Reverie

Down beside the rippling river
‘Neath the weeping willow-tree,
Viewing nature sweet and lovely,
Wond’ring what must heaven be.

List’ning to the merry songsters
In the near-by leafy world;
Such sweet music seems to bear me
Nearer to the gates of gold.

Breezes murm’ring through the branches,
Waters rippling o’er the stone,
What, oh, what must be the anthem
Ringing round the great white throne?

Songs of birds and streamlet rippling,
Meadow, flowers, and leafy tree,
Make of earth a land of beauty-
That indeed must heaven be?

If you love scenes of great grandeur,
And to hear sweet music ring,
Come, oh! come with me to heaven,
To the land where Christ is king.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Theater

A theater is a place where plays are performed before spectators. People go to such a place to witness the acts of men. The apostle Paul says, "We are made a spectacle unto the world." 1 Cor. 4: 9. In the margin it reads "theater" instead of ‘‘spectacle." In Conybeare and Howson’s translation this text reads thus: "To be gazed at in a theater by the world." You as a Christian are here in this world on exhibition for God. He is the character you are to represent in life's great play. You must live in such a way as to do justice to his name. This world is looking on. God has written the entire play in his book. You have a life-time to play it in. If you will live in humble obedience to all the Word of God, you will act your part well and faithfully represent his true character.

Happiness Of Life

Down, down in the depths of infinite love,
Filled with all the fulness of God,
Joy’s cup ev’ry moment filled from above,
As adown life’s pathway I trod.
No sin sways its scepter over my soul,
God’s righteousness fills ev’ry part,
His fulness of glory keeping the whole,
And I love him with all my heart.
Sing not to me of the pleasures of earth,
I have found a much happier way;
The joys of the Lord, of far greater worth,
Are filling my life ev’ry day.
Sorrow and sighing have flown away,
From trouble and care I am free,
The peace of God over my heart holds sway;
I am as happy as I can be.
You are tempted, you say, and sorely tried;
Of that I have nothing to say,
The victory is mine whate ‘er may betide;
I’m happy each hour of the day.
My pathway of life is now paved with peace,
The flow ‘rs ever bloom bright and gay;
A halo of light is shed around me
As I walk the beautiful way.

Rest Of The Soul

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Mat. 11: 28, 29. Wonderful words of love and hope! Never did a sweeter nor richer invitation than this reach mortal ears. A whole world of humankind groaning under a burden, tossing in unrest, laboring under pain, sighing with sorrow, roaming in dis-content, filled with fear, sinking in despair. But One appears upon the scene and says, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." Oh, may the humble followers of the lowly Nazarene echo and reach this invitation of love among the haunts of men as long as time shall last! Amid a world of sin and trouble, a soul at rest; how blessed!

You remember the day you came to him. Your sins with all the burden of guilt were taken away and you found rest. Later you dedicated yourself fully and forever to the Lord and entered into the fulness of his rest. Canaan’s fair land is the soul’s sweet home of rest. What heaven will be we can not know now. Doubtless scenes and experiences will arise of such a nature as to greatly enhance the felicity of our hearts; but the revelation of heaven upon a sanctified soul and The enjoyment of heavenly bliss---Even in a world like this ---can never be told. Storms will arise and threaten you; but if the cable of faith remains unbroken and the anchor of hope unshaken, your little bark can sail on sweetly at rest. Doubts are very destructive to soul-rest; therefore they must be dispelled at their first approach. By faith your soul can be kept in the precious realization of heavenly enjoyments; you can have sweet walks with God and tastes of his love all along your journey of life. By living in the vale of humble submission to God, fully and freely yielded to his control, upon your soul the sweets of heaven’s graces will be distilled like the gentle siftings of the evening dew upon the flower, transporting you to wondrous felicity in God all along your pilgrim way.

Behold the fowls of the air:
They sow not, neither do they reap;
Yet kings have not more healthful fare,
Nor rest in calmer, sweeter sleep.
They have no barns nor hoarded grain,
Yet all day long a soft, sweet strain
They warble forth from forest tree;
Ever happy and ever free,
Teaching a lesson dear to me.
So free from care, 0 sylvan band;
Fed by a heavenly Father’s hand.
Your freedom, 0 ye fowls of heaven,
New courage to my soul hath given;
I no more can doubt or sorrow:
God will care for me to-morrow.
Behold the lilies how they grow:
They toil not neither do they spin;
Yet kings in all their pomp and show
Are not arrayed like one of them;
Smiling and free in breezes sway,
Yet clothed by heavenly hand are they.
Meek lilies of the quiet fields,
Your growth instruction to me yields.
The One who clothes the lily fair
And gives it tender, earnest care---
Will he not hear my fervent prayer?
The One who notes the sparrow’s fall---
Does he not love his creatures all?
If he so clothes each tuft and tree
And gives the birds such liberty,
Will he not clothe and care for me?
I no more can doubt or sorrow:
God will care for me to-morrow.
A merry heart is a continual feast.
It is the will of God that you be always happy.

If you are not contented with such things as you have, you would not be contented had you ever so much.

Those who are always contented and happy are a most gracious contribution from God to a discontented world.

This sin-darkened world is dotted here and there by beautiful Christian lives, which are to the world’s weary wastes what the oasis is to the parched desert.

The Christian has the blessed privilege of proving to a covetous, discontented world that man can by the grace of God be contented under the most adverse circumstances.

Oftentimes people conclude that they would he happy if their surrounding circumstances were different. True happiness consists not so much in the environments, as in the dispositions of the heart.

After a day of labor, what a pleasure it is to meet at home the warmth of hearts we love! After a life of toil, what will be the pleasure of meeting all the loved in heaven?

I am told that the language of the Algonquin indians of North America contained no word from which to translate the word love. When the English missionaries translated the Bible into that language they were obliged to coin a word for love. What must be a language without love? and what must be the heart?

The Christian out upon life’s sea can, by faith, hope, and love, weather the wildest storm that ever the winds of adversity blew. Hope is the anchor fastened to the eternal word of God; faith is the cable attached to the anchor hope.

My pathway of life is now paved with peace,
The flowers e’er bloom bright and gay;
A halo of light is shed around me
As I walk the beautiful way.

"I Don't Care"

The words stuck in my ears and stung my heart. I was excited about a great opportunity set before the church and was working on turning opportunity into reality. As I spoke about the great opportunity, the research I had done and the thought that went into the plan and proposal, I suggested a meeting to discuss formulating a plan to make it work. To my amazement and disappointment, this shepherd – one who had accepted the charge of overseeing the flock, protecting the flock, caring for the flock, serving as an example to the flock and leading the flock – mumbled and murmured, then looked me straight in the eye and said, "I don’t care."

Silence. Bewilderment. Disappointment. And then heartache – he was telling the truth. He really didn’t care. I remember lying awake in bed that night for what seemed an eternity, unable to sleep. Those words continued to ring in my head . . . "I don’t care."

The "don’t care" disease is extremely contagious. Moreover, it is particularly dangerous because it doesn’t take a lot of the don’t care virus to infect an entire congregation. "Don’t care" is quite treatable when very few pew members have it, but it is most destructive when the infection starts with the leadership and works its way through the rest of the congregation.

Consider – when elders truly care about the local church, they will demand a preacher who cares about the local church. They will appoint deacons to specific areas of service and demand (in a positive sense) an accounting of this vested authority. Moreover, elders who care are equally (if not more) concerned with the attendance of the members than the accounting of the money. They know by cultivating and growing a faithful membership they can be assured budget needs will always be met. Elders who care, instill a "can do" attitude in the hearts and minds of the local church because such men trust in the Lord and faithful brethren to do what is right.

But when elders don’t care, what is the result? Misplaced emphases and misguided ideas. Elders who don’t care never look to see who is present or absent to account for every member of the flock. Yet, any farmer worth his salt will count his herd or flock every day to make sure all are accounted for and safe (Luke 15:4). Elders who don’t care allow members to drift into unfaithfulness and apostasy without so much as a visit or expression of concern. When elders don’t care, drifting and delinquent members are misled into thinking they do not have to answer to anyone for their actions and will be chancing losing their souls. Elders who don’t care simply drop their names from the membership roll as if God will accept such a lack of concern and action.

When elders don’t care it makes it hard for the preacher to care. His energy and enthusiasm may allow him to hold out and continue for a while, but eventually discouragement will set in. He asks, "Why should I continue to work and sacrifice for the church when the very men who have been given the charge of the church don’t care?" In cases like these one of three things usually happens with the preacher: 1) he becomes discouraged and leaves; 2) he becomes a "surrogate pastor," in essence taking over the primary functions given to the eldership (visiting, teaching, encouraging, exhorting, rebuking, evangelism, daily functions of the church, etc); or 3) he assumes the same "don’t care" attitude. In any case, none of these options are conducive for growing or maintaining a healthy congregation.

The viability of the local church starts at the top with elders who truly love the Lord and the local church. They provide the means for the members’ spiritual growth and work toward adding to the flock regularly.

May God give the church more elders who care!

The Hidden Life

You have experienced a resurrection. You once were dead in sin; now you are alive unto God. You have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. You are a new creation; you have a new life. Though you have existence in this world, yet the world does not discover your true life. With Christ it is hid in God. The world knows nothing of you except as they see you in the life you live in the flesh. You have a higher life to which they are as insensible as the inanimate stone is to the life of the bird. You are one of God’s "hidden ones," and a stranger on the earth, because you are unknown. You are not found in the hails of worldly pleasure, but instead are to be found by the bedside of the sick, reading the Bible, praying, or speaking words of cheer and comfort, and the world wonders how you can enjoy yourself in such a way. You have a joy that is unknown to them, because you have a life that is hidden from them. That life of yours which is hid with Christ in God finds no enjoyment in the pleasures of the world.

When adversity comes the world does not understand how it is that you can rejoice; and when circumstances are very unfavorable, how you can be happy is a mystery to them. It is because you do not live in the things of the world, but in a much higher realm. If your life is hid with Christ in God, your heart’s longings will be for the things above; all your affections will be on things above. Those who live upon earth are seeking the things of earth; but those who live above in God seek the things which are above. Nothing of earth has any charms for them. Christ has won their hearts. They love him intensely. They live in him. They are sojourning here upon earth for a time, but their hearts are with Christ in heaven. Their home, their love, their treasures, their hopes, their thoughts, their life---all are there, and they are seeking with eagerness for more of that sweet, precious life which is from above. They walk here almost like one in a dream, as concerning this world; they know but little of earth, but much of heaven.

This earth is not my home,
I live above,
Where peace and joys abound---
Sweet land of love.
My life is hid in God
With Christ the Son,
Though here on earth I am
By earth unknown.
I dwell in worlds above,
By thought and prayer---
Oh, blest eternal home!
My heart is there.

Not Only Christ Is Risen

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3: 1 - 2

Much is made of the joy of the risen Christ and so it should be because it is the basis of our Salvation. Other world religions teach various values and means of salvation, but Christ is the only Savior who preached His message of life everlasting and then came back to prove it. He is the only preacher who not only told people how to live but offered them the means to do so.

As we rejoice in the Risen Savior, let us rejoice in our own resurrection from our spiritual death in 'trespasses and sin" and "seek those things which are above' and set our affections there. Let us dwell on living a life that reflects the reason for our Salvation and the goal of our life. How often do we live as though Salvation were meant only to provide good things in this life? Or do we focus on the mere promise of avoiding Hell?

Or do we live according to the purpose that Peter spoke in I Peter 4: 6 ? For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might...live according to God in the spirit.. Christ died that we might live according to the will of God. Not to just give us a good life, or to let us avoid hell. He wants us to live after things that are above, that we might glorify God.

As we rejoice in Christ's resurrection, let us also rejoice in the resurrection from death to life that He provided us! And let us glorify God in our spirits.

Deny Our Self And Take Our Cross

The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9: 22 - 24)

We're too partial to thinking of the Cross as something we have to endure; we bear it only to get it over with. Everytime we have a trial, we moan that we've been given this cross to bear. There is popular email message that makes the rounds every so often that shows this cartoon character lugging this big old cross and sawing little pieces off every once in a while trying to lessen his burden. Then at the end he doesn't have enough left to get across the final chasm into heaven. Cute story but not based on the Bible. In reality the Cross stands for only one thing - a complete and entire and absolute surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at the verse above. First, Christ told the disciples about the things He would have to endure suffering, rejection, death. Then He told them to take up their cross every day and follow Him.

Christ knew very well what he was to have to go through. He prayed fervently for strength and courage in the Garden of Eden. "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." He knew that His human flesh was going to desire to draw back. And that legion of angels was always there to rescue that flesh. But it 'behooved him to suffer "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached." (Luke 24 :46). That cross that Jesus was facing signified a death to the flesh and to the human desires.

For us today, the cross represents the same thing it did for Christ. It represents a death. The cross is not a temporary burden that will soon be over. We are to take it up daily. Why? Because we have to die on it every day. The fleshly man, our own desires, our own goals, our own ways of doing things-- those things all have to die in order that we may follow Christ as He calls us to do. We cannot carry our cross with a smile. Jesus didn't smile.

He wept as He prayed before God and sweat great drops like blood in subduing His flesh to do the will of God. But He conquered His flesh. He conquered the very human hesitancies, the anticipated pain and ridicule. And when He stood up from that session of prayer, He allowed himself to be led out to the death on the cross. He died a physical death on a literal cross, but our call to follow Him involves a spiritual cross and a spiritual death. We must conquer our human nature every day and defeat the desires and habits of earth that would keep us from fully submitting to Him.

Until we take up that cross every day, die on it daily and step out on faith in following him each day, we cannot fulfill the calling that He gave us.

Lowliness

But few traits of Christian character are more lovely than lowliness. Humility, meekness, and lowliness are terms nearly synonymous, but not wholly so. It is somewhat difficult for the mind to grasp the shades of difference in their meaning. It appears, however, that lowliness is the deepest depth of humility and meekness. Meekness is the opposite of impatience, harshness, or irritability, and has for its fruit: gentleness and kindness. Humility is the opposite of pride, and has for its fruits: modesty, unforwardness, etc. Lowliness is simply the opposite of highness in self in any respect, and has for its fruits: meekness and humility with their fruits.

To us this command is given: "Walk worthy of your vocation with all lowliness." If you have the experience of "all lowliness," you will go on in your vocation without discouragement and disappointment, though you are unnoticed and wholly ignored. And through God promotes others and honors them and they are loved and praised by men, you are glad for them and rejoice. If you have the experience of "all lowliness" in your soul, you will not have the least disposition to lift up self. All you do and say will be in godly sincerity.
Now look closely.

If God heals someone through your prayers, be careful when you tell of the healing that it is to lift up the Lord only. If you have composed a song, and sing it to a company who do not know that it is your song, then you tell them the Lord gave you the song, what is your motive? Do you want them to know how good and great the Lord is, and nothing more...or do you want them to know that you are the author? I say, look closely into your motive. If, from the lowliness of your heart, you desire in all you do and say, only to exalt the Lord, it will be felt in the depth of your speech, and God will be honored; but if there is the least inclination or feeling to exalt self, it will be felt in the gracelessness of your speech, and God will be dishonored "to that degree".

Go humbly on in life attending to the work God has assigned to you, doing it well and in all lowliness of heart before him, and be content.

Diligence

"0 for a closer walk with God!" This is the inward pleading of many a precious blood-washed soul. I beg leave to tell you that that fulness of God, that deep and perfect satisfaction of soul, that sweet feeling of deep reverence, that hushed and sacred feeling of awe, that close walk with God, is obtained and retained only by the utmost diligence. Slothfulness in the Christian life is a sure source of degeneration. Too frequently when saints reach "fair Canaan’s happy land" they think they have nothing now to do but to sing and shout and praise God and go to heaven "on flowery beds of ease." To every newly arrived Christian in Canaan is given the command, "Go forward and possess the land." To do this, battles must be fought, giant foes must be defeated, and the greatest diligence must be practised. God promised ancient Israel to drive out all the nations of Canaan from before them, and that every place whereon the soles of their feet should tread should be theirs, if they would diligently keep all the commandments that the Lord commanded them, to love the Lord, to walk in his ways, and to cleave unto him. See Deut. 11: 22-24.

If we will diligently obey God and go forward at his command he will lead us where the milk and honey flow, and where the pastures are green. Our walk with him will be sweet and our souls perfectly satisfied. Since the term diiigence is so frequently used in Scripture and such emphasis placed upon it, it is well worth our time to learn its meaning. We often, among the saints, hear testimonies like these: "I am living up to all the Word of God"; or, "All the Bible requires of me, I am doing"; "I love God and find delight in doing all his will," etc. Such expressions are very full of meaning and may sometimes mean more than the witness comprehends. Let me ask you, Are you as diligent in every respect as the Bible commands you to be?

Diligence implies an earnest and constant effort to accomplish a desired end---a carefulness, a heedfulness, an industry, a close and fixed attention.

Many a heart has been robbed of the love of God because it was not kept by diligence. Many a beloved saint can look back to a few years ago when his soul was more fully satisfied and his heart abounded more in the love of God, and all because diligence was not given to "keep the heart." In Josh. 22:5 the commandment is to take diligent heed to love God, to walk in his ways, to keep his commandments, to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all the heart and with all the soul. May the Lord help the reader to comprehend the strength of this commandment. 0 how precious! To take diligent heed to love God, implies a careful avoidance of everything that would have a tendency to suppress his love in our hearts and to eagerly seek all possible means of increasing that love. All company whose spirit and conversation have a tendency to destroy love is avoided as far as possible without violating the command, "Be courteous." Excessive reading amusing stories; telling amusing, worldly incidents, the happenings of bygone days; fondness for the general news of the day; gossiping; admiration for the pomp and show of the world; careless, idle thoughts; fondness for society...all serve to diminish the love of God in our hearts. Talking with others about God and his works, reading his Word, meditating upon him, praying, attending meetings, doing good to all men, giving of our means to advance his cause...all these increase the love in our hearts toward him.

To be diligent, to serve the Lord with all the heart and with all the soul, is to be industrious in doing all we can for him; seeking opportunities of doing good, carefulness in obeying all his commands, testifying to the works of God, and showing forth his praises continually.

Your soul may long for a closer walk with God, and well that it does; but if you do not keep your heart with all diligence from the world, you will never enjoy the blessed experience. But by giving diligence you can have such a walk with God as to fully satisfy your soul.

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