DISCIPLE

   by William MacDonald "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you .”" (Exodus 12:2) New Year’s resolutions are good but fragile, that is, easily broken. New Year’s prayers are better; they ascend to the throne of God and set answering wheels in motion. As we come to the beginning of another year, we would do well to make the following prayer requests our own: · Lord Jesus, I rededicate myself afresh to You today. I want you to take my life this coming year and use it for Your glory. “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” · I pray that You will keep me from sin, from anything that will bring dishonor to Your Name. · Keep me teachable by the Holy Spirit. I want to move forward for You. Don’t let me settle in a rut. · May my motto this year be, “He must increase; I must decrease.” The glory must all be Yours. Help me not to touch it. · Teach me to make every decision a matter of prayer...

   WILLIAM MACDONALD “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight…” ( John 18:36 ) The fact that Christ’s Kingdom is not of this world is enough to keep me out of the world’s politics. If I participate in politics, then I am casting a vote of confidence in the system’s ability to solve the world’s problems. But frankly I have no such confidence because I know that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” ( 1 John 5:19 ). Politics has proved singularly ineffective in solving the problems of society. Political remedies are nothing but a Band-Aid on a festering sore; they do not get at the source of the infection. We know that sin is the basic trouble in our sick society. Anything that fails to deal with sin cannot be taken seriously as a cure. It becomes a matter of priorities, then. Should I spend time in political involvement or should I devote that same time to the spread of the Gospel? Jesus answer...

Commenting in 1 Timothy 2:2, J. Allan writes, "The NT provides clear instruction for believers in their attitude to imperial and civil authorities in Rom 13:1-6; 1 Pet 2:13-17; Titus 3:1. This passage takes the matter further. The men who comprise such authorities often are the object of hatred. In the NT period these men were frequently the originators, and the administrators, of edicts against the believers. In the days immediately subsequent to this epistle the believers were living in mortal fear of the magisterial powers of local administrators. The answer did not lie in rebellion or civil rights protests but in prayer for the salvation of the men. The words of the Lord Jesus were certainly applicable: 'Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you' (Matt 5:44). For the names of such men to be publicly mentioned in prayer would be a testimony to the supernatural grace in the hearts of the believers. "It is an interesting fact that the recor...

Text: Matthew 20:22 "He only wished the two disciples and all to understand that to obtain their requests they must know what they ask, and accept all that is implied, in the present as well as in the future, in the answering of their prayers. This condition is often overlooked. Many a bold, ambitious prayer, even for spiritual blessing, is offered up by petitioners who have no idea what the answer would involve, and if they had, would wish their prayer unanswered. Crude Christians ask, e.g. to be made holy. But do they know what doubts, temptations, and sore trials of all kinds go to the making of great saints? Others long for a full assurance of God's love...Are they willing to be deprived of the sunshine of prosperity, that in the dark night of sorrow they may see heaven's stars? Ah me! how few do know what they ask! how much all need to be taught to pray for right things with an intelligent mind and in a right spirit". A.B. Bruce, The Training of the T...

Philippians 4:6-7  Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  1 Peter 5:7   Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

by A. W. Tozer AMONG REVIVAL MINDED Christians I have heard the saying, "Revivals are born after midnight."       This is one of those proverbs which, while not quite literally true, yet points to something very true. If we understand the saying to mean that God does not hear our prayer for revival made in the daytime, it is of course not true. If we take it to mean that prayer offered when we are tired and worn-out has greater power than prayer made when we are rested and fresh, again it is not true. God would need to be very austere indeed to require us to turn our prayer into penance, or to enjoy seeing us punish ourselves by intercession. Traces of such ascetical (self-denying) notions are still found among some gospel Christians, and while these brethren are to be commended for their zeal, they are not to be excused for unconsciously attributing to God a streak of sadism unworthy of fallen men. Yet there is considerable truth in the ...

from -- http://www.bibleandlife.org/Newsletters.htm  by Lehman Strauss (1911-1997)       "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts [pleasures]" - (James 4:3)      We are all naturally and basically selfish. We must honestly admit that even our prayers are selfish. It is possible that some of the good things we do are motivated by a selfish spirit. We will do well to examine our motives periodically and especially in regard to praying. James tells us that one reason for our spiritual poverty and powerlessness in prayer is a wrong motive. It is not necessarily the thing for which we are asking that is wrong, but rather the reason we ask for it. Praying with Selfish Motives      A member in a church where I was pastor expressed a concern for the salvation of her husband. She had gone to several members of t...

 by J. Norman Case   More than a century ago (1793), as a few earnest disciples were conferring together on the needs and claims of heathendom, one of them, Andrew Fuller said, “There is a gold mine in India, but it seems almost as deep as the heart of the earth. Who will venture to explore it?” Said William Carey, who was one of the number, “I will venture to go down, but remember that you must hold the ropes.”     In this great undertaking all true Christians can and should have a part. It is scarcely necessary to say that many are not themselves called to go forth to a foreign land. There are those who are chose and called to go forth to the fight, and those who are appointed to “tarry by the stuff.”  There are some who go down into the mine to find that which is infinitely more precious than gold, while others remain outside to “hold the ropes.” Both parts of the work are honourable and important; the one being necessary to the su...

Giving Thanks For Meals Dr. H. A. Ironside used to tell of an experience he once had at a restaurant. He ordered his meal and just as he was about to eat a man walked up to his table and said, "Do you mind if I sit down with you?" Dr. Ironside said, "No," it was quite all right, so the man sat down. As was his custom Dr. Ironside bowed his head and said a silent word of thanksgiving to the Lord before he ate. When he lifted up his head, the man said to him, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside said, "No, I don't." The man said, "Well, is there anything wrong with your food?" Ironside said, "No, why?" "Well," the man said, "I saw you sitting there with your head down and I thought you must be sick, or there was something wrong with your food." Ironside replied, "No, I was simply returning thanks to God as I always do before I eat." The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I...