Daily Devotional

[EastCoastRemnant]

Heavenly Guarantee

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you. Matthew 7:7.

Oh, if every one would only know by personal experience how much of heaven’s promised
rest can be secured to the soul, even now, by sincere prayer. If one has not learned this lesson,
every other lesson of life [had] better not be learned till he shall learn in the school of Christ how
to master this lesson.

As Christians we want a new and living experience every day. We want to learn how to
trust Jesus, to believe in Him and confide everything to Him. Jacob was raised from a man of
feebleness and defects, through faith in God in prayer, to be a prince with God. He prevailed
through faith. God is omnipotent. Man is finite. In converse with God, we may lay the most
secret thing of the soul open to Him—for He knows it all—but not to man....

Do not become careless and separate from the Source of your strength. Watch your thoughts,
watch your words, and in all things you seek to do, seek to glorify God. The more closely you
lie at the foot of the cross, the more clearly will you see the matchless charms of Jesus and the
unparalleled love He has evidenced for fallen man....

Let not the pressure of business separate you from God, for if you ever need counsel and clear
forethought and sharp ideas, it is when you have much work on your hands. It is then that you
need to take time to pray, to have increased faith and implicit trust in the counsel of the Physician
in Chief. Ask Him to help you. Pray the oftener the more critical the work you have to do....

Oh what a theme to contemplate that man, depraved and lost in his natural condition, may be
renewed and saved by the gracious help that Christ gives him in the gospel. The love of Jesus in
the soul will drive out the enemy who is seeking to take possession of man. Every trial patiently
borne, every blessing thankfully received, every temptation faithfully resisted, will make you a
strong man in Jesus Christ. All this grace may be gained in the prayer of faith....

Lay hold upon strength from above. Even Jesus, when preparing for some great trial, would
resort to the solitude of the mountains and spend the night in prayer to His Father.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Living The New Life

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them: for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12.

Christ came to teach us, not only what we ought to know and believe, but also what we ought
to do in our relations with God and with our fellow men. The golden rule of equity demands that
we do unto others as we would they should do unto us. We are to keep their eternal interests in
view, saying to ourselves, “They are the purchase of the Saviour’s blood, bought with a price.”

In all our dealing with our fellow men, whether they be believers or unbelievers, we are to
treat them as Christ would treat them were He in our place. If it is for our present and eternal
good to obey the law of God, it will be for their present and eternal good also to do this. Our
highest aim is to be to them medical missionary workers after Christ’s order....

All who enter through the pearly gates into the city of God must have set forth Christ in all
their dealings. It is this that constitutes them the messengers of Christ, His witnesses. They are
to bear a plain, decided testimony against all evil practices, pointing them to the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world. He gives to all who receive Him, power to become the
sons of God.

Regeneration is the only path by which we can reach the holy city. It is narrow and the gate
by which we enter is strait, but along it we are to lead men and women and children, teaching
them that in order to be saved, they must have a new heart and a new spirit. The old hereditary
traits of character are to be overcome. The natural desires of the soul must be changed. All
deception, all falsifying, all evil-speaking must be put away. The new life, which makes men and
women Christlike, is to be lived. We are, as it were, to swim against the current of evil.

The way to heaven is narrow, hedged in by the divine law of Jehovah. Those who follow this
way must constantly deny self. They must obey the teachings of Christ.... Let us not trust in man,
but in Jesus Christ, who died that He might win us to righteousness.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Essentials Of Salvation

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of
light. Ephesians 5:8.

He who commanded the light to shine out of darkness sheds light into the mind of every one
who will properly behold Him, loving Him supremely, showing unswerving faith and trust in
Him. His light shines into the chambers of the mind and into the soul temple. The heart is filled
with the light of the knowledge of the glory that shines in the face of Jesus Christ. And with this
light comes spiritual discernment....

Yielding willingly to the evidence of truth, and walking in the light that shines in our pathway,
we receive still greater light. Through the power of the manifestation of divine glory, we
constantly advance in spiritual understanding.

Christ’s knowledge of truth was direct, positive, without a shadow. The closer the
acquaintance a man has with Jesus Christ, the more careful he will be to treat his fellow men
respectfully, courteously, righteously. He has learned of Christ, and he follows His example in
word and action. By faith he is united with Christ. “We are labourers together with God” (1
Corinthians 3:9)....

Christ’s prayer was for unity among His followers. This unity is the evidence that is to
convince the world that God sent His Son to save sinners. We serve Christ by revealing true,
pure, holy love for one another. Those who are chosen to connect with the Lord’s institutions are
to be devoted, self-denying, self-sacrificing men, living not to please themselves, but to please
the Master. These are the men who will do honor to the Lord’s institutions.

A knowledge of God and of Christ is positively essential to salvation. We lose much every
day that we do not learn more of the meekness and lowliness of Christ. Those who learn of Christ
obtain the very highest class of education. Through faith and dependence on the saving grace of
Christ, they increase in knowledge and wisdom. They love and praise the Saviour....

Those who are saved must in this life make it their daily business to receive grace from God,
not to hoard in selfishness, but to impart for the blessing of those connected with them, to aid
them in obtaining an education in spiritual things.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Being Alive Unto God​

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my
Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny
before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32, 33.​

How is it? Are we confessing Christ in our daily life? Do we confess Him in our dress, adorning
ourselves with plain and modest apparel? Is our adorning that of the meek and quiet spirit which
is of so great price in the sight of God? Are we seeking to advance the cause of the Master?
Is the line of demarcation between you and the world distinct, or are you seeking to follow
the fashions of this degenerate age? Is there no difference between you and the worldling?
Does the same spirit work in you that works in the children of disobedience?​

If we are Christians, we shall follow Christ, even though the path in which we are to walk
cuts right across our natural inclinations. There is no use in telling you that you must not wear
this or that, for if the love of these vain things is in your heart, your laying off your adornments
will only be like cutting the foliage off a tree. The inclinations of the natural heart would again
assert themselves. You must have a conscience of your own.​

O, did we remember that Christ became poor, that we through His poverty might become
rich, would we not seek to honor His name, and advance His cause? We are to abide in Him as
the branch abides in the vine. Jesus says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.... Herein
is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:5-8).​

If we fulfilled this command of our Lord, there would be a different state of affairs in our
churches, and we should know what it is to have the deep movings of the Spirit of God. What
we want is to have the ax laid at the root of the tree. We want to be dead to the world, dead to
self, and alive unto God. Our life must be his with Christ in God, that when He shall appear, we
also may appear with Him in glory. We need to come close to Christ, that men may know that
we have been with Christ and learned of Him.... Keep your eye fixed upon Christ. With humility
of mind seek for a nearness to God. In words, in conduct, in life, confess Christ.​

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

The Compassionate Christian​

The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. John 14:30.​

In all His habits of life, the Saviour gave an example of what God designs His church on
earth to be. Tell this to the people. Christ desires to present His church before the Father without
spot or blemish.​

From His earliest years the Saviour’s life was one of poverty. His childhood days were spent
in toil. Working at the carpenter’s bench, bearing the burdens that came to Him as a member of
the family, He often became weary. He lived in a corrupt age. Yet He was uncorrupted by the evil
that surrounded Him, uninfluenced by the characters of those who were artificial and wicked.
In the open fields and amid the scenes of nature He found rest from toil and food for spiritual
life. Looking beneath the surface, He gathered knowledge from the mysteries of nature that filled
Him with peace and joy.​

During the years of His public ministry, the Saviour was continually watched by crafty and
hypocritical men. Spies were continually upon His track to catch something from His lips which
they could use to create prejudice against Him. Again and again they tried to make Him appear
guilty of wrong. There were occasions when they laid traps for Him by presenting to Him
questions, the answers to which they hoped to use to cause His condemnation by the people.
But at every attempt they were compelled to retire from the field confounded; their actions were
revealed in their true light by the answers of Christ. The Saviour’s discourses presented a power
of truth to the multitudes who listened. Even the men who were sent to spy upon His actions
were forced to return with the report to those who sent them, "Never man spake like this man"
(John 7:46)....​

Let your conversation be with grace, for Christ is listening to the words you speak. Let
compassion for one another be blended with all you say, then you will reveal the character of
Christ. The manners of Christ were gentle and unassuming. As His followers we are to partake
of His nature. We need to be daily learners of the great Teacher, that the atmosphere surrounding
the soul may be filled with spiritual life.​

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Unreserved Surrender​

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and
the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20.​

God will accept nothing less than unreserved surrender. Half-hearted, sinful Christians can
never enter heaven. There they would find no happiness; for they know nothing of the high, holy
principles that govern the members of the royal family.​

The true Christian keeps the windows of the soul open heavenward. He lives in fellowship
with Christ. His will is conformed to the will of Christ. His highest desire is to become more
and more Christlike....​

Earnestly and untiringly we are to strive to reach God’s ideal for us. Not as a penance are we
to do this, but as the only means of gaining true happiness. The only way to gain peace and joy
is to have a living connection with Him who gave His life for us, who died that we might live,
and who lives to unite His power with the efforts of those who are striving to overcome.​

Holiness is constant agreement with God. Shall we not strive to be that which Christ so
greatly desires us to be—Christians in deed and in truth—that the world may see in our lives a
revelation of the saving power of truth? This world is our preparatory school. While here we
shall meet with trials and difficulties. Continually the enemy of God will seek to draw us away
from our allegiance. But while we cleave to Him who gave Himself for us, we are safe.​

The whole world was gathered into the embrace of Christ. He died on the cross to destroy
him who had the power of death, and to take away the sin of every believing soul. He calls upon
us to offer ourselves on the altar of service, a living, consuming sacrifice. We are to make an
unreserved consecration to God of all that we have and are.​

In this lower school of earth we are to learn the lessons that will prepare us to enter the higher
school, where our education will continue under the personal instruction of Christ. Then He will
open to us the meaning of His Word. Shall we not, in the few days of probation remaining to
us, act like men and women who are seeking for life in the kingdom of God, even an eternity of
bliss.​

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Without Spot

Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ... that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27.

We bear the name of Christian. Let us be true to this name. To be a Christian means to be
Christlike. It means to follow Christ in self-denial, bearing aloft His banner of love, honoring
Him by unselfish words and deeds. In the life of the true Christian there is nothing of self—self
is dead. There was no selfishness in the life that Christ lived while on this earth. Bearing our
nature, He lived a life wholly devoted to the good of others....

In word and deed Christ’s followers are to be pure and true. In this world—a world of iniquity
and corruption—Christians are to reveal the attributes of Christ. All they do and say is to be free
from selfishness. Christ desires to present them to the Father “without spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing,” purified through His grace, bearing His likeness.

In His great love, Christ surrendered Himself for us. He gave Himself for us to meet the
necessities of the striving, struggling soul. We are to surrender ourselves to Him. When this
surrender is entire, Christ can finish the work He began for us by the surrender of Himself.
Then He can bring to us complete restoration.

Christ gave Himself for the redemption of the race, that all who believe in Him may have
everlasting life. Those who appreciate this great sacrifice receive from the Saviour that most
precious of all gifts—a clean heart. They gain an experience that is more valuable than gold or
silver or precious stones. They sit together in heavenly places in Christ, enjoying in communion
with Him the joy and peace that He alone can give. They love Him with heart and mind and
soul and strength, realizing that they are His blood-bought heritage. Their spiritual eyesight is
not dimmed by worldly policy or worldly aims. They are one with Christ as He is one with the
Father.

Think you not that Christ values those who live wholly for Him? Think you not that He visits
those who, like the beloved John, are for His sake in hard and trying places? He finds His faithful
ones, and holds communion with them, encouraging and strengthening them.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Truth Will Triumph

Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight
of God. 2 Corinthians 4:2.

There is to be no undermining of the fundamental truths that the Lord has submitted by many
miraculous evidences. A voice is to be heard in clear affirmation of the truth, in contradiction
to the skepticism and fallacies that have been coming in from the enemy of truth. Reformations
will take place, and the working out of the principles of divine truth will reveal growth in grace,
for the divine agencies are efficient to enlighten and sanctify the human understanding.

The truth as it is in Jesus, as it was proclaimed by Him when He was enshrouded by the
billowy cloud, is verity and truth in this our day, and will just as surely renovate the mind of the
receiver as it has renovated minds in the past. Christ has declared, “If they hear not Moses and
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

As a people, we must prepare the way of the Lord, under the overruling guidance of the Holy
Spirit, for the spread of the gospel in its purity. The stream of living water is to deepen and widen
in its course. In all fields, nigh and afar off, men will be called from the plow and from the more
common commercial business vocations that largely occupy the mind, and will become educated
in connection with men who have had experience—men who understand the truth. Through most
wonderful workings of God, mountains of difficulty will be removed and cast into the sea....

Those who preach the truth will strive to demonstrate the truth by a well-ordered life and
godly conversation. And as they do this, they will become powerful in advocating the truth and
in giving it the sure application that God has given it....

The call is to go forth, “Son, go labor today in My vineyard.” As this call is obeyed, the
message that means so much to the dwellers on the earth, will be heard and understood. Men
will know what is truth. Onward, and still onward, will the work advance. And marked events of
Providence will be seen and recognized, in judgments and in blessings. The truth will bear away
the victory.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Matchless Love

And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as
we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the
world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John
17:22, 23.

O what love, what matchless love! Fallen human beings may become so closely united with
Christ that they are glorified with Him. On this earth they have followed in His footsteps, laboring
as He labored for the souls for whom He died, and when He comes to claim His own, they enter
in to His joy, sitting with Him at His table in His kingdom. “Where I am,” He says, “there shall
also my servant be” (John 12:26)....

What a wonderful thought it is that we, poor, fallen sinners, can become one with Christ,
partakers of His divine nature, through His grace refined, purified, glorified. We may overcome,
and sit down with ... Christ. We are to be conformed to His image. He loves, and He will help
us. We are to be passive in His hands.

We have His promise. We hold the title deeds to real estate in the kingdom of glory. Never
were title deeds drawn up more strictly according to law, or signed more legibly, than those that
give God’s people a right to the heavenly mansions. “Let not your heart be troubled,” Christ
says: “ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”
(chap. 14:1-3)....

All who will may come under the covenant promise. Precious is the price paid for our
redemption—the blood of the only begotten Son of God. Christ was tried by the sharp proving
of affliction. His human nature was tried to the uttermost. He bore the death penalty of man’s
transgression. He became the sinner’s substitute and surety. He is able to show the fruit of His
sufferings and death, in His resurrection from the dead. From the rent sepulcher of Joseph rings
forth the proclamation, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, and do
the works of righteousness that I do, are justified, sanctified, made white and tried. They have
obtained godliness and eternal life.”

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

An Ever Present Help​

The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust
in him. Nahum 1:7.​

We have rich promises in the Word of God, if we only believe and trust in Him. We are in
danger of trusting to our own poor human efforts, and not putting our trust in God. Everyone
who has any part to act in this great preparation of the work of God for these last days should
come close to God. When God sends out His workers to do a special errand for Him, He has
pledged Himself to be one with them, if they will be one with God. But if they draw apart from
God, and try to do this work in their own strength, they will find difficulties and discouragements
at every step. Here we have the promise that in working for the Lord He is by our right hand to
help us and work with us.​

It would be the greatest folly in the world for any of us to take any of the credit to ourselves
for any success we may have. The more humbly we walk with God, the more will He manifest
Himself to us to help us. The Lord never designed to send out His servants to do a work for
Him with all the opposition of Satan and evil angels against them unless He gives them divine
help. The reason that we do not have greater success in the work is because we depend on our
own efforts rather than upon the help God will give us. It is our privilege to feel our weakness,
our unworthiness, and then claim the help that God has provided for us. We can take the Word
in our distress, and while we feel the burden of souls upon us, and say, “Here, Lord, Thou hast
promised, and I believe Thy word.”​

We must learn to go to our heavenly Father just as a child goes to its earthly parents. He says,
“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask
a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that
ask him?” (Matthew 7:9-11)....​

While every one of God’s workmen should cultivate his powers to the best of his ability, yet
he should not trust in these powers. Make of yourselves everything that it is possible for you to​

make and then trust the rest to God.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

The Divine Substitute​

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21.​

"He saved others; himself he cannot save" (Mark 15:31). It is because Christ would not
save Himself that the sinner has any hope of pardon or favor with God. If, in His undertaking
to save the sinner, Christ had failed or become discouraged, the last hope of every son and
daughter of Adam would have been at an end. The entire life of Christ was one of self-denial
and self-sacrifice; and the reason that there are so few stalwart Christians is because of their
self-indulgence and self-pleasing in the place of self-denial and self-sacrifice.​

Oh, what soul hunger and longing had Christ to save that which was lost! The body crucified
upon the cross did not detract from His divinity, His power of God to save through the human
sacrifice, all who would accept His righteousness. In dying upon the cross, He transferred the
guilt from the person of the transgressor to that of the divine Substitute through faith in Him as
his personal Redeemer. The sins of a guilty world, which in figure are represented as "red as
crimson," were imputed to the divine Surety...​

Divinity was doing its work while humanity was suffering from the hatred and revenge of a
God-hating people, because Christ had acknowledged Himself the Son of God. He alone could
respond to the poor suffering thief. He alone was free to undertake the suretyship of the guilty
criminal. The dying Redeemer saw him to be far less guilty than the ones who had condemned
Him to death, far less guilty than the priests, the scribes, and rulers who had taken an active part
in demanding the death of the Son of God.​

What a faith had that dying thief upon the cross! He accepted Christ when apparently it was
an utter impossibility that He should be the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. In the prayer
of the poor thief, there was a note different from that which was sounding on every side; it was a
note of faith, and it reached to Christ. The faith of the dying man in Him was as sweetest music
in the ears of Christ. The glad note of redemption and salvation was heard amid His dying agonies.
God was glorified in and through His Son.​

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Cultivate Tenderness In The Home​

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the
multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8.​

The young man who came to Jesus asked what he should do that he might inherit eternal life.
Jesus told him to keep the commandments, and enumerated several of the precepts of the law.
The young man said, "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" (Matthew
19:20). The first four commandments enjoin upon man the duty of loving God supremely and
the last six present the requirement of loving our neighbors as ourselves. How many are truly,
sincerely, and wholeheartedly doing this?

The Lord is coming in a little while, and are we performing the duties that result from
righteousness? Love is the basis of godliness. No man has love to God, no matter what his
profession may be, unless he has unselfish love for his brother. As we love God because He first
loved us, we shall love all for whom Christ died. We shall not feel like letting the soul who is
in the greatest peril, and in the greatest need, go unwarned, unlabored for, and uncared for. We
shall not feel like holding the erring off, and being critical and exacting, or letting them alone to
plunge into further unhappiness and discouragement, and to fall on Satan’s battleground, for God
will deal with us as He deals with our brethren or the younger members of the Lord’s family.

Cultivate tenderness of heart; surround yourselves in your home life with the atmosphere of
love. But the spirit that has largely pervaded the church is an offense to God. Everyone who has
been free to condemn, to dishearten, and to discourage, who has failed to give tender kindness,
sympathy, and compassion to the tempted and the tried, will in his own experience be brought
over the ground which others have passed over, and suffered with their hardheartedness, and will
feel what others have suffered because of his want of sympathy, until he shall abhor his hardness
of heart and open the door for Jesus to come in.

The converting power of God must come to every soul who has any connection with the work
and cause of God that each one may be filled with the love and compassion of Christ or many
will never see the kingdom of heaven.​

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Take Hold Of Divine Strength

Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is
mighty. Psalm 89:19.

The Lord loves you. The Lord is of tender compassion. His promise is, “Draw nigh to God,
and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of
the Lord shall lift up for you a standard against him. Bear in mind that Jesus Christ is your hope.
In the sad, discouraging things that shall come to you at any time, Christ says to you, “Let him
take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me”
(Isaiah 27:5).

Your work is to take hold of the strength that is as firm as is the eternal throne. Believe in
God. Trust in Him. Be cheerful under all circumstances. Although you may have trials, know
that Christ suffered these afflicting things in behalf of His heritage. Nothing is as dear to the Lord
as His church. The Lord looks at the heart. He knows who are His. The Lord will test and prove
every soul that lives. “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall
do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel
12:10)....

Let those who love God and are doers of His word sing praise and thanksgiving rather than
speak words of accusing and faultfinding and murmuring. The Lord will bless those who make
for peace....

Trust in the Lord. Let not the feelings, the speeches, or the attitude of any human agent
depress you. Be careful that in words or act you do not give others any opportunity to obtain
the advantage in hurting you. Keep looking unto Jesus. He is your strength. By beholding Jesus
you will become changed into His likeness. He will be the health of your countenance and your
God....

The church needs you, and you need to soften and subdue your own feelings for Christ’s sake.
He wants you to have His Holy Spirit to work you. Then you may impart life and comfort to the
church. Let your words be well chosen that you may be a real blessing to the church. Do not
afflict your souls over the inconsistencies of others. Take yourselves in hand, and be consistent
in all things.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

In The World, But Not Of It

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James
4:4.

The great day of the Lord is near at hand. When Christ appears in the clouds of heaven, those
who have not sought Him with all the heart, those who have allowed themselves to be deceived,
will surely perish. Our only safety is to be found through repentance and conversion, and the
blotting out of sins. Those who will now seek the Lord earnestly, humbling their hearts before
Him, and forsaking their sins, will, through the sanctification of the truth, be fitted to unite with
the members of the royal family, and will see the King in His beauty....

Whatever his educational attainments, only he who realizes his accountability to God, and
who is led by the Holy Spirit, can be an effectual teacher, or be successful in winning to God
those who are brought under his influence. Shall those who do not heed the divine counsel be
acknowledged as leaders in the Lord’s institutions?—God forbid. How can we regard as safe
guides those who manifest a spirit of unbelief, and who, in words and character, fail of revealing
true godliness?

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children [in learning the
way of the Lord], ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Self needs to be brought into submission to the yoke of Christ. The great Teacher invites all
to learn of Him.... “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (verse 11). But those
who desire to be saved must be willing to be saved in the Lord’s appointed way, and not in a way
of their own choosing. The free grace of God is man’s only hope. God is in earnest with every
one of us....

We are called to be the Lord’s special people in a much higher sense than many have realized.
The world lies in wickedness, and God’s people are to come out of the world, and be separate.
They are to be free from worldly customs and worldly habits. They are not to accord with worldly
sentiments, but are to stand out distinct, as the Lord’s peculiar people, earnest in all their service.
They are to have no fellowship with the works of darkness.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Divine Grace, Our Greatest Need​

Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. 1 Corinthians 9:16.​

Genuine conversion brings us daily into communion with God. There will be temptations
to meet, and a strong undercurrent drawing us from God to our former state of indifference and
sinful forgetfulness of God. No human heart can remain strong without divine grace. No man
can remain converted unless he takes care of himself and the Master has a care for him. Unless
the heart holds fast to God, and God holds fast to him, he will become self-confident and exalted
and will surely stumble and fall. The power of God through faith was Paul’s dependence. “I live;
yet not I,” he exclaims in his humility, “but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). “I therefore so
run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and
bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should
be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:26, 27).

Paul was in such constant dread, lest his evil propensities should get the better of him, that he
was constantly battling, with firm resistance, unruly appetites and passions. If the great apostle
felt like trembling in view of his weakness, who has a right to feel self-confident and boastful?
The moment we begin to feel self-sufficient and confident then we are in danger of a disgraceful
failure.

Our only sure defense against besetting sins is prayer, daily and hourly prayer. Not one day
zealous and the next careless, but through watchfulness and earnestness becoming vitalized by
intercourse with God. Prayer is necessary, and we should not wait for feeling, but pray, earnestly
pray, whether we feel like it or not. Heaven is open to our prayers. Prayer is the channel that
conducts our gratitude and yearnings of soul for the divine blessing to the throne of God, to be
returned to us in refreshing showers of divine grace. With very many, this channel is allowed to
freeze up, and then the connection with heaven is interrupted.... Oh, that we would spend more
time upon our knees and less time in planning for ourselves and in thinking we may do some​

great thing.

 

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The Banquet Of God’s Word​

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: ... and the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51.​

The only safety for any of us is to plant our feet upon the Word of God and study the
Scriptures, making God’s Word our constant meditation. Tell the people to take no man’s word
regarding the Testimonies, but to read them and study them for themselves, and then they will
know that they are in harmony with the truth. The Word of God is the truth. Of a good man
the psalmist declares, “His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate
day and night” (Psalm 1:2). He who puts mind and heart into this work gains a solid, valuable
experience. The Holy Spirit is in the Word of God. Here is the living, undying element so
distinctly represented in the sixth chapter of John....​

Let us believe the Word. He who thus eats the bread of heaven is nourished every day and
will know what these words mean, “Needeth not that any man teach you.” We have lessons pure
from the lips of Him who owns us, who has bought us with the price of His own blood. The
precious Word of God is a solid foundation upon which to build. When men come to you with
their suppositions, tell them that the Great Teacher has left you HisWord, which is of incalculable
value, that He has sent a Comforter in His own name, even the Holy Ghost. “He shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John
14:26)....​

Here is presented before us a rich banquet, of which all who believe in Christ as a personal
Saviour may eat. He is the Tree of life to all who continue to feed on Him....​

All who study these precious utterances may have strong consolation. If they will feed upon
the banquet of God’s Word, they will gain an experience of the highest value. They will see that
in comparison with the word of God, the word of man is as chaff to the wheat.​

I am instructed by the Word of God that His promises are for me and for every child of God.
The banquet is spread before us; we are invited to eat the Word of God, which will strengthen​

spiritual muscle and sinew.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

The Final Battle

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he
walk naked, and they see his shame. Revelation 16:15.

A terrible contest is before us. We are nearing the battle of the great day of God Almighty.
That which has been held in control is to be let loose. The angel of mercy is folding its wings,
preparing to step down from the golden throne and leave the world to the control of Satan, the
king it has chosen, a murderer and a destroyer from the beginning.

The principalities and powers of earth are in bitter revolt against the God of heaven. They are
filled with hatred against all who serve Him, and soon, very soon, is to be fought the last great
battle between good and evil. The earth is to be the battlefield—the scene of the final contest
and the final victory. Here, where for so long Satan has led men against God, rebellion is to be
forever suppressed.

Christ came to this earth in human form that He might stand as the Captain of our salvation,
so that we should not be overcome by Satan’s power. And when the enemy has seemed to
be gaining a signal victory over righteousness, God has been working in mercy and power to
counteract his designs.

Determined to efface the image of God in man, Satan works with an intensity of effort to
hide God from view. Not openly does he work, but secretly, mingling the human and the divine,
the spurious and the genuine, so seeking to bring confusion and distress. But in proportionate
power divine mercy is revealed to counteract this wicked working, and bring to light the enemy’s
hidden purposes.

God’s people are to hear a bold, decided testimony for the truth, unfolding the purposes of
God by the witness of pen and voice. In place after place they are to proclaim the message of
God’s Word, arousing men and women to comprehend the truth....

There is a reality in sound doctrine. It is not as a vapor, which passes away. Light is to
shine forth from the Word of God. God calls upon His people to draw near to Him. Let no one
interpose between Him and His people. Christ is knocking at the door of the heart, seeking for
entrance. Will you let Him in?

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Things Wrought By Prayer

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10:22.

There can be no true prayer without true faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please him”
(Hebrews 11:6). Prayer and faith are the arms by which the soul hangs upon the neck of infinite
love, and grasps the hand of infinite power. God does not recognize dumb children, as far as
experience in His truth is concerned. Faith is an active, working power. The newborn faith in
Christ is revealed by prayer and praise. Prayer is a relief and a comfort to the troubled soul.
The sincere, humble suppliant at the throne of grace may know that he is communing with God,
through the divinely appointed means, and that it is his privilege to understand what God is to
the believing soul. We must have a realization of our needs. We must hunger and thirst after life
in Christ and through Christ. Then we shall come to Him in humility and sincerity, and He will
give us the faith that works by love and purifies the soul....

Christ gave Himself willingly and cheerfully to the carrying out the will of God. “He ...
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). In view of all that
He has done, should we feel it a hardship to deny ourselves? Shall we draw back from being
partakers of Christ’s sufferings? His death ought to stir every fiber of our beings, making us
willing to consecrate to His work all that we have and are.

As we think of what He has done for us, our hearts should be filled with gratitude and love,
and we should renounce all selfishness and sin. What duty could the heart refuse to perform,
under the constraining influence of the love of God and Christ? “I am crucified with Christ,” the
apostle Paul declared: “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which
I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me” (Galatians 2:20).

Let us relate ourselves to God in self-denying, self-sacrificing obedience. Faith in Christ
always leads to willing, cheerful obedience. He died to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify
unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. There is to be perfect conformity, in
thought, word, and deed, to the will of God. Heaven is only for those who have purified their
souls through obedience to the truth.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Present Advantages And Future Benefits

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God. Hebrews 12:2.

We should ever cherish feelings of gratitude to those who have shown us favors in times
of need. But these feelings that are so readily called into exercise by the kindness and
disinterestedness of our friends should respond to the love and compassion of our benevolent
heavenly Friend.... The friendship expressed by nearest and dearest relatives and friends is so
far surpassed by the revelation of Jesus Christ that the former is dumb and expressionless when
compared with the latter. It is natural that the heart should entertain sentiments of the warmest
affection toward those who have done or suffered something for us.

Let me lead you to the scene of the crucifixion and show you the Son of God dying in your
stead. Will not the spectacle of the cross of Christ awaken every feeling of gratitude? Will it not
sweep away the coldness and indifference which steels the senses to the great sacrifice made in
our behalf? ...

Satan, the adversary of souls, is constantly at work with his devices and enchantments,
stealing away the senses and deadening the feelings to our highest interest. To all the little matters
of life the affections are given free play, but in eternal interest the affections are trammeled, bound
as by magical cords....

There are so many who endure privation and pursue at considerable sacrifice a course which
promises advantages in the future. They forego present comfort for a future inducement as an
equivalent, but here Jesus presents eternal life as the reward of obedience, and if paltry things
of earthly gain will be sacrificed for some future good, how much more should ease, pleasure,
and present worldly advantages be sacrificed for the incomparable riches and glory of the future
immortal life. Let not the sorcery of earthly enchantments steal the affections from God and
harden the heart to eternal interest. Look at the things that are unseen. Enshrine Jesus in the
heart. Love Him with your whole soul.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

The Holy Spirit—The Gift Of Gifts

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8.

In proportion to Christ’s humiliation and suffering is His exaltation. He could have become
the Saviour, the Redeemer, only by first being the Sacrifice. What a mystery there is in the
godliness of Christ. Having magnified the law and made it honorable by accepting its conditions
in saving a world from ruin, Christ hastened to heaven to perfect His work, and to accomplish
His mission by sending the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Thus He would assure His believing
ones that He had not forgotten them, though now in the presence of God, where there is fullness
of joy forevermore.

The Holy Spirit was to descend on those in this world who loved Christ. By this they would
be qualified, in and through the glorification of their Head, to receive every endowment necessary
for the fulfilling of their mission. The Life-giver held in His hands, not only the keys of death, but
a whole heaven of rich blessings. All power in heaven and earth was given to Him, and having
taken His place in the heavenly courts, He could dispense these blessings to all who receive Him.

Christ has said to His disciples, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).
This was the gift of gifts. The Holy Spirit was sent as the most priceless treasure man could
receive. The church was baptized with the Spirit’s power. The disciples were fitted to go forth
and proclaim Christ, first in Jerusalem, where the shameful work of dishonoring the rightful King
had been done, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth....

How full and free are the blessings to be bestowed on all who come to God in the name of
His Son. If they will observe the conditions laid down in His Word, He will open to them the
windows of heaven, and pour them down a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive
it.... If God’s people will sanctify themselves by obedience to His precepts, the Lord will work
in their midst. He will renew humble, contrite souls, making their characters pure and holy.