February 2001 Daily Devotionals

The Lord taketh pleasure in His people. Psalm 149:4 (KJV)

Now comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people's interests which He does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to Him. Not merely does He think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being too. Do not deny it or doubt it. "The very hairs of your head are all numbered." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in His way." It were a sad thing for us if this mantle of love did not cover all our concerns, for what mischief might be wrought to us in that part of our business which did not come under our gracious Lord’s inspection! Believer, rest assured that the heart of Jesus cares about your meaner affairs. The breadth of His tender love is such that you may resort to Him in all matters; for in all your afflictions He is afflicted, and like as a father pitieth his children, so doth He pity you. The meanest interests of all His saints are all borne upon the broad bosom of the Son of God. Oh, what a heart is His, that doth not merely comprehend the persons of His people, but comprehends also the diverse and innumerable concerns of all those persons! Dost thou think, O Christian, that thou canst measure the love of Christ? Think of what His love has brought thee - justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life! The riches of His goodness are unsearchable; thou shalt never be able to tell them out or even conceive them. Oh, the breadth of the love of Christ! Shall such a love as this have half our hearts? Shall it have a cold love in return? Shall Jesus’ marvellous loving-kindness and tender care meet with but faint response and tardy acknowledgment? O my soul, tune thy heart to a glad song of thanksgiving! Go to thy rest rejoicing, for thou are no desolate wanderer, but a beloved child, watched over, cared for, supplied, and defended by thy Lord.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. Psalm 23:4 (KJV)

Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Ghost can make the Christian! What a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark without! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! Even death itself, with all its terrible influences, has no power to suspend the music of a Christian’s heart, but rather makes that music become more sweet, more clear, more heavenly, till the last kind act which death can do is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus, the temporal joy into the eternal bliss! Let us have confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit’s power to comfort us. Dear reader, are you looking forward to poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in your want, a greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You know not what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage around which grace will plant the roses of content. Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily powers? Do you expect to suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain? Oh, be not sad! That bed may become a throne to you. You little know how every pang that shoots through your body may be a refining fire to consume your dross - a beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul. Are the eyes growing dim? Jesus will be your light. Do the ears fail you? Jesus’ name will be your soul’s best music, and His person you dear delight. Socrates used to say, "Philosophers can be happy without music;" and Christians can be happier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In thee, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills without! By thy power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be exceeding glad, though all things should fail me here below.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Matthew 15:27 (KJV)

This woman gained comfort in her misery by thinking GREAT THOUGHTS OF CHRIST. The Master had talked about the children’s bread: "Now," argued she, "since Thou art the Master of the table of grace, I know that Thou art a generous housekeeper, and there is sure to be abundance of bread on Thy table; there will be such an abundance for the children that there will be crumbs to throw on the floor for the dogs, and the children will fare none the worse because the dogs are fed." She thought Him one who kept so good a table that all that she needed would only be a crumb in comparison; yet remember, what she wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter. It was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high esteem of Christ, that she said, "It is nothing to Him, it is but a crumb for Christ to give." This is the royal road to comfort. Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace. My sins are many, but oh! it is nothing to Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt presses me down as a giant’s foot would crush a worm, but it is no more than a grain of dust to Him, because He has already borne its curse in his own body on the tree. "It will be but a small thing for Him to give me full remission, although it will be an infinite blessing for me to receive it." The woman opens her soul’s mouth very wide, expecting great things of Jesus, and He fills it with His love. Dear reader, do the same. She confessed what Christ laid at her door, but she laid fast hold upon Him, and drew arguments even out of His hard words; she believed great things of Him, and she thus overcame Him. SHE WON THE VICTORY BY BELIEVING IN HIM. Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if we would conquer like her, we must imitate her tactics.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

I will take heed to my ways. Psalm 39:1

Fellow-Pilgrim, say not in your heart, "I will go hither and thither, and I shall not sin," for you are never so out of danger of sinning as to boast of security. The road is very miry; it will be hard to pick your path so as not to soil your garments. This is a world of pitch; you will need to watch often, it in handling it you are to keep your hands clean. There is a robber at every turn of the road to rob you of your jewels; there is a temptation in every mercy; there is a snare in every joy; and if you ever reach heaven, it will be a miracle of divine grace to be ascribed entirely to your Father’s power. Be on your guard. When a man carries a bomb-shell in his hand, he should mind that he does not go near a candle; and you too must take care that you enter not into temptation. Even your common actions are edged tools; you must mind how you handle them. There is nothing in this world to foster a Christians’ piety, but everything to destroy it. How anxious should you be to look up to God, that He may keep you! Your prayer should be, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." Having prayed, you must also watch; guarding every thought, word, and action with holy jealousy. Do not expose yourself unnecessarily; but if called to exposure, if you are bidden to go where the darts are flying, never venture forth without your shield; for if once the devil finds you without your buckler, he will rejoice that his hour of triumph is come, and will soon make you fall down wounded by his arrows. Though slain you cannot be, wounded you may be. "Be sober, be vigilant; danger may be in an hour when all seemeth securest to thee." Therefore take heed to thy ways, and watch unto prayer. No man ever fell into error through being too watchful. May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our ways; so shall they always please the Lord.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

Man ... is of few days and full of trouble. Job 14:1 (KJV)

It may be of great service to us, before we fall asleep, to remember this mournful fact, for it may lead us to set loose by earthly things. There is nothing very pleasant in the recollection that we are not above the shafts of adversity, but it may humble us and prevent our boasting like the Psalmist in our morning’s portion, "My mountain standeth firm: I shall never be moved." It may stay us from making too deep root in this soil from which we are so soon to be transplanted into the heavenly garden. Let us recollect the frail tenure upon which we hold our temporal mercies. If we would remember that all the trees of earth are marked for the woodman’s axe, we should not be so ready to build our nests in them. We should love, but we should love with the love which expects death, and which reckons upon separations. Our dear relations are but loaned to us, and the hour when we must return them to the lender’s hand may be even at the door. The like is certainly true of our worldly goods. Do not riches take to themselves wings and fly away? Our health is equally precarious. Frail flowers of the field, we must not reckon upon blooming forever. There is a time appointed for weakness and sickness, when we shall have to glorify God by suffering, and not be earnest activity. There is no single point in which we can hope to escape from the sharp arrows of affliction; out of our few days there is not one secure from sorrow. Man’s life is a cask full of bitter wine; he who looks for joy in it had better seek for honey in an ocean of brine. Beloved reader, set not your affections upon things of earth; but seek those things which are above, for here the moth devoureth, and the thief breaketh through, but there all joys are perpetual and eternal. The path of trouble is the way home. Lord, make this thought a pillow for many a weary head!

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

Abide in Me. John 15:4

Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill. Whether it be the wormwood of woe, or the cloying surfeit of earthly delight, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus will take bitterness from the one, and satiety from the other. Live near to Jesus, Christian, and it is matter of secondary importance whether thou livest on the mountain of honor or in the valley of humiliation. Living near to Jesus, thou art covered with the wings of God, and underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Let nothing keep thee from that hallowed intercourse, which is the choice privilege of a soul wedded to THE WELL-BELOVED. Be not content with an interview now and then, but seek always to retain His company, for only in His presence hast thou either comfort or safety. Jesus should not be unto us a friend who calls upon us now and then, but one with whom we walk evermore. Thou hast a difficult road before thee; see, O traveller to heaven, that thou go not without thy guide. Thou hast to pass through the fiery furnace; enter it not, unless, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, thou hast the Son of God to be thy companion. Thou hast to storm the Jericho of thine own corruptions; attempt not the warfare until, like Joshua, thou hast seen the Captain of the Lord’s host, with His sword drawn in His hand. Thou are to meet the Esau of thy many temptations; meet him not until at Jabbok’s brook thou hast laid hold upon the angel, and prevailed. In every case, in every condition, thou wilt need Jesus; but most of all, when the iron gates of death shall open to thee. Keep thou close to thy soul’s Husband, lean thy head upon His bosom, ask to be refreshed with the spiced wine of His pomegranate, and thou shalt be found of Him at the last, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Seeing thou hast lived with Him, and lived in Him here, thou shalt abide with him forever.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Psalm 117:8

Doubtless the reader has been tried with the temptation to reply upon things which are seen, instead of resting alone upon the invisible God. Christians often look to man for help and counsel, and mar the noble simplicity of their reliance upon their God. Does this evening’s portion meet the eye of a child of God anxious about temporals, then would we reason with him a while. You trust in Jesus, and only in Jesus, for your salvation; then why are you troubled? "Because of my great care." It is not written, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord"? "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication make known your wants unto God." Cannot you trust God for temporals? "Ah! I wish I could." If you cannot trust God for temporals, how dare you trust Him for spirituals? Can you trust Him for your soul’s redemption, and not rely upon Him for a few lesser mercies? Is not God enough for thy need, or is His all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants? Dost thou want another eye besides that of Him who sees every secret thing? Is His heart faint? Is his arm weary? If so, seek another God; but if He be infinite, omnipotent, faithful, true, and all-wise, why gaddest thou abroad so must to seek another confidence? Why dost thou rake the earth to find another foundation, when this is strong enough to bear all the weight which thou canst ever build thereon? Christian, mix not thy wine with water; do not alloy thy gold of faith with the dross of human confidence. Wait thou only upon God, and let thine expectation be from Him. Covet not Jonah’s gourd, but rest in Jonah’s God. Let the sandy foundations of terrestrial trust be the choice of fools; but do thou, like one who foresees the storm, build for thyself an abiding place upon the Rock of Ages.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake to Elijah. 1 Kings 17:16

See the faithfulness of divine love. You observe that this woman had daily necessities. She had herself and her son to feed in a time of famine; and now, in addition, the prophet Elijah was to be fed too. But though the need was threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted not, for she had a constant supply. Each day she made calls upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the same. You, dear reader, have daily necessities, and because they come so frequently, you are apt to fear that the barrel of meal will one day be empty, and the cruse of oil will fail you. Rest assured that, according to the Word of God, this shall not be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble, shall bring its help; and though you should live to outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as many as the sands of the sea-shore, yet shall God’s grace and mercy last through all your necessities, and you shall never know a real lack. For three long years, in this widow’s days, the heavens never saw a cloud, and the stars never wept a holy tear of dew upon the wicked earth: famine, and desolation, and death made the land a howling wilderness, but this woman never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance. So shall it be with you. You shall see the sinner’s hope perish, for he trusts his native strength; you shall see the proud Pharisee’s confidence totter, for he builds his hope upon the sand; you shall see even your own schemes blasted and withered, but you yourself shall find that your place of defence shall be the munition of rocks. "Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure." Better have God for your guardian, than the Bank of England for your possession. You might spend the wealth of the Indies, but the infinite riches of God you can never exhaust.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

Behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague. Leviticus 13:13 (KJV)

Strange enough this regulation appears, yet there was wisdom in it, for the throwing out of the disease proved that the constitution was sound. This evening it may be well for us to see the typical teaching of so singular a rule. We, too, are lepers, and may read the law of the leper as applicable to ourselves. When a man sees himself to be altogether lost and ruined, covered all over with the defilement of sin, and in no part free from pollution; when he disclaims all righteousness of his own, and pleads guilty before the Lord, then is he clean through the blood of Jesus, and the grace of God. Hidden, unfelt, unconfessed iniquity is the true leprosy; but when sin is seen and felt, it has received its death blow, and the Lord looks with eyes of mercy upon the soul afflicted with it. Nothing is more deadly than self-righteousness, or more hopeful than contrition. We must confess that we are "nothing else but sin," for no confession short of this will be the whole truth; and if the Holy Spirit be at work with us, convincing us of sin, there will be no difficulty about making such an acknowledgment - it will spring spontaneously from our lips. What comfort does the text afford to truly awakened sinners: the very circumstance which so grievously discouraged them is here turned into a sign and symptom of a hopeful state! Stripping comes before clothing; digging out the foundation is the first thing in building - and a thorough sense of sin is one of the earliest works of grace in the heart. Oh, thou poor leprous sinner, utterly destitute of a sound spot, take heart from the text, and come as thou art to Jesus.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

Take up the cross, and follow Me. Mark 10:21 (KJV)

You have not the making of your own cross, although unbelief is a master-carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose your own cross, although self-will would fain be lord and master; but your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. This night Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to His easy yoke. Do not kick at it in petulance, or trample on it in vail-glory, or fall under it in despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; He leads the way in the path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if He carries a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.

Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet; it is heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders; but it is not an iron cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colours; it is a wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of Sorrows tried the load. Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you will soon be so in love with it, that, like Moses, you would not exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt. Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with tomorrow’s sun you may go forth to the day’s cross with the holy and submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

Father, I have sinned. Luke 15:18

It is quite certain that those whom Christ has washed in His precious blood need not make a confession of sin, as culprits or criminals, before God the Judge, for Christ has forever taken away all their sins in a legal sense, so that they no longer stand where they can be condemned, but are once for all accepted in the Beloved; but having become children, and offending as children, ought they not every day to go before their heavenly Father and confess their sin, and acknowledge their iniquity in that character? Nature teaches that it is the duty of erring children to make a confession to their earthly father, and the grace of God in the heart teaches us that we, as Christians, owe the same duty to our heavenly Father. We daily offend, and ought not to rest without daily pardon. For, supposing that my trespasses against my Father are not at once taken to Him to be washed away by the cleansing power of the Lord Jesus, what will be the consequence? If I have not sought forgiveness and been washed from these offences against my Father, I shall feel at a distance from Him; I shall doubt His love to me; I shall tremble at Him; I shall be afraid to pray to Him; I shall grow like the prodigal, who, although still a child, was yet far off from his father. But if, with a child’s sorrow at offending so gracious and loving a Parent, I go to Him and tell Him all, and rest not till I realize that I am forgiven, then I shall feel a holy love to my Father, and shall go through my Christian career, not only as saved, but as one enjoying present peace in God through Jesus Christ my Lord. There is a wide distinction between confessing sin as a culprit, and confessing sin as a child. The Father’s bosom is the place for penitent confessions. We have been cleansed once for all, but our feet still need to be washed from the defilement of our daily walk as children of God.

Evening by Evening C.H. Spurgeon

February 12

ŒYou intended  to harm me, but God intended
it  for good. . . the saving of many livesı (Genesis 50:20).

An unusually  large portion of Scripture is devoted to the life of Joseph. It is epic in its scope. It reports with inexorable frankness, the ways of men and women. All through the Œdays of their livesı we see what they do to one another and how they suffer at each otherıs hands. There is Jacobıs ruinous favouritism for his two youngest sons; the fraternal jealousies that result, and the subsequent murderous plotting with its violent outcome. Then the long years of guilt and grief that follow.

In the ebb and flow of events the reader sometimes thinks he sees just retribution at work. Josephıs sufferings are replaced by his exaltation in Egypt. The guilty brother find themselves at Josephıs disposal. Joseph appears to toy with them in their powerlessness. It is tempting to find satisfaction in this reversal of fortunes but the true interpretation of things comes in the text quoted above.

As the lives of these people have unfolded, there has been a meaning, obscured. Something has been happening in the events themselves that the participants were not aware of. God has been holding all the threads of historyıs fabric in his hands; directing everything for good, even though no one could see it.

The arena of human envy, cunning and savagery was also the sphere of Godıs action. Though evil was rampant, God made it serve his purpose ­ the saving of lives. This is no justification of evil. God does not need evil in order to bring about his will. It simply means that God is sovereign in the world of men and evil cannot frustrate his design.

Calvary is the supreme example of this truth. The story of Joseph and his family is a sign pointing to it. On the cross, Jesus was the very symbol of human despair in the face of evil. Yet things are not what they seem. Post-resurrection, Paul could say the cross is both the wisdom of God and Godıs power.

At Christmas we rejoice that Christ was born. Our joy is grounded in the conviction that the things that occur in this world are not unwatched, unheeded or unsupervised. The king of heaven was himself embroiled in the sorry tangle of affairs that is our lot. He more than all other, was snared and wrecked by it all. Yet, despite the grief and hurt, he triumphed through resurrection. Therefore it is Christ, who has the right to speak to our confusion and our guilt and say: ŒYou meant it for harm, but God intended it for good.ı

Good News Unlimited

February 13

ŒEven though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are
with meı (Psalm 23:4)

This splendid utterance was spoken long ago by a man of faith. It stands yet, as a sign and a clue for our own encouragement. It points to the way that life is different for one who believes.

Those who trust in God do not inhabit a different world to other people. They live their lives, touched and struck by the same changes of fortune as everyone. When storm and tempests rage, their dwellings are at risk. When famine stalks the land, they go hungry too. When plague moves through the community, it has no favourites. Skeptics and believers suffer alike. The Psalmist acknowledges as much by positioning himself in Œthe valley of the shadow of death.ı It is the address of everyone on the planet.

But the Christian has this difference. Though he knows full well where he lives and what perils he endures, he is not alone. He has a friend with him.

The unbeliever has no such comfort. He does not know that the world has a Father. With no concerned intelligence to watch over him, reality dissolves into a mish-mash of blind forces and meaningless accidents. In such an environment the universe appears far from friendly. On the contrary it has a sinister and hostile face. Every object along the way has the potential to cause harm. Every person is a threat. Nothing and no one can be trusted. Uncontrollable events assume a dark and evil mien.

The Christian faces the currents and tides of outrageous fortune without anxiety because he knows God is with him. He is not alone. This is the impression that Christ has given him.

Throughout his life, Jesus was with the sick, lonely and guilty. His was the life of a refugee. He was dealt with cruelly and unjustly. He was imprisoned. His knowledge of our predicament was total. He struggled and prayed against forces that overwhelmed him. He looked for supernatural deliverance but received none. He was not able to banish the enemies ranged against him by reliance on Divine assistance. He walked down the lonely path to death. All the terror and privation of the human race that feels besieged and lost, was upon him. From deep within our despair and our death he broke through and made a way of freedom and hope for us.

What happened to Christ and how he overcame it all, is the secret of our joy. We wander through this unpredictable world that is a valley of shadows. God has not promised to lead us on a detour around it. The only way is through. But we do not travel alone.

Like children walking through the dark with their parents, we see and hear things that alarm us. But we are not alone. The Father and friend of our spirits is with us and nothing can befall us for which He is not prepared.

Good News Unlimited

February 14

A Prayer

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you;
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures ­
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)

February 15

"You never exhaust Christ's words. They pass into proverbs, they are enacted into laws, they are consolidated into doctrines, they become consolation for the poor and weary, they grow into the life and transform the character; but they never pass away, and after all the use made of them, they are still as fresh as when first spoken."

Today we start a new series of devotionals - devotionals which will consist only of Christ's words as recorded in the gospels. Pray that they will grow into our lives and transform our characters. Memorize them, meditate on them. They are food for our souls.

Matthew 4:4 "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

February 16

Matthew 4:7 "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"  (see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 17

Matthew 4:10 "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "  (see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 18

Matthew 4:17 "Repent, for  the kingdom of heaven is near." (see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 19

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 20

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of
Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked
around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar
with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as
something unknown, I am going to proclaim to youı"
(Acts 17:22 and 23)


The men of Athens were distinguished by the number of religions to which they were hospitable. This apparently tolerant spirit is widely embraced in the present day. It is expressed in the remark, that all religions are just different ways of approaching God, and therefore of equal worth. Many Western minds, will now only accept that a religion is Œtrueı on the strength of its Œinclusivenessı; its ability to embrace all, and reject none.

But just how workable is this? Can truth in spiritual matters be any different than it is in other areas of knowledge? What would happen to scientific research if no theory could ever be better than another? There could be no way forward in any discipline, unless the validity of a particular proposition be accepted. True, it may be revisited and tested many times over, but truth by its nature is exclusive, and it remains true only as long as it does not give equal credence to its opposites. An endlessly open mind would remain closed to truth.

The same applies in religious matters. In the prosperous West we have devoted ourselves to a principle of self-assertion; looking after number one. We have carried it over into national life and it has found its way into the way we relate to other nations. It is exactly the opposite of Jesus Christ, who taught us to love our neighbour as our self; to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile ­ not for ourselves but for others. How can both these be right when the one cancels the other?

Take another modern world view which has as many devotees as any other religious movement ­ materialism; the acquisition of money and things. Jesus said: ŒA manıs life consists not in the abundance of the things he possesseth.ı That, and materialism, cannot both be true. The one is the otherıs denial.

This is the premise of Paulıs Areopagus speech. He emphatically denies that the Athenian idols are a valid way to the God revealed by Jesus. The record informs us that Paul preached ŒJesus and the resurrectionı (Acts 17:18). What paganism was unable to find out, Christ revealed.

Insofar as any religion is a desire and an effort to make contact with God, one is as effective as another, because all are inadequate. Only by Christ has such a connection been established ­ but from Godıs side, not ours. If Christ has brought God to us, then human efforts to secure God are null and void.

Christ can be seen not as the way to God, but Godıs way to us. The movement begun in Christıs name can only be true as it confesses it has no claim on God, but points away from itself to Him in whom God claimed all men.

May you rejoice; knowing not that you have the Truth, but that the Truth has grasped you.

(Used with kind permission of Good News Unlimited)

February 21

Matthew 5:4          Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (see devotional for February 15, 2001)


February 22

Matthew 5:5         Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 23

Matthew 5:6         Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
(see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 24

Matthew 5:7        Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
(see devotional for February 15, 2001)


February 25

Matthew 5:8         Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 26

Matthew 5:9        Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
(see devotional for February 15, 2001)

February 27

Matthew 5:10    Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
(see devotional for February 15, 2001)

Wednesday 28 February 2001

Matthew 5:11,12     Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.