TFTD - January 2013

[Resource Manager]

01 January 2013

 

"What are you going to do about this year, this new year? Cannot we hear the cry of old: "Seek ye out the book of the law of the Lord"? When a man cries for a light to go into the unknown, then the psalmist replies: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." It is an eternal light. No storm can blow it out. There is not another like it in all creation. Determine to read it, faithfully, prayerfully, humbly, hopefully, gladly. No man really believes that the word of God is wholly inspired and infallible unless he takes it to himself. Then the word which is spirit and life gets powerfully to work. Jesus draws near; God blesses; salvation flows."

 

- Harry Tennant

A Word in Your Ear

[Resource Manager]

02 January 2013

 

"God giveth grace to the humble, whom He will exalt in due time, the while we cast all our care upon Him, for He careth for us. So the glory of the Lord will be revealed in those who patiently and with dignity wear the crown of thorns, and with loving care seek the crown of rejoicing, content to receive the crown of righteousness when all they who love his appearing receive it together, for it is the very crown of life itself."

 

- Alfred Nicholls

That No Man Take Thy Crown

[Resource Manager]

03 January 2013

 

"The candlestick provided light, Jesus was the true light. He also said to Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life." As we behold light and life arising from the continual beating of the gold in the production of this vessel, we consider Jesus. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with his stripes we are healed." Out of all his sufferings Jesus came forth like gold, the symbol of a tried and precious faith."

 

- H. Jenkins

The Light of the World

[Resource Manager]

04 January 2013

 

The Song of Hannah

 

"The song of Mary, over a thousand years later, bears a close resemblance to that of Hannah. Both were spoken in rejoicing over the birth of a son. When tidings of this coming birth were brought to Mary, she said, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord". Can we picture the handmaid of those days, waiting continually on her master, always at the ready, eager to obey his slightest wish; her eyes fixed on him attentively? Neither her time nor her energy were her own; she was there for the sole purpose of fulfilling the will of her Lord. If our waiting on the Lord, and our service to Him, were of this quality, we too might say, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord"."

 

- Eileen Ashman

[Resource Manager]

05 January 2013

 

"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)

[Resource Manager]

06 January 2013

 

"Our standing in the sight of God does not rest on justice, but on something much finer and grander: on the unthinkable love and tender mercy of a gracious Father. Mere justice is far too mean a thing to be seen among those who have been saved by mercy. The inspired writer James expressed it thus: "He shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy: and mercy rejoiceth against judgment."

 

We all need to get into the habit of remembering "the manner of spirit we are of": a brotherhood founded not on justice, but on mercy: not on cold calculation but on abounding and compelling love, which truth has, I suppose, never been better expressed than by the Psalmist in Psalm 103: "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." Isaiah expresses it in even more intimate terms: "All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

 

- Cyril Cooper

Reflection (1958)

[Resource Manager]

07 January 2013

 

"Looking on the waters we measure our littleness in comparison with its greatness and think of Jesus walking on the sea and Peter’s failure in attempting to follow. We think of the word spoken by Jesus in stilling the storm "Peace be still," as but a foretaste of what he will do for this storm-tossed world."

 

- A. E. Thorneloe

The Way is in the Sea (1936)

[Resource Manager]

08 January 2013

 

"The actions of a man may be very inferior to his beliefs, but they will never be superior. Righteous conduct is simply right doctrine in practice. The theory of right is the foundation, and the practice of it is the superstructure; and while it is possible to have a useless, bare foundation without the building, it is not possible to have the building without the foundation."

 

- Islip Collyer

The Power of Belief

Conviction and Conduct

[Resource Manager]

09 January 2013

 

"Patience is seeking something worth obtaining; continuing in patience fulfils the injunction "Seek ye first the kingdom of God"; "Seek, and ye shall find." It is the woman searching for the piece of silver. It is the merchant seeking for goodly pearls; it is the shepherd seeking the sheep that was lost.

 

"Let patience have her perfect work": the fruit unto holiness, and the end—everlasting life."

 

- F. W. Barnett

Patient Continuance (1961)

[Resource Manager]

10 January 2013

 

"We are called as individuals to show forth God’s glory and in so far as we do in the cleanliness of our personal lives so shall we share the glory with Him. He who knows the end from the beginning does all things well. No matter what problems trouble our minds; no matter how deep the wounds which life inflicts, we can rest assured that in the consummation "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4)."

 

- A. Cochran

[Resource Manager]

11 January 2013

 

"The faithful, in addition to having a lamp which is alight, also has a reserve of oil; here is something which cannot be obtained at short notice. It is only over the years that one can slowly assimilate the word of God in such a way that it becomes a part of him. One can “cram” for an examination, but time is needed to absorb the life and power of God’s word. When this is done, the man of God is “throughly furnished” and ready for all emergencies. A mere Bible study group is not enough, since this may become an end in itself­—the oil is only of value when turned into light, and light when made to shine."

 

- Cyril Tennant

Parables of the Master’s Return (1968)

[Resource Manager]

12 January 2013

 

"Faith is man’s response of mind to the communication of mind from God, and it is a response of trust and self-committal. We can only hear God speaking–whatever the medium of His communication–if we have faith that He is; without that faith we have not "ears to hear"."

 

- L.G. Sargent

A Living Relationship

[Resource Manager]

13 January 2013

 

"Christ’s personal visitation as Saviour and Messiah took place at what proved to be the close of a Jewish age. Following his resurrection and ascension, we now look confidently for the promised Divine manifestation of the Redeemer’s glory to Israel, and to the Gentile nations. God’s righteous servant is to be made very high, and Jerusalem no longer designated the Impenitent City, but exalted to its destined status as the metropolis of the Great King. May it be our portion to be counted among those of his faithful servants in whom he delights."

 

- Harold Smalley

A Time of Visitation (1987)

[Resource Manager]

14 January 2013

 

"The peacemaker is not one who plasters over a crack so that it does not show, nor one who takes the easy line of surface amiability. Peace is made by the love which builds up; and the metaphor is true whether we think of building up a damaged wall with new stones or building up the breach in an injured body with living tissue ... Those who edify in love now are building for the house of God in His kingdom, and are "repairers of the breach". Their lives and influence are as constructive as those who live for "strife and contention" are destructive, and the construction is carried over into that Kingdom where mere destructiveness will have no place. But in this and every other sense the supreme Peacemaker is the Son of God himself: and to him the word is applied in its only other occurrence in the New Testament: "For it pleased (the Father) that in him should all fulness dwell: and, having made peace (or 'making peace') through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself" (Colossians 1:19-20). "He is our peace": and it is because he is "the repairer of the breach" that in him "all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:14, 22). And as he became the author of salvation so also he became the author of peace, and the prototype of all his brethren who are peacemakers, because in some tiny degree they reflect that quality in which he must for ever be supreme."

 

- L.G. Sargent

The Teaching of the Master

[Resource Manager]

15 January 2013

 

"All the glory of the Kingdom, and the song of the Redeemed, has been made possible by his sacrifice, which we remember in the emblems of bread and wine. Listen to the mighty chorus:

 

"Thou art worthy for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).

 

No man had been "found worthy", but he is worthy. And we owe everything to him. And if we find mercy at last to be allowed into his kingdom it will be in his worthiness and not our own."

 

- L.W. Richardson

Exhortation in Revelation (1981)

[Resource Manager]

16 January 2013

 

"Standing in the open air lecture theatre of Athens, the city of philosophers and wise men, the Apostle Paul once spoke of the God he worshipped, the God who made everything, including all the nations of men. And why had He made them? ‘That they should seek the Lord’, he said, ‘if haply they might feel after him and find him’ (Acts 17:27). God created us, to seek after Him. He does not force himself upon us. He leaves us to live our lives by faith, in hope of His kingdom. ‘He that comes to God must believe that He is’, he wrote in another place, ‘and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’ (Hebrews 11:6)."

 

- D.M. Pearce

Wonderfully Made

[Resource Manager]

17 January 2013

 

"It is the balance of Jesus that is impressive. He was full of "the Scriptures that cannot be broken" but also compassionately aware of his Father’s love for all his creatures. He was dedicated to his Father’s will, but also anxious that his disciples should care for one another.

 

This balance is the mark of the true saint who seeks maturity through the study of the Word and through the manifestation of the fruit of the spirit: "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." These fruits produce what James, Peter and Paul describe as the "gentle" one, who is easy to be entreated and is full of mercy."

 

- John Marshall

The Weightier Matters (1970)

[Resource Manager]

18 January 2013

 

"The reward of the righteous can only appeal to the righteous, because it is inseparable from the gospel of redemption. The "reward" is the bestowal of God’s grace, which is in fact a gift–the gift of eternal life."

 

- Harry Sheppard

The Moral Teaching of Jesus (1960)

[Resource Manager]

19 January 2013

 

"God is light, and light must come from Him. “The heavens declare the glory of God”, said the Psalmist; he illustrated the saying by a reference to the sun making its daily progress across the skies to give light to the earth. In other Psalms the idea is expressed in other ways, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path”, which may be regarded as an answer to the prayer, “O send out thy light and thy truth, let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles”. The living Word that became flesh left behind an example of the way in which men and women illumined by the light diffused by the written word, should comport themselves in this world. In doing this he became the Light of the world. In carrying out his mission he was doing the work his Father had given him to do. This was illustrated by Paul when he wrote, “It is God that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”.. "The heavens declare the glory of God", said the Psalmist; he illustrated the saying by a reference to the sun making its daily progress across the skies to give light to the earth. In other Psalms the idea is expressed in other ways, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path", which may be regarded as an answer to the prayer, "O send out thy light and thy truth, let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles". The living Word that became flesh left behind an example of the way in which men and women illumined by the light diffused by the written word, should comport themselves in this world. In doing this he became the Light of the world. In carrying out his mission he was doing the work his Father had given him to do. This was illustrated by Paul when he wrote, "It is God that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ"."

 

- W.H. Boulton

Light, Life, and Love (1956)

[Resource Manager]

20 January 2013

 

"No reader of the New Testament can fail to note that the picture which is there portrayed of the Christian life is of a life which is lived under a constant sense of obligation, not grudgingly as if a heavy burden were laid upon men’s backs, but joyfully and willingly in response to that which has been done for us. "This is my commandment", Jesus said to his disciples, "that ye love one another, even as I have loved you." It was an old commandment that men should love one another but it was given a new inspiration in the life and death of Jesus Christ, and this is brought out by the greater emphasis in the Revised Version here quoted on the conjunction "even as". These two words "even as" should be written large in the heart of every true disciple. "The distinctively Christian conception of life", it has been well said, "is one which draws its whole power, inspiration and efficacy from Christ’s sacrifice."

 

- E.J. Newman

Godliness with Contentment (1955)

[Resource Manager]

21 January 2013

 

"There is strength in the word comfort– the comfort and the help and the blessedness of the divine provision for wherein we come short; and, if we have done all that we can, because God is interested, God is working to bring us to His salvation if we will only co-operate with Him."

 

- John Carter

The Lamp of the Body (1953)

[Resource Manager]

22 January 2013

 

"If we see the Day of Christ approaching and feel the necessity of exhorting each other more than ever; if we feel that in the latter days the most important work of all is to clear away the thorns of worldly care which are preventing the production of perfect fruit, and so increase the yield in the day of harvest, we need not attempt to seek out anything new. The teaching required is ready to hand, and all that is needed is a new emphasis."

 

- Islip Collyer

Conviction and Conduct

[Resource Manager]

23 January 2013

 

"In this life, true fellowship is found only when we believe and seek to obey our heavenly Father in those things which have to do with salvation, and to have a daily living relationship with the Father through the Son, and with the brethren He has chosen for us and for whom we must praise God and be thankful.

 

There will be a day when the words we frequently use about our life in the truth will receive their great fulfilment:

 

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life forevermore." (Psalm 133)"

 

- Harry Tennant

Fellowship in Action (1988)

[Resource Manager]

24 January 2013

 

"The men who walked with Jesus were not changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Doubts and fears constantly assailed them; old passions frequently swept over them. But they kept turning back. They put out their hands and touched his friendship; they were sorry for their sins and forsook the wrong way. So gradually the spell of his life deepened; gradually but inevitably area after area of their nature was conquered until they became like him. And so it must be with his followers now. Disciples now cannot hope to change in an instant, it is a slow, oft-times painful process. They will falter and fail; doubts and fears will assail them, old passions will sometimes master them. If, however, they keep turning back to him, stretching out their hands and touching him by faith, then in their case the spell of his life will deepen."

 

- W. G. Higginson

The Love of Christ (1952)

[Resource Manager]

25 January 2013

 

"True friends are like jewels, precious and rare."

- A Favorite School Teacher

 

"A friend loves at all times."

Proverbs 17:17