Sept’ 10th’

SINCERITY

“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” 1 John 2:6

Singleness of purpose, whole-hearted devotion to God, is the condition pointed out by the Saviour’s words. Let the purpose be sincere and unwavering to discern the truth and to obey it at whatever cost, and you will receive divine enlightenment. Real Piety begins when all compromise with sin is at an end. Then the language of the heart will be that of the apostle Paul: “This one thing I do…., I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”…



Yielding to temptation begins in permitting the mind to waver, to be inconstant in your trust in God. If we do not choose to give ourselves fully to God, then we are in darkness. When we make any reserve, we are leaving open a door through which Satan can enter to lead us astray by his temptations. He knows that if he can obscure our vision, so that the eye of faith can not see God, there will be no barrier against sin.



We are living in times full of importance to each one. Light is shining in clear, steady rays around us. If this light is rightly received and appreciated, it will be a blessing to us and to others; but if we trust in our own wisdom and strength of our fellow men, it will be turned into a poison. In the struggle for eternal life, we can not lean upon one another. The bread of life must be eaten by each one. Individually we must partake of it, that soul, body, and mind may be revived and strengthened by its transforming power, thus becoming assimilated to the mind and character of Jesus Christ. God must be made first and last and best in everything.

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Sept’ 9th’

 

A DISCIPLE’S DECISION

“And he left all, rose up, and followed him.” Luke 5:28.




When Christ called his disciples to follow Him, he offered them no flattering prospects in this life. He gave them no promise of gain or worldly honour, nor did they make any stipulation as to what they should receive. To Matthew as he sat at the receipt of custom, the Saviour said, “Follow Me. And he arose, and followed Him.” Matthew did not, before rendering service, wait to demand a certain salary, equal to the amount received in his former occupation. Without question or hesitation he followed Jesus. It was enough for him that he was to be with the Saviour, that he might hear His words and unite with Him in His Work.






So it was with the disciples previously called. When Jesus bade Peter and his companions follow Him, they immediately left their boats and nets. Some of these disciples had friends dependent on them for support; but when they received the Saviour’s invitation, they did not hesitate, inquiring, how shall I live, and sustain my family? They were obedient to the call; and when afterward Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything?” they could answer, “Nothing.”






To-day the Saviour calls us, as he called Matthew and John and Peter, to His work. If our hearts are touched by His love, the question of compensation will not be uppermost in our minds.






Principle is always exacting. No man can succeed in the service of God unless his whole heart Is in the work, and he counts all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ…Wherever he leads the way, they will rejoice to follow.

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Sept' 8th'

 

WE WILL SERVE THE LORD

"And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve;...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15



There will be a sharp conflict between those how are loyal to God and those who cast scorn upon His law. Reverence for God's law has been subverted. The religious leaders are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. As it was in the days of ancient Israel, so it is in this age of the world. But because of the prevalence of disloyalty and transgression, will those who have reverenced the law of God now

cherish less respect for it? Will they unite with the powers of earth to make it void? The loyal will not be carried away by the current of evil. They will not throw contempt on that which God has set apart as holy. They will not follow Israel's example of forgetfulness; they will call to remembrance God's dealings with his people in all ages, and will walk in the way of his commandments. The test comes to everyone.

There are only two sides. On which side are you?



Let every soul be on the alert. The adversary is on your track. Be vigilant, watching diligently lest some carefully concealed and masterly snare shall take you unawares. Let the carell and indifferent beware lest the day of the Lord come upon them as a thief in the night. Many will wander from the path of humility, and, casting aside the yoke of Christ, will walk in strange paths. Blinded and bewildered, they will leave the narrow path that leads to the city of God..



It is time for our people to take their families from the cities into more retired localities, else many of the youth, and many also of those older in years, will be ensnared and taken by the enemy.

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Sept' 7th'

GOD DESIRES A CONTRITE HEART

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Ps. 51:17



The path to Heaven is no smoother now than in the days of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed, if it cause us to offend..Are we willing to part with self-righteousness? Are we willing to give up our chosen worldly associates?...Every association we form, however limited, exerts some influence upon us. The extent to which we yield to that influence will be determined by the degree of intimacy, the constancy of the intercourse, and our love and veneration for the one with whom we associate.

Thus by acquaintance and association with Christ, we may become like him, the one faultless example.



No outward forms can make us clean; no ordinance, administered by the saintliest of men, can take the place of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The spirit of God must do its work upon the heart...



The spirit of Christ will be revealed in all who are born of God. Strife and contention cannot arise among those who are controlled by His spirit.



To talk of religious things in a casual way, to pray for spiritual blessings without real soul-hunger, and living faith availslittle. The wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ, realized no vital power from the contact. But when the poor, suffering woman, in her great need, put forth her hand and touched the hem of Jesus' garment, she felt the healing virtue. Hers was the touch of faith.

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Sept' 6th'

 

SERVE GOD WITH A WILLING MIND

"Know thou the God of they father, and serve him, with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts." 1 Chron. 28.9


In order for us to reach this high ideal, that which causes the soul to stumble must be sacrificed. It is through the will that sin retains its hold upon us. The surrender of the will is represented as plucking out the eye or cutting off the hand. Often it seems to us that to surrender the will to God is to consent to go through life maimed or crippled. But it is better, says Christ, for self to be maimed, wounded, crippled, if thus you may enter into life. That which you look upon as disaster is the door to highest benefit...



Only through the surrender of our will to God is it possible for Him to impart life to us. Only by receiving His life through self-surrender is it possible, said Jesus, for these hidden sins, which I have pointed out, to be overcome....

If you cling to self, refusing to yield your will to God, you are choosing death. To sin, wherever found, God is a consuming fire. If you choose sin, and refuse to separate from it and the presence of God, which consumes sin, must consume you.



You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord.

But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions...There is no such thing as following Christ unless you determine to obey God. It is not your feelings, your will. A life of usefulness is before you, if your will becomes God's will.

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Sept' 5th'

FORSAKE ALL FOR HIM

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33.



God does not force the will of His creatures. He can not accept an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would prevent all real development of mind or character; it would make man a mere automaton. Such is not the purpose of the Creator...In giving ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that would separate us from Him...Whatever shall draw away the heart from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshipped by another class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. But these slavish bands must be broken. We can not be half the Lord's and half the world's. We are not God's children unless we are such entirely....



When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with his love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action...

A profession of Christ without this deep love, is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery.



Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ? Ask yourself the question, "What has Christ given for me?"

God will bring you over the ground again and again, until with Humble heart and subdued mind you bear the test that He inflicts, and are wholly sanctified to His service and work.

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Sept' 4th'

 

I TURNED MY FEET

"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies." Ps. 119:59



Age will never excuse us from obeying God. Our faith should be prolific of good works; for faith without works is dead. Every duty performed, every sacrifice made in the name of Jesus, brings an exceeding great reward. In the very act of duty, God speaks, and gives His blessing. But He requires of us an entire surrender of the faculties. The mind and heart, the whole being, must be given to Him, or we fall short of becoming true Christians.



God has withheld nothing from man that can secure to him eternal riches. He has clothed the earth with beauty, and furnished it for his use and comfort during his temporal life. he has given His son to die for the redemption of a world that had fallen through sin and folly...God requires prompt and unquestioning obedience of his law; but men are asleep, or paralysed by the obedience of His law; but men are asleep, or paralysed by the deceptions of Satan, who suggests excuses to Eve in the garden, "Ye shall not surely die." Disobedience not only hardens the heart and conscience of the guilty one, but it tends to corrupt the faith of others.



Can we afford to have our own way, and take ourselves out of the hands of God, because it is more pleasing to the natural heart? God requires perfect submission and perfect obedience.



As a flower turns to the sun that the bright rays may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should the youth turn to the Sun and righteousness, that Heaven's light may shine upon them.

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Sept' 3rd'

 

WHO THEN IS WILLING?

"And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?" 1 Chron. 29:5

It is not safe for us to linger to contemplate the advantages to be reaped through yielding to Satan's suggestions. Sin means dishonor and disaster to every soul that indulges in it; but it is blinding and deceiving in its nature, and it will entice us with flattering presentations. If we venture on Stan's ground, we have no assurance of protection from his power. So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.



The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to his likeness. By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: "Dead in trespasses and sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;" "no soundness in it." We are held fast in the snare of Satan; "taken captive by him at his will." god desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to him.



The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness.



The government of God is not, as Satan would make it appear, founded upon a blind submission, an unreasoning control. It appeals to the intellect and the conscience.

 

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Sept' 2nd'

PRESENT YOUR BODIES

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Rom. 12:1.



You are not your own. Jesus has purchased you with His blood. Do not bury your talents in the earth. Use them for Him. In whatever business you may be engaged, bring Jesus into it. If you find that you are losing your love for your Saviour, give up your business, and say, "Here I am, Saviour; what wilt Thou have me to do?" He will receive you graciously, and love you freely, he will abundantly pardon; for he is merciful and long-suffering, not willing that any should perish...



We, and all that we have, belong to God. We should not regard it as a sacrifice to give him the affection of our hearts. The heart itself should be given to Him as a willing offering.



The Body is the only medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the up building of character. Hence it is that the adversary of souls directs his temptations to the enfeebling and degrading of the physical powers. His success here means the surrender to evil or the whole being.

The tendencies of our physical nature, unless under the domination of a higher power, will surely work ruin and death.



The body is to be brought into subjection...The requirements of God must be brought home to the conscience. Men and women must be awakened to the duty of self-mastery, the need of purity, freedom from every depraving appetite and defiling habit. They need to be impressed with the fact that all their powers of mind and body are the gift of God, and are to be preserved in the best possible condition for His service.

 
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SEPTEMBER

 

WHO THEN IS WILLING?

Consecration

Sept' 1st'

 

YIELD YOUR MEMBERS

"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness not God." Rom. 6:13.



God's stamp is upon us. He has bought us, and He desires us to remember that our physical, mental, and moral powers belong to Him. Time and influence, reason, affection, and conscience, all are God’s, and are to be used only in harmony with His will. They are not to be used in accordance with the direction of the world; for the world is under a leader who is at enmity with God.

The flesh, in which the soul tabernacles, belongs to God. Every sinew, every muscle, is his. In no case are we by neglect or abuse to weaken a single organ. We are to co-operate with God by keeping the body in the very best possible condition of health, that it may be a temple where the Holy Ghost may abide, moulding, according to the will of god, every physical and spiritual power.



The mind must be stored with pure principles. Truth must be graven on the tablets of the soul. The memory must be filed with the precious truths of the Word. Then, like beautiful gems, these truths will flash out in the life.



The people of God will be tested and proved. A close and searching work must go on among Sabbath keepers. Like ancient Israel, how soon we forget God and his wondrous works, and rebel against Him.