M&E Thursday

Thursday Morning, June 28

"Looking unto Jesus."

Hebrews 12:2

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus." All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus." Keep thine eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.

"My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness: I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name."

 

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Evening, June 28

"But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods."

Exodus 7:12

This incident is an instructive emblem of the sure victory of the divine handiwork over all opposition. Whenever a divine principle is cast into the heart, though the devil may fashion a counterfeit, and produce swarms of opponents, as sure as ever God is in the work, it will swallow up all its foes. If God's grace takes possession of a man, the world's magicians may throw down all their rods; and every rod may be as cunning and poisonous as a serpent, but Aaron's rod will swallow up their rods. The sweet attractions of the cross will woo and win the man's heart, and he who lived only for this deceitful earth will now have an eye for the upper spheres, and a wing to mount into celestial heights. When grace has won the day the worldling seeks the world to come. The same fact is to be observed in the life of the believer. What multitudes of foes has our faith had to meet! Our old sins—the devil threw them down before us, and they turned to serpents. What hosts of them! Ah, but the cross of Jesus destroys them all. Faith in Christ makes short work of all our sins. Then the devil has launched forth another host of serpents in the form of worldly trials, temptations, unbelief; but faith in Jesus is more than a match for them, and overcomes them all. The same absorbing principle shines in the faithful service of God! With an enthusiastic love for Jesus difficulties are surmounted, sacrifices become pleasures, sufferings are honours. But if religion is thus a consuming passion in the heart, then it follows that there are many persons who profess religion but have it not; for what they have will not bear this test. Examine yourself, my reader, on this point. Aaron's rod proved its heaven-given power. Is your religion doing so? If Christ be anything he must be everything. O rest not till love and faith in Jesus be the master passions of your soul!

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Contentiousness, Quarreling and Strife:

Harsh Noises in God's Ears, Even When You're Right

Author: Daryl Wingerd

My wife and I were rudely awakened one night by a terrible sound outside our bedroom window. We ran outside and discovered two raccoons up in a tree, fighting. I suppose it would be more accurate to say they were screaming at each other, and they were undeterred by the fact that their loud quarrel had now drawn an audience. Their hideous, nerve-grating snarls elevated the saying, "like fingernails on a chalkboard," to a whole new level. I suddenly gained an appreciation for the men who turn these cute woodland creatures into coonskin caps.

 

But then we noticed something strange: even though the disturbance continued for several minutes, none of our very close neighbors had come outside or peered out of their windows. None of them had even turned on the lights inside their homes. Our own children remained soundly asleep despite the fray. It was as if we were the only two people with ears to hear the ugly sounds of the coon fight. As the combatants went their separate ways and we went back inside, we both began to wonder if perhaps God was showing us what our own quarrel, just a few hours earlier, had sounded like to Him. If God actually slept (which He doesn't), our angry voices surely would have awakened Him.

 

What God hates, He also condemns in the Bible. Among the sins that receive much negative attention, strife, quarreling, and contentiousness are never treated as low priorities. In the book of Proverbs alone there are no fewer than twenty direct references condemning these sins.

 

But we also know that people come in all different "flavors" with a vast array of ideas, opinions, preferences, backgrounds, cultural norms, values, and styles. Is it possible for this much variety to coexist without strife? Is it possible for people to just let other people be themselves without fighting about their differences? What if the differences relate to religious convictions, even between Christianity and some other world religion? Is a little bit of strife and quarreling OK with God then?

 

I don't remember what our quarrel was about that night. Perhaps one of us (most likely my wife) was right and the other (most likely me) was wrong. But even if that were the case, being right is not enough. Even when we are right about the most important things in life—like the gospel—we sin if we resort to contentiousness and quarreling to defend our position.

 

Of course, we must remember that Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth, but rather division (Matt. 10:34; Luke 12:51). That dividing point is the gospel—"the word of the cross," the message of "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 1:18, 2:2). But where division exists because of the gospel, whether between you and a family member, or a neighbor, or a co-worker, or a person who practices a completely unacceptable lifestyle, or even a person who hates and persecutes you for your beliefs, your demeanor must not be such as produces, encourages, or furthers strife. Instead, conduct yourself as Paul instructed Timothy:

 

The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:24-26)

 

God does not need your sharp tongue, or your hot temper, or your impatience, or your frustration, or your ability to blast away condescendingly at someone else's false idea, in order to bring them to the knowledge of the truth. When you use those tactics, you have likely forgotten that you too are a trophy of His mercy—the same result you hope to see for your opponent. All God requires of you is that you tell them the truth, and that you present it in a winsome way—one that would actually make them want to be like the God you claim to represent.

 

Furthermore, if you can display a peaceable demeanor when dealing with unbelievers, even hostile ones, then certainly you can live out the fruit of the Spirit—"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23)—when addressing differences of opinion between you and your believing wife or husband, your children, your parents, your siblings, your fellow church members, or even those believers who differ from you on certain points of doctrine or practice.          

 

Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. (Phil. 4:5)

Copyright © 2012 Daryl Wingerd.
Permission granted for reproduction in exact form. All other uses require written permission.
Find more free articles at www.BulletinInserts.org, a ministry of Christian Communicators Worldwide: www.CCWtoday.org

 

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