January

My presence shall go with Thee, and I shall give Thee rest.

—Exodus 33: 14.

Where is my road going to lead? Will it be green lane or stony steep? Will it be clear and legible as a turnpike, or faint and doubtful like an uneertaiti track across the moor? I do not know. But our text entwines the gracious offer of a great Companion for the unknown and changing road. It promises the destruction of loneliness but not the dispersal of the mist.

My Father God, Thy Presence makes everywhere a royal road. Thy companionship always leads to the Holy City. Every day’s journey is a day’s march nearer home. Help me to trust and not be afraid. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 2.

AND you, “being dead in your sins... hath He quickened together with Christ.

—CoLOSSiANS 2: 13.

This is the resurrection of the soul. It is her spiritual spring-time. The Lord Jesus visits us in our deadness, and lo, the winter is over, and God makes the flowers appear on the earth, and the time of the singing of birds has come.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may rise in Christ Jesus into newness of life. If I am already risen let me rise into loftier glory. Give me an eager spirit which will not rest until I awake in the likeness of Christ. For His sake. Amen.

January 3*

STAND. ». having your loins girt about with truth.

—Ephesians 6: 14.

It is truth that Is like the girdle that binds the loose energies into compact strength. Without truth we are all at sixes and sevens. Without truth everything is lax and indecisive. Truth binds us into unity and makes us masters of our task.

Holy Father, may my life be girt about with Thy truth. Let not my life be broken up by untruth and spiritual indolence. Gather my energies into obedience to Thy holy will. Let all that is within me bless Thy holy name. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Sanuars 4.

GROW in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

—2 Peter 3: 18.

Were we to live on our yesterdays our growth would be arrested. We cannot live on yesterday’s manna; we are to gather fresh bread to-day. There is a perilous contentment which is the harbinger of death. When we cease to grow we begin to deelina Our safety is in increase.

0 Lord my God, make me wise unto salvatton. Save me from being drugged by my attainments. Let not the little which I know send my soul asleep. Keep me awake, and active, and progressive, and let me put on strength from day to day. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

January 5.

THIS hind goeth not out hut by prayer and fasting. — Matthew 17: 21.

There are some things which cannot be done except as a result of the sternest spiritual discipline. If we are to do marvellous things we must be marvellously open to the incoming of God. And prayer and fasting are two of the appointed means of grace. Fasting covers everything that detaches the soul from the world. Prayer covers everything that attaches the soul to God.

My Father in Heaven, I pray that I may have this detachment from the world and this attachment to Thee. Mercifully grant that by discipline of body and soul I may be open to the energies of Thy grace. Graciously do Thy work in me this day. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Sanuars 6.

I HAVE chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. — John 15: 16.

It is a wonderful thought that God has thought upon me. He has a plan for my life. I am not like some drifting boat on the high seas without compass or chart. My way is appointed and my end rests in the holy grace of the Lord.

0 Lord my God, give me this assurance that I have a place in Thy purpose. Let me meet Thy will moment by moment. Let me complete my journey through fidelity to the immediate task. Let me consecrate the present moment and so hallow the entire year. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 7.

IF any man will do His will, he sJiall know the teaching, whether it be of God.

—John 7: 17.

The only way in which to know truth is by transmitting it into life. We never know it until we incarnate it in flesh and blood. No one can know what the atonement is except through personal sacrifice. Such things are not known as abstractions. They have to be lived, and then we recognize the word of the Lord. Through life we pass to understanding.

Most Gracious God, may I come to know Thy truth along the path of hallowed life. My discoveries are made on roads of obedience. Thy lamps shine for the dutiful. Guide me in Thy truth and teach me. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 8.

EAVINO begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect in the flesh?

—Galatians 3: 3.

We sometimes begin a journey with God, but we do not continue in His companionship. “We sometimes have spiritual impulses but we pass to carnal constraints. Many an institution has been born in a spiritual revival and has then tried to exist on merely mechanical means. What began as spirit has ended in a form.

Most Holy God, save me from the peril of deserting the springs. Let me not lose Thy spiritual inspirations. Let me not be lured into the weakness of the letter. Help me to live in ceaseless dependence upon the fountains of eternal life. May I gather all my water from the hills of God. For my Saviour ’s sake. Amen.

January 9,

THE weapons of our warfare are not carnal, hut mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.

—2 Corinthians 10: 4.

We are to believe in spiritual power more than in material power. We are to believe that nothing can finally resist

—- — II — I - -■

the offensive of the divine Spirit. A divine word has infinitely more dynamic than a carnal work. Prayer is our most vital action.

Most Almighty God, I pray that I may believe in the things of the Spirit. May I not be daunted by the threat of material hostility. Help me to believe that he who shares the Spirit of God is mightier than all the material forces on the planet. In that happy confidence let me face my life to-day. Through Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 10.

AND he not conformed to this world, hut he ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

—EOMAKS 12: 2.

Instead! of being moulded to this world by its external constraints, let us be renewed in thought and purpose, and so become transformed in the secret places of our life. There is a heaven of difference between worldly conformation and spiritual transformation.

My Father God, Thy spirit cam renew my life. Thy holy power can change all my springs. Let the fountains of impulse and desire be like unto the life of my Saviour. Let Christ dwell in me richly. For His sake. Amen.

U “COME YE APABT”

January 11.

TAKE heed to yourselves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unaware.

—Luke 21: 34.

There is a way of living which makes the spirit drowsy. Our eating and drinking have much to do with the life of the soul. We can so drug the body that the spirit falls asleep. The body can be the friend or the foe of the soul.

My Father God, I pray that I may not ill-use my body to the cramping of my soul. Let not my appetite dull my spiritual discernments. Let me so control my cravings that my spirit shall always rule. May I never allow the body to usurp the throne of the soul. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January? 12.

I FOLLOW after, if that I may apprehend that for whicTi also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

—Philippians 3: 12.

The Lord has laid hold of me for some supremely glorious purpose. Something shines in His eyes concerning me and my destiny. As yet I cannot discern its glory. But if I follow on I shall some day lay hold of it, and have it in full and glorious possession.

My Father Grod, I thank Thee for Thy wonderful purpose concerning me in Jesus Christ my Saviour. Let me follow Thy will step by step untU it brings me to the unveiling of the glory. Let me be allured as by a mighty hope. Let me not become slack in the heavenly way. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January? 13.

TEA doubtless, and I count all things hut loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

-Philippians 3: 8.

The apostle puts the knowledge of Christ in one scale, and “all things” in the other; and in the balances the “all things” are as nothing. The knowledge of God is worth more than all things put together. To know Him is life; not to know Him is death.

God of all Life, I humbly pray that I may share Thy nature. Let me never value things more than I prize my high calling in Christ. Let eversthing have a second place when the Lord is on the field. And so let me do Tby will to-day. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Januars 14.

WORE out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do His good pleasure.

—Philippians 2: 12.

The very power to “work out” is only ours because God “works in.” The diver can work below the waters because his friends above supply him with the living air. He can work out because they work in. And so by God’s grace the impossible becomes possible in the provision of His strength.

Most mighty God, help me to believe in the efficiency of Thy grace. Give me a serene confidence that my resources are all sufficient. Let me set my will to Thy tasks in perfect hope that they can be fulfilled. Make me a child of song and liberty. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 15.

FROM within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. — Mark 7:21, 22.

Then what a momentous fountain the heart must be! All these vile things flow out of it. It is th-^ birthplace of all depravity. Therefore it must be the birthplace of all moral redemption. It is little or no use purifying the stream if the springs are befouled. Any ministry which ignores the heart is neglecting the fountain.

Holy Father, create within me a clean heart. Let me not be satisfied with clean hands. Let the springs of desire and will be purified by Thy grace. Let Thy water be within me, a well of water springing up into everlasting life. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Januars 16.

COME ye after Me and I will make you fishers of men.

—Mabk 1: 17.

The calls of the Master are always calls to something larger. The bugle peals, and if we answer it we become bigger men. The Lord leads us out of self into a larger self. He leads us from self to brother. We cease to be self-seekers and we become seekers for Christ. We become fishers of men.

My Gracious Father, may I hear Thy call into the larger life of Christ. Draw me out of selfishness. It makes too small a room for my soul to live in. Lead me into the lives of others, and by Thy marvellous- ‘-grace let me win them for the Lord. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

January 17.

THEREFORE I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, and repenteth Thee of evil. — Jonah 4: 2.

He knew that God was merciful and so he fled from duty! He used God’s mercy to justify his sin. He used his knowledge of God’s goodness to make him easy in the way of trespass.” God is good, it will be all right!” That was an appalling insult to the Lord.

My Father God, may I not presume upon Thy mercy. Let me not take unlawful advantage of Thy kindness. Let me not deliberately sin in the confidence that I shall surely be forgiven. Let Thy grace lead me to repentance and may Thy goodness nourish a hatred for all sin. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

January 18.

GOD repented.... But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. — Jonah 4: 1.

God was merciful with Nineveh and recalled His judgment. And Jonah was angry because God was merciful. He was displeased with God’s magnanimity. We are often more severe than the Lord Himself. We make “His love too narrow by false limits of our own.”

“COME TB APAET” 19

0 Lord God, give me a heart of pity. Let me not be severe when Thou art forgiving, and harsh where Thou art lenient. Let me welcome Thy mercy for all men, and especially for those who are far astray. Let me share the compassions of Christ. For His sake. Amen.

January 19.

THE word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto them the preaching that I hid thee. — Jonah 3:1, 2.

Here we come face to face with the grace of a second chance. Let us mark the mercy of it. Let us also remember that Jonah was a smaller man when God renewed his commission a second time. His moral and spiritual powers had been impaired by his first disobedience. He faced the second chance less competent to do his duty.

My Father God, save me from the negligencs which brings moth and rust into my soul. Let me obey Thee on the first commandment so that my powers may be renewed in obedience. Let me be on the alert for the first sound of the trumpet, and let me eagerly start out on the divine commission. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

^anuarg 20,

I FEAR the Lord, the God of Heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

—Jonah 1: 9.

Here is a strange combination; this man feared the Lord, and shirked his duty. He had religion without morality. His piety was impious. His devotion was divorced from duty and it was therefore dead. It was a fearless fear of the Lord.

Heavenly Fathei*, I pray that I may not seek refuge from duty in professed devotion. Let my faith kindle my conscience, and make me bum with the passion of obedience. Help me to be watchful lest I make my religion a charm to shield me in the ways of trespass. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

5anuaJT5 2t.

WHEN thou goest forth against tMne enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing.

—Deuteronomy 23: 9.

God will have clean fighters. He rejects the alliance of men who have unclean hands. He will not number in His ranks the men who carry the devil’s weapons. Nor may His soldiers have the devil’s spirits in their hearts.

0 Lord my God, let me be a soldier in the ranks who has no need to be ashamed. May I never soil Thy banner with hands that are defiled. May my lips never dishonour the Saviour’s name. Help me to be clean as I bear the vessels of the Lord. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 22.

AND it shall he when the Lord shall give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildedst not, and houses full of good things which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees which thou plantedst not, when thou shalt have eaten and be full, then beware, lest thou forget the Lord.

—Deuteronomy 6: 10-12.

Here is forgetfulness which is begotten of plenty. We get on in life and we become spiritually negligent. Overabundance stupefies us. Our success becomes our drug. Our eyes are closed, and we do not see the Lord.

O Lord my God, help me in the perilous days of success. Shield me when pleasures abound on my road. Come very near to me when I have no burden to carry. Put Thine arms about me when I think I have no foe. Deliver me from the evil one. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

Januarg 23.

I REJOICE in Thy word as one that findeth great spoil.

—Psalm 119: 162.

The saints of God have great Siseoveries. His word opens out treasures which is like an unexpected booty. We never know what will open the word and reveal the treasure. There may be some new occasion, some unfamiliar sort of difficulty, and lo, the treasure comes to view. The old word discloses the new and richer meanings.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may find increasing wealth in Thy word. May I never assume that I have exhausted the treasury of Thy grace. Let all Thy words be like new oil supplying the lamps of my life. Even this day let Thy word be to me a new creation. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 24.

THT word is true from the beginning; and every one of Thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

—Psalm 119: 160.

God’s laws are not made one day to be unmade the next day. They stand eternally. We cannot dodge the moral law. “We cannot escape or destroy it. It is either our sleepless enemy, or our sleepless friend.

Holy Father, help me to make Thy law the friendly companion of my life. May I turn Thy statutes into songs. May I not treat them so as to make them terrors. May I rely upon them as the gracious helpmeets of my Lord. In the doing of Thy will may I find my delights. For my Saviour’s sake. Amen.

January 25.

THY word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

—Psalm 119: 105.

The Lord’s word is like a star leading us to the far-off goal. But it is also like a street-lamp shedding its rays upon the immediate road. It is revelation for the mile, it is illumination for the inch. It enriches me both in vision and in practical judgment.

Holy Father, illumine my mind with holy vision. Tell me of things that are to be. Show me the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven. And then give Thy light that I may know how to build the city which Thou hast revealed. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 26.

I THOUGHT on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies. I made haste and delayed not to observe Thy command.

—Psalm 119:59,60.

I have watched the officers on a great liner taking the sun at noon, and then adjusting her course to its guidance. That is what I am to do. I am to take the direction from the Sun of Righteousness, and then go forward on the appointed way.

Holy God, the fountain of light, let me seek my light in Thee. Let Thy will be my will, Thy purpose be my thought. And when I know Thy will let me hasten with all my powers in the path of Thy commandment. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 27.

THOU hast shown Thy people hard things; Thou hast made us to drink the wine of staggering.

—Psalm 60: 3.

But there is always a goodness In God’s staggering surprises. They are not uncontrolled. They are guided by a gracious aim. The staggering circumstance is intended to startle us out of our indifference. It is purposed to be an awakening to larger and better things.

0 Lord, may the hard things in my life do Thy holy will. May the unpleasant surprises lead me into a larger place. May they release me from perilous sleep and from dangerous benumbment. Keep me awake in Thy presence. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

^anuari? 28.

THEIR idols are silver and gold, the worlcs of men’s hands. They that make them shall be like unto them, yea every one that trust eth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.

—Psalm 115: 4, 8, 9.

We are fashioned unto the likeness of that which we truly worship. We take hue from that to which we cling. Communion with the Lord means communication from the Lord. He gives us of Himself, and we shall at last awake in His likeness.

0 Lord my God, help me to worship Thee in spirit and in truth. May the Holy Spirit take oftfie things of Christ and show them unto me. May I become partaker of Thy natures and so awaire at last in the consciousness that I share Thy glory. For Christ’s sake. Amen,

January? 29.

THE God of Jacob turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of water.

—Psalm 114: 8.

We never know where God hides His pools. We see a rock, and we cannot guess it is the home of a spring. We see a flinty place, and we cannot tell it is the hiding place of a fountain. God leads me into hard places, and then I find I have gone into the dwelling place of eternal springs.

0 Lord my God, let me not be afraid of hard circumstance. Thou canst make the rock reveal the waters of Thy grace. Make me expectant of spiritual blessedness. Let me move with happy confidence through the thirsty desert and through the dewy mead. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

January 30.

UNTO the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: He is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous.

—Psalm 112: 4.

The light is found because of the uprightness. The life is the secret of light. Surely this is the appointed order of our God: — right, sight, light! We cannot reverse the order; we are to live in order to understand.

My Father God, grant me the life so that I may find the light. Grant me the experience which will then break out into truth. Let me obey Thy commandment, and so find that new lamps are burning. For my Saviour’s sake. Amen.

January 31,

FOR there is hope of a tree, if it he cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof mil not cease. If the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground, yet through the scent of the water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. — Job 14: 7-9.

The old stock, withering in the ground, scents the presence of the water, and is quickened into newness of life. And so it is to be in the life of man. When the river of water of life comes near to souls that are drooping in disquietude and defeat, they are to become alive again and clothe themselves in strength and beauty. And so the friends of the Lord Jesus are to move about among drooping people like rivers of water of life.

My Father God, I pray that my presence may be as the giving of the water of life. May many a withered growth bud again, and bring forth fruit. Make my life a vital witness of Thy grace. Let it be busy quickening others even while I earn my daily bread. For Christ’s sake. Amen.