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Commitment Without Involvement is Dead Without involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment – Stephen Covey. Just how involved are we in the Lord’s work? Remember that at the age of twelve the Lord Jesus asked his mother: “Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” Are we committed to our heavenly Father’s business? Can we be committed if we are not involved? If we are not involved in our Father’s business, in whose business are we involved? What takes our time and gets our attention? Just how do we spend our time each day – taking care of our business or our Father’s business? People who have invested their life savings in a business are committed to making it a success. They don’t just put in their time at work, they work. They don’t come late and leave early if they are committed. It is not difficult in the world to see the difference between a committed employee and one who is just putting in time. The employee who takes a personal interest in the business spends more time on the job and persists until he achieves results. Do we think that the Lord can tell if we are really committed to our Father’s business? If we are sporadic in our attendance at the meetings, are we committed? If we seldom seem to find the time to do our daily Bible readings, are we committed? Remember, without involvement there is no commitment. Are we interested in the lives of our brethren and sisters or do we arrive just in time for service and leave immediately after? Do we help make ecclesial functions successful or do we criticize the efforts of those who organize them? Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” What fruit do we have to show our commitment? If we were a tree, would we have fruit, would it be good fruit, or would we be cut down? There is a time soon coming when we will have to answer to the Lord, who will examine our fruit or the lack of it. The time to be committed is now. If we have commitment now, we are focused and active in the Lord’s service, but if there is no commitment, there is no fruit, no works. James said, “Faith without works is dead.” The message to the ecclesia in Sardis was, “I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead.” Are we dead? The exhortation to Sardis and to us is: “Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.” Let us resolve in our hearts to be fully committed to the Lord by being involved in his business. The extent of our involvement demonstrates our commitment just as our works demonstrate our faith. At the dedication of the temple, King Solomon exhorted the people saying, “But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands.” Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it and underline it and then do it.

12 February 2021 "If we are to put on the armour which is to enable us to withstand in the evil day, does it not amount to this, that we are to make it a matter of vigilant policy to follow those things that strengthen faith, and avoid those that have the tendency to weaken it." - Robert Roberts Vigilant Policy (Filler 1963)

12 February 2021 Exodus 22 Psalms 75; 76 Mark 8 “ … OF HIM WILL THE SON OF MAN BE ASHAMED WHEN HE COMES” “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes … ” [Mark 8:38] Why would we be ashamed of Jesus – causing him to be ashamed of us? Notice, he specifically refers to his words! What has Jesus said that we would be ashamed of talking to our neighbours and fellow workers about? Isn’t it our responsibility to share our faith with others? On Thursday we will read in Mark 12 Jesus’ comment about the second commandment - “You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” [Mark 12:31] Surely we talk to our neighbours, are they aware of our faith? We don’t feel ashamed of what we believe, do we? If we do, why? We must aim to overcome our shyness. When Jesus rebuked Peter because he refused to believe that Jesus was going to be killed, he said to him, “you are not setting your mind on the things of God …” [Mark 8:33] Let us try harder to set our minds on the things of God. In doing so, we will recall that even in the Law God gave through Moses; there is the command “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” [Leviticus 19:18]. This has been a command for all ages. What a different world this would be if that command was carried out! And who can doubt but that it will be - by those who live in God’s Kingdom. Let us be in training for God’s Kingdom now! What better way to show your love for your neighbour than by encouraging them to believe in the words of Jesus! We must try to speak to them in the spirit of love, a desire to share something precious; the pearl of great price! This will be reflected in our attitude as well as in the words that we use, for we ‘communicate’ as much by what we do – as by what we say. The world has a word for it, “body language.” We must seek wisdom from above as we set ourselves to do this. Remember what James wrote, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” [James 3:17] ------- - DC

Choices, Choices, Choices There is a choice you have to make, In everything you do. And you must always keep in mind, The choice you make, makes you. Our entire life is made up of choices. Often the difference between happiness and misery or living and just existing is making the right choice. Abraham Lincoln once said that most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. He was right. It is amazing how many people evidently wake up in the morning and say to themselves, “I choose to be miserable today.” Just by looking into the faces of those people you can tell that was their choice. Making the right choice is more important than just choosing to be happy; it can make the difference between life and death. The way to life was clear when Moses laid down a challenge to the children of Israel; he said, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Choosing life would seem to be an easy decision to make, but, in fact, the children of Israel made the wrong choice. They actually said, “Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt!” or “Would God we had died in this wilderness!” when they murmured against Moses and Aaron. Sadly they got their wish. Be careful what you ask for, because the Lord may very well give it to you. Joshua, at the end of his life, gave the people a choice. He made the right choice himself and wanted the people to follow suit, but he could not make them. God will not make us choose the good either. Joshua appealed to the people, saying, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” In response, “The people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.” That was the right choice for them and it is the right choice for us. As the little ditty says, “The choice you make, makes you.” We are a sum of all the choices we have made in our lives, whether they are good ones or not. God does give us free will, and we can choose which way we want to go. For example, every morning when we wake up we can choose to get up, or stay in bed. Getting up is obviously the right choice. There is an old Hebrew proverb which says, “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.” King Solomon describes the sleepyhead this way, “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, so shall thy poverty come,” and “As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.” So the lazy one who turns over and refuses to jump out of bed to face life is choosing what he wants at the moment, a little more sleep, rather than what he should want most in life, to rise to serve the Lord. We need to begin each day by making right choices every morning – getting up, thinking that this is the day which the Lord hath made, and then rejoicing and deciding to make it a good day. If the daily choices we make are based upon our faith and love for God, then we will make sure we have time to read the Bible, to pray for guidance, to do kind deeds for others, as well as the mundane tasks required in our life. David once asked, “Teach me thy way, O Lord.” We would like God to teach us, also. Not everyone is given this privilege. “What man is he that feareth the LORD?” David asks and then continues, “him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.” If we want God to teach us, we need to show our fear of Him by making choices that reflect our desire to serve and obey Him. There is a choice you have to make in everything you do, so you must always keep in mind that the choice you make, makes you.

11 February 2021 "Our salvation depends in the first instance on God seeing that which was not secret, nor done in secret. This principle was shown on Passover night: “When he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you” (Exodus 12:23), Moses told Israel as they prepared for the Exodus. The atonement made for us by Christ with his shed blood is our shield of righteousness in the Almighty’s presence. This is why we can only draw nigh to God through him. Those who draw nigh in full assurance of faith now, will find that besides God seeing them, they themselves will see God. They who are Abraham’s seed—who himself rejoiced to see Christ’s day, saw it and was glad—will with faithful Abraham “See his face”. For “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8)." - Graham Smith Thou God Seest Me (1968)

11 February 2021 Exodus 21 Psalms 74 Mark 7 "THE HABITATIONS OF VIOLENCE" Every time we listen to the world news we hear accounts of violence in various places. Our Psalm today [Psalm 74] has some comparison to this as it was most likely written after the destruction of the Temple for the Psalmist (Asaph) is lamenting, “the enemy has set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground.” [Psalm 74:7] He then laments about the situation saying, “there is no longer any prophet and there is none among us who knows how long” [Psalm 74:9] How long? Well, the situation is that “a foolish people reviles your name … for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence” [Psalm 74:18,20] How parallel this situation is with the world today; we could write a Psalm today that would be similar – except for the fact that although there is no longer any prophet we all have access, if we are inclined, to the word of God and its visions of how God sees life and the ultimate end in store! So we can ask “how long” must this violence in the world continue from a special perspective - now that significant violence is in countries next to God’s land and the people he has restored to live there!? The Psalm contains lessons for us – for the writer turns his thoughts to God! “Yet God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” [Psalm 74:12] We remember how God worked deliverance in the days of Moses and David. The last two verses are a prayer to God that can be ours today, “Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember (be mindful) how the foolish scoff at you all the day! Do not forget the clamour of your foes, the uproar of those who rise up against you, which goes up continually!” To these words we can add the words with which David concluded Psalm 9, “Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know they are but men!” ------- - DC

Consistency THE VERY FIRST time we went bowling, the first ball we rolled was a strike! Much to the amazement of those with us, the second ball was also a strike. At this point we had as high a score as any professional bowler. Of course our game deteriorated rapidly from there, and we ended up with a low score. Anyone can bowl a strike sometimes. The difference between the amateur and the professional is consistency. This is also true in almost all other sports. On a given hole many duffers can beat Arnold Palmer but not in 18 or 36 holes. Sometimes the landlubber accidentally lands the biggest fish of all, but he can’t keep up with the experienced fisherman day after day. Our profession is following Christ. Anyone can do a good deed once in awhile. Even hardened criminals do kind things sometimes. The difference between us, Christ’s brethren, and the rest is consistency. Let us not point to the exception and make out that it is the rule. The fact that we did this or that last year means nothing now. Tomorrow is a brand new day to serve the Lord. What we did today will not fill tomorrow’s need. How many times have we observed the scores of a double header in baseball where in the first game one team won by a lopsided score of something like twelve to nothing only to lose the next one by a score of three to two. All those excess runs in the first game could not be used again. Our life is like this. We cannot rest on our laurels and think that yesterday’s good deeds are sufficient to carry us through today. We have a brand new day before us, brand new God-given strength, and brand new opportunities to serve the Lord. The thing that should cause us to stand out from the rest, like a champion over an amateur, is the fact we consistently read our Bibles, we pray continually, we always attend every meeting and class, and we can always be counted on to help the weak and visit the sick. Everyone does some of these things sometimes. On a sinking ship, many people are praying, but when had they previously sought God this way? Jesus tells us that only a few will be saved. The difference between those few and the rest will be the fact that the few served God every single day. They always tried to do what was right. They did not run in spurts like the hare but patiently continued in well doing, and at last when Christ returns he will give them the crown of life that fadeth not away. It is difficult to be consistent. In sports it separates the champions from the crowd. In the Truth it separates the sheep from the goats. We need to decide upon the goal we want to reach. No champion ever got there by accident. It requires hours and hours of practice day after day to reach the top. Fritz Kreisler once said that if he missed practicing his violin one day, he knew it; if he missed two days, his friends knew it; and if he missed three days, the whole world knew it. God knows if we miss just one day. Our godly life of reading, praying, and serving must be a daily life. Let us then “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

10 February 2021 "Even more wonderful than the dramatic deliverances of the Exodus are the great things that God has done for us through the death and resurrection of His Son. Do we appreciate them? Do we understand their amazing implications? The true children of God will feel constrained to say: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)." - Peter WatkinsThe Danger of Unbelief (1977)

10 February 2021 Exodus 19; 20 Psalms 73 Mark 6 "IF YOU WILL INDEED OBEY ... " Nearly 3 months had passed from when the people saw the Egyptians who had tried to follow them through the parted waters - dead upon the sea shore. The drama of the plagues had been fresh in their minds then. Since then they had been miraculously provided with water, then with bread, ‘the manna from heaven’ and quail to eat. How much should all these experiences have impressed them!? Now “Israel encamped before the mountain” [Exodus 19:2], not just any mountain! There is no certainty today in identifying this mountain. “Moses went up to God” [Exodus 19:3]. What did God say to him? They are words which we see being meaningfully echoed in the New Testament from the mouth of Jesus. God told Moses to tell the people, “you yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples for you shall be to me a kingdom of priests … ” [Exodus 19:4-6] Those final words find a remarkable echo in the last message of Jesus in the last book of the Bible [Revelation 20:6]. From the beginning of the world God has been looking for those who are willing to dedicate their lives to him and become his “treasured possession.” This is an overwhelming prospect – beyond our human comprehension. However, we must realize how the New Testament reveals what we might call, ‘the human face of God.’ Remember how Jesus said, “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” [John 14:9] But of course he wasn’t the Father! But as we read in Hebrews 1, God “in these last days has spoken to us by his Son” [Hebrews 1:2]. So in Exodus we see God speaks to and through Moses and we particularly note that “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear (awe) of him may be before you, that you may not sin’” [Exodus 20:20] What about today? Remarkably God now ‘speaks’ through the pages of the Bible which is now available in every known language. To those who truly seek God to “indeed obey” he is a “still small voice” [1 Kings 19:12] but for those who “refuse him who is speaking” [Hebrews 12:25] then see what is written in the rest of Hebrews 12. ------- - DC

Consider Your Ways “THE HARVEST IS PAST, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” These words of Jeremiah, penned so long ago, apply to us living now. It is possible to become weary as the days stretch into weeks, months and years and still our Lord remains away. Surely “now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” We must always be on our guard that we do not lapse into the foolish thinking of those Peter tells us will 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.” In the last few years we have witnessed so many startling developments it seems unbelievable that such thoughts should drift into our minds. We have seen the establishment of the state of Israel and the increase of knowledge to the point where men can orbit the earth in a matter of minutes and yet for most of us “all things continue as they were.” Our lives fall into a routine that soon becomes a rut and the startling headlines become commonplace to us as we go about our daily tasks. Our lives should be filled with eager anticipation, anxiously awaiting the coming of the Lord. We should be looking for the Lord from day to day and season to season so that we can say almost with surprise, “The summer is ended and we are not saved!” This is the attitude we should have, but do we? Those in Jeremiah’s day were far too busy with their routines, too deeply entrenched in their ruts to heed the prophet’s warning. Is history repeating itself? Are we really as anxious for the Lord’s return as we should be? Perhaps we would just as soon have him wait until we finish college or get married. Would it be inconvenient for Christ to come now because we are busy building a new home or getting a business started? Have we been lulled into an apathetic state of mind due to television, sports and vacations? God told Haggai to warn those of his day that they should consider their ways because they were busy living in their own ceiled (panelled) houses and had neglected the house of the Lord. The harvest is past, but what did we sow? The summer is ended, but how did we spend it? The fall is upon us, what are we doing? Let us consider our ways. Are we busy building the Lord’s house or our own? Is our time taken up in His work or ours? Jesus warned us that we should not concern ourselves with thoughts as to “What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” And then Jesus tells us why we should not concern ourselves with these things for he says, “For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.” We know that he was right. These are the things that concern those around us and it takes up all their time, but we must be different. Therefore Jesus admonishes us to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” If only we will be wise and seek first the kingdom of God, then we need not be concerned that the summer is ended, and we are not saved, because we soon shall be. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

09 February 2021 "One is a beginning. Indeed, it was the beginning, for all things spring from the one God. Such, too, was the beginning of the human race. Paul gave emphasis to this on Mars Hill when he declared: "God ... made of one every nation of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26, R.V.). From one man all men have come, and all share the one’s blessings and cursings. And so with the new creation. There was one new man when Christ our Lord was glorified in immortality. He remains the unique, the first, the one Lord who still awaits the day of meeting with his brethren. The black heavens hold one star, the Star of Jacob, and we wait in faith for the day when he shall be joined by a numberless host of radiant orbs whose eternal light will show forth the praises of the Father of lights and His Son, the light of the world." - Harry TennantOne (1963)

09 February 2021 Exodus 17; 18 Psalms 72 Mark 5 "MAY ... HIS FAME CONTINUE AS LONG AS THE SUN" Today we read one of the best known Psalms – Psalm 72. The introduction states, ‘OF SOLOMON’ but the last verse tells us, “The prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended.” We therefore conclude David began it as a Psalm for Solomon for the success, through the providence of God, of his coming reign. However, as he progressed in writing the Psalm David becomes inspired to see beyond the mortal reign of Solomon and his grandeur – to that of his greater son. The Psalm starts, “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice … May he defend the cause of the poor … and give deliverance to the children of the needy …” [Psalm 72:1,2,4] David’s vision then opens out to encompass the work of his greater son of which he was aware through God’s message to him through the prophet Nathan, that God will “establish the throne of his kingdom for ever … your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.” [2 Samuel 7:13,16] Of this Son he writes, “May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” [Psalm 72:8]. In Psalm 72:10 we noted, “may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.” The Queen of Sheba did bring gifts to Solomon [1 Kings 10:1-13] but Jesus said, “something greater than Solomon is here” [Luke 11:31] The Psalm reaches its climax with a far reaching vision, “May his name endure for ever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever, may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” [Psalm 72:17-19] Oh the wonder of that time! At the moment “the whole earth” is experiencing more and more uncertainties and troubles as man tries to do all for the glory of man! We notice that tomorrow’s Psalm commences, “Truly God is good … to those who are pure in heart.” Those who follow Jesus with all their heart will be there. ------- - DC

Cold Feet They tell the story of the fellow trying to sleep with his feet hanging out the end of the bed, so cold that they have turned blue. Someone asked him why he didn’t draw them up under the covers and his reply was, “I’m not going to put those cold things in bed with me.” The story is funny because it is so ridiculous. Our feet are so much a part of our body that what happens to them happens to us. We recently had this demonstrated to us in a very real way. A heavy object was dropped on our big toe and the pain it caused was felt throughout the body. Later as we lay in bed trying to sleep we could feel each beat of our heart by the throb in our big toe. We were painfully aware of the truth of Paul’s statement concerning the body when he said “whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it.” We had not given our big toe a second thought for years and suddenly it became difficult to think of anything else. Paul makes a beautiful comparison of the parts of our physical body to being parts of the body of Christ. Paul shows how each part of the body is necessary and how one part must not say it does not need another part. Even “those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary” says Paul. Paul’s elaborate analogy is for the sole purpose of teaching us that there ought not to be any “schisms in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” If we really love the body of Christ as we love our own body we ought to “nourish and cherish it, even as the Lord the church.” We know what Jesus did for us. We know what we each do for an ailing part of our body. This, says Paul, is the way we ought to care for those members of our body who are spiritually sick. He tells us that “we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” This is exactly what we do when our big toe hurts. We don’t normally hop around on one foot holding the other with both hands, but when that toe has an infirmity that is exactly what we do. It doesn’t make much difference either how busy we think we are. We still take time out from whatever we are doing to do our little one foot dance. Now the problem is we are not usually as sensitive to the infirmities of others as we are to our own. Those that were with us were not as concerned about our big toe as we were. After all it was our toe that was hurting. We all need to cultivate a caring attitude for the infirmities of others. God has built into our body a nervous system so that we automatically care for the part of our body that is injured. Now we need to learn how to become sensitive to the hurts and feelings of others so that we can nourish and cherish them in their distresses. James tells us “that this is pure religion, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and keep ourselves unspotted from the world.” Sometimes what we do for the other is really a very small thing to us but very important to them. A visit, a kind word, just reaching out a steadying hand when one is hopping on one foot can prevent a fall. We need to learn to think of others and try to do for them as we would have them do for us if we were in their situation. It truly is the thought that counts but the thought will be demonstrated by a deed, for as faith without works is dead, so thoughts without actions are dead also. A cup of cold water isn’t much but if it is given in the name of a disciple, Jesus says the giver will not lose his reward. Let us each learn to care for the body of Christ as we do for our physical body that there be no “schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. Now ye are the body of Christ.”

08 February 2021 "... If, indeed, there is this simple, unclouded, unsullied honesty about all your motives, says Jesus, if your self-awareness of the tortuosities of your own mind and its emotions is vivid and clear, then truly will your whole being be a lampstand ablaze with glory to God." - Harry WhittakerDark Light (1950)

08 February 2021 Exodus 16 Psalms 70; 71 Mark 4 "THEY MAY INDEED SEE, BUT ..." “How good is your eyesight? What do we look at each day? Why do we choose one thing in preference to another? There is a sense in which we can talk about the ‘eyesight’ of the mind! (see Ephesians 1:18) Why do we think about certain things more than others? Our meditation upon our thinking processes was prompted by the way, when the crowds had left, Jesus responded to “those around him with the twelve” [Mark 4:10]. They ask him about the parables he is using in teaching the people. He tells them, “to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God’ [Mark 4:11] Is it a secret? There are many references in the Old Testament to the kingdom! True, but the common expectation was that the Messiah would be a conquering king, when that happened it would be totally clear to all. But, the point is - you have to commit yourself before that happens as to whether you are on his side! God’s way is to attract those who are prepared to think, ‘to use their brains’ as some would put it today. Jesus says he is speaking in parables “so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven” [Mark 4:12]. They had seen how different he was to any other teacher; we read in Mark 1, “they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes” [Mark 1:22]. But being “astonished” is only a start! Today we do not hear his teaching or see his miracles, but we know more than ever of the miracle of creation, but the minds of so many are locked into “believing” it all happened by pure chance! And, most important of all, we have this remarkable book that God caused to be written and preserved! How many read but do not understand? How many hear the Lord’s Prayer, but do not understand? Some start to understand, but, as in the parable we read today says, “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires of other things enter in and choke the word” [Mark 4:19] demonstrating the truth of his saying “they may indeed see but not perceive” God is not calling the half hearted – may you not be half hearted but have good eyesight. ------- - DC

Childish Things We just celebrated our granddaughter’s second birthday, and three more of our grandchildren, ages 3, almost 2 and not quite one, all her cousins, were there for the gala celebration. Watching the 2 year old open her presents while being watched by her 3 year old and almost 2 year old cousins, was an interesting lesson in human nature. At this tender age one has not yet learned to share and each could only view the event from her own viewpoint. The birthday girl had more presents than she knew what to do with while the other two looked on with longing eyes, desiring each gift for themselves as they came out of the box. Soon all three were gathered together on the floor, each appropriating a gift to hold and each looking to see what the other had that they could grab. A good time was had by all in spite of a few tears shed here and there. As adults watching the festivities we could understand the wisdom of Paul when he said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” These little girls could hardly have done any better than they did and of course, a doting grandfather would think this way, but we need to realize that we as adults, need to learn from their cute antics and for ourselves, put away childish things. Sometimes we find that adults are really just bigger children and we haven’t yet fully accomplished the goal of putting away childish things. It is still natural for us to think, “What am I going to get?” From God’s viewpoint, we must all appear as little children squabbling over a few toys, and we need to learn patience from His example for He really is very patient with us. Jesus tells us that we should “do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again;... and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” It isn’t natural for us to lend to people who do not pay it back, to be kind to people who will not say “thank you” or be merciful to people who do not show us mercy. As children, we may feel justified in treating others as they treat us, but as adults in Christ, we need to treat others not as they treat us but as we wish that they would treat us. This is really putting away “childish things.” This is something we must learn because it is just the opposite of what we want to do. The little children playing only do what their little minds tell them they want to do and they feel unhappy when they do not get “their way.” “Our way” is never the right way. As we sing in the hymn, “Thy way, not mine, O Lord, however dark it be! Lead me by Thine own hand, Choose out the path for me.” These are not just words to sing, this is a life to be lived, and it means putting away childish things and becoming mature in Christ. This means putting God first in our lives and saying with Jesus, “not my will, but thine be done.” This is true maturity, this is something every child of God must learn and then do. A little child just naturally thinks of himself. “Am I warm, dry, full, comfortable?” It does not occur to the very young to inquire if you are. To put away childish things then means to think of the needs of others, to serve others instead of one’s self. As Paul put it, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself.” Yes, we remember even at the young age of twelve, Jesus was about his Father’s business. It’s time for each of us to be about our Father’s business by forgetting self. “Do good... and ye shall be the children of the Highest.”

07 February 2021 "God wants our hearts and our innermost thoughts, He wants our understanding and our feelings; He wants our souls. He wants our lives, our energy and our vitality. He wants our minds and intellects because He wants us to understand and love Him." - Allan HarrisonThe First and Great Commandment (1998)

07 February 2021 Exodus 15 Psalms 69 Mark 3 "... MAGNIFY HIM WITH THANKSGIVING" Is there an attitude of thankfulness for all the blessings we have today? In most countries there is ample food and clothing, especially in Australia where there is an abundance of everything we could possibly require – and many things we do not need! It is such a contrast to the time we were young – during the war and for years after – the awesomely destructive 1939-45 war. But now there is more than plenty of everything – how many are thankful? We have to say that a thankful spirit is rarely seen, instead the spirit is to seek more and more, especially money – and look for someone to blame (usually the Govt) when it is lacking. This is a line of thinking that occurred to us as we read David’s Psalm 69, written at a difficult time of his life, despairing of “those who hate me without a cause” [Psalm 69:4]. He saw many who lacked any love for God and he says to God, “the reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen on me” [Psalm 69:9] Parts of the Psalm become a prophecy of the experiences of his ‘greater son’ Jesus, “I looked for pity, but there was none … for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink” [Psalm 69:20,21] Of those who showed no pity, David wrote, “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living” [Psalm 69:28] and sadly that will also be the lot of all those who do not have the spirit of thankfulness, but instead take everything, as their “right” to possess. The Psalm starts to reach its climax as David writes, “let your salvation, O God set me on high! I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” [Psalm 69:29,30]. We saw a direct parallel to this in our Exodus reading [Exodus 15] when “Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD” [Exodus 15:1] It was a song of thanksgiving, “I will sing to the LORD … he has become my salvation … I will praise him … I will exalt him.” [Exodus 15:2] Sadly, as we read on in Exodus we see how the great majority failed to maintain their thankfulness and confidence in God. In verse 26 we read that the LORD said to them, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God and do that which is right in his eyes …” [Exodus 15:26]. Today, we can say, if we will diligently read the word God has caused to be preserved - and believe and live in a way that shows we believe – then – yes then, what a wonderful future will be ours. ------- - DC

Caring It has been said that “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” What good is knowledge if we are uncaring? “Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth.” There are a lot of smart people around that no one cares to be around. They flout their knowledge and enjoy showing it off. Jeremiah tells us that the wise man should not glory in his wisdom. But some would retort, “what good is it if I can’t glory in it?” A better question would be, what good is knowledge unless it is used to help improve the quality of some life? Knowledge just for knowledge’s sake is of little value. Knowledge dies with the individual and he can no more take it with him than he can his money. When one rich man died, someone asked, “how much money did he leave?” and the answer was, “all of it.” So it is with whatever knowledge we may have accumulated along the way ... On our death bed, all our money and all our knowledge will be gone as we draw our last breath. It behoves us to use our knowledge and our money, in caring for others. We can, if we choose, use our knowledge to teach and encourage others. We can use our money to help those less fortunate and then when it comes time to die, our caring attitude will be remembered by God when our money and knowledge are gone. Peter tells us to “cast all our cares upon God; for He careth for us.” God who knows all, cares. “Not a sparrow shall fall on the ground without your Father” says Jesus, and he continues, “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” The point is, He knows and He cares. Do we know and care? Remember “people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Jesus told us about the man who went down from “Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” Three men passed by; a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. All three looked at him, all had knowledge of the poor man’s needs but two “passed by on the other side.” The Samaritan “when he saw him, he had compassion on him.” He cared. Do we care? We are all blessed in knowing the exceeding great and precious promises which are able to make one wise unto salvation. Do we care enough to share this knowledge with others? Everyone we meet, in our everyday work-a-day life is perishing for lack of this knowledge. Do we care enough to share the good news of the coming kingdom with them? It’s not how much we know, it’s how much we care that matters. Some with a limited knowledge of the Word but with great enthusiasm and love will tell everyone they meet that Jesus is coming and encourage them to look into the Bible for the words of life. Others may have a great understanding of the deep things of the Truth but with all their knowledge they seem not to care for the plight of others, for they never share their hope with those they meet. It’s not how much we know that is important, it’s how much we care. If we care, God will give us the wisdom to share what we know with others. If we don’t care, all the knowledge in the world will do us little good. “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s and of the holy angels.”

06 February 2021 "The simple scripture truth remains as certain today as it ever was, that “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. Genesis is indeed the foundation of God’s revelation to man – and not just as a source of facts about creation, but also as the watershed of profound spiritual truths." - Andrew BramhillGenesis Foundations (2015)

06 February 2021 Exodus 13; 14 Psalms 68 Mark 2 “WHEN JESUS SAW THEIR FAITH” While it is a true that a person’s faith is an important element in healing [Matthew 9:22], we noticed in our Mark reading today [Mark 2] that the faith of others can be a vital factor in some healings. We read of the four men who came to Jesus carrying a paralysed man and “when they could not get near him (Jesus) because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic: my son your sins are forgiven you … rise, pick up your bed and go home.” [Mark 2:4,5,11] It was their faith that Jesus reacted to. There is great importance in praying for others, it is a vital part of our efforts to serve God. James writes, “ The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he (or she) will be forgiven … pray for one another … the prayer of a righteous person has great power in its working” [James 5:15,16] Prayer and faith go hand in hand. Sometimes people speak of having faith in themselves – and some of these only turn to God when all else fails! But we need a faith in the all seeing involvement of Jesus and the Father in our lives every day. Now it can be only when those with such a faithful attitude look back that they see strange twists in the course of events that they perceive the hand of God at work. Often these are events that cause their faith to grow – and sometimes these events were not seen to be “good” at the time. Did the man who was paralysed and his 4 friends think it was a good event when he became paralysed? Paul in reasoning with the believers in Corinth in his 2nd letter, quoted the words of God found in Leviticus, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore … be separate … and I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters” [2 Corinthians 6:16-18]. Let us become more conscious of the reality of Jesus being among us, for he said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” [Hebrews 13:5] ------- - DC

Can a Cherished Belief be Wrong? Charles M. Schultz, author of the comic strip “Peanuts,” used to say, “In all this world, there is nothing more upsetting than the clobbering of a cherished belief.” To prove the truth of this saying, try telling folks that their cherished religious beliefs are false. If they react politely, the response is often along the lines of, “Don’t confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up.” Saul of Tarsus was such a man. He knew his Bible well. In his mind he was totally correct and sincere in his beliefs. Paul described his former self as “a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God ... and I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. And I punished them oft in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.” Did Saul have a cherished belief? He surely did. He was “taught according to the perfect manner of the law and he was zealous toward God.” Yet he was completely wrong about Christ. Sincerity is not a test of truth. Saul was sincerely wrong, and no amount of sincerity will make a wrong belief right. Using Charles Schultz’s language, Paul’s beliefs were clobbered, and it took a drastic form of clobbering to shake him from those cherished false beliefs. The Lord knew Saul was sincere and dedicated so He knew that, if converted, Paul would be a chosen vessel to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul later would tell young Timothy, “The Lord knoweth them that are His.” The Lord knows whom he is calling, and we may think he calls some of the most unlikely people. Ananias certainly did not think Saul was a suitable candidate for the truth, but the Lord knew better. We need to be willing to share Bible truth with all others even if it means upsetting them. Since we can’t tell in advance who is the “good ground,” we must do our part scattering the seed knowing that God gives the increase. But we also should not expect those with wrong cherished beliefs to immediately let go of their false belief just because we tell them how wrong they are. We need to be patient. Paul tells us how we should behave: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” It takes time to unlearn a cherished belief. We need to persist in our efforts to convince the gainsayers as we try to show them “a more excellent way.” The “more excellent way” Paul tells the Corinthians is the way of love. In love we must try to help others see the errors of their way. An example of this is what Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos. We read that when Apollos came to Corinth “he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” Let us follow the example of Paul as he describes his approach with the Thessalonians. “But we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

05 February 2021 "In our trials and problems and perplexities, God may seem to be far from us, and we may find ourselves crying "Why?" But if we weather these dark periods as Jesus did, we shall find God waiting for us at the other side." - John Byrt How, Where, Why? (1960)

05 February 2021 Exodus 11; 12 Psalms 66; 67 Mark 1 "IF I HAD CHERISHED INIQUITY IN MY HEART" The Psalms are often very personal. We read today of the great things God has done – and will yet do. The more we are conscious of God, the more we should have the heart felt desire to serve him and that, that service should be the very best of which we are capable. It is those who have no real consciousness of the all seeing eye of God who cherish thoughts of sinful ways in their thinking and seem blind to the weaknesses in their character. Today we read Psalm 66. Remember the Psalms are the Hymn Book of Ancient Israel. Most were designed to be sung in the Temple, so imagine singing this in the Temple Solomon built. “I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble … Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul … If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God truly has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” [Psalm 66:13,14,16,18,19] God knows whether we are genuine – even more than we might sometimes be prepared to admit to ourselves. Recall how Jesus, when he was in the temple, taught them “saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” [Mark 11:17] That time is now near and those who do not cherish iniquity in their hearts will be there and experience the reality of the opening words of this Psalm! “Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you …” [Psalm 66:1-4] May we be there to sing and offer endless praise. ------- - DC

Check the Catalogue William Randolph Hearst, the multimillionaire newspaperman was a great collector of art. One day Mr. Hearst found a description of some valuable items he wanted to own. He ordered his art agent abroad to find them. After months of searching, the agent reported that he had finally traced down these valuable pieces of ancient art. They were in Mr. Hearst’s warehouse. Hearst had been searching frantically for treasures he already owned. Had he read his own catalog he would have discovered he already had that for which he was looking. Could we be guilty of this same mistake? Paul tells the Ephesians, “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Paul is saying he is preaching to us about the unsearchable riches of Christ, riches we should now possess. Do we know what we already have, or are we like Hearst who was looking for what he already possessed? What are these treasures? Are they tangible things like the art treasurers Mr. Hearst coveted? Paul told us to “Covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.” The more excellent way Paul was referring to was love, the agape, self-sacrificing kind of love which we are to covet, according to Paul. Paul, in writing to Timothy, gave him this advice, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” So the gifts and riches we should covet are those that lead to eternal life, not uncertain riches. Agape, self-sacrificing love, is one of those gifts – one we want to possess and also give. Do we already have these riches? If we check our catalogue, our Bible, we find that we already possess one of the best gifts, the complete self-sacrificing love of God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son ...;” this kind of love is rich in the things that really count because God gave His beloved son so we can have the opportunity to escape our mortality and have eternal life. What a wonderful gift, what true riches! Notice this gift required Jesus to give himself. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” The method by which God provided salvation was through the sacrifice of His son. We must respond by believing and living a faithful life. “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” God has richly blessed us and we should show our love for Him by being rich in good works. Not that works will earn us a reward, but rather that a life of faithful service to our Lord is an example of the true riches that will stand us in good stead in the time to come so that we, at Christ’s coming, may lay hold on eternal life. So as Christ had to give himself to accomplish the gift of God, we also must serve our Lord. Only by giving ourselves can we gain the true riches, eternal life. We must take up our cross and follow him. Mr. Hearst died with his warehouses full of his treasures. Jesus reminded us of the rich man who died with his barns full. “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Let us make sure that we are rich toward God by storing up a good foundation for the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life.