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10 January 2021 "God is the source and origin of love–His very nature is love–and the evidence is in the fact that He loved us when we were unlovable, and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). Since love is God’s supreme characteristic, those who are God’s must needs reflect it to one another." - L.G. Sargent Faith and Love (1954)

A Pebble in Your Shoe Recently we saw a sign which said something to this effect, “It’s not the mountain before me that is stopping me, it’s the pebble in my shoe that hurts when I climb.” It is true that we can sometimes scale great heights and then be defeated by something as small as a pebble in our shoe. What is stopping us from scaling the heights that we want to climb for the Lord? Paul was persuaded that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If Paul could climb over all these obstacles on his way to the Kingdom, are we going to let a pebble come between us and our Lord? What could a pebble in our shoe represent in our walk to the Kingdom? Could apathy and indifference be our pebble? What about laziness or boredom? Recently, we read that over one half of all the people in the United States and Canada are bored. It went on to say that 75% of those over 65 are bored. It seems to be true of many young people today as well, for they often look bored and they frequently act bored with life. How could anyone in love with Jesus Christ be bored? We are living in exciting times just prior to his return to this earth to make all the wrong things right. Life for us should be filled with joy, with excitement, with anticipation. People who are bored usually lack commitment. Even people committed to a worldly goal are less likely to be bored than those with no goals at all. The Psalmist tells us, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Total commitment to the Lord will reduce the pebble in our shoe to its proper size and we will be off and running up the mountain oblivious of the minor discomfort to our foot. Contrast this with the bored, apathetic, lazy person who has nothing to do but think about that pebble. Life is full of pebbles but we have mountains to climb. “This is the day which the LORD hath made.” Now what are we going to do with it? Mope around because of the pebble in our shoe? Think about all our aches and pains, feel bored and maybe even go back to bed? Solomon tells us about the slothful man who said, “yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.” “As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.” The lazy, the slothful, the bored lie in bed or get up only to complain about the pebbles and all their other aches and pains while those who are totally committed to the Lord are leaping for joy. A pebble in the shoe doesn’t hurt when one is airborne and Jesus told us to “leap for joy.” Do we think he really meant this, or was our Saviour just saying words? He tells us to “leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven.” How exciting our life should be! What a great God is our God! What a wonderful hope is our hope! Truly we “will rejoice and be glad in this day which the LORD hath made.” “We can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us.” We have committed our way to the Lord and He will bring it to pass. Nothing shall separate us from the love of God. A pebble slow us down? Never! Are we committed? Are we persuaded as Paul was that “neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

A Winning Combination Former football coach Lou Holtz is credited with having said, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” All of us have ability; we are all capable of doing. God has given all of us abilities which we can use in His service. Jesus told one parable where every servant was given talents and another parable where each was given a pound. Some used their gifts and some did not. The one who buried his talent lacked motivation. He would not even try. Those who increased theirs were motivated to work. A good attitude caused one to increase his pound by five and another by ten. The question we each need to ask ourselves is: Are we motivated to action, and how much are we accomplishing because of our attitude? Are we filled with the desire to do well? There are a great many people who have ability but will not use it. It is sad when we won’t use our God-given abilities to serve Him. He gave us whatever we have to use in his service and we can take no personal glory in our ability. It is a sin to bury our talent in the ground. How do we get motivated to use what we have? A great coach is capable of motivating his players to give their all in an effort to win. Sometimes the goal of the championship ring or the thrill of victory is enough to get talented people to give their all. Some of the greatest coaches who ever lived have their inspiring words recorded in our Bibles. If we will but read them, we can be encouraged to go all out for the Lord. Paul was one whose words of encouragement should motivate us. He urges us to follow his example in saying, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” If we believe we can do all things, then let’s get busy trying to do all things. One thing that must drive coaches mad is seeing talented athletes only go through the motions and not give it all they have. Do we think our Heavenly Father is any the less pleased with us when we do the same? He knows what we can do – for He made us! Do we have the audacity to sometimes say to our Creator, “I just can’t do it?” Of course we can do it. We have to try. The good news is He gives us the strength to do it if only we will try. When Moses told God on Mount Horeb that he would be unable to speak effectively to Pharaoh, God helped Moses by giving him Aaron as a spokesman. But Moses grew into the job and soon was leading all the children of Israel, speaking to them the words God delivered to him on Mount Sinai, judging them and guiding them through the wilderness. God knew Moses’ abilities and gently helped him conquer his fears. God’s strength is perfected in weakness, so instead of focusing on our weakness, we must try our best to give it all we have, trusting in God to help us with our deficiencies. In baseball, many a talented player has been kicked off the team for what is called “lack of hustle.” Our God wants to see us hustle as well, as we throw ourselves into doing His work. Solomon put it well when he said, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.” Let us maximize our efforts to use our abilities in the Lord’s service so that we might be that good ground bringing forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred-fold, knowing that they which labor will reap the reward of everlasting life, by God’s grace.

Avoiding Sin “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?” Solomon asked these questions thousands of years ago and mankind is still trying to get just as close to sin as possible thinking they can escape the flames of the fire that has burned all their predecessors. We are reminded of the story of the rich man who was interviewing prospective chauffer’s and asked each one how close they could drive to the edge of the precipice without going over. Each applicant tried to out-do the others by telling how close they could get except one man who said he wouldn’t go anywhere near the edge. This was the man that got the job. We too, are steering a course through life and the narrow winding road has many steep precipices. Just how close to the edge do we want to get? At the start of our journey towards the kingdom sin is something that is very appealing to us, something we would love to do but mustn’t. As we grow closer to God and our love for Christ waxes hotter, sin becomes more and more abhorrent until finally to sin against God becomes something we would hate to do. Now we don’t get from one place to the other overnight but we shall never get there as long as we ride the edge of the road. Just how do we get from the place where sin has strong appeal to the place where it does not? The answer lies in the way we think. If we think pure thoughts, it follows that our actions will be above reproach. If we allow our minds to wander over to the edge it’s only a matter of time until it falls over the precipice pulling us down with it. The closer we stay to God the further we stay away from the edge and the hot coals. When we begin to rely upon our own strength and think we can go it alone without the help of our Lord we are beginning to get into dangerous territory. Certainly Solomon was a strong wise king who had been abundantly blessed by God and as long as he relied upon God he was able to make wise decisions. When he married outlandish women he soon began to think like they did, he got too close to the edge, and before he knew it he was worshipping the gods of his wives instead of the true and living God who had appeared to him. We have not had the advantage of God personally appearing to us but we do have the same advantages as all the faithful of all ages in that we can take all our affairs to God in prayer knowing He hears us. We also have in our hands God’s complete revelation (our Bibles) which many who lived earlier did not have. We have all the help we need to stay away from the edge and clear of the hot coals but we also have a free will and if we, like Solomon, insist on trying to take fire into our bosom or tread the hot coals we can expect the same burns that struck Solomon down. Let none of us think we can succeed in reaching the Kingdom unscathed if we are flirting with the world in any way. Our love for God should make us abhor the evil that is in the world around us and if we still find it appealing at least let us have sense enough to turn our back upon it rather than snuggle up close and try to justify being on the edge. Let us try a little game of mental gymnastics. Pick something in the world that truly attracts us but we would be better off without. Make it a matter of prayer, asking God’s help in overcoming our desire for it. Concentrate upon the things of God and stay clear away from it and soon we will be in for an experience which will seem like a personal miracle. Before we know it, the attraction will be gone! God’s hand is as ready to help us today as it ever was. Try it and see.

Are You Blocking The Way? Will Rogers was a well-known, homespun-type philosopher and he once said, “Ever. if you are on the right path, you will still get run over if you just sit there.” This ties in with another saying, “If you are not on the way, you are in the way.” We place a great deal of emphasis on being on that straight and narrow path that leads to life everlasting, but it is important that we are actually moving forward on that path. We have all experienced the frustration of finding a car in the fast lane moving along at a slow pace. Many times these drivers cause accidents because they are in the way, and it is possible to be given a ticket for obstructing traffic by going too slow in the fast lane. We are now trying to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by me.” David declared, “I will run the way of thy commandments.” Since Jesus is the way, and he said for us to follow him and David tells us to “run the way of thy commandments,” it goes without saying that we are on the move. Jesus told us that “if ye love me, keep my commandments” and this involves moving and doing. The world is certainly on the move but they are going in the wrong direction. As Jesus said, “Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat.” The world is actually in the fast lane on the road to destruction. Hopefully, we have long ago taken the off ramp from the world and turned up that “narrow way that leads to life.” Jesus said that few are on the narrow way, so we are not concerned with the traffic snarls that embroil the world. Just the same, we should not simply sit in the middle of the road and be in the way. How many have blocked the path of others who are endeavoring to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, and made it difficult for them by being in the way on the way? Paul speaks of those who put “a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Jeremiah tells us about those who inquired of him “that the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.” Unfortunately, they said the right words but did not mean what they said and did not walk and do the thing that the Lord commanded. We take great comfort in the fact that we can say with David of old, “I have chosen the way of truth” but now it is time for us to “run the way of God’s commandments,” beseeching Him to “teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes: and I shall keep it unto the end.” Jeremiah, speaking on the Lord’s behalf, tells us to “ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” If we ask, we shall find the “good way;” if we seek it we will find it. We seek it and find it by doing our Bible readings as God instructed Joshua when He said to him, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Appreciation It has been said that we do not appreciate some things until we lose them. Recently we received a letter from a brother who told us of his joy in regaining his sense of smell. It is common to take for granted the fact that we can smell the flowers see the falling leaves, hear the patter of the rain and feel the chill of the fall breeze. It is only when our eyes begin to dim and our ears cease to hear the chirping of the birds that we come to fully appreciate our God given senses which we had taken so much for granted. It is this way with our spiritual gifts as well. We remember years ago when a young girl attended a Bible School and was aghast at the matter of fact way the young people took for granted the beauties of the Truth and the glorious hope of salvation that God has offered us. She had only just learned these things and their brilliance dazzled her eyes while the others seemed very nonchalant about this wonderful hope. Our teacher from England that year explained to her that those who have just come into the light are blinded more by its brightness than those who have become accustomed to it over a period of time. While we recognize that this is true, we should each try to thank God every day for those things others accept as a matter of course. This thankful type of attitude toward life will keep us humble and happy. So many people are not happy because they fail to count the blessings that they have. Every morning when we get out of bed we should thank God that He has given us the health and strength to get up, for there are millions who are confined to bed. Certainly when we eat we should thank God that He has provided the food to nourish us. We are now painfully aware of millions who are dying because they do not have anything to eat. Do we complain because our hamburger is not steak or that our diet will not allow us to eat cake? There is a story about a man who complained because he had no shoes until he saw a man who had no feet. From God’s viewpoint do we appear like a bunch of squabbling, complaining children who are ungrateful for all that has been provided for us? It is a very useful exercise to sit down with pen and paper and make a list of all things that we can thank God for. The next time we pray let us thank Him for all He has done for us instead of asking Him for all the things we think we want. David as an old man made a remarkable statement. The thoughts he has expressed should be remembered by us. He said “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” There is tremendous comfort in this. It all depends on if we are His seed and we remember Paul telling us in Galatians how we do this. The fact is that if we belong to God then He will provide. He does not always provide what we want but He will always provide what we need. We know as parents that if we love our children we will not give them everything they ask for. The wise man Solomon who incidentally was very rich, taught us that we should pray saying, “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” Thanksgiving is something we should celebrate everyday of our lives for we have so much to be thankful for. Let us thank our loving heavenly Father for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Let us not take for granted the smallest of His gifts. We know He cares about the little things of little people for Jesus tells us that even the hairs of our head are all numbered. Knowing this let us take courage and be thankful that “the angel of the Lord is on guard round those who fear him, and rescues them. Taste, then, and see that the Lord is good. Happy the man who finds refuge in Him!”

Another Gallon of Water A friend once handed us a card with the following message printed on it. “You’ll go thundering down in history like an extra gallon of water down Niagara Falls.” We have never known a world that did not contain us and everything we are saying and doing seems so terribly important it is hard for us to imagine a world without us. It is possible to get so wrapped up in our own little circle that the truly important things of life are completely out of perspective. When we consider that extra gallon water over the falls, we laugh at its complete insignificance and yet most of the people who lived one hundred years ago have had just that much impact upon history. We can do one of three things. One, we can decide to be just another gallon and fall unnoticed and mingle with the turbulent rapids of the world and end in oblivion. Two, we can decide that we want to make some kind of impression in this present evil world and give all our time and energies in trying to make a name for ourselves in the Who’s Who of today. To do this will require relentless dedication, knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. When and if we accomplish our goal of becoming, somebody, what will we have when we get there? The praise of man? Yes, perhaps, but the world is fickle and the heroes of today are forgotten tomorrow. If we should be so fortunate as to make a real mark in history what good will it do us? A few lines of type in the encyclopedia, perhaps a whole page, but what else? David commented on this saying “the wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being, in honour abideth not; for he is like the beasts that perish.” The third alternative is to forget about thundering down in the history of man and devote our energies in getting our name recorded in God’s book of life. This too, requires relentless dedication, it requires knowing the right people (Jesus, Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, etc.) and it requires being in the right place at the right time. (Sunday school, meeting, lectures, and Bible Classes). We won’t be famous and our neighbors will have little to praise us about, but this won’t concern us if we have our names written in God’s book of remembrance for then we won’t go thundering down in history at all; we will be immortal saints with an unending future. How much better it is to have a part in a never ending future than in a dead past. Instead of being an extra gallon of water over Niagara Falls, we will be part of that “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” It’s as plain as one, two, three. One is to die as the fool. Two is to achieve worldly honor and then perish. Three is to live and reign forever with Christ. Each day we are telling God by the way we live which of these three alternatives we have chosen.

Addiction If someone were to call us an addict, no doubt our first reaction would be to feel insulted. This need not be the case for the word addict means to devote, to give oneself up habitually. It is certainly in this sense that Paul tells us that “the house of Stephenas had addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.” Unfortunately the word today is used mostly to describe those who are slaves to a bad habit such as tobacco, liquor or drugs. These people certainly are devoted to serving these vices and so the word aptly describes their slavery. We are all a slave to something, as Paul tells us, either to Christ or to sin. What are you addicted to? How wonderful to be addicted to ministering to the saints of God. This is the kind of addiction we need. God really does need people. He needs us to do His work for He works through His children. When God told the children of Israel to make an holy anointing oil He gave them the recipe, yet He said it was to be made after the art of the apothecary. In spite of the fact that the exact ingredients and the exact amounts of each were Divinely specified, it still required the art of the apothecary to blend it into the holy anointing oil. The art of a man was used to serve God! Those of us who are not cooks know that it takes more than just the recipe to make a cake. We can follow it to the letter and our creation will be nothing in comparison to the cake that mother used to make from the same recipe. The art of the cook is important to the making of a delicious cake. So it is in our work in God’s vineyard, He wants us to use our art, our skill in ministering to the saints and if we do this faithfully then we are addicted or devoted in our work. The truth does not turn out peas in a pod. God wants us to develop our individualities, our skills, our arts for Him. God does not want uniformity but unity. The four Gospels all show the personalities of the writers while telling us the story of the life of Christ. Each was true, but each revealed the life of Jesus after the art of the writer. These men were addicted to a life of service to God and yet Peter and John were as different as day and night. Each loved the Lord and Jesus loved them both. Each served God with their whole hearts but their approach to things was entirely different. We need to remember that God made each of us different and He did not make a mistake when He made us. He made us with the capabilities of serving Him and we each need to become addicted to our work. Let us find a work to do and do it with all our might. Let us develop our skill as did Bezaleel whom God chose and filled him with wisdom and understanding in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver and in brass. Speaking of him and his assistant, Aholiab, Moses says “them hath God filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work.” God will fill our hearts with wisdom also if we have a mind to work. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; says Solomon. Become addicted to the work of the Lord. Use your skill, your art, your energy in God’s service. May we each respond as did Isaiah when he heard the Lord saying “Whom will I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

Accountability Daniel Webster, when asked what was the greatest thought that had ever entered his mind, replied: “My accountability to Almighty God.” This thought evidently hasn’t occurred to many people, at least it wouldn’t appear to be so from the way most people are living. Their lives reflect more “of an eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” attitude, than any thought of being held accountable to God. When we stop to reflect just how great God is, and then remember that Jesus told us that not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without our Father’s knowing it, we can understand that everything we do is known to Him. In a general way, the whole world is accountable to God, for He knows when the sparrow falls, yet that is the end of the sparrow. So it is with most men. They live and die like a flower blossoming in the desert air. They are as though they had never been. When we consider that by our knowledge of God, we place ourselves in an accountable position to Him and also become eligible to receive from Him that glorious prize of everlasting life that He has offered to those who do know Him and have kept His commandments, it truly becomes one of the greatest thoughts that has ever entered our minds. In the hall which our ecclesia rents on Sunday, there is a plaque over the fireplace that says, “Knowledge is Power.” When we realize what power there is in the knowledge of God, it is truly staggering. It is knowledge that is able to make one wise unto salvation. This knowledge is so powerful it will bring dead bodies to life again in the resurrection at the last day. This knowledge is so powerful that it makes us accountable to Almighty God. James tells us that “him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Now the question is, when we know what we should do, when we realize that we are accountable to God, what do we do and how do we act? Paul warned the Romans that “Everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.” Does our life reflect the fact that we understand the point Jesus made when he told us that every idle word that we shall speak, we shall give account thereof in the day of judgment? For by our words we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be condemned. Knowing this, Paul admonishes us saying, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” James warns us about the dangers of the tongue and all the trouble it can get us into. When we consider that God knows not only everything we say but even what we think, surely our accountability to Him is a thought we should never forget. Let’s hope we are not like the foolish servant who knew he was accountable to his lord yet took his talent and hid it in the earth. He knew his lord would return. He knew he would be held accountable for the talent. In spite of this, he did nothing. We need to be on guard that we are not foolish servants of the Lord hiding our talents in the earth. All we have to do is try. God gives the increase, but He won’t give it to us if we are sitting down. Truly, knowledge is power. Paul’s desire was to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. Knowledge, like faith, is useless if it’s all alone. Actually Peter says it would be better not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after having known it, to turn from the holy commandment. Since we know, and we know we are accountable, let us, with God’s help, use our knowledge in works meet for repentance that at the coming of Jesus he will be pleased to say to us, “Well done.”

Absence “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is a familiar old saying with a lovely sentiment, but unfortunately it isn’t always true. Many lovers have returned to find their betrothed married to another. But this saying is true when those separated are faithful and their love is strong. These will constantly think of the one that is away, they will correspond, they will reject the opportunity to go out with another, they do nothing that would meet with the disapproval of their betrothed. To these “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Those weak ones who rationalize, who excuse their unfaithfulness by saying that a little fun doesn’t hurt anyone, and besides who is to know about a few secret dates, will soon find that letter writing becomes more of a chore and soon the love that once burned so strongly will gradually grow cold and finally die. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” only when those involved have the courage of their conviction and the will power to make temporary sacrifices for the anticipation of future happiness with their true love. True Christians are waiting for their bridegroom (Christ) who has promised to take to himself his bride (his church) when he returns from heaven to set up his kingdom. The question each of us must ask ourselves is, does Christ’s absence make our heart grow fonder? Are we becoming more and more anxious for his return? Or are we having what we hope are secret infatuations with the world which are causing us to momentarily forget? The more ties we have with the world, the less anxious we are for his return. Our homes, our jobs. our hobbies. and our recreation can all become figurative lovers that compete against Christ for our time and affection. We must be true to our first love. Peter has warned us of those who would say “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation”. Sometimes this question can come from an outside tempter, but it can also be detected as a small voice within us when we find that our interests and our duties fall in opposite directions. Of course, none want to admit that such a thought could occur to us, but then by our actions we often visibly display its result. Human nature is such a subtle thing that it is often possible to deceive even our own selves, but of course we are not deceiving Christ. When he returns he will know who are his own and who are not. In Christ’s parable of the virgins, some were wise and some were foolish. We need to remember that they were all virgins. It isn’t that the foolish were so wicked as much as they were foolish. They didn’t do anything very bad, but they just didn’t do anything. Absence made their hearts forget. They weren’t longing for his return although they were expecting it. We are expecting Christ to return. Is his absence making our hearts grow fonder?

MINUTE MEDITATIONS Robert Lloyd A Great Age There is the story about the disc jockey handed new copy just as he is about to announce the next number. He quickly reads it: “This next song is dedicated to John Jones who is 111 today.” He does a double take and exclaims, “My, but that is a great age!” After a second look he sees that he has made an error and rereads the copy saying, “This next song is dedicated to John Jones who is ill today.” One hundred and eleven is a great age, but so is one hundred and one. Our father-in-law was born in 1884 in Birmingham, and as a boy he personally knew Bro. Robert Roberts. There are few, if any others, living today who could say that. He loves to talk about the past as most old folks do. Think of the things that have transpired since he was born. Most of the modern conveniences we take for granted today were unheard of when he was growing up. Turkey was in full control of Palestine and there were few Jews there; Russia had no military might; and the “sun never set on the British Empire.” What would Brother Roberts think if he could see the world conditions that we see? What do we think as we see them? Are we so blasé and calloused that we are almost tempted to say, “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation?” Things have not really continued as they were from the beginning of the creation – it’s just that we have witnessed them come one at a time during our lifetime, and so we may not be as excited about them as we should.As we see 2021 begin we wonder what will happen this year. It could very well be that 2021 will be the year of the return of our Lord, and that none of us will be here this time next year. We are living in a great age whether or not we are of a great age. Let us each live this year as if it were our last, whether we are 16, 60, or 101. How can we do that? By realizing that there is really only one purpose for our individual existence. When Jesus comes to call us to his judgment seat, that moment is the end of our mortal life as we know it. At that point we will either become immortal and live forever, which will make 101 seem like a tiny speck of time, or we will be destroyed; and that will mean that our entire life of however many years will have been a total waste. We are now determining which verdict will be ours. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, so we know He wants us in it. What does 2021 hold in store for us that is more important than the kingdom? A new job, money, a sport, a new home? These things will seem unimportant when we face the Lord Jesus Christ and he asks us, “What have you done for me?” How wise we are to decide to make 2021 our year for the Lord. It will be a great year if we do. It will be a disaster if we don’t, no matter what else we may achieve. If we completely surrender ourselves to God this year, He will cause all things to “work together for our good” for “the eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” Some of the things that would have upset us and many of the trials that would have caused us concern will no longer bother us, for we, in 2021, will have learned in whatsoever state we are in, therewith to be content. Yes, 2021 can be the best year of our life if we live it as if it were our last. Even if it isn’t, it will be better because we lived it wholly and totally for the Lord. Let us decide right now that this year we will surrender our lives to God. We join Paul in exclaiming, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me.”

10 January 2021 Genesis 19 Psalms 22 Matthew 12 "WILL GIVE ACCOUNT FOR EVERY CARELESS WORD" Did Jesus really mean what he said when he taught the people, “I tell you on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” [Matthew 12:36,37] There was another saying of Jesus we can put alongside this, a parable really. Next week we will read in Matthew 21 of the son who said to his Father when he was asked to go and work in his Vineyard “I go sir, but did not go.” [Matthew 21:30] We will see a similar point later this month when we read Romans; Paul complains, “you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?” [Romans 2:21] – their words and actions were a contradiction! We must mean what we say. When Paul left Titus in Crete he wrote to him and bluntly said how true was one of their own poets who said ‘Cretans are always liars’ Paul told Titus “this testimony is true, therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” [Titus 1:12,13] In his 2nd letter to the Corinthians Paul stressed to them the importance of meaning what you say. “Do I make my plans according to the flesh?” he wrote, “ready to say ‘Yes Yes,’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time?” [2 Corinthians 1:17] We must not carelessly or thoughtlessly give our word, i.e. make a promise. The most important time we gave our word (or will give our word) was when we were baptised and entered into a covenant relationship with God and His son. But there is only one sin we cannot seek and receive forgiveness for, as we read in Matthew today! Jesus bluntly said, “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” [Matthew 12:32] How many blaspheme today, when they scoff at the belief that God created all things through the power of his Spirit? See Genesis 1:2 God is the ultimate example of giving his word; meditate on what he said through Isaiah the prophet. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and … water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout … so will my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but shall accomplish that which I purpose …” [Isaiah 55:10,11] In the next chapter Isaiah records God’s word that “everyone who … holds fast my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer … for my house Temple) shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” [Isaiah 56:6,7] What a wonderful time for those who mean what they say – for God means what he says. ------- - DC

09 January 2021 "The unity of the Old and New Testaments is one of the strong evidences of the truth of the claims that the writers were moved by divine inspiration. That unity is seen, not only in the teaching on great themes, but in countless hidden harmonies. It is as if one mind was behind the whole. This indeed is the fact, although fifteen hundred years separated the earliest and latest contributions to the canon of Scripture." - John Carter Delight in God's Law

09 January 2021 Genesis 17; 18 Psalms 19; 20; 21 Matthew 11 "WALK BEFORE ME AND BE BLAMELESS" Abraham is one of the three outstanding characters in the Old Testament (the other two are Moses and David). Genesis 17 tells us that when Abraham was 99 the LORD appeared and said, “I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless” that I may make my covenant between me and you …” [Genesis 17:1,2] Abraham’s acts of faith were an essential ingredient in following God’s injunction to “walk before me and be blameless.” We read how God changed his name to Abraham saying, “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” [Genesis 17:5]. Notice the present tense! In God’s eyes there is no time, he sees the future as he sees the present, to him they are all one! Paul understood this when he wrote of believers possessing the same faith as Abraham in Romans 4. He “is the father of all who believe … who also walk in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham … who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made you the father of many nations’ – in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” [Romans 4:11,12,16,17] – except in the mind of God. Paul continues, Abraham “grew strong in his faith … fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also … who believe … ” [Romans 4:20,23,24] Abraham’s interaction with God is a powerful lesson to us which is further added to as we read Genesis 18. There we read of “3 men” who come to Abraham and he immediately senses they are angels, one of whom is “the angel of his presence” [Isaiah 63:9] bearing the name ‘Yahweh’ who says, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness …” [Genesis 18:17-19] Part of the blameless walk before God is to share the way of God with our children and with others. The Hebrew word for ‘blameless’ does not mean sinless, only Christ was sinless, but the same Hebrew word is translated as ‘upright’ and ‘in sincerity’ in some places (eg Joshua 24:14; 2 Samuel 22:24,26) – the A V trans. as ‘perfect’ can give us the wrong impression, so let us all aim to follow faithful Abraham and his blameless walk before our God. ------- - DC

08 January 2021 "Our service to Jesus must be modelled on his service to his Father: not the mechanical soulless obedience, which so often characterized fixed and ceremonial offerings, but the spontaneous and gladsome doing of His will, which springs from the knowledge that, if we are the bondservants of the Lord, we are so from choice, since his word has entered our ears and hearts, revealing to us the most excellent way of life and love. To serve him is perfect freedom. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)" - F.E. Mitchell Jesus, The Lord (1954)

08 January 2021 Genesis 15; 16 Psalms 18 Matthew 10 “THE CLEANNESS OF MY HANDS” Psalm 18 is an intimate statement in which David reviews all the ways in which the LORD was involved in his life. God is his rock, his place of refuge [Psalm 18:2]. He writes that the LORD has dealt with him according to his righteousness “according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me” [Psalm 18:20] Reflection on the meaning here leads us to evaluate the ‘cause and effect’ principle of our relationship with God. We have observed many times that difficulties can enter a person’s life, although he or she does not, from our human perspective, deserve it. Job’s life is a classic case, but consider David himself! He experiences after he had slain Goliath and was exalted in the sight of the nation – but he then suffered much trouble because of the jealousy of Saul. So what did David mean when he wrote that the Lord rewarded me because of the cleanness of my hands? This perception of David is so significant that he repeats it in Psalm 18:23,24, notice the context: “I was blameless before him and I kept myself from my guilt. So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.” [Psalm 18:23, 24]. There is a present tense here, the reward was operative in his life then! There were special blessings, especially in the growth of his Godly character. So David, despite all the troubles Saul created for him, as the introduction to this Psalm illustrates, is extremely conscious of the present ‘reward’ of God’s guiding care. “With the merciful you show yourself merciful” [Psalm 18:25] “The word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” [Psalm 18:30] When he says of God “you equipped me with strength for the battle” [Psalm 18:39], true followers of Christ can see this as meaning for them a different kind of equipping. The Apostle Paul says “we are not waging war according to the flesh … We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every (human) thought captive to obey Christ” [2 Corinthians 10:3,5]. Our regular meditative Bible reading is a vital ingredient in the daily lives of each of us as a factor in enabling God and Christ to work in us. Paul told the Corinthians, “we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” [1 Corinthians 3:9] ------- - DC

07 January 2021 "Doctrine is neither abstract nor arid. It should be real, it should be manifested in the life of the believer. So it is that to the undiscerning James appeared to contradict Paul when he stressed the need for works. Yes, he said in effect, you are justified in the sight of God by faith, initially by acceptance of doctrine. But that in itself is insufficient. Faith must be manifested and expressed by a manner of life. Faith is the foundation; the works of life are the building bricks. They will either contribute to the body of Christ in its completion, or they will help develop a structure of clay and stubble." - Gareth Davies The Teaching of the Apostles about Doctrine (1976)

07 January 2021 Genesis 13; 14 Psalms 17 Matthew 9 "SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD" In Matthew 9 there is a summary of the work of Jesus – “and Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” [Matthew 9:35,36] A large priesthood system existed; there were also scribes and Pharisees. There was the Temple and many synagogues, so what was Jesus’ point in saying the people were harassed and helpless with no shepherds? It is obvious he meant the whole religious system was a failure! Would he say the same today? Are the flock “harassed and helpless” today? In one sense ‘No,’ but they have many attractions that are distractions that stop them from giving attention to the greater issues of life. The flock then had leaders that were self centred, they had no “vision” of eternal things, their prayers were to tell God how good they were [Luke 18:11,12] They tackled the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” [Luke 18:11] – so that’s what they thought of others. Do today’s ‘shepherds’ say how good they are? Jesus as the “good shepherd” set other shepherds an example. He came to bring “new wine” and the “old wineskins were useless” [Luke 18:17] – the old law had served its purpose, the religious leaders had corrupted the essential elements of its message, they had lost any meaningful “vision” of God and the real nature of the service he seeks and well as the message “of the kingdom.” The lesson for us today is that the “new wine” is preserved for us in our Bibles but for most it has become “salt (that) has lost its taste” [Matthew 5:13] But the words of Jesus are more meaningful than ever for those who have “ears to hear” - and in our world that is so starved of genuine spirituality there is abundant work to be done. Note how our chapter ends, “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into the harvest.” ------- - DC

06 January 2021 "Our standing in the sight of God does not rest on justice, but on something much finer and grander: on the unthinkable love and tender mercy of a gracious Father. Mere justice is far too mean a thing to be seen among those who have been saved by mercy. The inspired writer James expressed it thus: "He shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy: and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." We all need to get into the habit of remembering "the manner of spirit we are of": a brotherhood founded not on justice, but on mercy: not on cold calculation but on abounding and compelling love, which truth has, I suppose, never been better expressed than by the Psalmist in Psalm 103: "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." Isaiah expresses it in even more intimate terms: "All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." - Cyril Cooper Reflection (1958)

06 January 2021 Genesis 11; 12 Psalm 14; 15; 16 Matthew 8 "HE WHO WALKS BLAMELESSLY AND DOES ... " David’s chaotic early life after he killed Goliath led him into and through situations which caused him to pen many very meaningful Psalms on his relationship with God. These Psalms are part of the Hymn Book of Israel and they challenged the thinking of all Israelites who sang them – and they challenge all who read (and sing) them today. David was such a godly man; we must try to get our thinking into ‘tune’ with his ways of thinking for it is clear God guided him into penning these words and then preserved them for our reading and meditation – and some of them we even sing. Psalm 15 begins with 2 questions. “O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?” and “Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” In David’s days the LORD dwelt in the ark in a tent; it seems the tabernacle Moses made no longer existed. In his son Solomon’s days’ the ark was placed within the Temple he built on God’s “holy hill.” This was the very spot where Abraham long before, as we shall soon read in Genesis, had been willing to sacrifice Isaac. Now let us carefully note the answers David gives to those two questions. Those who will “dwell” in the presence of God are “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks the truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbour, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honours those who fear the LORD” [Psalm 15:2-4] This short Psalm concludes in verse 5 [Psalm 15:5] with the words, “He (or she) who does these things shall never be moved.” That means, they will stand firm when all around are shaking with fear. We specially noted that God looks to those “who speak the truth” in their heart, that is, those who are totally honest with themselves. The next Psalm [Psalm 16] shows the extent to which David was granted a vision of ‘the holy one’ who was to be his greater son. But let us not miss the verses in this Psalm in which he acknowledges his own wonderful relationship with God. “I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” [Psalm 16:7,8] Let us follow David’s example. ------- - DC

05 January 2021 "Though the nations are in His sight as nothing (cf. Isaiah 40:17), He is the God of love and causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust. There is no variableness in God, no petty favouritism: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34,35). This was Peter’s fine testimony at Caesarea in the first century and it has always been true. Those who seek to know God must “follow on to know Him” (Hosea 6:3) so that they may be perfect even as their Father in heaven is perfect. The pursuit of this perfection is the noblest end to which a man can bend his powers. In thus seeking to know God the disciple is helped by the study of Christ, for to see him is to see the Father." - T.J. Barling The Broad and Narrow Ways (1963). The Christadelphian, 100 (electronic ed.), 451.

05 January 2021 Genesis 9; 10 Psalms 11; 12; 13 Matthew 7 "A WISE MAN WHO BUILT HIS HOUSE ON THE ROCK" Can the parables of Jesus become too well known to those who read the Bible regularly? It is possible, especially if that familiarity leads them to slide past simple but powerful lessons. “The wise man who built his house upon a rock” is such a lesson. We must never overlook that for everyone’s house, that is, for his or her life, “the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house” [Matthew 7:25]. Each of us are challenged by Jesus to be spiritual house builders and our houses need to be strong enough to withstand the bad weather our lives will encounter and the weather forecast during our lives predicts lots of uncertainties and potential calamities. Our houses will not be able to stand if they do not have the right foundation. Included in today’s chapter are Jesus’ challenging words, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, ‘will enter the kingdom …” [Matthew 7:21] Why is that? Those who are barred from entry will say, “ ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy (preach) in your name … and do many mighty works (good deeds, etc) in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness.’ ” [Matthew 7:22,23] Earlier in the chapter we read, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many” [Matthew 7:13]. The gate Jesus bids us go through may seem to be very narrow today, but the evidence that all the other gates lead nowhere is clearer than ever. The gate that leads to oblivion may be so wide many do not even realize they have passed through it! Of course, if this life is all we want, so be it! But the storm clouds are building up and the satisfactions that fill our lives today may soon be overwhelmed. Do you remember the parable about knocking on the closed door? The task of building a spiritual house is ever more challenging, but the words of Jesus are there for us to absorb and become part of our thinking, “for he was teaching them as one who had authority and not as the scribes” [Matthew 7:29] And – oh dear – there are such scribes today. ------- - DC

04 January 2021 "The aspect of the love of God as expressed in the gift of the Son of His love, and of the implications it entails, is summarized for us by Peter when he says that though “now for a season, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations”, it is in order “that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls”." - E.J. Green The Love of God (1955). The Christadelphian, 92 (electronic ed.), 148.

04 January 2021 Genesis 7; 8 Psalms 9; 10 Matthew 6 “O LORD! LET THE NATIONS KNOW THAT THEY ARE BUT MEN” The above words conclude Psalm 9. As we read this Psalm we saw it as a remarkable summary – from God’s perspective – of life on earth. David, in his sublime meditation was able to possess the enlarged heart [Psalm 119:2] he had prayed for and it is our privilege to enter into that vision, but we must read and do so in a humble and seeking state of mind. “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart” is how David begins. “I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Therefore we should know and reflect on all that God has already done. David now looks at the future and sees the end that is in prospect, “You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins … the very memory of them has perished.” [Psalm 9:5,6]. That can only fully happen in the perfect age when God himself dwells on earth as we read last week in Revelation [Revelation 21:3-8]. In contrast to the total end of the wicked, “the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.” [Psalm 9:7,8] An inspiring picture of the world after Christ returns. Then David focuses his mind on the present scene, “The LORD is … a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the LORD …” [Psalm 9:9-11] Those who know God, who know his reputation, what he has done in the past and what a relationship with him means now - will sing praises to him with all their heart. The last 2 verses are a prayer to God that is so appropriate for us to utter today, “Arise O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear. O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men.” ------- - DC

03 January 2021 "... The Gospel he had come to proclaim was that God had loved men even though they had proved His enemies; blessed them though they had cursed Him; done good to them though they hated Him. Thus he was, on God’s behalf, demanding no more of men than what He was pleased to bestow on them, and they for their part were only too ready to accept from Him. "I say to you", said he, "love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." [Matthew 5:44-45] With that indiscriminateness with which God, as Lord of nature, distributes His benefits, regardless of men’s unfitness to receive them, so must the Christian manifest persistent goodwill to all, regardless of how they choose to treat him. In short, the surest way—nay, the only way—for a Christian to give God delight is himself to delight to be like Him. - W.F. Barling Being a Christian (1955). The Christadelphian, 92 (electronic ed.), 90.