TFTD - July 2012

[Resource Manager]

01 July 2012

 

"There cannot be genuine prayer till there is a genuine faith in God, and genuine faith in God cannot in our day be attained except by a continual dwelling in the word. It is in the word we make His acquaintance, both as to what He has done, what He has promised, what He desires in us, and what He is in Himself. These things are not learnt by looking at the sky, the sea, the mountains, or any other features of nature. God had to reveal Himself for us to know Him."

 

- Robert Roberts

A Word in Season

[Resource Manager]

02 July 2012

 

"Divine counsel enables us, if we humbly test ourselves by His word, to know something of human weakness; at the same time the Son of God provides us with an example of purity of thought and perfection of conduct. When men come in close contact with him they know, as Peter declared, 'I am a sinful man, O Lord'. That is the beginning of self-knowledge that leads to the way of holiness."

 

- John Carter

Delight in God's Law

[Resource Manager]

03 July 2012

 

"In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said something that was to become very much a part of his teaching: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). He was teaching his followers a new concept in righteousness and a new moral code in human relationships. It was aimed at the eradication of hatred and bitterness.

 

Compliance with this command showed a Christ-like attitude, one that was motivated by love, which made for happy, peaceful, human relations. Christ was the supreme example in forgiveness, and they saw him demonstrate it publicly many times. He came to save sinners and was prepared to overlook their shortcomings, if they responded to his teaching. He was able to see beyond the failings of human nature, discerning the intents of the heart, and knowing who was worthy to be saved.

 

If people were not prepared to forgive then they created a barrier between themselves and God, for hatred and bitterness have no place in the purpose of God, whose plan for man is based upon love and obedience. Disregard of these fundamental commandments puts a person outside the plan of redemption: “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).

 

The Lord Jesus Christ forgave to the uttermost, leaving us a wonderful example of compassion and love. When the woman in the house of Simon anointed him with the precious ointment and wiped his feet with the hairs of her head, he was able to read the heart of her who had been branded a sinful woman by the Pharisees, and so he declares: “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47).

 

The followers of Christ to-day cannot remain indifferent in the matter of forgiveness. It must be an earnest exercise in our Christian walk, for upon it so much depends. Peter asked Jesus whether forgiveness could be limited to something like seven times, probably thinking that this would represent a fair exercise in compassion. But how different was the way of Jesus our Lord and Master: “... I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). He was telling Peter, as indeed he tells all his followers, that forgiveness has no limit, and that it must be continually in our hearts."

 

- D. M. Elliott

The Christadelphian

Volume 105 - 1968

[Resource Manager]

04 July 2012

 

"The Book of Proverbs ... shows us just what we are and what we need saving from; and it is only then that we really appreciate just how much we have to overcome. Paul had perhaps been reading Proverbs when he wrote Ephesians 4: “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth ... Be ye angry, and sin not ... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth ... Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you”. All this our Lord overcame. He was the perfect man who did not offend in word; “in his mouth was found no guile”. He read Proverbs, he lived Proverbs and thereby sets us an example of daily living. His exhortation for us is this: “Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37).

 

If we follow our Master’s directive we can be sure there will be no swords at the Table."

 

- Allan Harvey

The Christadelphian

Volume 139 - 1999

[Resource Manager]

05 July 2012

 

"The saving truth is for sinners provided that they are determined to forsake their old way of life. The truth has to make a difference. “That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”, is how the Lord Jesus describes the believer’s life and witness. All of us know that there is no point in declaring that we have the truth, if our lives are a flat denial of it:

 

“The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

 

We should “purify ourselves, even as he is pure”. The seed of the truth should bring forth the fruit of the Spirit; if not, it is being hindered because it is not sincerely held. In other words we are failing to give it a “good and honest heart” in which to grow. When we fall short of the image of God in Christ Jesus, God is merciful to us provided that we truly repent and seek forgiveness and strength through Christ our Advocate. But if we deliberately lead a way of life in one way or another in business, in unfaithfulness in marriage, in neglect of the Word and the fellowship of the ecclesia, for example we risk losing eternal life. Now is the time to take stock and put ourselves in the hand of God."

 

- Harry Tennant

Studies in the Statement of Faith

[Resource Manager]

06 July 2012

 

"The Bible is a Marriage Manual as marriage is a basic theme. It begins with a marriage and ends with a marriage. In both instances the Father is the arranger and provider.

 

In an environment that was "very good" it was "not good" that man should not be alone. If the Father has been involved in our marriage in the Lord, then He will involve us in the marriage to the Lord."

- Basil McClure

 

"Then the angel said to me, "Write this: 'How blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb!'" He also told me, "These are the true words of God.""

Revelation 19:9

 

"He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"

Revelation 22:20

[Resource Manager]

07 July 2012

 

"There is only one work in which God has any actual need of your assistance, and that is the work of your own salvation. If, then, God regards you with favour, from His point of view, your most important task in life is to make your own calling and election sure. Any other work you may perform might just as well be done by others; all that is required of you is, that within the limits of your opportunities, you shall do your best: not the very best of which you might be capable with the most favourable conditions, but the best that is possible under the circumstances. The disadvantages under which you labour are included in the assessment of the talent given you."

 

- Islip Collyer

Principles and Proverbs

[Resource Manager]

08 July 2012

 

Knowing God

 

"Let all our employment be to know God: the more one knows Him, the more one desires to know Him. And as knowledge is commonly the measure of love,

the deeper and more extensive our knowledge of Him, the greater will be our love: and if our love of God were great we should love Him equally in pains and pleasures."

- The Practice of the Presence of God

 

"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no commandment greater than these."

Mark 12:28-30

[Resource Manager]

09 July 2012

 

"The Bible never allows us to forget that we are made of the dust, that within every human heart there lies a profound need which only God can satisfy, and that our life only begins to have true meaning when it becomes centred in Him. These basic truths are the beginnings of a great wonder which fills our hearts and brings us affinity with the servants of God in every age “When I consider ... what is man?” And with our growing understanding of Him who laid the foundations of the earth, who shut up the sea with doors and made the cloud a garment, who caused the bud of the tender herb to spring forth and set the stars in their orbits, there comes an ever-deepening wonder that this infinite and eternal Being is a Heavenly Father who knows and loves each one of His children and guides him through all the lights and shadows of his brief existence toward the eternal glory which is His alone."

 

- Melva Purkis

[Resource Manager]

10 July 2012

 

If Man Had Written the Bible

 

“Do you suppose that if the Bible had been written by some learned doctor, revised by a committee of eminent divines, and published by some great religious society, we should ever have heard of Noah’s drunkenness, of Abraham’s deception, of Lot’s disgrace, of Jacob’s cheating, of Paul and Barnabas quarrelling, or of Peter’s lying, cursing, or dissembling? Not at all. The good men, when they came to such an incident, would have said, ‘There is no use in saying anything about that. It is all past and gone; it will not help anything, and it will only hurt the cause.’ If a committee of such eminent divines had prepared the Bible, you would have had a biography of men whose characters were patterns of piety and propriety, instead of poor sinners, as they were. When the Almighty writes a man’s life, he tells the truth about him; and there are not many persons who would want their lives printed if the Almighty wrote them.”

 

- H. L. Hastings

From The Christadelphian

Volume 62 - 1925

[Resource Manager]

11 July 2012

 

"When we walk over the waters to meet him, we must not be dismayed by the darkness, the wind or the waves ... faith can only be sustained by keeping our eyes fixed loving and obediently upon him."

 

- Melva Purkis

A Life of Jesus

[Resource Manager]

12 July 2012

 

A God of Love

 

"God’s ways are equal: He administers His laws with consistency. Yet He is a God of love. One of the fascinating themes of Scripture is the interplay of divine love and justice-the goodness and severity of God. Although God did not revoke the death sentence, He gave Adam and Eve a lease of life and opportunity before death ultimately overtook them ... Moreover, not only has God given men the chance to live: He has offered them the opportunity to live for ever. The Bible narrative gives us example after example of God’s kindness to undeserving mortals. Although God does give man a measure of suffering, this is the consequence of man’s decision, and is therefore, in a sense, man’s own contribution to his life circumstances. God’s love is thrown into relief by this dark background of human folly and sin."

 

- Peter Watkins

The Devil the Great Deceiver

[Resource Manager]

13 July 2012

 

"Fellowship comes by enlightenment and belief, by repentance and baptism, and by commitment to the new way of life. In this way the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin and we enter into the fellowship of God and His Son. We share the apostles’ doctrine and the hope which they proclaimed."

 

- Harry Tennant

[Resource Manager]

14 July 2012

 

“UNTIL THE DAY BREAK ...”

 

“ACROSS the lovely Judaean hills the early morning sun sent down its warm rays; the blue waters of the Mediterranean gently lapped the shores of God’s land, and the gentle breezes, perfumed with herbs and flowers, blew softly across its hills and valleys.

 

In the silent tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea Jesus lay dead. He had fought the enemy of mankind—sin; and though he had come out of that battle triumphant his victory was, for a time, hidden behind the cloud of sorrow that blinded the eyes of his disciples. Death always brings sorrow to those that are left. It was no less so for the disciples. For them, only a silence remained—a big empty void. Sorrow had filled their hearts.

 

But what joy lay only three days ahead! On the morning of the third day, while the world was sleeping, Jesus opened his eyes and found himself in the company of angels. It was the daybreak. The shadows of the terrible night of suffering had fled away for ever.

 

A few years later, in the little church at Thessalonica, death was still active and Paul was constrained to write them words which have become so full of comfort for all time: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14).

 

In these closing days, as we see first one and then another of those we love being taken from our midst by this cruel enemy, we find joy in the contemplation of the circumstances surrounding the death and resurrection of our Lord—seeing in it with Paul a forecast of that greater resurrection to come.

 

Just before his death Jesus said to his disciples: “Verily, verily I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy ...” (John 16:20). We believe it. And though the night is dark and clouds hover over our heads, in the power of that confidence and assurance of Christ’s words we will be sustained.”

 

- W.M. Hosking

The Christadelphian

Volume 93 - 1956

[Resource Manager]

15 July 2012

 

"We must keep the scales well balanced; the one full of unquenchable faith,

the other full of the good fruits that true faith brings forth."

- D. Shaw

 

"For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true."

Ephesians 5:8-9

[Resource Manager]

16 July 2012

 

"THE word of God is a critic, discerner, or judge of human thoughts and ways (Hebrews 4:12). Its record reveals men as God sees them, without any veiling; all things are naked and open to Him. But the word of God also reveals God’s thoughts which are heavens higher than our thoughts, and in these two facts we find two aspects of instruction. To see ourselves for what we really are, and to know what we should be, provide the conditions for progress Godward. Man’s thoughts tend to evil; God’s thoughts are holy and righteous. Hence to know God personally, to appreciate His holiness fervently, to seek His ways earnestly calls for a change of heart, a transformation of thought, a renewing of the mind. As a person takes on the tones of those with whom he associates, so we can only become more like God as we hear His words. Only in one way is this possible by the daily reading of God’s word. Meditate on these things”, said Paul of divine counsel: “continue in them” as thought passes into action."

 

- John Carter

[Resource Manager]

17 July 2012

 

Our Hope in Christ

 

"On the day of Atonement Israel waited outside the tabernacle for the return of the high priest from the Most Holy Place, for the ultimate assurance that God had accepted them and their offering. We too, “wait long” for Jesus to appear, the second time without sin unto salvation, to bring to us the ultimate demonstration of his acceptable offering, the final confirmation of the assurance we now have, of our sins forgiven-the consummation of our hope in Christ (Hebrews 9:28)."

 

- David Nightingale

[Resource Manager]

18 July 2012

 

"If a day brings storm or stress, fear or sorrow,

pain or disappointment, or if it brings gladness, serenity,

happiness and peace let nothing rob us of knowing that we belong to Christ."

- Claud Lamb

 

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Christ.

To him be glory both now and for ever"

2 Peter 3:18

[Resource Manager]

19 July 2012

 

"Hope is the consequence of a firm belief that what God has promised through His Word, He will perform. These promises are referred to as “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). Jesus based his hope on the surety of God’s promises that He would raise him from the dead and would never forsake him. Hope gives us courage and determination to keep going in the face of fear and adversity, knowing that the purpose of God in establishing His Kingdom on the earth will be fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ will rule, on behalf of his Father, over the whole world from Jerusalem in peace and righteousness."

 

- Vaughan Rowlands

[Resource Manager]

20 July 2012

 

"THIS is the wonderful thing about the Bible. It is old and yet it is always fresh. We are familiar with every chapter and yet it is constantly surprising us. We travel through old country and each time find some new landmark. Time and time again we discover some radiant revelation of the wonderful purpose of God. No man, be he ever so good and ever so bright, has perfectly discovered the full treasure which has been submerged in the living Word. That means the treasure is never exhausted and always revealing something new and yet old."

 

- Dennis Gillett

The Genius of Discipleship

[Resource Manager]

‎21 July 2012

 

"The strength of our foundation lies in the rock that was laid for us in Zion, the Rock that is Christ, firm and immovable, and which is able to bear the temple of our faith. There is no other basis for our building, no other ground for our roots, than that which has been provided by God for our hope and salvation: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)"

 

- D. M. Elliott

[Resource Manager]

22 July 2012

 

"Success in battle brings recognition and honours; the soldier who succeeds is decorated. So also is the soldier of Christ, but not with medals and ribbons. Paul finished his battle, and won his fight, and he knew that the day would come when his helmet would be removed and replaced by the victor’s crown, the hope of salvation giving place to salvation realised, a crown of righteousness. This is the hope of all who take the whole armour of God."

- Philip Hinde

 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day­and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

2 Timothy 4:7-8

[Resource Manager]

23 July 2012

 

"As Christian believers, our constant appeal is to the Bible, because we believe it is the Word of God. We recognise that our personal opinions are of no more value than anyone else’s. In order to have a secure foundation for our beliefs, we need a source outside ourselves having authority. The Bible has that authority by virtue of the fact that “God has spoken”, and the Bible is a record of what He has said. In the words of Hebrews 1, “God who … spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son”. So the New Testament has come to us through Jesus and his apostles and disciples.

 

The object of God’s utterance is that men might be saved. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, and so God provided a basis for forgiveness in Jesus, who “when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High”. Consequently the name of Jesus has been proclaimed as the one and only channel through which salvation can be attained. Peter proclaimed that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the stone set at nought by the Jewish builders, but “which is become the head of the corner, neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)."

 

- Edmund Green

[Resource Manager]

24 July 2012

 

"Christ did not aim at, nor commend for others, the ideal of material or present success. His principles more suggest the losing of one’s life now, in order to gain it hereafter; and his doctrine had infinitely more to do with the ultimate outcome of present experience, than the complete and symmetrical development of the faculties as connected with the usual ideals of admirable and coveted “success” in this life. His “victory” was on another plane altogether, although, truly, connected with all the positive virtues. But such spiritual triumphs can be evident in weakness, and even “unto death,” as was surely so in the case of our great example, himself. And still, the preaching of the cross is “foolishness” to such as are not ordained unto eternal life."

 

- S.J.L.

[Resource Manager]

25 July 2012

 

"Humility is an attitude of subjection out of love for the King’s goodness. How can understanding men and women ever be proud in the presence of the God of eternal time, of unlimited space, of unchangeable character-God infinite in grace and matchless in love? It is the knowledge of God which generates the birth of humility in the soul."

 

- Dennis Gillett

The Genius of Discipleship