"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad." - Matthew 12:30
It is not correct to ask, "What will you do with Jesus?" Rather, the issue is, "What are you doing about Him now?" There is no neutral ground. We are with Him or we are against Him. We are gathering or we are scattering.
There are no inactive church members. A pastor, whose church had about a hundred people in it, was asked how many active members the church had. He said, "One hundred-- fifty are actively for me and fifty are actively against me."
It is not possible to be inwardly and secretly for Christ, without being active for Him. Someone says, "Well, I never take my religion too seriously, but of course, I am not against Christ." Yes, you are. If you are not gathering, then you are scattering. If you are not really working with the great Gatherer, then you are an instrument of division, opposed to the only true unifying Power in the universe.
Gatherers and scatterers--it comes down to the fact that there are only two kinds of people. The first half of the verse sets forth the real issue today. "With me or against me", Christ or anti-Christ; Are you with Him or against Him? If you are not fully with Him, then you are against Him and are not gathering, but are scattering abroad.
- Vance Havner
Thursday, March 25, 2010
When Earth's Wine Runs Out
"When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him: They have no more wine." John 2:3
This incident is a very fitting illustration of the failure of all this world's joys. The wine gave out at a wedding feast. There was not enough of it to last through to the end of the feast. It is just so with all earth's pleasures. It comes in cups, not in fountains; and the supply is limited and soon exhausted. It is especially so with sin's pleasures. The prodigal son soon ran out of money, and began to be in need. A poet compared the pleasures of sin to a snowflake on the river, "a moment white--then gone forever!"
But it is true in a sense also of pure pleasures. Even the sweetness of human love is but a cupful which will not last forever. The joy which so fills us today tomorrow is changed to sorrow. Amid the gladness of the marriage altar there is the knell of the end, in the words "until death do us part." One of every two friends must hold the other's hand in farewell at the edge of the valley of the shadow of death and must stand by the other's grave, and walk alone for part of the way.
The best wine of earthly life and of love will fail. If there were nothing better in this world, how sad it would be! But it is here that we see the glory of Christ's gospel. Jesus comes when earth's wine fails and gives heaven's wine to supply the lack. How beautiful and how true is the picture here: of the failing wine, and then Jesus coming with power and supplying the need!
That is what He is doing continually. He takes lives which have drained their last drop of earthly gladness and He satisfies them with spiritual good and blessing, so that they need nothing more.
When human joy fails, Jesus gives new joy, better than the world's, and in unfailing abundance. How sad it is for those who have not taken Christ into their lives, and who have nothing but the empty cup when earth's wine runs out!
- J. R. Miller
This incident is a very fitting illustration of the failure of all this world's joys. The wine gave out at a wedding feast. There was not enough of it to last through to the end of the feast. It is just so with all earth's pleasures. It comes in cups, not in fountains; and the supply is limited and soon exhausted. It is especially so with sin's pleasures. The prodigal son soon ran out of money, and began to be in need. A poet compared the pleasures of sin to a snowflake on the river, "a moment white--then gone forever!"
But it is true in a sense also of pure pleasures. Even the sweetness of human love is but a cupful which will not last forever. The joy which so fills us today tomorrow is changed to sorrow. Amid the gladness of the marriage altar there is the knell of the end, in the words "until death do us part." One of every two friends must hold the other's hand in farewell at the edge of the valley of the shadow of death and must stand by the other's grave, and walk alone for part of the way.
The best wine of earthly life and of love will fail. If there were nothing better in this world, how sad it would be! But it is here that we see the glory of Christ's gospel. Jesus comes when earth's wine fails and gives heaven's wine to supply the lack. How beautiful and how true is the picture here: of the failing wine, and then Jesus coming with power and supplying the need!
That is what He is doing continually. He takes lives which have drained their last drop of earthly gladness and He satisfies them with spiritual good and blessing, so that they need nothing more.
When human joy fails, Jesus gives new joy, better than the world's, and in unfailing abundance. How sad it is for those who have not taken Christ into their lives, and who have nothing but the empty cup when earth's wine runs out!
- J. R. Miller
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Obtaining Help from God
"I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike." Acts 26:22
When Paul stood before Agrippa, it was twenty-five years after his conversion. They had been years of toilsome life, amid enemies and dangers; but the heroic old apostle had never given up, never faltered, never turned aside. It was a great record, but he takes no praise to himself. The help came from God for all these years of faithful witnessing.
Many Christians fear that they will not be able to stand faithful and true to the end. Here is an encouraging word for all such: You shall obtain help from God for every duty, for every hour of danger, for every struggle. We need only to be faithful day by day, doing the day's duty quietly, and trusting God. This help will come from Him, silently, secretly, just as it is needed, always sufficient grace, so that we shall be able to stand faithful year after year. God never puts a burden on us, without giving us the strength we need to carry it. The way to obtain the help of God is to go faithfully and promptly forward in the way of duty, asking for the help, and being sure of getting it. It will not come if we wait to get it before we set out to do His will.
"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
- J. R. Miller
When Paul stood before Agrippa, it was twenty-five years after his conversion. They had been years of toilsome life, amid enemies and dangers; but the heroic old apostle had never given up, never faltered, never turned aside. It was a great record, but he takes no praise to himself. The help came from God for all these years of faithful witnessing.
Many Christians fear that they will not be able to stand faithful and true to the end. Here is an encouraging word for all such: You shall obtain help from God for every duty, for every hour of danger, for every struggle. We need only to be faithful day by day, doing the day's duty quietly, and trusting God. This help will come from Him, silently, secretly, just as it is needed, always sufficient grace, so that we shall be able to stand faithful year after year. God never puts a burden on us, without giving us the strength we need to carry it. The way to obtain the help of God is to go faithfully and promptly forward in the way of duty, asking for the help, and being sure of getting it. It will not come if we wait to get it before we set out to do His will.
"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
- J. R. Miller
Saturday, March 20, 2010
David Livingstone
This week is David Livingstone's birthday. He was born March 19, 1813. He gave his life to serve Christ in the exploration of Africa for the sake of the access of the gospel. On December 4, 1857, he spoke the sentence that has made the greatest impact on me. It is one of the clearest applications I have seen of Jesus' words in Mark 10: 29-30. Jesus said,
"Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."
Here is what Livingstone said to Cambridge students about his "leaving" the benefits of England:
"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa . . . Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather that it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life--these may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.
- John Piper
"Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."
Here is what Livingstone said to Cambridge students about his "leaving" the benefits of England:
"For my own part, I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa . . . Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather that it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life--these may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.
- John Piper
Friday, March 19, 2010
All for Jesus
All for Jesus, all for Jesus,
All my being’s ransomed powers:
All my thoughts and words and doings,
All my days and all my hours.
Let my hands perform His bidding,
Let my feet run in His ways;
Let my eyes see Jesus only,
Let my lips speak forth His praise.
Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
Cling to gilded toys of dust,
Boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
Only Jesus will I trust.
Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
So enchained my spirit’s vision,
Looking at the Crucified.
Oh, what wonder! how amazing!
Jesus, glorious King of kings,
Stoops to call me His belovèd,
Lets me rest beneath His wings.
All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my days and all my hours;
All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my days and all my hours.
- Mary James
All my being’s ransomed powers:
All my thoughts and words and doings,
All my days and all my hours.
Let my hands perform His bidding,
Let my feet run in His ways;
Let my eyes see Jesus only,
Let my lips speak forth His praise.
Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
Cling to gilded toys of dust,
Boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
Only Jesus will I trust.
Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
So enchained my spirit’s vision,
Looking at the Crucified.
Oh, what wonder! how amazing!
Jesus, glorious King of kings,
Stoops to call me His belovèd,
Lets me rest beneath His wings.
All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my days and all my hours;
All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my days and all my hours.
- Mary James
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Becoming like Christ
The art of photography is now so advanced, that a whole page of a newspaper can be taken in miniature so small, as to be carried on a little button, and yet every letter and point be perfect.
Just so, the whole life of Christ is photographed in this one little phrase, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28
He did not come to be served--if this had been His aim, He would never have left heaven's glory, where He lacked nothing, where angels praised Him and ministered unto Him. He came to serve. He went about doing good. He altogether forgot Himself. He served all He met, who would receive His service. At last He gave His life in serving--He gave it to save others and to redeem lost souls.
You say that you want to be like Christ. You ask Him to print His own image on your heart. Here then, is the image: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
It is not a vague dream of human greatness which we are to think of when we ask to be like our Master.
The old monks thought that they were becoming like Christ when they went into the wilderness, away from men, to live in cold cells. But surely, such a dream of uselessness is not the thought which this picture suggests. "To serve--to give our life" that is the Christ-like thing! Instead of fleeing away from people, we are to live with others, to serve them, to live for them, to seek to bless them, to do them good, to give our lives for them--that is the meaning of the prayer for Christ-likeness.
- J. R. Miller
Just so, the whole life of Christ is photographed in this one little phrase, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28
He did not come to be served--if this had been His aim, He would never have left heaven's glory, where He lacked nothing, where angels praised Him and ministered unto Him. He came to serve. He went about doing good. He altogether forgot Himself. He served all He met, who would receive His service. At last He gave His life in serving--He gave it to save others and to redeem lost souls.
You say that you want to be like Christ. You ask Him to print His own image on your heart. Here then, is the image: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
It is not a vague dream of human greatness which we are to think of when we ask to be like our Master.
The old monks thought that they were becoming like Christ when they went into the wilderness, away from men, to live in cold cells. But surely, such a dream of uselessness is not the thought which this picture suggests. "To serve--to give our life" that is the Christ-like thing! Instead of fleeing away from people, we are to live with others, to serve them, to live for them, to seek to bless them, to do them good, to give our lives for them--that is the meaning of the prayer for Christ-likeness.
- J. R. Miller
Monday, March 15, 2010
Contentment
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11
Contentment is being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God's providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion--the clay saying to the Potter, "Why have You made me thus?" Instead of complaining at his circumstances, a contented man is thankful that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are.
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much discontent and restlessness in the world as there is today? Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure, discontent is everywhere! No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God's own professing people are affected with the evil spirit of this age.
Contentment! Is such a thing realistic and reachable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If feasible here and now, can it be maintained consistently or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most that we may expect in this life?
The force of Paul's statement will be better appreciated if his condition and circumstances at the time he made it, are kept in mind. When the apostle wrote the words, he was not luxuriating in a special suite in the Emperor's palace; he was in prison in chains. The contentment which Paul enjoyed was not the result of congenial and comfortable surroundings. Most people suppose that contentment is impossible, unless one can have the desires of the carnal heart gratified. A prison is the last place to which they would go if they were seeking a contented man. This much, then, is clear--contentment comes from within not without; it must be sought from God, and not in earthly comforts.
Now, there is a vast difference between precept and practice, between the ideal and the realization. But in the case of Paul, contentment was an actual experience! It was something he had learned in the school of Christian experience.
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said--Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
- A. W. Pink
Contentment is being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God's providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of rebellion--the clay saying to the Potter, "Why have You made me thus?" Instead of complaining at his circumstances, a contented man is thankful that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are.
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much discontent and restlessness in the world as there is today? Despite our boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money expended daily in pleasure, discontent is everywhere! No class is exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is dissatisfied. Many even among God's own professing people are affected with the evil spirit of this age.
Contentment! Is such a thing realistic and reachable, or is it nothing more than a beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If feasible here and now, can it be maintained consistently or are a few brief moments or hours of contentment the most that we may expect in this life?
The force of Paul's statement will be better appreciated if his condition and circumstances at the time he made it, are kept in mind. When the apostle wrote the words, he was not luxuriating in a special suite in the Emperor's palace; he was in prison in chains. The contentment which Paul enjoyed was not the result of congenial and comfortable surroundings. Most people suppose that contentment is impossible, unless one can have the desires of the carnal heart gratified. A prison is the last place to which they would go if they were seeking a contented man. This much, then, is clear--contentment comes from within not without; it must be sought from God, and not in earthly comforts.
Now, there is a vast difference between precept and practice, between the ideal and the realization. But in the case of Paul, contentment was an actual experience! It was something he had learned in the school of Christian experience.
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said--Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
- A. W. Pink
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