December

IN the way of Thy judgments, 0 Lord, have we waited for Thee.

—Isaiah 26: 8.

Sometimes we wait for the Lord on the wrong road, and He does not come. “We are to wait in the way of His commandments, we are to abide in the right if we would have the right. The way of obedience is the trysting place of the soul and God.

0 Lord my God, help me to wait for Thee in the royal path of obedience. Let me do the will, and then confidently expect the Presence. May I go on my appointed mission and find the great Companion., In Christ’s name. Amen.

December 2.

AND Jesus, teing full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was led iy the Spirit into the wilderness.

—Luke 4: 1.

From the Jordan to the “Wilderness! Then I must not think that sudden changes mean that God has left me. He leads me by the Jordan where the dove of peace descends. But He is also leading in the wilderness when the subtle tempter is near.

My Father God, help me to realize Thy presence in the Wilderness as much as by the Jordan. When I am sorely tempted let me retain the dove of peace. Let me be confident of Thy nearness in the terrible hour. Thine is the Power and the glory. Amen.

December 3.

THEN goeth he and taketh to himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they entered in and dwelt there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

—LtJKE 11: 26.

This is the peril of the unoccupied life. The house was swept and emptied, but it was without a tenant. The devil loves a vacuum and he hastens to fill it. The house of the soul is safe only when it is filled with God and our Father’s business.

My Gracious God, let every room in my soul be engaged in Thy business. Let nothing be empty, offering hospitality to the evil one. When the tempter draws near me may he find my life filled with God. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 4.

WE give thanks to God... since we “heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven.

—CoiiOSSIANS 1: 3-5.

Here are faith, and hope, and love; these three. The faith is creative of the other two. Faiih is the seed-plot of all the graces. But love is the coronal crown, the flower which gives worth and beauty to everything.

Most Gracious God, grant unto me the faith which produces the flower of love. Save me from a loveless faith which has no fragrant or beautiful witness. Let me prove my faith in Thee by lovely strength of character. Let love be Thy seal to my devotion. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

December 5.

HE loohed for a city which hath foundations, whose Maker and whose Builder is God.

—Hebrews 11: 10.

That is the attitude of a great expectancy. It is expectancy of a divine and radiant future. This man’s eyes were watching the coming day, eagerly looking for all sorts of wonderful unfoldings through the grace and power of the living God.

O Lord my God, give me the grace of the forward mind. Fill me with holy expectation and hope. May I be a child of the dawn even in the hour of the midnight. May I believe in the coming harvest even while the snow is on the ground. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

December 6.

IF any man will do His will, he shall know the teaching.

—John 7: 17.

The most serious of our problems are solved not by reasoning but by life. “We cannot argue our souls into freedom. We leave many of our difficulties behind when we obtain the final discernments which come with a larger life. It is through being that we pass to seeing and to knowing.

O Lord my God, give me the stalwart virtue of obedience. Help me to obey in face of everything. Let me stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. In obeying let me come to understanding. In the way of the Lord let me learn the mind of the Lord. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

SJecembet 7.

WE AT wilt thou that I shall do unto theef The blind man said unto Him, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him: Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.

—Mark 10:51,52.

This blind man’s prayer fixes upon a definite need, and he brings that need to the Lord. I, too, must be definite when I come into the presence-chamber of the King. What would I like at the King ’s hand? My hope? my faith? my purity? my love? Lord, that I may receive it!

Holy Father, wilt Thou give me the counsels of Thy Spirit, so that I may present my ixmiost need before Thee. Save me from idle and wandering prayers. Make me very real and immediate in my communion. Lord that I might receive my... For Christ’s sake. Amen.

S>ecembet 8»

I PRAT... that ye might he strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy fulness.

—COLOSSIANS 1: 11.

Here is dynamo, and here are some of its ministries. A dynamo gives power of light, and heat, and motion. And the spiritual dynamo gives us the power of patience, and longsuffering, and holy joy.

0 Lord my God, establish that glorious power in my soul. Give me strength to do Thy will in greatest triumph. Let Thy power be revealed in patience, and fortitude, and victorious joy. Tor Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 9,

WE AT things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

—Mark 11: 24.

This is the vital faith that actualizes the answer. Assume you have the answer, and thereby you will prove it. Go forth to battle in the steady confidence that power has been given you by God, and in the fight the power will be revealed.

Almighty God, help me to go forth to this day’s battle confident in my spiritual resources. I pray for strength. Let me now have faith to believe that I receive it. Let me prove Thy nearness and grace in every conflict between mom and night. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 10.

/ PRAY that ye might he filed with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

—COLOSSIANS 1:9.

The apostle Paul sees the knowledge of God’s will flowing into human life like a tide, and filling every bay and creek and cove of our soul with divine fulness. God’s wisdom is to flow into all our affairs, giving us understanding in all things both great and small.

My Father in Heaven, I pray that I may be filled with the knowledge of Thy will. Let Thy grace pervade all my powers. Let everything move with divine understanding. Leave me not in darkness and weakness. Let me share the heavenly wisdom. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

December ll.

FOR unto whomsoever much is given, of Mm shall be much required, and to whom men have committed much, of him they wUl ask the more.

—Luke 12: 48.

Life’s obligations are determined by the quality and quantity of its capital. I owe just as much as I have. What is my endowment? From my endowment I may infer the divine requirements.

Most Gracious God, let me lay my life upon Thine altar. Let me not use my powers merely for my own delight. Let me surrender every gift to the service of Thy Kingdom. Let every faculty be as a clean sword in the warfare of righteousness. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen,

December 12.

THOU skdlt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.

—Mark 12: 30.

This is a four-sided love, a symmetrical love. All the primary powers of the being are engaged in it, the heart, the soul, the mind, the strength. All are needed to make love royal and divine. If one power be left out, love is impaired.

My Father in Heaven, grant that my love may be like Thine. Let it not be a weakling in Thy warfare. Let me put everything into it. Let it be a love that never faileth. Grant me Thy love so that I may love like Thee. For Christ’s sake. AmeB.

December 13»

THAT ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

—COLOSSIANS 1: 10.

And so we begin by walking, and we end by knowing. We walk to our revelation. Visions come to us in the way of obedience. Our walk determines our outlook.

My Father in Heaven, bid me walk in Thy way to-day. Let me not loiter for the expected vision. Give me confidence that the knowledge will be given as I need it. Help me to step out, doing Thy good pleasure. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 14.

THOU wilt keep Mm in perfect peace, wJiose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee.

—Isaiah 26: 3.

This great promise begins by naming the fruit, and it ends by naming the root. It first mentions the peace, and then the faith from which it springs. We trust God; that is the root of things. We stay our mind on God; that is the strong outgrowth of the noble root.

Then there is perfect peace; this is the fruit of all the rest.

My Father in Heaven, I pray for the gift of faith. May I so deeply trust Thee that my mind is stayed on Thee. Let me come to Thy peace by the way of vital communion. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

December 15.

OBANT unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left hand in Thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Can ye drink of the cup that I drink off

—Matthew 20: 21, 22.

There are gifts which cannot be given for the asking; they can only be given as the crowns of life. There are glories which are the flower of sufferings. There are dignities which are born of service. The rewards are part of the resultant life.

My Father God, I pray that I may not be eo much concerned about places as about character. May I be more eager for Thy likeness than forj the use of power. May I esteem it to be the very crown of life to know Thee and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. Amen.

2)ecember 16.

SALT is good, hut if the salt have lost its saltness, wherewith will you season it?

—Maek 9: 50.

There is a salt of character which has no saving strength. It easily catches a passing pollution. It is not preservative against peril. Any wandering germ finds a lodging and a feast. It takes every taint that comes along.

Most Holy God, graciously make my character so healthy that it is defended against the moral plague. Let me be safe in ungodly surroundings. To this end strengthen me with Thy Spirit, that I may stand in the evil day, and having done all, may stand. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

2>ecembet 17.

HAVE salt in yourselves, and he at peace onM with another.

—Mack 9: 50.

Salt is the servant of purity. It is the minister of sweetness and health. Vital religion is the salt of common life. It makes fellowship whole and sweet. Disease is divisive. Taint breeds strife. Vital health creates vital communion.

Holy Father, let my life be as salt in the com* munity. Let it be a minister of moral and spiritual health. Let it make for peace through righteousness. May I be the enemy of all corruption which makes for strife and ill-will. For Christ’s sake. Amen,

December 18.

IF thy hand make thee to stumble, cut it off.... And if thy foot make thee to stumble, cut it off.... And if thine eye make thee to stumble, pluck it out. For every one shall he salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Makk9:43,45,47,49.

We are to be ready to sacrifice a right for the sake of a more valuable possession. We are to submit to self-limitation for the sake of a richer life. We are to let even the precious go for the sake of something infinitely more precious. Anything and everything should be surrendered if the life and welfare of the soul demand it.

Almighty God, teach me the true values of things. Let me put first things first. May I be ready to part with a right for the sake of righteousness. Let me sacrifice a legitimate delight to the health of my soul and the joy of my Lord. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

December 19.

WE saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and we forbade Mm, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said. Forbid him not.. for he that is not against us is on our part. — Mark 9: 38, 39, 40.

He drew a circle and shut me out,
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout;
But love and I had the wit to win.
We drew a circle and took Him in.

My Father in Heaven, may Thy spirit enlarge the circle of my sympathies. Let me be more concerned to include my brother than to shut him out. Let me discover my kinship with all who confess my Saviour’s name. Enlarge my fellowship with the whole family of man. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

December 20.

AND Jesus charged them saying. Take heed, “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.

—Mark 8: 15.

Let me mark the suggestion of the Saviour’s word. There is a way of thinking which acts like leaven. And there is a way of living which acts like leaven. Thought is contagion, and spreads by its own power. And spirit is contagion, and its influences pervade

the lives of others. There is fashioncontagion, and ugly moral habits communicate themselves to my fellows. Beware!

Holy Father, let me not be the centre of ungodly leaven. Let my life abound in sweet and holy influence. Let no one ever catch uncleanness from my presence. Let no evil seed pass from the garden of my life into the life of my neighbour. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 21.

AND Christ is before all things, and in Eim all things consist.

—COLOSSIANS 1: 17.

Christ is the eternal bond of fraternal union. Christ is the only enduring cement in human fellowship. He is the only secret of consistency amid the quarrelsome powers of the soul. We are held together in Christ. He makes us one.

My Father God, I pray for the harmony for which my Saviour died. May the grace of the Lord Jesus bind my powers together in vital union. And I pray that He may be the eternal bond of the whole family of man. For His sake. Amen.

December 22.

GIVING thanks unto tJie Father... Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love.

—COLOSSIANS 1: 12, 13.

Here is a life delivered from one condition into another. By the grace of God the soul can change its citizenship. We can pass from the cruel bondage of darkness into the enriching bondage of love. We can be supernaturalized into the life and liberty of heaven.

Most Gracious Father, I thank Thee for this marvellous deliverance. I thank Thee that I can be a citizen of heaven even in the realm of time. Even now I can wear the robes of the elect, and be clothed in the garments of glory. Let me live this day as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 23.

TEOTJ shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep His commandments or no.

—Deuteronomt 8: 2.

I am so prone to forget the miracles of the wilderness when I reach the comforts of Canaan. The luxury acts as a drug in my life and puts my memory asleep. Blessed is the man who carries the remembrance of divine providence when the brighter days arrive!

My Father God, I would not forget the mercies of yesterday. I would consider what great things Thou hast done for me. Let the Holy Spirit quicken my memory that I may live Thy goodness over again. Let the yesterdays bring inspiration iato to-day. For His sake. Amen.

2)ecember 24.

CHRIST in you, the hope of glory.

—CoLOSSiANS 1: 27.

That is how we are to kindle the lamp of hope; in Christ Jesus. It is there, and there only, that we shall find hope for ourselves, and for our families, and for the world. “Where else can our lamps be lit? Christ is the secret of a steady optimism.

O Lord my God, light Thou the lamp of my hope. May Thy kindly light fall upon yesterday in the grace of forgiveness. May it shine upon to-morrow in the grace of a great expectancy. Let it fall upon to-day in the grace of an enriching peace. For Thy mercy’s sake. Amen.

December 25. FROM thai time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

—Matthew 4: 17.

Repentance is just change of mind. When we repent we alter all our thinking; our thinking about God, and life, and man, and woman, and duty. We seek for Christ’s conception of everything.

O Lord my God, I humhly pray that Thy thought may fill my mind. May Thy holy vision be upon my imagination, and the constraint of Thy purpose upon my will. Let everything be in tune with Thy choice. Thy will be done in me as it is done in heaven. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 26.

THE Son of man came not to he ministered unto hut to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.

—Matthew 20: 28.

He found His joy in service. There is a certain pleasure in being served, but the joy of life is in serving others. We never find the royal springs until we are making others glad. We refresh our own thirsty spirits when we carry water to others.

My Father in Heaven, teach me the way of Jesus Christ. Let me be a seeker in the welfare of my fellows. Let me dig wells for them. Let me gladden their hearts. Let me drink of Thy pleasure by giving water out of wells of salvation. For His sake. Amen.

December 27.

Z WILL instruct and teach thee in the way which thou shdlt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye.

—Psalm 32: 8.

How delicate is the guidance! The Lord is guiding with the glance of an eye! The mule is headlong and headstrong and he has to be guided by a strong hand. But the Lord would guide us by His eye. What tender intercourse can pass through the eyes! There is a whole language in their silent communion. But eye-guidance implies intimate fellowship. Bye-speech is the speech of lovers. We can only be guided with His eye when we are gazing on God.

Most Gracious Father, let this tender guidance be mine. Let me fix my gaze upon Thee in reverent attention. Let not the glitter of the world entice me. Guide me with Thy gentle wisdom. In the bonds of sacred love let me know Thy holy will. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 28.

THOU hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent.

—John 17: 2, 3.

We never really know anybody until we are like him. It is likeness which alone gives vital appreciation. To know God is therefore to share His life. We shall be like Him, for we shall know Him as He is.

Holy God, graciously take me into that fellowship where I shall come to know Thee. Let me not be contented with the world’s learning, or even with the knowledge of Thy word. Let me share Thy life, and so enter into the secret place of the Most High. In all that I do this day may I be growing in grace and in the knowledge of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

December 29.

LET us lay aside every weight, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus.

—Hebrews 12: 1.

We hang heavy weights about our spirits and then we crawl along the way. And God wants our feet to be like the feet of a fawn! “Thou hast made my feet like hind’s feet!” We carry the burdens of unforgiven sin. We carry the cares of unknown morrows. God wants our yoke to be easy and our burden light!

O Lord my God, rid me of every needless load. Let me carry only the appointed burden for which Thou hast provided the needful strength. Let me not be encumbered in my race. Let me run with delight in the way of Thy commandments. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

December 30.

IN Him dwelleth all the fulness of tJie Godhead bodily.

—OOLOSSIANS 2: 9.

The fulness of the Lord Jesus will fill up all our crevices. It is the abiding secret of spiritual satisfaction. The human completes itself in the divine. I become myself in Christ.

0 Lord, help me to believe this great evangel. Let my life be completed in Thee. In all the affairs of this day let me move in the confidence of divine union. Fill me with Thy fulness, so that even the least thing shall shine with the light of life. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

SJecember 31.

CHRIST, in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

—COLOSSIANS 2: 3.

Christ is the rich mine which the believer has to work. Christ is the amazing bank from which we can draw endless supplies. “Our never-failing treasury, filled with boundless stores of grace.”

Most Gracious Lord, help me to believe that my sufficiency is in Thee. Make me wise to draw supplies from Thee in every season. In every necessity let me turn immediately to Thy door. I turn to Thee now in happy confidence in Thy fulness. Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

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