TFTD - August 2017

[Resource Manager]

01 August 2017

 

"In the time of Christ there were many with pretensions to leadership. In Jewish factions especially there were those like Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, who “drew away much people” after them (Acts 5:37). At such a time, then, what impact could one more Galilean preacher make? The Gospel records give the answer: “Never man spoke like this man” (John 7:46). “They wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luke 4:22). We are inclined to forget how profoundly Jesus affected those he met: they were stunned by his very presence; they were astounded at his words. He took the world by surprise. Not all believed on him, but all were stirred by his dignity and grace. If you or I had stood before the Son of Man, we should have experienced that same thrill which caused Philip, for example, to exclaim: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49); or which seized Peter when he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8)."

 

- John Morris

Many Were Astonied (1983)

 

[Resource Manager]

02 August 2017

 

“Come, follow me”, was the call to the wealthy young ruler; an invitation to which that promising character did not respond. “Come unto me”, was the bidding to those ordinary working folk who, weary with life’s burdens, sought rest for their spirit. “Come, you blessed of my Father”, is the final summons of the King to his waiting servants. It is followed by a wonderful invitation: “Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

 

- Harold Smalley

Come Ye Apart (1980)

[Resource Manager]

03 August 2017

 

"The coming again of Christ will be the turning-point in human history, for “the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). The centre of his government will be established in Jerusalem, and the Land of Israel will then be fully restored and made beautiful, as the dwelling-place of the King of kings. It is not surprising, therefore, to find in the Old Testament prophets many glowing descriptions of the glory of Israel in the kingdom-age.

 

Isaiah abounds in such pictures, especially in the later chapters:

 

“You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God”, he says of Zion. “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate for the Lord delights in you” (Isaiah 62:34).

 

He will establish Jerusalem, and make it a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:7), and foreigners will never again be allowed to despoil the land (Isaiah 62:8).

 

“Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him and his work before him. And they shall be called The Holy People, the redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought out, a city not forsaken” (Isaiah 62:11-12)."

 

- Len Richardson

Fundamental Doctrines (1978)

[Resource Manager]

04 August 2017

 

"As the Lord Jesus showed his loving concern for others, so must we, in our relationships one with another offer our understanding and love. We are all anxious and troubled, even desperately unhappy, sometimes. Being in the Truth in a world that is mentally if not physically hostile brings trials and temptations to us, as also does being imperfect among the imperfect. We all need understanding at times. From the Lord Jesus we know we can receive that understanding. He has, however, given us of his love that we may share it, first with those who long to share it also, and second with those, our brethren and sisters, who need our help along the way. For, whilst wisdom may be the principal thing, it is nothing without understanding."

 

- John Mitchell

Understanding (1968)

[Resource Manager]

05 August 2017

 

"... In many things we also offend all. Many of us would confess to acute twinges of James’ and John’s vengeful spirit. Few of us would have got as far as Peter in walking on the water. If we thought that death awaited us, the road to Bethany might have been emptier of us than of them. It is questionable whether we are so much at ease with the Cross that we would not have joined Peter in preferring immediately glory for our Messiah. Few of us can do anything more than marvel at that steadfast band’s loyalty as they waited for the multitude to come and attack their Lord ..."

 

- Alfred Norris

The First Last Supper (1953)

[Resource Manager]

06 August 2017

 

"... Peter had probably not expected to be reminded of his confession, but it seems likely that the angel who released him from prison had this in mind when it bade him: "Go and stand in the Temple and speak unto the people all the words of this life" (Acts 5:20).

 

It was certainly not words about this present life that Peter needed to speak and it may well have been a reference to the words of this eternal life to which Peter had so clearly witnessed before. If that is so, the command is an eloquent reminder of our duties as convinced people to witness both by speaking the words of life as they have been committed to us as well as by the fruit of our lives.

 

In so doing it is right that our approach should be humbly made. From time to time, however, the best intentions can result in misrepresentation. Although there are circumstances when to say "I think I have the Truth" is very proper, this does not do justice to our conviction. Whilst we must humbly recognise that absolute Truth belongs only to God and that in the ultimate our imperfect understanding, our environment and our prejudices do not allow us to know what Truth is, yet that which we believe is true, and we should not be afraid to say so. "I think" will convince no one. Why should they listen if we give an uncertain sound?

 

Let us therefore carefully reappraise our position, building upon the precious heritage we have received and showing to the world that "we believe and are sure."

 

- John S. Roberts

To Whom shall We Go? (1980)

[Resource Manager]

07 August 2017

 

"... As we read the New Testament letters, the intricate use of familiar Old Testament prophecies about Christ, and the authoritative references to the words of the Lord are convincing proofs of the apostles’ qualifications. Under the hand of God, their writings instruct, exhort and admonish those who first received them, and in no smaller measure provide for subsequent generations a dependable source of information, "that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17)."

 

- W.L. Bedwell

A Study of 1 Peter (1996)

[Resource Manager]

08 August 2017

 

"The Bible speaks about the created things giving glory to God. “The heavens declare the glory of the Lord and the firmament showeth handiwork” (Psalm 19). “Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all ye deeps, fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds fulfilling his word; mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars; beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl; let them praise the name of the Lord … his glory is in the heaven and the earth” (Psalm 148). So we sing about it sometimes:

 

Where’ere we look thy glories shine

And all things bright and fair are thine.

 

When Jesus, looking at the flowers, referred to Solomon’s glory, he was comparing the glory of the king with the glory of God. How do the created things declare the glory of God? When they answer the law which God has put upon them and within them. When they are obedient to His design, that is when they are what God has intended them to be—they give glory to their Creator. Upon every tulip there is the law of the tulip and when it blossoms in all its beauty it fulfils the law of the tulip, being what God intended it to be, it gives glory to Him. So with every eagle there is the law of the eagle and when it hovers in the heavens upon its great eagle wings, it is doing what God intended it to do and it is being what God intended it to be—true to its own law, it gives glory to its Creator ..."

 

- Dennis Gillett

The Genius of Discipleship

[Resource Manager]

09 August 2017

 

"The abundant mercy of God is a theme which is constantly emphasized in the Scriptures, and “this lovely aspect of the Eternal Mind” is one which should be ever before us in our contemplation of Him. We must, of course, recognize His other attributes—His justice, His holiness, His abhorrence of sin, and His severity when, added to sin, is man’s refusal to hear His voice and to depart from iniquity. All these attributes must be included in any attempt to understand the character of God revealed in His Word. But His abundant mercy must never be forgotten or minimized: “His tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9); His love and compassion are the basis of His salvation for the human race; and it is through His abundant mercy that the redeemed of the Lord will finally enter into the Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world."

 

- F.W. Turner  

Meditations (1949)

[Resource Manager]

10 August 2017

 

"The day when we all shall meet the Doorkeeper cannot be far away. How shall we fare in that first exchange of glance? If in this life we have followed the path of humility and willing service made plain in the life of the Faithful Steward and the Doorkeeper to life eternal, breathing the constant prayer of being rather a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than a dweller in the tents of wickedness, then we shall pass through the gates into the city with the great shout of triumph of the redeemed:

 

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors:

And the king of glory shall come in." (Psalm 24:9)"

 

- H. Tennant

Ecclesial Servants (1961)

[Resource Manager]

11 August 2017

 

"Because we have been called to spread the light of his Gospel we must see to it that we listen to him with the right attitude and faith. Only when our own lives are brightly illuminated shall we be able to let our light shine upon others. Every believer is called upon to “take heed how he hears” and to let his light shine in and through our life — in word and act." 

 

- N. Geldenhuys

The Christadelphian, 97 (electronic ed.), 436 (1960)

[Resource Manager]

12 August 2017

 

"Obedience for the Christian can never be understood apart from freedom. He obeys because he loves God and His Purpose in giving His Son as a means of redemption. There is nothing compulsory in Christian obedience; rather is it something that is offered in willing service and in freedom of action. We love God, because He first loved us. Freedom has been granted us, and we rejoice in the liberty of the Gospel."

 

- David J. Greathead

Obedience (1972)

[Resource Manager]

13 August 2017

 

"Paul wrote of the Lord Jesus Christ: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). This fulness is not distributed among the angels but exists in all its completeness in Christ. The apostle’s words of truth and soberness should arrest our appreciation of “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). He is referring to the wealth of Christ’s wisdom, the riches of his obedience and righteousness, the comprehensiveness and power of the gospel. All are treasured in him who was “the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

 

In the pure and perfect manhood of our Saviour, “grace” is favour, lovingkindness; “truth” is not simply veracity, but holiness in general. Christ was full of grace and truth, not that he might keep them to himself, but that he might bestow them upon others."

 

- Claud Lamb

Unsearchable Riches (1991)

[Resource Manager]

14 August 2017

 

"God has laid a sure foundation: “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” (Isaiah 28:16). In this one verse Isaiah sums up both the Book of Isaiah, and the Christian faith. The building of God is stable; we have but to trust in Him. It is the essence of the faith of Abraham that he was content to sojourn “in the land of promise, as in strange (or foreign) country—where he had no guaranteed rights or possessions—dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:9-11)."

 

- Albert T. Abbotts

A Sure Foundation (1983)

[Resource Manager]

15 August 2017

 

"... Many sons are brought to glory. Those “in Christ” will receive, with him, the kingdom prepared for them “from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). They too were in God’s mind when he declared his purpose on the sixth day. They are “chosen in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4); or in the language of Revelation, their names are written “in the book of life from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 17:8). Christ, the saints and the kingdom have all been in the plan from the beginning. They have all pre-existed in the mind of God."

 

- Peter Watkins

Thoughts on Genesis (1964)

[Resource Manager]

16 August 2017

 

“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” These are they to whom the privilege has been granted to be arrayed in “fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

- P.B. Hinde

Behold the Lamb of God (1961)

[Resource Manager]

17 August 2017

 

"... Christ directs our attention to God. He came that we might be reconciled to God. So also Paul: he says, “We pray you, in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” All the Scriptures exhibit God. God is their subject altogether. If they give us history, it is that God’s part in it may be seen, and his ways illustrated as in the disobedience and affliction of the house of Israel. It was not that a story might be written. There are no “stories” in the Bible in the proper sense of that term. There is narrative of incident, and some the most thrilling ever put on record, but it always has to do with God in some way. If the Bible gives us poetry, it is all about God, as in the Psalms—never about the mere beauties of nature or the charms of human feeling as in human poetry. I need not say that if it gives us prophecy, it is about God, because we all know that the ultimate exhibition of prophecy is the exaltation of God in all the earth."

 

- Robert Roberts

Sunday Morning (1888)

[Resource Manager]

18 August 2017

 

"The obedience of Christ revealed a perfect love for his Father and for his Father’s will. In that life of obedience we perceive hope for fallen man. Fatherhood, sonship, brotherhood—the faithfulness of Christ in all his ways before God, have given us a deeper appreciation of our relationship with God and His Son; and with one another. A son obeys his father because the father loves the son. This is a fine and wonderful thing. The true father does not have to give orders; the true son does not need them. The Word of God is not an order; rather is it an invitation. Here is obedience without fear, liberty without excess."

 

- David J. Greathead

Obedience (1972)

[Resource Manager]

19 August 2017

 

"Psalm 115 reveals a great principle—that men become like the God they worship—false or true. The end of true worship is Godlikeness. This principle is at the root of a great New Testament word: “We shall be like him”. But one thing is essential—that the worship is true."

 

- Dennis Gillett

The Genius of Discipleship 

[Resource Manager]

20 August 2017

 

"Humility is "a right estimate of oneself in the sight of God"; it is "the esteeming of ourselves small, inasmuch as we are so; the thinking truly, therefore lowlily, of ourselves." And that thinking truly in all of us brings a sense of dependence, of unworthiness; of the need for mercy and forgiveness, and of God’s grace. Jesus was the son of God, but he was a son; the Father was his God; and as a son and a servant, he had the will of the Father to do. Therefore, keeping self in subjection, he could say, "I am meek and lowly of heart." How much more is humbleness of mind and contriteness of spirit the fit habit of the sinful sons of men? "Be clothed with humility."

 

- John Carter

The Humility of Christ (1944)

[Resource Manager]

21 August 2017 

 

"... The transfiguration revealed the majesty of God, and showed Christ endowed with the majesty or glory which he received from the Father. This was shown both by the "transformation" which he underwent, and by his being acknowledged by the Father in the voice out of the bright cloud: "This is my Son, my chosen: hear ye him" (Luke 9:35, R.V.). So Peter can say, "We were eyewitnesses of his majesty: for he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

- L.G. Sargent

The Majesty of God (1944)

[Resource Manager]

22 August 2017

 

"... We may have to recognize that some of our contemporaries are faulty in their doctrine and that the Lord would not have us worship with them, but friendly and kindly teaching may lead them in the way of light and life. There are times when a brother may be so intractable and so far from being in agreement with us that we cannot walk together, but even in such an extreme we should remember the admonition, “Count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother”. We should all be able to learn this simple truth: it is possible to be strong and faithful without being either rude or unkind, while on the other hand, it is possible to be rude and unkind without either being strong or faithful."

 

- I. Collyer

 Called to be Saints (1950)

[Resource Manager]

23 August 2017

 

"Let us keep in mind then that divine law is unchangeable; it offers no compromise, but it does not exclude mercy. We do well to ponder this aspect! To compromise, means to settle a matter by mutual concession, a concession that is exposed to risk. How vain then are those who expect God to change His revealed word when the day of judgment comes. Did He compromise with the Son of His love? Did not this Son feel his flesh shrinking from the horrors of the cross? But was there compromise on the Father’s part? No! And what was the Son’s attitude when this feeling came? His pure and beautiful mind took hold of his fleshly nature, and made it bend to the Father’s will. He came and conquered sin and death."

 

The Rest That Remaineth

Sunday Morning (1934)

[Resource Manager]

24 August 2017

 

"... God is speaking to us. He does not ask the impossible of you or me. He asks only our reasonable service, and that we must give before we receive. In proportion to our faith we shall receive. If we sow sparingly we shall also reap sparingly. Let us seek to be filled with the knowledge of Him in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. The yielding of the peaceable fruits of righteousness is our refuge in the day of adversity. If we will but give Him that which we have, we need lack no good thing; we need never be in despair. "What hast thou in the house?" (2 Kings 4:2)."

 

- R. Bell (Senior)

Sunday Morning (1958)

[Resource Manager]

25 August 2017

 

"We are sanctified." Having allowed ourselves to be washed by the precious blood of Christ, we stand in a definite relationship to him. We sometimes lose sight of the closeness, the deep significance, of that relationship. We can scarcely express it in words, for we know nothing quite like it in everyday life, but Paul’s words are very expressive: "We are in Christ": "Christ is in us": "we are Christ’s." In other words, the state attained at our baptism is a state of union with Christ. "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."

 

- Cyril Cooper

Reflections (1958)