daily devotional

God’s hand never slips

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Jan 12

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

—2 Corinthians 12:9

God is especially close to us when we are lying on a sickbed. God will make the bed soft and will freshen it with His presence and with His tender care. He makes the bed comfortable and wipes away our tears. He ministers to us with special tenderness at such a time and reveals His great love for us. Tell me why the gardener trims and prunes his rosebushes, sometimes cutting away productive branches, and I will tell you why God’s people are afflicted. God’s hand never slips. He never makes a mistake. His every move is for our own good and for our ultimate good. Oftentimes He must deform us and mutilate our own image. Deformity sometimes precedes conformity.

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Rejoice of the Lord

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“In thy presence is fullness of joy” (Psa. 16:11).
Because the joy that we receive at New Birth is not an earthly joy, but the joy of the Lord
Himself, it must multiply and become stronger, richer and fuller throughout eternity. Moreover
it is not a selfish joy. It is a joy that is shared by many people upon this earth and in heavenly
places — by all those in fact that have come or are now coming into the same experience of
New Birth. Earthly joys cannot be shared like this. But this joy is a heavenly joy which it is
our privilege to seek to introduce to, and share with, many others on earth.
What was it that enabled David to rejoice with great joy, and how was he also able to make
others rejoice with him? There were these several occasions in his life, each one of which
makes a point of progress in his own knowledge of the joy of the Lord, which was his strength.

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Building of God’s house | January 12

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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
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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.

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Sword of the Spirit

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Jan

09

Despise God’s Word and find yourself in trouble. Obey it and succeed.

—Proverbs 13:13 (TLB)

As Christians, we have the Spirit of God in us. But ours is the responsibility to keep sin out of our lives so that the Spirit can produce His fruit in us. Become grounded in the Bible. As Christians, we have only one authority, one compass: the Word of God. Abraham Lincoln in a letter to a friend said, “I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance upon faith. You will live and die a better man.” Begin the day with the Book; and as the day comes to a close, let the Word speak its wisdom to your soul. Let it be the firm foundation upon which your hope is built. Let it be the Staff of Life upon which your spirit is nourished. Let it be the Sword of the Spirit which cuts away the evil of your life and fashions you in His image and likeness.

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Fervent prayers | January 9

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“…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.
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“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.

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