January (part 2 of 2)
January 18
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14).
In the days of Joshua the children of Israel failed to obey God fully and did not drive out the Jebusites. The Benjamites also allowed these people to stay with them as servants to draw water and cut the wood. That is where they made a big mistake. Now they became so strong that they were mocking David. "... Except thou take away the blind and the lame, though shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither" (2 Sam. 5:6). Before David could become king over all, these Jebusites had to be defeated.
Later on we read how there was one Jebusite who still remained in the land. When he was removed then God showed David the pattern of the Temple. 2 Sam. 24:15-25. David had used his own wisdom at that time to count the number of fighting men in his kingdom. Rather than depending upon God's Word for strength, his eyes went upon the number of soldiers. That is why God brought him to the threshing floor. The same place became the site for the Temple which was built by Solomon. "Then Solomon began to build the House of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite" (2 Chron. 3:1). That was the place where Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Thus all the Jebusites had to be completely sent away from the land before David could become the king over the whole kingdom.
These Jebusites speak of men who are not born again. They are worldly people. When they are given some authority in the House of God, like the Jebusites they become strong. Those who are not born again have no part or share in the House of God. Similarly those who are not called by God also have no share in the work of God. Among some groups some people are brought into position in the Church by voting and election. That is why there is a spiritual barrenness in their midst.
God had to use force to drive out the Jebusites from Jerusalem. Even though they made fun of David, God helped him and his men to conquer them and drive them out. After he had driven out the Jebusites, he began to prosper and went on becoming great. "And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him" (2 Sam. 5:10). It says in the margin. "went on going and growing". That speaks of complete victory. So we have to see that no Jebusite comes into our life, either in friendship or in marriages or in any other relationship. In the same way, no Jebusite should be given any part in the House of God. Those who are not born again and are not called for God's service have no share in the House of God.
January 19
"... Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9).
When Jehoshaphat returned to Judah in peace (2 Chron. 19:1-8), he tried to recover the loss which had come upon him through his friendship with Ahab. The Lord was gracious to him, and again began to help him to deliver him from his enemies (2 Chron. 20:1,3,22,25). The Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites came against him as a united force. Jehoshaphat was afraid: so he proclaimed a fast and set himself to see the Lord. God heard his prayer, and brought confusion in the army of the enemy, so that they utterly destroyed one another, and the whole army lay dead on the battlefield. Jehoshaphat and his people had only to go and gather the spoil, which was so much that it took them three days to remove the same.
Later on again Jehoshaphat began to reply upon his own wisdom. He entered into an alliance this time with Ahab's son Ahaziah. Is it not sad that Jehoshaphat should make such a mistake after all the bitter experiences of the past? There are many like him even today. They fall into the same sin again and again, and each time they say they will never do it again. To them life is one great cycle of falling and rising, and confession and falling again. Jehoshaphat entered into a league with Ahab's son!
Although at the beginning of his reign king Jehoshaphat had removed all high places, now he had become so weak spiritually that he allowed them to remain. This brought more darkness into his life, and he entertained his friendship with Ahab's son Ahaziah, who compelled him to become a partner with him in sending ships to gather gold from far-off places.
Thus we see king Jehoshaphat, who began his reign well in the fear of the Lord, making a complete failure of his life towards the end, and even undoing the good work which he had begun. The cause of all this was the love of money which had crept into his life, and affinity with ungodly people like Ahab which slowly weakened him and brought about his downfall. LET US BE WARNED.
January 20
"...let a man examine himself" (1 Cor. 11:28).
On the Lord's Day we gather round the Table of the Lord. Remember, it is the Lord's Table, and not the table of any man. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself Who is inviting you to take part. All those who have been purchased by His precious blood have free access to this Table. If you look into your heart, you will know if indeed you have been purchased by His blood, and if not, please do not touch the bread or the cup, even if they are passed to you. These things belong only to those who are born again and are a part of His living Body, the Church. They do not belong to those who are not born again. This then, is the first point of self-examination. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith" (2 Cor. 13:5).
This Table reminds us of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that death it reminds us also of the mighty and eternal victory wrought on the Cross. Our Lord wants us, each one, to have a life of victory and triumph and He has made every provision in His broken body and shed blood to enable us to enjoy that abundant life. As we partake of the bread and the cup we live by Him. We are reminded also that we have to be clean before we partake of it. We may have been taking part for many years, but even so, we need to examine ourselves on every occasion, lest we are unclean, lest we take part unworthily, for "...whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27). Are we clean and worthy before Him? This is why we need to examine ourselves before we take part. Are we obeying Him in all things? Is there any matter between ourselves and a fellow-believer? Is there any envy or jealousy? Is there any disagreement or disunity? Then, before we partake of the bread or the cup, that matter must be confessed and put right, both before God and with our fellow-men; that envy and jealousy must be confessed and put under the blood; that hatred or disagreement must be brought to the light, and dealt with and put right. Every weakness can be overcome by His life. Every defilement can be washed by His blood and every past loss can be recovered by humbling ourselves. As we remember His death, we remember that we also are dead to sin, and must yield ourselves as servants to obey Him (Rom. 6:16-19).
January 21
"For as the body is one, and hath many members,... so also is Christ" (1 Cor. 12:12).
Because of the entrance of sin through Adam's disobedience, he brought so much loss to himself and all mankind. Now all that is being recovered by the Lord Jesus Christ. In this great work of recovery God wants us to be His co-workers, just as the members of a human body help to fulfil all the purposes, plans and desires of the head. That is why we are called the Body of Christ. God has exalted His Son, "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22, 23). In other words, the Church is called the Body of Christ because it has to contain the fullness of God.
Those who are not born again will never understand this mystery, even though they may read many books and hear many sermons. The heavenly mystery of the Body of Christ cannot be understood with human wisdom because we need spiritual wisdom to understand spiritual matters. A carpenter knows all about carpentry, a goldsmith about gold, a blacksmith about iron, and a farmer about fields. We require human wisdom for all these matters. In the same manner we need divine wisdom to understand divine things.
How can we receive this divine wisdom? It is written that Christ "is made unto us wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:30). The living presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in us, is our wisdom. You should not think that Bible knowledge is wisdom. Many people have learnt several portions of the Bible by heart and yet are not familiar with divine truths. Let me say it again, unless the life of the Lord Jesus Christ flows into you, you can never know the mystery of the Body of Christ.
In some cases babies are still born. The body is there, but there is no life in it. Without life the body is useless, and is fit only for burial. Even though you love a person very much, you will not keep his lifeless body. It will be of no use, so it has to be buried. In Eph. 1:23 saved children of God are called "The Body of Christ". This means they have received the life of Christ. It is therefore evident that only those who have received the gift of eternal life can become members in the Body of Christ.
January 22
"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene" (Mark 16:9).
After His resurrection the Lord first appeared to a woman named Mary Magdalene on the Easter morning. Although she had much devotion for the Lord, she was unaware of the fact that He was risen again and that the power which was manifested by His resurrection was meant for those who love Him and believe in Him. The Lord Jesus Christ stood by her and spoke to her, but she did not recognise Him and so was weeping. Today we find many believers throughout the world weeping for every small trial and temptation; but the Lord wants them to be more than conquerors in every situation. The reason for their weeping is that they do not know how to appropriate the power of resurrection for every need.
When the Lord called Mary by name, she recognised Him. She wanted to touch His feet to show her devotion and love for Him; but the Lord said to her, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:17). A short time later, He allowed other women to hold Him by His feet as we read in Matt. 28:9. Then eight days after the resurrection He said to Thomas,"...Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing" (John 20:27). So it was for a purpose that the Lord did not allow Mary, though so devoted, to touch Him. The Lord Jesus Christ had to ascend to heaven as our everlasting heavenly High Priest to offer His own blood on our behalf in the most Holy place according to Heb. 9:12. According to the prophecy of Psalm 16:10, His body saw no corruption and His blood also did not see any corruption. The Lord Jesus Christ as our everlasting High Priest by His own hands offered His own blood for the atonement of all our sins and for cleansing us from all the defilement caused on our guilty conscience by our thoughts, words and deeds. Thus we see, if we want to enjoy the power of resurrection daily, first of all we have to wait upon Him sufficiently till He speaks to us, according to our need. Before He can speak to us, we have to be cleansed from all the defilement caused by our thoughts, words and deeds by the precious blood of the everlasting covenant. By faith we have to keep ourselves constantly under the sprinkling of His precious blood. Then we will be able to enjoy the power of resurrection.
January 23
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15).
In Joshua chapter seven we read of the defeat of the children of Israel before Ai. It happened because of sin in one man's life. We are engaged in the Lord's work as a body. As the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ we are waging a war against the devil. Any failure or shortcoming on the part of even one individual will adversely and harmfully affect the whole Church. As Joshua and the elders continued in prayer, the sin of Achan was exposed. It was dealt with in the way God had asked them to do; immediately after which the promise of the victory began to be fulfilled. In the light of the above, we should also search our hearts and set things right before God and man so that we may not bring any hindrance to the work of God.
Achan had to pay a very great price for his sin. That should remind us of the extremely great price which the Lord Jesus Christ had to pay to bear the judgment of all the sins of the whole mankind. How grateful we ought to be to our beloved Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord promised complete victory over Ai (Josh. 8:1), over the king of Ai, over his people, over his city and his land. They could enjoy that victory as they obeyed the commandments of the Lord in the fullest details. The Lord Jesus Christ has obtained full victory over Satan and his evil power (Col. 2:15). As we obey His commands we too can enjoy His victory day after day. In the book of Joshua we find many simple but important truths revealed which we can appropriate by faith and come into the full enjoyment of His inheritance.
January 24
"...Sir, we would see Jesus" (John 12:21).
Suppose you are like a filthy, dirty beggar and you go to see a king. Imagine you are in filthy, dirty garments, which have not been changed for years; and your hair, very long, not cut for years; and you have had no bath for many weeks. In such a condition you go before the great king. You say, " Your majesty, I want to see your face for one minute." And the king says to you, "Come inside." First, he calls for the barber and asks him to give you a nice hair cut. He sees that you are washed and then brings you a new garment and makes you to put it on. Then he brings you outside and says, "Go now as my prince." How would you feel at such a time? You came in as a dirty, filthy beggar, to see the king for a minute, and you go out as a prince! With the very same desire our Lord was saying to the Greeks who came to see Him, "You only want to see me for a few moments, but I want you to see Me and become like Me." But how could that be possible? To show this He was saying (John 12:24), "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone". Now, we know that one tiny grain brings forth hundreds of other grains. In the same way the Lord was teaching, "I must die so that not only these Greeks, but the whole world may be able to see Me for ever, and whoever sees Me may become like Me". Thus our Lord taught plainly and clearly that He was not drawing men by miracles, signs and wonders, or by other worldly means, but by His being lifted up upon the cross.
Some years ago many Indians thought that by putting on western clothes they would become Christians. They adopted western names like George, Henry, Charles and so on. Change of name, or change of garments cannot make you a Christian. The Lord said, "I will change you and make you like Myself." When a grain of wheat dies, it brings forth the same kind of grain in the whole stalk. Christ died that we all might become like Him.
January 25
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22). The Lord wants us to take our share in the heavenly city which has foundations as we see in Heb. 11:10. We have to be chastened and rebuked by the Lord, to prepare us for that heavenly city. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons" (Heb. 12:6-8). We must be partakers of God's holiness that we may be able to live in the heavenly city as heavenly kings and possess it for ever. We must be constantly chastened by the Lord. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to the joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11). God's purpose is so great that He wants to make us citizens and kings in that heavenly city, to reign with Him where angels are ordained to minister to us (Heb. 1:13,14).
In the end days God is going to shake everything (Hebrews 12:26). All that has been accomplished by our own effort, wisdom, or strength will be removed. Only that which has been accomplished with His strength, for His glory and praise will remain. Constantly we have to examine ourselves and do nothing in our wisdom and strength, but do everything through the Holy Spirit for God's glory. "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (v. 28). We are going to be in that kingdom which shall not be shaken.
January 26
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).
In the eighth chapter of Hebrews we read about the Lord Jesus as the High Priest of the Heavenly Tabernacle. The earthly tabernacle was pitched by Moses. Now the Heavenly Tabernacle is pitched by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. "A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (v.2). Just as in the Old Testament period, all those who were willing could take a share in the construction of the tabernacle by brining offering such as gold, shittim wood, brass and iron, now as believers of the Lord Jesus Christ each one of us has the privilege to become a part of the Heavenly Tabernacle. The material used for the tabernacle built by Moses was earthly: that is why it did not last long. Now our Lord Himself is building an everlasting tabernacle in which each one of us can take some share. We do not offer a little of what we have, but we offer all. All of us are built together into a sanctuary according to the heavenly plan under the Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. The previous tabernacle was only a shadow of the true Heavenly Tabernacle, as we read in Heb. 8:5.
God kept Moses on mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights before giving him the pattern of the tabernacle. Before that he was kept in the wilderness for forty years. During that period he was completely and thoroughly emptied of his own wisdom. Then God gave the pattern and he had to carry out His instructions without any change. Even though the whole pattern was given by God Himself, yet it was only a shadow. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is building the true Tabernacle without hands but with our cooperation. That is why believers are called by different names such as: God's building, God' habitation, God's temple, God's co-workers, God's peculiar treasure, the pearl of a great price, His bride and so on. All these names reveal our heavenly vocation. Here, the Lord is reminding us that His heavenly pattern cannot be changed by anyone.
January 27
"And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron...for glory and for beauty" (Exodus 28:2).
The garments designed by God for the high priest are able to show forth God's glory and beauty which He desires to share with us. That is why these garments of the high priest in the Old Testament are called 'Garments of Glory and Beauty'. On the one hand God was showing that nobody was worthy to go into the Holy of Holies. All had sinned and so nobody could go there. Only the high priest had the privilege to go behind the veil once a year to make atonement. On the other hand God was showing through the garments of glory and beauty of the high priest, that He wants us also to become glorious and beautiful, although we have been ruined completely by sin, and have to say like Paul, "(in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom 7:18). Really, none of us is worthy to enjoy the presence of God in the Holy place. The high priest could go into the Most Holy Place and commune with God only once a year. Through these garments God was showing how our joy and our love can be full, how our nakedness caused by sin can be covered completely and how we can become glorious in the presence of God.
Those who saw the high priest walking up and down in the tabernacle or the temple were being spoken to by God. "Oh My People, who are away from Me, I want you to be near Me and enjoy My fulness". We have to learn the same secret of enjoying fully our share in God's fulness and not to be satisfied just by having our sins forgiven and obtaining some corner in heaven. We have to learn it by faith. The Lord Jesus Christ is my garment of glory and beauty. In Him we can see all these seven garments and thus we can be filled more and more with His fulness.
January 28
"... obey in all things... not with eye service, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God" (Col. 3:22).
As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ whatever job is given unto us at home or outside we should do it heartily. This is a great secret for a believer's life. Whatever we do we should do it heartily as unto Him (Col. 3:23). In a certain hospital there was a nurse who was a believer and she was very conscientious in her work. After sometime she was put on duty in a new ward, and there also as usual she began to attend to her duties heartily and thoroughly, and kept everything in the ward perfect and clean. On seeing this one patient questioned her as to who was coming to inspect the ward. She replied "No one". That patient continued to ask her, why then was she working so hard. He remarked that the nurses who had worked in that ward prior to her coming had not been so faithful and thorough in their duties. To this the nurse replied that she was not working to please any human being, but to please only the Lord Jesus Christ Who was her Saviour.
We must learn to willingly accept any kind of job, which the Lord may entrust to us. When I gave myself for the Lord's service in the year 1932, I promised the Lord that I would make no choice regarding the type of work, food, climatic conditions or anything else and that I was prepared to go wherever He would send me. I believed that He would not leave me alone and that was sufficient for me. He goes before us, behind us and with us and gives us strength for any kind of work which we may undertake to complete, as long as it is according to His perfect will and plan.
In the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, among those who came to help Nehemiah there were some who were not qualified as carpenters or masons, but they accepted the work only because it was from God. As a result of it God Himself gave them skill and knowledge that were necessary for this work. On the other hand there were some who did not do the work heartily. We can see from Nehemiah 3:5, that although the nobles did not actually refuse to work, yet they did not work heartily.
During our Holy Convocation gatherings when we ask for volunteers to attend to various jobs some come forward and work very happily for the first few days, but as the days go by they lose interest forgetting the fact that we should take our full share in any work which is entrusted to us in the House of God.
January 29
"...an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" (1 Pet. 1:4).
In the book of Joshua we are made to understand how our loving and living God wants us to possess by faith our great spiritual inheritance. When God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, He did so with the purpose of giving them the rich and fertile land of Canaan as their inheritance. Similarly the Lord Jesus Christ, not only forgives us our sins but also wants us to take our full share of the heavenly inheritance. (1 Pet 1:4). The apostle Paul refers to it as "the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12) and says in Eph. 1:14 that the Holy Spirit is given to us as an earnest of that inheritance.
The land of Canaan is a shadow of our spiritual inheritance in Christ. At that time Canaan was a fertile land with plenty of water and abundance of the best fruits. In Canaan everything was in abundance. That speaks of the fulness of God which we can enjoy in Christ Jesus according to Col. 2:9,10. God wants us to possess that fulness by faith. We receive eternal life as a gift, but our share in the inheritance has to be claimed and appropriated by faith day by day. A child born in a wealthy family automatically gets a claim on his portion of the family property. Similarly each believer born into the family of God has a claim on the Heavenly inheritance. But it must be possessed by faith.
The story of Rahab, as recorded in Joshua chapter 2, teaches us how we can possess our inheritance by faith. Rahab being a heathen harlot had no right to the great inheritance which God wanted to give to the children of Israel. Surprisingly we find that this despised woman had real living faith in the great God of the Israelites. Rahab could say to the spies "for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath" (v.11). She even believed that the LORD had already given them the land. She saw by faith how God's judgement would surely fall on Jericho and its inhabitants, and hence she claimed deliverance for herself and her family. At the moment she had no idea about her share in that inheritance. God not only delivered her from sinful life but also brought her into the holy and chosen generation. That is how she became the great grand-mother of David (Matt. 1:5), and eventually in the same line the Lord Jesus Christ was also born. Thus we see how first of all, by faith in the living and true God we can enjoy our inheritance.
January 30
"...and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment" (John 12:3).
That was the happiest home in the whole area, because the Lord Jesus Christ had done a great work in the family of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Every member of the family had become happy because of His grace and power. All who passed by that house could smell sweet fragrance from the house, even to a long distance. That is the desire of the Lord Jesus Christ for every new home, that people may come to know Him through them and they themselves may receive great joy. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to make our joy full as He says in John 16:24 and also in John 15:11. The desire, plan and purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ in saving us, is to make our joy full. Now, that joy does not depend upon worldly possessions or worldly qualifications. We may be very rich or poor, educated or illiterate, have a high position or no position. We may belong to any country, yet our joy can be full under all circumstances, and no man upon the earth can take away our joy from our hearts. Our Lord says in John 16:22, "...your joy no man taketh from you". Earthly joy can be taken away by our enemies, friends and circumstances but this joy can no man take away from us. People may try by words, deeds and schemes, but they will never succeed. What a joy it is! This joy is for all times, not occasionally. This is Paul's testimony too as he says in Phil. 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice". Whenever there is a marriage, there is joy. In Jer. 33:11 and Isa. 62:5, the joy of the bridegroom and the bride is compared to heavenly joy. It is not ordinary joy but heavenly joy and God wants every home to have such a joy. But you may say, "We don't have such joy". In many cases this is true. It is not God's fault but our fault because we fail to abide by God's Word. In John 15:7 there is a very simple divine law. "If ye abide in me, my words abide in you". We must be sure that we have everlasting life flowing in us. For every walk of life, we have God's Word for childhood, youth, middle age, and for old age; for sickness, sufferings, trials and other circumstances. God's Word is given to us to overcome every situation and to come out victorious. We can say with apostle Paul as a testimony in Phil. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ".
January 31
"... grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
We have steps to go to the terrace, or from one floor to the other. Growth in the salvation of God also is a step by step, forward and upward process in our spiritual walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. We begin with the first step and then we have to take step after step. One step at a time. Sometimes children like to jump from the first step to the third. In many cases they slip and fall down, and sometimes they get hurt. This is true in our upward climb to the heights of salvation. We must be sure to take only one step at a time. The initial step is our being born again, or receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. Then the Holy Spirit will show us the next step. In this way it will be easy to enjoy unbroken fellowship with our Lord in our spiritual growth.
For many years we had thought we could do without the Lord. We have been cock-sure we could manage our own lives by our own cleverness, knowledge and wisdom. We had never thought of calling upon God for help, and in many cases, we ended up as miserable failures. Then and then only did we realize that unless God took hold of us we would be completely ruined, and that there would be no hope for us either in this world or in the next. In this way some took the first step because of some crisis or the other, such as serious illness, poverty or a similar circumstance when no one else was able to help them; or because of some great disappointment either in private or public life when all human comfort failed them; yet others, because of some dominating sin from which no one could deliver them. Indeed God does use such varying circumstances in our lives to show us our helplessness and inability to teach us to call upon Him for help and deliverance. When we call upon Him for salvation, He answers us and becomes real and personal to us.