January (part 1 of 2)
"But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year" (Deut. 11:11,12).
This is the land of promise: to us it means Christ. If you are in this land, spiritually, wherever you may live and whatever your burdens may be, God's eyes will be upon you from the beginning of the year to the end of it. His grace, mercy and peace will be showered abundantly upon you and you will be given the strength you need to overcome all your trials. If you are a child of God you must claim His promises by faith, otherwise they will remain mere words.
The land of Canaan did not require any watering or artificial irrigation. It was a land that drank water of the rain of heaven (verse 11). When the children of Israel entered the land it was very fertile from one end to the other. The Lord Jesus Christ is an antitype of that land. In Him we have all sufficiency and we have no need to get troubled or anxious about anything, because He supplies all our needs provided we know how to obey Him and bring all our needs to Him in prayer.
God had told the children of Israel very clearly, again and again that He would bless them if they obeyed His commandments, and punish them if they went after other gods (vs. 27,28 and ch. 6:13,14). The people knew that God wanted them to love Him with all their hearts, and with all their souls and with all their might; yet we see that again and again they went after strange gods either openly or secretly. Therefore, although they were actually in the promised land, they were not able to enjoy its fulness.
For us this means that unless we honour our Lord whole-heartedly, and keep our hearts free from strange gods, we will not be able to understand and enjoy the fulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we love any person or any thing more than the Lord Jesus Christ, that person or thing becomes a strange god to us, and consequently we lose our joy and peace. Some may love their houses and their properties more than the Lord, and neglect their times of devotion, prayer, worship and service for the Lord. Others spend hours looking after their motor cars, cleaning and admiring them. Yet others worship their friends and relations and have so much desire to be popular with them that they will willingly cut short or cancel their times of prayer and attending of special meetings, and even Sunday worship. Many others have worldly friends or even defiling friendships by which they fall into sin. Love of money may become a strange god too. Some people are not satisfied with what they have and wish to increase their income by some means, and then they have no time for private prayer or even family prayer and they completely neglect the House of God. Some wives keep gold and silver as their strange gods. For some people their radios (nowadays TV) are their strange gods, and thus lose even their desire for Bible reading and prayer and Sunday worship. They say that they get all they need through these programmes but ultimately they find themselves spiritually barren. Such strange gods are responsible for all your spiritual loss including the loss of your peace and joy. God's Word says that if you will keep your hearts and homes free from strange gods, then His eye will be upon you (Deut. 11:12). In order to be sure that we begin the new year without any strange gods in our hearts, we have to spend much time examining our hearts. Thus we trust that the eyes of the Lord will be always upon us from the beginning of the year to the end of it.
January 2
"That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children... as the days of heaven upon the earth" (Deut. 11:21).
If we obey the Lord and keep away from every kind of strange god, He will give us everything in plenty from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year (Deut. 11:12). In sickness or in poverty, He will give you all that you need: perhaps not too early, but never too late; perhaps not too much, but never too little. The Lord promised to give enough not only for the children of Israel, but also for their cattle (Deut. 11:15). This means that we need not be anxious about anything, for the Lord will supply not only our obvious needs, but also our smaller unknown needs.
Then the Lord gave a warning to them that they should not be deceived. I have seen many cases where people have prospered and their income has increased, and then they have drifted away from the Lord. At one time they were full of zeal, but now they have become cold. When they were in need they used to come regularly for the meetings and again and again they would ask for prayer. But now that their requests have been granted in answer to prayer, we do not see much of them, not even on Sundays! They have evidently been deceived by prosperity. So I would warn those of you who are prosperous, never cut short your time of prayer, and never keep away from the House of God.
Some people have been in the practice of giving their tithes regularly to the Lord. But now that their income has increased they wonder, "How can I give so much as tithe? It is such a large amount!" When we fail to give God's portion to Him, we are actually robbing God! (Malachi 3:8-10). Do not robe God of His time either. Perhaps before you got married you used to spend hours in prayer but now that you are married you have no time for Him at all! This kind of robbing will bring you into spiritual barrenness. If you take God's warning and see that you are not deceived by the attractions of the world, He will bless you richly.
We can take many valuable lessons from the instructions given to the children of Israel in Deut. 11:18. They were asked to lay up His words in their heart and in their soul: we also should let the Word of God dwell richly in our hearts (Col. 3:16). They were to bind them for a sign upon their hands, we too should carry our Bibles with us wherever we go. They were to keep the words of God as frontlets before their eyes: we too should keep God's promises before us always, and claim them daily for all our needs. They were to teach the Word of God diligently to their children. "And thou shalt teach them ...unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest... and when thou walkest... when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6:7). We also have to do the same.
If we obey God in all these matters the Lord promises to multiply our days and give us days of heaven upon earth (Deut. 11:21). All these promises can be our experience the whole year round, not only on Sundays but every day of the week. The grace of God will come flowing down upon us from heaven.
January 3
"... but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,...I press toward the mark..." (Philippians 3:13, 14).
Manasseh means "to forget". "For God", said Joseph, "hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house" (Gen. 41:51). As Joseph forgot the past so must we: rather we must look to the future for something better (Phil.3:13). We enjoy talking about our past sufferings to get human sympathy. However to grow spiritually we must forget completely every past suffering of any kind.
Sometimes we look at the past and remember with joy what the Lord did for us so many years ago. We keep on telling others what happened ten, twelve or fifteen years ago. Sometimes with tears we talk of those wonderful days, and long to get back to the good old days, at least for a while. Married people look back to the first few months or years of married life and long to go back to those days not realising how much greater blessing the Lord has for them in the future. Perhaps God has been extremely good to you, and you have seen Him working mightily in the past. Do not forget that He has something far greater in store for you in future. So look forward with eager expectancy for these greater things. Paul says, "I press forward". It is only when you press forward for these better things the Lord has to give you, that your faith is kept alive. Such expectation and faith will keep you near to the heart of God. He will not be satisfied until He has filled us with His fulness and brought us into perfection. He wants to give us His whole kingdom which is our full spiritual inheritance. That is why He asks us to press forward. Thinking of the good old days and maintaining the same attitude that we had seven or eight years ago will hinder our spiritual progress and fruitfulness.
We all need the experience of "Manasseh." Whatever happens we must remember that the Lord has better things for us in the future. He wants us to enjoy fully all that He has planned for us from eternity, because He says, "all things are yours" (1 Cor. 3:21). However, merely repeating these words is not sufficient; we have to claim His promise. God says, "Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee" (Heb. 6:14). That is God's promise and according to it, He will go on multiplying His blessings to us in abundance for eternity. For this reason we must forget the past, however good it may have been and expect greater things to happen. We must go on claiming the full share of our heavenly inheritance in His Kingdom and His Throne.
January 4
"But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not" (2 Kings 18:36).
In Ephesians 4:11-14 we have God's plan whereby His children can reach maturity. God gives five-fold gifts to the Church viz. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Through their five-fold ministry souls are born again and brought to the full stature of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we start following God's plan to build the Church according to His Word, immediately the enemy also begins his work of opposition. We have experienced how, whenever people begin to obey God fully by taking full share in the House of God, in baptism, worship, prayer and Bible study, the enemy brings opposition from many sides. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 129:2 he tries to weaken our hands by false propaganda and does many other things to hinder the work of God. But if we really trust God and take no notice of their words or activities, the Lord will work on our behalf and confound them. It is difficult to believe that people can tell lies and disobey His commands, and thus hinder God's work. But we have only to trust God and not to take any notice of their words or activities. Many times some people come up against you and speak against you and try to harm you. At such times you should not take any notice of their words or try to take revenge on them in any way. It would help us to remember that those who try to spit at the moon get the spittle on themselves. Our enemies can do anything to harm us, but the evil which they have devised will only go back to them. There is a promise for us in Psalm 129:5, "Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion." They themselves will come under reproach and condemnation. If you begin to worry about their opposition you will lose your sleep, appetite and peace. Instead you should leave them to themselves and enjoy God's favour.
The enemy hates Zion, the House of God. If you want to be in the House of God according to His plan, then he will raise people to hate you and hinder you from obeying fully God's revealed truth. When you desire to obey God's Word fully and follow His heavenly plan and do His will, you will be ridiculed, hated and despised. But you can enjoy His promise in Psalm 129:6, "Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up." It would be a waste of time and energy for anyone to climb up to clear the housetop. The Lord says that our enemies also will wither away in like manner. We need not be worried about them or try to resist them. If we are patient we can see the Lord Himself dealing with them.
January 5
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power..." (Rev. 4:11).
In Matt. 2:11 we see wise men at worship. They fell down and worshipped the young child. Then they presented their costly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. By coming from such a long distance they acknowledged His worthiness. When they brought such precious gifts, they acknowledged in a symbolic way that, the One Whom they had come to worship is God Who became man (Gold), the One Whom they had come to worship had come to suffer for them (Myrrh), the One Whom they had come to worship was going to save them (Frankincense).
In Luke 7:37, 38 we read about a woman in the city, a sinner. The Lord's presence made her conscious of sinful condition. She wept in brokenness over her sin, and washed His feet with her tears. Her love was spontaneous, and her worship true. She had an inward revelation of her sins being forgiven and she worshipped Him, by pouring the ointment on His feet.
In John 12:1-3 we find Mary worshipping the Lord. She had known the Lord before, but now she had a new and a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and power of resurrection and she poured out her worship to Him by anointing His feet with a very special ointment with sweet fragrance which filled the house. When we see Him working in us, we also worship Him in a new way.
In Matt. 26:2,6,7 we see a similar scene of worship, and yet different in its significance. Here it was only 2 days before the Passover, and we see her anointing His head, because she realized that He was about to die for the sins of the whole world.
Finally, we see a more glorious sight which is described in Rev. 5:11-12. It is the glorified Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, with angelic hosts - all in oneness worshipping Him."... Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing".
After worshipping the Lord we take part in the Lord's Table, saying, "My Lord is coming back! When He comes back, the work which He began will be perfected". We declare by faith that we are waiting for that Day. We believe it will be a wonderful Day when we shall be like Him, and reign with Him. In His broken Body and shed Blood, we see every provision made to make us like Himself. In me, I see nothing but infirmity, failures and shortcomings, nothing but iniquity; but in Him, I see perfection.
In Eph. 3:18 we notice the importance of being together. His love and purpose can never be comprehended by us. We need the help of all the saints. There is a great mystery here. We find love coming in a greater and fuller measure, when we are brought together as one family. In this family, there is no Jew nor Gentile: male or female. All are ONE. People from different families, countries, nationalities, all partake of the same Lord.
January 6
"...thou canst do everything" (Job 42:2).
Job was a God-fearing man, honest and upright. Yet God allowed great sufferings and sorrow in his life. Suddenly, within a period of twenty-four hours all his children died, he lost all his cattle, all his sheep and all his camels. Soon after this his body became covered with sores. His wife mocked him for his piety and his friends began to accuse him falsely.
In the midst of all these terrible calamities the Lord became real to Job. At times, when his sufferings were unbearable he expressed his inability to understand why God was allowing all this to take place. But when God appeared to Job face to face, he discovered God's threefold purpose for him. First, God wanted to give Job much more than he had at that time. Although he was already the wealthiest man in the East, God wanted to give him twice as much. Secondly, through his sufferings, God wanted to give him true wisdom. His friends counted him a fool, and they thought they were all wiser than he. When the Almighty appeared before them, it was Job alone who recognised Him and worshipped Him. Thus the Lord proved that Job alone was wise and all his friends were foolish. God made Job wiser than he had ever been before. Thirdly, God wanted to teach Job how to pray. He had prayed till now, only for his own family (Job 1:5). Now he learnt to pray for others, even for his friends who had been cursing him (ch. 42:8,10).
When God allows painful experiences in your life do not be discouraged. He wants to give you a greater blessing this year, a double portion of blessing: He wants to impart to you more wisdom; and He wants to draw you nearer to Himself and to teach you to pray.
In the end, when Job began to understand God's mind, he was able to say, "Lord, thou canst do everything". The Lord will take us through many trials and thus reveal to us many hidden mysteries, so that in the end we also will be able to trust Him fully and say, "Lord, thou canst do everything!"
January 7
"And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God..." (Psalm 40:3).
It is marvellous how God's Word is entering into many hearts by so many simple and unknown ways. God is gaining ground and the Gospel is received by people of all nations. They are so transformed that none can make them out. They will one day become kings in heaven. He not only saves us from sin but gives us authority and power in the heavenly kingdom. Some people when they become Tahsildars become very proud. They want a coolie or a porter to carry their small suitcase. When you go to heaven you will be having power and authority. All the heavenly angels will be your servants and they will even carry you. That is your privilege. What a great salvation! That is why the elders are singing the song of praise, "O, God. Thou are worthy. We were so low and defiled, yet by Thy grace and blood we are raised so high to reign for ever".
This is possible only by the blood of the Lamb and not by Bible knowledge. By the working of the blood in your life you are thoroughly purged and washed, are given divine wisdom and made kings and priests. The priests had a function. They had the privilege of going to the most holy place to speak to God, to hear His voice, to receive His message, and bring God's word to His people. Others do not have that privilege. There will be no more limitations. We can speak to God freely. Every barrier is overcome. That is why the elders are upon their knees, saying, "O God, Thou art worthy".
Once we understand the greatness of salvation and its purpose there will be heavenly song on our lips. There are very many among us who have to go through many hardships every day and shed many tears. But every tear will be transformed and your joy no man will take from you. We have to understand the real purpose of God in loving us so much and saving us. He shed His blood to save us, forgive us and make us kings and priests. That fills us with the heavenly song. Sing that heavenly song from the heart. "My Lord has saved me, even me, to be His king and priest for ever to enjoy all power, authority and dominion". At the same time we have the right to go to Him, ask Him many questions, speak to Him without any hesitation, enjoy unbroken fellowship with Him and receive a message from Him for every nation. Learn to sing that song, the song of the redeemed. Whether at home or outside, that song will not leave you. It will become sweeter and sweeter day by day.
January 8
"For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance (Deut. 32:9).
"Jacob is the lot of his inheritance". In other words, God was saying, "Jacob, you belong to Me for ever. You are more precious to Me than the whole world." God never called the sun, moon or stars His inheritance. The privilege given by God to Jacob was great indeed. Praise God, the same privilege is given to us as well. We are called God's inheritance. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18).
Then we read, "He... led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye" (Deut. 32:10). This also will happen to you provided you are willing to put away all your strange gods. "For thus saith the LORD of hosts;... he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye". (Zech. 2:8).
In Deut. 32:11 we read, "As an eagle stireth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings." The Lord may stir you out of your nest also, because He wants you to learn to fly on high places.
While I was in Yugoslavia I found that grapes were served for breakfast, lunch and tea. They were large, luscious grapes too, and big bunches of them were on the table in abundance. That reminded me how God wants to give us everything in abundance provided we put away all our strange gods and return to Bethel. That is the only way to receive God's blessings fully. Do not let your wife, or husband, or friends, relations or your business or your pleasures keep you away from Bethel. God says, "I am the Almighty God". He is mighty to save you, to keep you, to lead you and bless you. Make Deut. 32:7 to 14 your personal experience. Ask the Lord to give you His best and show you your full portion in Bethel, the House of God.
January 9
"...Lord, teach us to pray..." (Luke 11:1).
"Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel" (Psalm 20:4). This is a very wonderful promise. Whatever our needs or problems, He is able to meet them and solve them. We have to believe that God is able to give us much more than we ask. With that faith we have to go to Him. Many years ago, I wanted a type-writer. I thought if I pray for a new one God might not give. So I prayed for an old one. "Lord, I want a type-writer. Will you send an old one from somewhere? I was looking forward for an old typewriter, but after a week or so someone came with a brand new type-writer. I thought it was impossible to get a new one. That is how we limit God by our request. But God promises to grant us our hearts' desires. "Fulfil all thy counsel" means when we pray He will make our labours prosperous. Whatever we give to Him, and whatever we offer must be done whole-heartedly. Don't cut short your prayer time.
"We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will setup our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions" (Psa. 20:5). In this verse there are three wonderful promises. The first one is, we will rejoice in His salvation. Even though our prayers are not answered immediately, yet the fact that He has saved us gives us great joy. Secondly, in the Name of the Lord we setup our banners. Banners speak of victory. For every sin we conquer, and for every prayer answered, we must lift up a banner. When we do not thank the Lord sufficiently we cannot lift up our banners. We should have faith in the Lord and His faithfulness. By having faith in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ we become more than conquerors. Every temptation we overcome is because of His victory. Our Lord became victorious and by faith we claim that victory. We have to appropriate His victory as our victory. Thirdly, "And fulfil all your petitions". If we keep on counting the answered prayers there will be no end. Whatever may be our petition it will be fully answered according to our faith.
"Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand" (v.6). We should keep ourselves holy in His presence. Then He will hear us from His holy heaven. That is why we should claim the efficacy of His precious blood constantly to keep ourselves holy. Then we can pray with boldness and liberty in His presence.
"Some trust in chariot, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (v.7). Some people depend upon their wealth and friends. These are all human sources. Whatever we receive through men is only for a short time. "They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright" (v.8). It is by the fervent prayers of the Church that the enemy is defeated.
January 10
"Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (1 Timothy 1:5).
A friend of mine, an engineer, send me Rs. 300/-. I never asked for it. Having heard that I had no money after my conversion he himself sent it to me. For sometime I forgot all about it. One day I found it hard to pray, and the Lord reminded me. He said, "You have to pay Rs. 300/- to your friend, who sent you that amount some time ago". First I thought because he was my friend and relation, it was not necessary to pay that amount. But I found it very, very hard to pray. So I prayed again, "Lord, will You send me some money today. I want to pay back this amount. I want to enjoy my prayer time". The same day I received a money order for Rs. 305/- and the friend who sent it to me, wrote in the coupon. "The Lord spoke to me to send you Rs. 305/-". I said, "Lord, I asked for only Rs. 300/- and not Rs. 305/-". The Lord said, "Didn't you say that you wanted to send it by T.M.O.?" So I sent that amount to my friend by T.M.O. Then I was able to pray freely. Thus there may be hindrances in your prayer life because of hard words spoken, negligence, defilement, bad habits, false statements given etc. Put things right and ask the Lord to give you good conscience. Then you will enjoy spiritual bread and heavenly drink, by taking part in the Lord's Table.
By one bread we are reminded that we all belong to one Church, and one Body. By His broken Body we have become one family. Now no more rich or poor, black or white. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male or female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28). Do not take pride in education, wealth, position or country. We want His life to be poured into us to live as one family. Before God we are equally precious. That is our testimony that before God, we are equally precious and equally important because we are purchased by the same Lord by the same blood. He has paid the same price for all of us. If we take part in the Table worthily, then all of us can enjoy our share in the House of God. For that purpose the Lord has ordained the Testimony of the Lord's Table to keep ourselves ready for His coming by living a pure life. He teaches us how to eat and drink Him freely and live as one family. May the Lord keep us ready for His coming.
January 11
"Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered" (1 Peter 3:7).
Those who try to follow the fundamental and divine principle of threefold union can have a happy and fruitful married life. They should first of all, long for spiritual union. That means, they must begin their day upon their knees with the Word of God and in the same way end their day upon their knees with the Word of God. They must seek His will together upon their knees for every matter, worship the Lord together and go to the House of God together as far as possible. Many husbands say, "Let my wife pray, because I am very busy with my job or business". But praying together is very necessary. For the soul union, they must make sure that their love does not depend upon human attraction, worldly possession, education or wealth, but they should love each other without any selfish motive. They should have common thoughts, common friends, common affections, common desires, common interests and common secrets. Thirdly, their physical union must be kept very sacred. They must have great regard and respect for each other and take special care to understand mutual needs. They should live their marriage life by prayer and remember that they are brought together to bring forth godly seed (Mal. 2:15). They should ask God for godly children. Otherwise their children will become stubborn and rebellious.
By understanding the true nature of their personality they can easily discern between flesh and the spirit. The devil tries to weaken our faith and rob us of our true love and peace by many subtle devices. By praying in the Spirit according to His perfect will and doing all things under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they will enjoy God's favour and be kept in His heavenly plan. Then their home will be very happy and a blessed one; a home of peace, a home of joy, a home of love, a home of service, a home of divine presence, a home a faith, a home of fellowship, a home where God's Name is honoured. Through such a home many will be blessed. Such a real Christian home is a foretaste of heaven upon the earth.
January 12
"...keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3).
The blue robe made for the high priest reminds us of our vocation and heavenly calling as co-workers with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are co-workers with God (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1). We have a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1). Every believer has a share in that calling. In the very same passage (1 Cor. 3:9), we are told that we are God's building. For a building we require many things such as stones, bricks, mud and timber. We require both large and small stones. In the same way, we require sand, timber and many other things. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has a share in the building of God's house.
We are building the House of Lord Jesus Christ and we are that House (Heb. 3:6). The blue robe indicates our heavenly calling, to build the heavenly habitation of the Lord Jesus Christ under His Headship. In order to enjoy the fulness fully, we must take our share in the building of the House of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the hem of the blue robe worn by the high priest there were pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet. A pomegranate looks like a single fruit but when you cut it open, you will find it composed of many compartments, each containing deep red, juicy, fleshy seeds. Pomegranates in Palestine are very large in size. This fruit is a symbol of the Lord's people. Even though believers are scattered in every part of the world, all of them together make one Church. All those who are purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, are the members of the Church. There is only one Church. The Church is being built by the Lord Jesus Christ, with those who are of one mind and are free from jealousy. Only then you can be a co-worker with the Lord Jesus Christ in building His Church. Just as the seeds of the pomegranates are put together in many compartments making one fruit, by the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are kept as one body. It is a sevenfold unity of believers that makes one body. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one calling, one faith, one baptism and one Lord and Creator. The Lord wants this sevenfold oneness among His people. In the beginning many began to say, "I am of Paul; I am of Apollos; I am of Cephas", and this brought division. No human name can be given to the Church of God. All those names and titles bring division. It is by oneness we are able to build the heavenly Church. The pomegranates remind us of the living Church but not of any building.
January 13
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).
Here the Lord speaks of His death and His victory over death. "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:34). Now this is a simple and wonderful truth, which does not require any education or Bible knowledge to understand. All of us have seen the grain of wheat dying and bringing forth much fruit. One grain of wheat with good soil and water can produce about 5000 grains. Again if you sow these grains the next year and go on sowing what is produced for five years, you will have a whole long goods train full of grain. The Lord Jesus Christ is that grain of wheat. He died to bring many sons into His heavenly glory, and to fill the whole heaven with those sons. All that power was realized for you and for me, when He died and was buried, and rose again.
If a grain of wheat has so much power in it, how much more the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. No man could touch Him. When they came to Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:4,6,7), our Lord said "Whom seek ye?" They replied, "Jesus of Nazareth". And He said, "I am he." As soon as they heard that, they went backward and fell down. They were afraid to touch Him. He gave Himself up, that we may be more than conquerors. He did not die as a martyr. He gave Himself up to bring into us the highest power in the whole universe and that power is now being offered to you. Has that power come into you? Does it work in you? Are you being raised higher and higher with the same power every day? Do you find yourself rejoicing in suffering, persecutions, trials and poverty? Weeping Christians have no right to be called Christians. God's Word says: "...if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Roman. 8:9). Again, "whosoever believeth in him... have everlasting life" (John 3:16). God has promised these sevenfold tribulations, temptations, trials, famines, sword, suffering and persecution, to show in us His power and victory that while others start crying and weeping, we can be more than conquerors.
January 14
"Cast thy burden upon the LORD" (Psa. 55:22).
When the Gospel was being preached during the early days, for a period, the Lord performed many miracles. Acts 6:8, 12:11, 13:11, 16:26 and 19:11. It went on thus for about six years. Then came a sudden decline. Many were scattered, and many of God's servants and believers were put in prison and bound. Many lost their first love like Demas. That is why the apostle John was puzzled, depressed and dejected for a short time. When we are born again, we do not become supernatural beings or angels. We remain ordinary human beings. There are times and days, when we are full of discouragement and confusion, and even down - hearted. But for a believer, it is only for a short time. By going to the Lord over and over again, we find our burdens lifted; that is why when you are discouraged, depressed and downcast, go upon your knees and remain upon your knees, even if you fall asleep. There is no harm in that! Be on your knees till your burden is lifted. By faith you can roll all the burdens on the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
On the isle of Patmos our Lord appeared in a new vision to John the apostle. His eyes were in the wrong direction. If anybody comes to see you, they will come from the front and not from the back; man can make mistakes, but our Lord cannot make mistakes. John turned round and then he saw the Lord. He had been looking in the wrong direction. The Lord said, "If you want to see Me, look in the right direction; turn right round and look at Me fully. Then all your burdens will be lifted, and all your questions will be fully answered. You try it yourself saying, "Lord, I have come to You to get a fresh glimpse of Your beauty and presence. I have no other request, problems, difficult questions or need. I want only to see You in a complete way". Then you will find your whole life full of joy and gladness, and you will find yourself saying, "Am I upon the earth or in heaven?" You will find yourself in high places. You will see all things in a new way.
January 15
"...Christ ... is our life"... (Col. 3:4).
In Col. 3:3 we read, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God". If we sincerely desire to possess the life of the Lord Jesus Christ we must be willing to die, because unless we die to our old life and corrupt nature, that life cannot come into us. In order to have this experience we have to repent of all our sins, put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as our personal Saviour. Many people say they believe in the Lord Jesus, but in fact they do not know what it means to believe on Him and know Him. They repeat some words and phrases such as, "I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour" but they do not enjoy the blessings that God wants to give them so freely. This is all because of their own negligence and carelessness.
As far as God is concerned He offers every blessing to us in His Son. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). "All spiritual blessings" means everything we can think of. While theoretically all spiritual blessings are ours, we do not seem to enjoy them in a practical way. The reason is we do not really know what it is to believe in the Lord Jesus. We do not spend sufficient time in reading the Word of God, and we do not mediate on it to understand its meaning. The Lord says in Luke 12:32, "...it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". He is ready not only to forgive our sins, but to give us His kingdom which means all that He has. We must know these blessings in order to enjoy them. We have to study and dig deep into the Word of God, by reading it prayerfully upon our knees.
January 16
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
This is a precious promise from God's Word. Our living God has planned from eternity to give us every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. All of us who are redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ have the privilege of claiming these blessings and then the Lord Himself will teach us how to be qualified for these blessings. First of all we have to believe that this is the Word of God and not man's word and that it is meant for all of us and not just for the apostles or God's servants. These words are meant for all those who believe in the Lord. Howsoever foolish, weak and ugly you may be, if you can truthfully say that you are redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have every right to claim that promise. That is how we can enjoy all the spiritual blessings because unto Him you are very precious.
Because the Lord Jesus Christ bought us with His blood, we have become more precious to Him than the angels or heavenly beings. So by thanking Him for such love and salvation we understand more and more how to enjoy all spiritual blessings and that is why we find the apostle Paul thanking the Lord on behalf of the Ephesian believers. "Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers" (Eph. 1:16). This is the very first thing we should learn, to go on thanking God. We can begin every day in the same way. "Yes Lord, even though I am weak and foolish, worthless and useless, in Thy sight I am very precious because of Thy precious blood and that is why I thank Thee".
Secondly, we should learn to seek God's face even for small matters by prayer. In Col 4:2, Paul exhorts the believers to continue in prayer. In Eph. 6:18 also we have the same thought. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints".
Thirdly, we have to go on claiming divine wisdom to understand divine mysteries. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Eph. 1:17).
Fourthly, we need to have our blind eyes opened. "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened..." (Eph. 1:18). To understand heavenly things we need heavenly vision and that is why we have to pray, "Lord, open my eyes and let me see more and more from Thy wondrous Word." The mysteries hidden from the wise and prudent will be revealed to babes, that means, those who have simple faith. We can dig deeply into God's Word and always find something new. It is the Word of God and not man's word. It is like a very deep mine of gold. We have to go very deep into God's Word. Then we will be able to enjoy all blessings in heavenly places.
January 17
"For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zechariah 4:10).
"Gad" means "a troop or an army cometh" (Gen. 30:11). Gad was the first son of mother Zilpah, but Leah believed that a troop was following after him. She saw something great in that which was seemingly small. We also should learn to look far beyond the small beginning and see the great things that will take place later. For example in John 4:3 we read that the Lord Jesus Christ left Judea for Galilee. There were two roads to Galilee. One via Samaria and other via mount Carmel. The Jews would never go via Samaria (John 4:9) but the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to go through Samaria. The Lord said to His disciples, "I have decided to go through Samaria", but they replied, "Why go that way? Who will give us food to eat and water to drink?" The Scripture says, "he must needs go through Samaria". What was the reason? For the sake of one woman He went there and the whole of Samaria was shaken. Through one soul, He won the whole country (John 4:39; Acts 8:5-8).
We think that the Lord works more through big crowds. That is not God's way. Through small things, He does great things. One day a man came in tears to see us. He said, "Please pray for my wife, she is very ill." He was a Hindu. We went to see her, gave a short message then prayed and left. The Lord healed that woman and through her husband many people came to the Lord in that area. On another occasion, a lady came to see me in Madras. She said to me, "Please pray for my husband, he is very, very sick in the hospital. The doctors are not able to cure him." We spent only a few minutes with them in prayer, gave a short message and came away. Afterwards, the whole family which was from Hyderabad came for fellowship. In the year 1950 they wrote to me, requesting me to go to Hyderabad and that is how the Lord began to work in that city through a small thing, not through great things. That is what we learn from Gad.