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TFTD - January 2016


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01 January 2016   

 

"For us the days are short: the turning of the calendar can only bring this home more closely to us. But for us the doors are still open: the opportunity to prepare ourselves to "go in with him to the marriage", before the door is shut; the opportunity to unite together in the work of opening the door of faith to as many as the Lord will still call, either by personal activity or by prayer for those who can be active; perhaps even the opportunity to make the last pages of our history as a community less full of strife ... "These things said he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens; I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name" (Revelation 3:7-8). Could we make those words as true of us as they were of the ecclesia in Philadelphia?"

 

- Alfred Nicholls

An Open Door (1970)

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02 January 2016

 


"We know that God is, because we have seen His hand at work. This is very important and is a basic spiritual exercise for all. For unless we are convinced—absolutely convinced—that God has worked in the past, we will never be convinced that He will act in the future. And if we are not convinced of that, where are we? Faith is not faith, but just a vague hope ..."

 


- Maurice Beale

Joshua: His Life and Work

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03 January 2016

 

"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 Harrison

The First and Great Commandment (1998)
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04 January 2016 

 

"... Her first-born (Luke 2:7) was the firstborn of God. To him belongs the birthright and he is heir of all things. A leader, a commander, he is higher than the kings of the earth, and when God again brings his firstborn into the world to restore the throne of David he will be seen to be higher than the angels (Hebrews 1:6). In that day he will also be seen as the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). And these brethren, called throughout the long ages, will then know to the full how in all the changing circumstances of life God has worked for their good, so that they can share in the blessings of the sure mercies of David."

 

- Spencer L. Hale

Thoughts on Isaiah (1979)

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05 January 2016

 

"The final achievement of the Word is to save us. Unto us is the word of this salvation sent. The Word of God himself is the means, as the written word declares, “There is none other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved”. By gradual stages the Scriptures will, if we permit, work upon us to will and to do of God’s good pleasure. We shall grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, and, still in receipt of His mercy, will obtain at the judgment seat the prize of everlasting day. If that be our position we shall be able to look back upon the crises of our lives and realize the continuous influence of the Bible, and understand why God has magnified His Word above all His name."

 

- F.E. Mitchell

The Sevenfold Word (1946)
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06 January 2016 

 

"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 Watkins

The Danger of Unbelief (1977)

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07 January 2016

"... the great precept: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33) - that must be our first and paramount desire; the submission of our whole heart, with all its hopes and fears and sorrows, all its desires and thoughts, to our heavenly Father. We must seek it above all else, above riches, honour, comfort, ease, even above the love of those who are nearest and dearest. Seek first His Kingdom and the righteousness He will bestow, and all necessary things shall be added to us. Let us never forget the teaching of our Lord: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow" (Matthew 6:28). Consider them, and learn reliance on God for all your needs."

- Anthony Higginson
Shall We Worry? (1975)

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08 January 2016

 

"... How appropriate were brother W.H. Boulton’s first words when he said: "The Bible is a book of the open air." Christ’s illustrations were taken from his surroundings. The shepherd and his flock on the mountain, where a sheep could soon lose its way, the fields, the gardens of flowers, the rough and stony ground, the ploughed field ready for the seed. The subject was "Sowing Time." Sowing the seed being the first necessity for our continued existence, so with the sanctified of God, they must be careful to sow seed that will produce the fruits of the spirit. We know that all things work together for good to those who are called ..."

 

- A.E.T.

A Forest Gathering (1932)

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09 January 2016

 

"We have been redeemed by one who was bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, but who was at the time the Son of God. Through his sacrifice we receive untold blessings now. At first these might seem to be only the gleanings of our fellowship with God and Jesus, but our constant effort to serve acceptably will lead us to the realization that handfuls of blessings are being bestowed upon us, and that the fulness of the inheritance is yet to be revealed when the Bride and Redeemer are united."

 

- S.L. Hale

Contending and Building (1953)

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10 January 2016

"Be sure that the peace of God does not come overnight. It does not come with a first reading of the Statement of Faith. It begins when the burden of guilt is assuaged. It grows when faith brings humble confidence. It develops when theory is realised through experience. We have a theory that the peace of God passes understanding. We have a witness who testifies that the theory works. The witness says, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Colossians 3:15)."

- Dennis Gillett
The Genius of Discipleship

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11 January 2016

 

"Our shepherd will save us from foes without and from ourselves if we will let him. How often we are our own worst enemies and require saving in spite of ourselves! Let us rejoice that the Saviour, who gave his life for his sheep, is alive again and is willing to comfort us with both rod and staff. And even if we have to pass through the dark valley, yea, though it be the valley of the shadow of death, we have the tremendous certainty and consolation that we do not walk alone. There is one who walks with us, for, "You are with me" and, 'tide life, 'tide death, he will, if we trust him to the uttermost, bring us safely through the darkness into the land of life beyond."

 

- F.E. Mitchell

The Shepherd Psalm (1960)

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12 January 2016

 

"Peace of mind is the panacea for life’s ills, physical, emotional or spiritual. From the treasury of God’s grace, this was a gift that our Lord chose to bequeath to his disciples. In the farewell discourse in the upper room he was vitally concerned with the needs of his brethren after his ascension and made provision for them: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27). A modern version translates some of those words as follows: "Set your troubled hearts at rest and banish your fears." The words of the Lord Jesus brightened the darkness of Gethsemane, lightened the burden of Calvary and sustained his loved ones in the uncertainty of their future."

 

- Gwyn Davies

Faith and Fear (1971)

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13 January 2016

 

"The richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hill-top view would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valley to traverse. There are things we know; there are things we do not know and cannot this side of the Kingdom. It is not good to let the things we do not know rob us of the light and comfort of the things we do know."

 

- Claud Lamb

Remember My Bonds (1988)
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14 January 2016

 

"The child of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation will study to be restrained and not caught up in the endless flow of words around him. He will realise the importance of the quietness that is not idleness, not sloth, but the work of a heart trusting in God, listening to God and having no doubt of His power. A state of inward quietude implies a check on unrestrained desires and affections, a tranquility of spirit which acknowledges that God is the ruling power in our lives to the exclusion of all else."

 

- R.C. Mitchard

Conforming to this World (1974)

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15 January 2016 

 

"There is both exhortation and warning for us in the contemplation of the greatness and sovereignty of our God. We may boldly say that He is our helper and we will not fear what man shall do unto us. We may also take comfort from the fact that His promises to us are as much a part of His fixed design as the heavens and the earth which He has made. But we must be His and only His, and we must not abuse His grace in resisting His will."

 

- Alfred Nicholls

The Name that is above Every Name (1979)

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16 January 2016

 

"God may be great, but He is not immovable; He hears the prayers of His saints, and the cry of the poor. And if our prayers are not answered as we imagine they should be, it is not because God is powerless or indifferent; it is because the divine Architect has made plans which it would not be wise to alter according to our wishes. If we really believe that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28), we shall have cause for optimism about the final outcome, however black the present may be. We shall be able to regard this life as a journey toward the Promised Land, and if it involves us in the same kind of spiritual tests as those experienced by the Israelites in the wilderness, it will also demonstrate to us the same divine care and guidance and help that was available to them."

 

- B.C. Perryman

Words Spoken at a New Birth (1969)
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17 January 2016

 

"Contend earnestly." Individually, we are zealously to watch and protect, as in a fortress assailed by many adversaries, the truths committed to us. This will not be achieved by a careless denunciation of other people’s views. "To contend earnestly" does not mean "to dispute eagerly". May we never confound zeal for personal opinion with enthusiasm for the truth of God. We are required to "preach the word" with the object, not only of preserving its purity among those who profess to love and cherish it, but also to win the hearts of others to the cause of the Master we serve."

 

- Harold Smalley

Contending for the Faith (1984)

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18 January 2016

 

"Love is the reason for redemption. Love flowed first from God, and therefore from the Son whom He sent into the world. Love cannot be and must not be reduced to law or considered in terms of rights and earnings. Love is above and beyond all considerations. Love owes nothing to any goodness or merit in us. Love comes from God who is "merciful and gracious."

 

- Harry Tennant

The Christadelphians: What they Believe and Preach
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19 January 2016

 

"The living ecclesia exists because God, the Father is the living head of His family, through Christ. The ecclesia abides because in His love He cares for it and forgives it its faults. The whole Household has the inspiring vision of a marriage feast with its Bridegroom, and a world at rest and at peace in the Kingdom, which it is to inherit with its Lord."

 

- John Marshall

The Living Ecclesia (1971)
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20 January 2016

 

"... Our God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Fear him and there is nothing else to fear. Hold fast and we shall be inside the city when without are the fearful and unbelieving. Meanwhile, we wait for his voice in quiet confidence, longing for his assurance: "It is I, be not afraid."

 

- Harry Tennant

I Was Afraid (1974)
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21 January 2016

 

"Shall we ever reach that happy destination? Shall we, in spite of our faults and our weaknesses, ascend into the hill of the Lord? Shall we ever be worthy to stand with the Lamb and his redeemed upon Mount Zion?

 

It depends, does it not, on our patient continuance; it depends on our “power to see it through”, on our disposition not to give up when we fall, but to get up, and continue the journey."

 

- B.C. Perryman

Words Spoken at a New Birth (1969)
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22 January 2016

 

"We see the character of God manifested in His purpose with mankind. In spite of the waywardness and obstinate pride of men and women, God’s love will prevail and many will receive the gift of the divine nature to enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him and His beloved Son. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The apostle, well aware of such love, writes, "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)."

 

- Arthur Armstrong

Love and Thanksgiving (1958)

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23 January 2016

"The Bible does not tell us about cricket or croquet; about Bach or Britten; about pop, or painting or pottery as forms of recreation. But it does tell us about purity and fidelity and integrity, and with these things our discipleship is concerned every day. Finally, no leisure is right if it prevents us from being where God wants us to be or if it leads us where God wants us not to go. The writer remembers once hearing from a man in Christ about an occasion when he was in a certain place and someone said to him: "I am surprised to see you here; I thought you were a Christadelphian." The disciple told the writer it was like the cock crowing."

- Dennis Gillett
The Genius of Discipleship   

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24 January 2016 

 

"The glory of the Father is revealed in all its splendour in the character of His son. The same constructive goodness is displayed in his dealings with men. Even towards those who sought to trap him in his words and were plotting his destruction he is patient; courteously he answers their questions, seeking their salvation, as he chides them: "And you will not come unto me that you might have life". His was the love which for three and a half years took Judas into its bosom, not merely tolerantly, but with the same kindness and affection which was bestowed on the other eleven. The whole picture of this Son of God is portrayed in the words of the prophet: "A smoking flax will he not quench, and a bruised reed will he not break". Men might have regarded the smouldering wick as useless, they might cast the broken reed away, but he who was "fairer than the children of men" had come to save and not destroy."

 

- Elwyn Humphreys

Behold the Goodness ... (1951)

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25 January 2016

 

"In the mercy of God we have the Master’s utterances to read as often as we will. If we carefully assimilate the teaching we shall be like him, so that, as with the apostles, our contemporaries will "take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). We are all familiar with characteristic sayings. If we hear of something someone has said we think, "Just what he would say!" The same can be applied to the followers of Jesus. His utterances were characteristic of the Son of God. Let ours be like his, and we shall be accounted true followers."

 

- J.J. Morgan

Listen to the Voice of Jesus! (1950)

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