" are not the same.

When we come upon the phrase "the gospel" without any qualifying title, we should immediately ask: "Which gospel?" and invariably the context will provide the answer. Luke 9:6, for example, simply states that the twelve disciples went about "preaching the gospel," but Verse 2 of the same chapter explains how the Lord had sent them "to preach the kingdom of God" -- not the cross, but the kingdom, since He, the King, was in their midst. These disciples could not have engaged in "the preaching of the cross," as Paul later did, for it was not until at least two years later that the Lord "began" to tell them how He must suffer and die (Matt. 16:21) and Peter "began to rebuke Him" (Ver. 22)and none of the twelve even understood what He was talking about (Luke 18:34).

But whereas "the gospel of the kingdom" had been committed to the twelve while Christ was on earth, "the preaching of the cross" (as good news) and "the gospel of the grace of God" was later committed to the Apostle Paul and to us (1 Cor. 1:18; Acts 20:24).

Today we do not proclaim the kingdom rights of Christ. Rather we proclaim "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7).

Lord God of my salvation, thank You for the glorious message of the gospel.  I rejoice that You have taken me out from under the law. I now know that I am your inheritance, I know you are my life, and know that it is you Lord Jesus who brings forth spiritual fruit in me, and all the praise belongs to you.  May Your name be exalted, Amen.

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THE GLORY OF THAT LIGHT
by Russell S. Miller

The resurrected Christ appeared unto Paul very differently than His appearances had been unto all those other saints. Peter and the Eleven had only seen the risen Christ as He will reign upon this earth in His kingdom glory (Matt. 17:1-9). But Paul saw the risen, glorified, Lord Jesus Christ in "the glory of His grace" (Eph. 1:6,14). The glorified Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto Paul as He had never appeared to any man before upon this earth. He appeared unto Paul from heaven:

"And when I could NOT see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias..., Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul... The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will, AND SEE THAT JUST ONE, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth. For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard" (Acts 22:11-14).

Christ could have judged the world, and He will, but instead He revealed Himself to Paul in the glory of His grace. To the Apostle Paul, then, Jesus Christ revealed "the riches of His grace" in salvation (Eph. 1:7), "the exceeding riches of His grace" in glory (2:7), and "the unsearchable riches of Christ" in heavenly places (3:8 ). And this message Paul calls" the Mystery" in Colossians 1:26. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus commissioned Paul, and us, "to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:9). And all this, Paul says, is "according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust" (I Tim. 1:11).

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Cor.4:3,4).

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus, therefore, marks the beginning of an entirely new administration of God in the affairs of men:

"...Have [you] heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery..." (Eph. 3:2,3)?

God now sees us "accepted in the Beloved One" (Eph. 1:6), and clothed with the very "righteousness" of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Cor. 5:21). And we stand before God today "complete in Christ" because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on our behalf at Calvary (Col. 2:10-15). Through "no works" of our own, then, we are forever "seated" with Christ "in the heavenlies" (Eph. 2:6,8,9).

"That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).

So in Paul's gospel when he focuses in upon the "crucified" One (I Cor. 1:23), he proclaims "Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery" (Rom. 16:25). Not only has "CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES" (I Cor. 15:3), but our glorified Saviour is coming again to catch us away to be with Himself for all eternity. In our endeavors, then, to keep our congregations informed of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, may we never forget that God revealed to Paul "the light of the glorious gospel of Christ."

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Cor. 4:4,6).

O Glorious Lord, what a good reminder this is of the desperate condition I was in when You justified me. I was not merely needy; I was spiritually dead. I thank You for burying that old life with Jesus in His tomb. I praise You for raising me with Christ to a new life. I rejoice in the radical nature of Your saving grace. Lord, by the power of the resurrection, lead me in the reality of newness of life, in Jesus name, Amen.

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THE BOOK OF LIFE
BY PASTOR RICHARD A. MAZEK,

Scripture Reading: Psalm 68:28

This is a subject upon which there has indeed been much discussion, disagreement, and traditional ignorance. Many zealously sing, "There's a new name written down in Glory, and it's mine." They truly believe that their names were written in the Lord's Book of Life the moment they trusted Christ as their Saviour. Yet does this old tradition really stand up to the test of Scripture? The pastors here at the Berean Church do not believe so. The Apostle Paul only uses this term once in his Epistles (Phil. 4:3), and even then it is not in reference to initial salvation. Whose names then are written in the Book of Life, and when are they recorded therein?

Psalm 68:27,28 sets forth the prayer of David concerning his enemies and is also a prophetic reference to the prayer of the believing remnant of Israel in the Great Tribulation. Here we find the statement that both the just and the unjust are recorded in the Book of the Living (Life). For how could they be blotted out if they were not already written therein?

The second half of our question now needs to be posed.
When are these names written in God's Book of Life?

We believe that Psalm 139:15,16 clearly gives us the answer. "Psa 139:15  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them."  Verse 16 re-affirms Psalm 68 by telling us that, "in thy Book all men (proper rendering) were written." Yes, but when does this take place? The context clearly points to the conception and pre-natal state of all men. Our conclusion then is that all men are written in the "Book of Life" the moment they are physically conceived.

Scripture Reading: Revelation 20: 11-15

The Scriptures also clearly state that men are blotted or taken out of the Book of Life. Paul and Moses both prayed that their names be blotted out of this great book (Ex. 32:32; Rom. 9: 1-3) for the sake of Israel. Although we know the Lord could not grant these requests, the fact still remains that names are, and will be, blotted out of God's Book.

When, then is a man's name blotted out of the Book of Life? Let us answer this question by first of all citing a Scripture reference that reveals to us how a man may remain in the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). Of course this portion is here referring to the Dispensation of Judgment, and the overcomers here recorded, will be the elect, the Tribulation Saints (1 John 2:13,14: 5:4, 5). Yet the principle cited here is trans-dispensational. Any saved person from any dispensation will and does remain in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Now, upon this premise, let us answer our question. All men have a chance to be saved up until the moment they die, but after death (physical) there is no second chance (Heb. 9:27). Thus, their names must then be blotted out of the Book of Life for Rev. 20: 11-15 clearly shows that all who have died in their sins are not found in this eternal book. Consequently, if a man dies in his sins (in any dispensation), he is then blotted out of God's Book of Life.

There is however, one exception to this rule, and it is found in Rev. 13:8, and 17:8 (read proper rendering of this verse). Here we find the followers of the Anti-Christ as being blotted out of the Book of Life before their physical death. Why? The Lord, under the regulations of this dispensation (Tribulation), hears Israel's prayer (Ps. 68:27, 28 ) and answers it (I John 3:22) by blotting out these names before their decease. May the Lord help us to better comprehend these precious truths!

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THE LAW MISUNDERSTOOD
by C. R. Stam



There are three misconceptions that most people entertain about the law of God and its Ten Commandments:

Most people have a vague notion that the law always was in existence and that it must have been given to the first man, Adam, or soon after. Actually, God gave the law to Moses for Israel about 1500 B.C., after about 2500 years of human history had elapsed (John 1:17). So mankind lived on earth for about 2500 years without the law or the Ten Commandments.

Most people suppose that the law and the Ten Commandments were given to mankind in general, while, in fact, it was given to Israel alone (Deuteronomy 5:2,3).

Most people suppose that the law and the Ten Commandments were given to help us to do right. Even some clergymen teach this, although the Bible clearly teaches that they were given to show us that we are guilty sinners. It is true that the law, while given to Israel, also shows the Gentile that he is a sinner. This is why Romans 3:19 says:

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God.”

But most important of all: Few people realize that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins to deliver us from the just condemnation of the law. This is taught in the following Scriptures:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…” (Gal. 3:13).

“For God hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21).

“For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE” (Rom. 6:14).

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PROFIT
By Miles Stanford

"Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ-sharing His inheritance with Him; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory" (Rom. 8:17, Amp.).

The term "profit and loss" is reversed in the Christian life to "loss and profit." The principle never varies: our losses are all in the realm of the old, never the new. Every loss in the life of self brings greater gain and profit in the new --- our life in Christ. And, conversely, every gain for the self-life is loss for our growth and His glory. "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (Phi1. 3:7).

"It is not the design of God to deprive His children of happiness, but only to pour the cup of bitterness into that happiness which the believer has in anything outside of Christ." - F.F.

"Everything that tries us, that is a check upon us, that causes exercise of heart, and makes us sensible of weakness in ourselves, is of the nature of chastisement (child-training). It may come in the way of difficulties in the path of faith; or in the shape of such trials and sorrow as are common to all men---loss of property, loss of health, or bereavement; or it may be as the governmental consequences of sin; but in one way or other all have it. It is 'for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness' (Heb. 12:10). That is, it serves to break down that which is not of God in us, that the life of the Lord Jesus might be made manifest." - C.A.C.

"When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).

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PEACE AND REST
By Miles Stanford


"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" (Ps. 138:8 ).

After the believer enters into life by faith, he wonders why it was so difficult for him to see that it was all of grace - the humble reception of a finished work. And yet he goes through the faithless struggle once again before he sees that his daily Christian life is also a finished work - complete in Christ.

"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (I Cor. 1:9). What believers need is the simple faith that the establishing in Christ, day by day, is God's work - a work that He delights to do, in spite of all our weakness and unfaithfulness, if we will but trust Him for it. To the blessedness of such faith, and the experience it brings, many can testify. What peace and rest, to know that there is a Husbandman who cares for the branch, to see that it grows stronger; who watches over every hindrance and danger, who supplies every needed aid!

"What peace and rest, fully and finally to give up our abiding into the care of the Father, and never have a wish or thought, never to offer a prayer or engage in an exercise connected with it, without first having the glad remembrance that what we do is only the manifestation of what Our Father is doing in us! The establishing in Christ is His work: He accomplishes it by stirring us to watch, and wait, and work." - A.M.

"Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, ... is God" (II Cor. 1:21).

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PEACE - THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
By FLOYD BAKER, Pastor


Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:22

Some years ago as we stood in a funeral home, the daughter of the woman who had passed away, declared, ''I'm amazed at the peace I have at a time like this." I trust that each one of us have experienced such peace in our lives during those times of heartache and difficulty. There are some who may not understand the peace that we have and may look at us with wonder; not knowing the source from which it comes.

Our verse in Galatians 5:22 reveals the very source of this peace as we read, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Though our focus is upon peace we see that it does not stand alone but is part of, and dependent on, love. Without Spirit-produced love we will not enjoy this peace in our lives.

Peace is an inward tranquility but nonetheless is manifested in the outward man as well. What is also important is that this is not simply a resignation to the fact that we can't change the circumstances, but rather to know that God is at work in our lives conforming us more, and more, to His image. Without this realization we will miss out on the opportunity to grow spiritually. As we face each new testing our faith will enable us to look to God and again enjoy His peace. Only the child of God can have this peace because it is the "Fruit of the Spirit," and cannot be generated in the flesh. It begins with faith in the finished work of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit as we see in Ephesians 1:13, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise."