TFTD - August 2013

[Resource Manager]

01 August 2013

"It is in the purpose of God that our faith should be constantly exercised. It pleases Him that our spiritual life should be worked out in struggle. There is a spiritual gravitation which, if not resisted, will always carry us downward; and the dead weight of public opinion ever tacitly asserting the falsity of our position is liable to draw us away from it, and press us down. We have a certain kinship with inanimate nature in the sense that our tendency is down and away from the highest. The line of least resistance is the one human nature seeks. We are as the stone on the hillside which every influence moves downward; give it time, and ultimately it will find its way into the valley. Pile up a heap of wheat, the same downward tendency is there; every grain seeks the angle of repose. Put water where you will, and unless opposed by strong barriers it will always find the lowest place."

- C.A. Ladson
Faith Exercised

[Resource Manager]

02 August 2013

"The Bible is a book of prayer. It opens with the picture of the Lord God walking with man amid the pristine glory of creation, and it ends, towards the close of the first century of the Christian era, with the Apostle John pleading for the return of his Lord. And prayer is woven into the fabric of every intervening scene. Time and again through the changing patterns of Bible history we are led into the secret places of men’s hearts and overhear, in turn, the outpourings of worship, broken words of contrition, the pleadings of men in the fires of temptation, the strong crying of affliction and the confession of need."

- Melva Purkis
The Bible and Prayer

[Resource Manager]

03 August 2013

"The world passeth away", says John, "and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." "Flesh and blood", says Paul, "cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." If our lives, therefore, belong to the world, or if the flesh is all that we have, the day of the Lord spells doom for us. But if we use the present time to develop and exercise faith; learning to cast ourselves upon God in all things; being loyal to His Kingdom and seeking His will in our lives, the victory will be ours, and the glory God’s, through the work of His Son, our Saviour."

- Len Richardson
"This is the Victory..." (1 John 5:4)

[Resource Manager]

04 August 2013

"John wrote: "God is light", hence fellowship with Him means walking in light; "God is righteous", hence fellowship with Him means that we must live righteously; "God is love", hence fellowship with Him means that we must manifest His kind of love. John continues by saying that we can walk in light only by confessing sin in the faith of Jesus, by keeping God’s commandments, and by loving the brethren."

- J. Marshall
Reflections on the Way (1960)

[Resource Manager]

05 August 2013

"It is the Word of God alone which produces faith, for there alone can we learn of the things which the apostles heard, saw with their eyes, looked upon and handled, of the Word of life. There alone can we discover "the apostles' doctrine", the basis of the apostles’ fellowship, in which all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ through their word may have their part:

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” (Acts 2:42; John 17:20-23)"

- Alfred Nicholls
Feed the Flock of God (1983)

[Resource Manager]

06 August 2013

"The prophets of Israel were not merely mourners over the past, or dismal denouncers of woes to come. They were great teachers who might have saved a nation, but they spoke to deaf ears, and struggled with a corrupted and luxurious society, which went to its fate as Rome went later when it forgot its ancient uprightness."

- C.R. Conder
The Christadelphian (1945)

[Resource Manager]

07 August 2013
 
"Happy are we if we are dwelling in God, and He in us; for then we shall partake of those untold blessings that will be given to those who are made like the Son of God in the day of his appearing."

- J.G. Buckler
Sons of God (1945)

[Resource Manager]

08 August 2013

"When at last the longed-for Lord shall come in the Father's glory bringing salvation, bearing still the marks of greatest love in hands and feet, what joy, what ecstasy will be bestowed on those who in the experience of daily living have been crucified together with him; who have patiently endured the cross for his abiding love; who, through the anguish of willing sacrifice, have pleaded, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:42)"

- D.D. Palmer
I am Crucified with Christ (1960)  

[Resource Manager]

09 August 2013

"When we accept the view that the prophets spoke, and wrote, the message of God, in language inspired by the Spirit of God that was in them, we have the basis for that reverence and love of Holy Scripture which is manifested in the apostles and, above all, in Jesus himself. Nothing then is unimportant. We learn to study the very expressions employed by the Spirit, and find so often what stores of concealed meaning are uncovered thereby. And the more we study, the more sure do we become, that "Your word is true from the beginning: and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever." (Psalm 119:160)."

- L.W. Richardson
The Verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures (1953)

[Resource Manager]

10 August 2013
 
"Words matter because they are the channels of thought, and should be clear; because they are spurs to action, and should be sharp; because they are the tools of every trade and should be cared for; and because they are evidence of character, and give us away."

- Mr. A.P. Herbert
The Christadelphian (1940)

[Resource Manager]

11 August 2013

"It is the very quality of childlike humility, Jesus says, that all his disciples should have if they wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But also in faith we should be as little children; the complete trust they have for their parents is well known as is also their faith that Mum or Dad have all the answers to their problems. We must have similar faith and trust in God our Father, that those things which He has promised which are now invisible will become reality as His purpose is worked out upon earth."

- Grahame A. Cooper
Every Imagination of the Thoughts of His Heart (1990)

[Resource Manager]

12 August 2013

"It is when the knowledge of God touches a man’s spirit that it communicates life and growth. It is in the recesses of the soul that the truth is either dynamic or doomed. True understanding is intended to result in pure motives and the purest motive is not to impress men with our intellectual superiority in Scriptural knowledge but to be well-pleasing to God. So disciples must take care to learn the meaning of this declaration: 'Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.' (1 Corinthians 8:1)"

- Dennis Gillett
The Genius of Discipleship

[Resource Manager]

13 August 2013

"If we preach Christ, we preach the Truth, we preach the Gospel. We preach Christ as Son of God, as Son of man, as the pattern in his sacrifice, as the Saviour of the world and the world’s peace. We preach Christ in his resurrection as the Life, in his return as the world’s hope. So we preach Christ, not only as the Author and Finisher of our faith, but also as the Author and Finisher of the world’s need. And how little the messenger may have to do with it—but how much the message!"

- George Jarvis
Thoughts About our Witness (1976)

[Resource Manager]

14 August 2013

"He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11)

"When we read the Scriptures many difficulties fade away. The Bible presents God as One who is creator and sustainer of everything that has being. It reveals Him as One who has made Himself known by wondrous acts, in revelation and redemption in the history of man. The climax of His revelation is in one who was His Son, in whom we have redemption of our sins. But sonship, redemption and forgiveness are personal relationships, only possible when we accept the Bible revelation that man is 'made in the image of God'."

Concerning God (April 1955)

[Resource Manager]

15 August 2013

"FIRST among the fruit of the Spirit in Paul’s letter to the Galatians (5:22) is love, and it is not difficult to see why this is so since God Himself is love. The love of God over-arches all His other attributes and out of it comes our salvation, for "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Quoted in isolation, as this favourite text often is, the verse can give a wrong impression. Our little word “so” has two meanings, one referring to extent, and the other to means. Here the word “so” is usually emphasised to imply that God loved the world to such an extent that He gave His Son for its salvation. In fact, great beyond comprehension though the love of God is, it was not poured out for the benefit of all the world but only for those who, like the faithful in Israel of old when they looked upon the brazen serpent on the pole, so (in like manner) look upon Christ on the cross. Both concordance and context establish the interpretation, which is in line with the Scripture principle that God does not love the world in a universal, non-selective sense, but only those who respond to the gospel message. The love of God that came to us through the sacrifice of Christ has to be received in faith, and then has to be returned. It cannot go unrequited; it has to be given back as "fruit"."

- John Mitchell
"The Greatest of These ..." (1996)

[Resource Manager]

16 August 2013

"... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

"Patience is a discipline not learnt in a day. It is the product of a continual exercise in self-control and human understanding, together with the practice of wisdom and restraint. Patience adds grace to the personality because a patient man is a peaceful man."

- D.M. Elliot
Patience (1968)

[Resource Manager]

17 August 2013

"The true servants of God in any age have not been the aggressive, the assertive, or those doing spectacular deeds or occupying great positions. They have been the quiet worshippers of God, recognising His majesty and uniqueness, honouring His Word of truth, seeking to obey it, conscious of their failings but acknowledging them, believing that God will forgive the sins of those who genuinely repent and will restore them to fellowship with Himself.

The brethren and sisters of the first century were just like this ... Let us then revive our faith and confidence in our calling, knowing that the LORD ever has mercy on them that fear him."

- Fred Pearce
A People for God's Name (1996)

[Resource Manager]

18 August 2013

"As the understanding is opened up by the reading of the Word of God a satisfying view of the realities of the age to come is brought to view. It is not a mirage, or a cunningly devised fable. It is intimately bound up with the reward of the people of God. Christ must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. "To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne." (Revelation 3:21)"

- John Carter
Worship in the Age to Come (1935)

[Resource Manager]

19 August 2013

"The ultimate elimination of sorrow, sin, rebellion and death at the end of the Lord’s reign will make the Kingdom what it was meant to be, not only because no enemy voice can be heard against the voice of God, but also because the many voices which will make themselves heard will consist of a unanimous, free-willed chorus of the redeemed in His praise."

- Alfred Norris
I Believe in the Kingdom of God (1964)

[Resource Manager]

20 August 2013

"It is difficult for us fully to grasp the overwhelming power and beauty of God’s love and compassion towards us; we can only try to absorb as deeply as we can, Paul’s profound expression of divine kindness towards his adopted sons, especially, as he puts it, when we realize our tremendous debt to Him: "In Christ our release is secured and our sins are forgiven through the shedding of his blood" (Ephesians 1:7, N.E.B.).

The only way Jesus could have faced his sufferings and death was by keeping his mind in tune with his Father’s and his will at His behest. And because of this we are saved from dissolving into everlasting corruption and have the promise of an endless life. But the promise is to "faithful saints" whose minds are in tune with Father and Son and whose wills are at their command."

- John Marshall
Portrait of the Saint

[Resource Manager]

21 August 2013

"The cares of this life are so very close, so very pressing. If we are to keep any semblance of a balance between the call of God and the call of Mammon we must ask ourselves over and over again: Is this being done for Christ? Or is it just being done for me?"

- Peter W. Reynolds
Looking at Life (1957)
 

[Resource Manager]

22 August 2013

"We who know the Scriptures, remember that joy is one of the fruits of the spirit, and that the Apostle, despite the many trials of faith, could “rejoice in the Lord always.” The Christian religion does not seek to deprive men of joy but to lift them on to a higher plane. We are no longer to rejoice in iniquity but to rejoice in the Lord. It is good to be merry so long as merriment finds proper expression. We are called upon to “sing psalms,” to admonish one another in hymns and spiritual songs, and to make melody in our hearts. We are called to Mount Zion and the company of those redeemed from the earth, and we remember that when John was permitted to see the glorified saints in vision the outstanding impression recorded by him was the sound of musical instruments and the singing of a new song (Revelation 14)."

- Islip Collyer
Music in the Time of David (1929)

[Resource Manager]

23 August 2013

"Have we all a love for God which is pure and simple, without ulterior motive? Sometimes brethren and sisters appear obsessed with gaining the "reward of the righteous" or of "getting into the Kingdom". Such attitudes are doomed, for eternal life is God’s gift, not a bribe or a wage. Love and service must be spontaneous, a natural part of our lives, enjoyed for the sake of their inherent goodness and heavenly beauty. The righteous answered the King in the parable saying: "Lord, when saw we thee an hungred?" They had cherished the needy selflessly."

- Peter Cox
Moses and Paul (1963)

[Resource Manager]

24 August 2013

"With the sublime prospect of the New Life ever before us, the thrilling words of the Apostle Paul come down to us today with the same force and meaning as they did to the disciples of Christ at Philippi so long ago: "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)"

- D. M. Elliott
Again I say, Rejoice (1992)

[Resource Manager]

25 August 2013

"The expectancy which so clearly marked the first advent of Jesus should also mark his second. Are we making as big an impression on our friends and neighbours as we should by virtue of that knowledge of his near return which has been given to us, not because we are servants but friends? This is our great hope. If for no other reason, we should be a company of men and women who are vitalised by a great expectancy of important events about to happen. That people heed not our cry is no reason for us to give up. Perhaps it should be a stronger reason for our continuing, that those who live in darkness may at least see a glimmer of light. The dawn is about to break when Jesus will return to take his friends unto himself."

- Howard Walker
Evening Meditations (1972)