June

AND so shall we he ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. — 1 Thessalonians 4: 17, 18.

And life with the Lord is a life of rest. It is a life of quest. It is a life of service. It is a life of wondrous communion with one another and with the Lord.

My Father in Heaven, graciously prepare me for fellowship in the land of light and glory. Let me be no stranger or alien when I reach the better land. May I be familiar with its spirit and its ways. Graciously clothe me in the garments of salvation. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

June 2.

ANB Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought Him for her. And Ee stood over her, and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she immediately arose arid ministered unto them. — Luke 4: 38, 39.

She used her new strength to return to her old duties. She employed her divinely restored health in homely ministries about the house. The first evidence of her restoration was found in her own home. Our first field of service is in the need that is most immediate.

O God, my Father, I pray that I may use Thy gifts in consecrated service. Heal my soul and send me forth to minister. Let me be Thy knight, away on roads of generous deliverance. Help me to relieve the oppressed, and to open the prison to them that are bound. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 3.

NOW unto Him that is able to ‘do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory. — Ephesians 3: 20, 21.

When all our workings and all our thinkings are put together, and piled up one on another, like some stupendous alpine height, the ability of our God towers above them all, reaching away into the mists of the immeasurable. We can measure the resources of a cistern. We can register the contents of a reservoir. But who can measure the resources of a spring?

My Father in Heaven, give me a happy confidence in Thine almighty strength. Let me have the assurance that I am drinking from a spring that is not dry in summer or frozen in winter. Give me the venturesome trust that in Thee I have all things and abound. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 4.

UNTO me who am, less than the least of saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. — Ephesians 3: 8.

Our “weeniest bairns” can paddle in the tinsearehable sea, and if we lift our eyes we may see the same ocean carrying the great liner upon its broad bosom, and all its unknown freight of sorrow and joy. And our little ones can put their little feet into the vast sea of infinite love and grace, and when we grow older we are still upon the same infinite expanse.

Almighty God, I would explore the unsearchable riches of Thy grace. Lead me evermore deeply into the wealth of their glory. Let every new need be a minister to disclose some new treasure in Thy grace. Let me be wonderfully surprised as I gaze upon my inheritance in Christ. For His sake. Amen.

June 5.

AND He said unto them. Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile; for there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

—Maek 6: 31.

Never was there a time when this seclusion was more needed than now. Our vital strength is oozing out of every pore, and we need means of recuperation. Get the soul restored, and every part of the being is rejuvenated. There is more real recreation in one hour of communion with Christ than in a whole week of social revelries.

My Father God, sanctify my life in the temple of rest. Deliver me from the feverishness which is born in these ever busy days. Teach me the secret of spiritual restoration. Thou restorest my soul. Refill my lamp, that I may bum brightly for Thee. For His sake. Amen.

5une 6.

TAKE My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. — Matthew 11: 29.

A good learner is one who asks much, and who remembers much, and who teaches much. And in this way I must be a learner in the school of Christ. I must ask Him about everything; I must remember what He says; and I must teach His will to others.

My Father God, I would sit in the school of the Spirit. Teach me Thy will. Let Thy light fall upon me as mine eyes are able to bear it. And when I know Thy truth may I share it with my fellowa For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 7.

BLESSED he the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, Who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may he able to comfort.

2 COEINTHIANS 1: 3, 4.

If we would be able to comfort we must ourselves be comforted. They are the expert comforters who have sought and found their comfort in the Lord. They who have been comforted in doubt are the finest ministers to those who are still in the valley of gloom. They who have been comforted in turning from sin and wickedness know just the word to speak to the shrinking prodigal when he is timidly approaching his Father’s door.

Gracious Father, may Thy holy comfort be given to me. May Thy great love bring to me the gift of Thy peace. Change my remorse into penitence, and my unhappiness into blessedness. Then let me bear the consolations to others. Make me a witness of Thy healing grace. For His sake. Amen.

June 8.

YOU did He quicken, when you were dead through your trespasses and sins.

—Ephesians 2: 1.

This is a transition from a graveyard into a sweet meadow in which the ehil- “COME YE APAET” U5

dren are playing. Or it is like a passing from winter into spring. There is winter; cold, bare, flowerless and fruitless. Then there is a feeling of spring in the air. Everything is vitalized with the vitali2;ing wind of the Spirit, and life begins to manifest evidence of the quickening, and clothes itself with the beauty of the Lord.

Gracious God, I pray that Thou wilt breathe upon my soul with Thy quickening breath. Change my barren winter into beautiful spring. Let heavenly growths begin to appear, and let spiritual graces throng my life. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

5uue 9.

TO Mm that overcomefh will I give to eat of the hidden manna. — Revelation 2: 17.

Our God will bring the secret bread to the secret need. Our secret life will be preserved from starvation. The inner man shall be renewed day by day. He will give us hidden manna. We shall have meat to eat that the world knows not of.

Heavenly Father, I pray that this wonderful bread may be given to my hungry soul. Take away my spiritual faintness. Let me meet my tasks in exuberant strength. Let me turn every opportunity into triumph, and so glorify Thy holy name. For His sake. Amen.

5une 10.

THOU preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

—Psalm 23: 5.

The soul is often a haunt of fears. There are things it cannot escape, presences it cannot avoid, enemies that dog its track from morning until night. There is the sin of yesterday, there is the temptation of to-day, there is the fear of the death that awaits me to-morrow. But God spreads His feast in the midst of all my foes. He is my defence!

My Father in Heaven, I pray that the enemy may not blind my eyes to Thee. Let not my sin eclipse Thy grace. Let not my suffering numb me to Thy consolation. Let me sit at Thy table, and eat the wonderful manna of Thy heavenly love. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

June II.

THE Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.

—Isaiah 12:2,

All that a man needs in the battle of life is enshrined in this great word. The Lord is “my strength,” the very power to fight. The Lord is “my song”; with my God I can fight to music. The Lord is “my salvation”; with my God I fight to victory. Here is perfect equipment for life’s battle, and all of it is found in God.

Heavenly Father, I would seek my armour from Thee. Let me be a warrior who does not faint in the sternest battle. Let my soul sing in happy confidence. Let me fight with the light of victory shining upon the field. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 12.

MY soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my defence; I shall not ie moved. — Psalm 62: 5, 6.

A man whose conception of God is that of “Rock,” “Salvation” and “Defence,” and is bound to Him by the golden cord of hope, cannot be moved. He has confidence that he is standing in security from which he can never be dislodged.

0 Lord my God, I would build my life on Thee,. as on the eternal Rock. Let me lay every stone upon that foundation. Let even my seeming trifles rest in the might of my Lord. Mercifully deliver me from the weakness that would fail in the hour of storm. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

5une 13.

THE wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose. — Isaiah 35: 1.

An attempt is being made to transform what we call the Black Country in England from its well deserved notoriety. And here is a gracious promise from our God, offering a very miracle of transformation in human life. Just as the Black Country is being rebeautified, so the Lord will lay hold of the black country in the soul and convert it into His own garden.

Almighty God, wilt Thou come into my dry heart with the waters of Thy grace? Let wells break out in the desert. Let kindly impulses be born. Let generous emotions flow in plenteous abundance. Transform the wilderness into a garden. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

5une 14.

WHEN the Son of man cometh shall He find faith on the earth? — Luke 18: 8.

I thought He might have looked for righteousness. I thought He would have looked for love. But it is faith He looks for, because faith is the vital relationship which makes the others sure. Faith is the root of which the others are the fruit. If we have faith spiritual fruitage is certain.

0 Lord my God, mercifully increase my faith. Give me a more profound and vital communion with Thee. Let my life be opened out in noble receptiveness to Thy Spirit. Give me the faith which can entertain the Lord in power and in glory. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 15.

FOR as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also dboundeth by Christ.

The apostle’s sorrow is always sorrow with the light streaming through it. It is an April shower, mingled sunshine and rain; the hope gleams through the tears. The light transfigures what it touches. Even the yew tree in my garden, so sombre and so sullen, shows another face when the sunlight falls upon it. I think I have seen the yew tree smile!

My Father God, I bless Thee for the transfiguring ministry of Thy grace. It touches our sorrow with the radiance of a golden hope. It takes the bitterness out of our tears. Let Thy consolations abound in every suffering heart. Let the grace of Thy companionship fall upon it, and behold! all things shall become new. Amen.

June 16.

I WILL tarry at Ephesus.... For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

—1 Corinthians 16: 8, 9.

The many adversaries are a reason why the apostle should remain at his post. He does not run away because hostilities abound. He does not desert his post because it becomes dangerous. He takes the martyr’s road. “It is the way the Master went,” and to be found in that way is to perpetuate the sacrificial spirit, and to “fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of Christ.”

My Father God, let me not be daunted when the enemy comes. Let me not turn coward when difficulties are multiplied. Let courage rise with danger. Let me welcome the hard task under the captaincy of my Lord. By the power of Thy grace make me more than conqueror. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 17.

AND I will ietroth tJiee unto me for ever.

—HosEA 2: 19. That is a tenderly beautiful figure, surely one of the sweetest and most exquisite in the word of God. We are to be married unto the Lord. There is to be a wedding of the soul and its Sar viour. To bring that wedding about is the aim and purpose of every kind and type of Christian ministry. Every day let me think how people can be wooed into a marriage contract with the Lord of glory.

Heavenly Father, I would be the friend of the Bridegroom. I would help Him to win His bride. Let me be alert in the cause of the Bridegroom. Fill my life with holy gentleness that I may win and not repel those for whom He died. For His sake. Amen.

June 18.

COME ye after Me and I will mahe you fishers of men. — Matthew 4: 19.

We are made fishers by Christ. We are fashioned in His Presence. Every wealthy and fruitful gift for our work is born directly of His own grace and love. We are not made by books, or colleges, or friends. “I will make you;” the gift will come as a breath, as an inspiration, as a new creation.

O Lord my God, let me be a fisher in the labour of the Kingdom. Let Thy grace teach me how to win the erring and the fallen. Endow me with heavenly love. Make me very wise and tender in my approach. Deliver me from harshness which creates resentment. Equip me with the fruits of the Spirit. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 19.

TEE fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, moderation, faith. — GaIiAtians 5: 22.

And the great thing to remember is this. They are fruits and not works. They can only be grown, and they can only be grown in one condition, and that is in the Holy Ghost. He is the inspiration of all beautiful things.

O Lord my God, may Thy fruits appear in my life. Let the Holy Spirit inspire them in my soul. Quicken me until I become as Thy garden, abounding in the virtues and graces of the Holy Ghost. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

June 20.

AND I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are also full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. — Eomaks 15: 14.

It is a good thing to study the strength and softness of apostolic tenderness. Their very rebukes and severities emerge from their goodness. A man is to be filled with all knowledge, and all goodness, and then he is regarded as “able also to admonish.” Who would not be helped by admonition which came clothed in this tender “,0OME YE APAET” 123

bloom? But this is not the softness of weakness; it is the bloom of strength.

Most Loviag God, I humbly pray that my severities may always be softened by Thy grace. Let me share the compassions of my Saviour. Give me a heart of pity. Let my reproofs be ministries of healing. Let me know how to touch a wound without increasing its inflammation. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

June 21.

COME unto Me all ye that labour and are Tieavy laden and I will give you rest.

—Matthew 11: 28.

This kind of rest is always a gift, it is never earned. It is not the emolument of toil; it is the dowry of grace. It is not the price of endeavour, its birth precedes endeavour, and is indeed the spring and secret of it. It is not the perquisite of culture, for between it and culture there is no necessary and inevitable communion. It is the gift of the Lord, and it is given to the lowly in heart.

Eternal God, I pray that I may receive this gift of rest at Thy hands. Save me from the delusive rest which is the gift of the world. Let me not confuse worldly ease with heavenly peace. Drop Thy still dews of quietness till all my striving cease. For Christ ’s sake. Amen.

5une 22.

TAKE My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

—Matthew 11:29.

In one word our Master says He will give us rest; in another word He says we are to find rest. The gift of rest does not disclose its unutterable contents in a day. It is an immediate gift, but it is also a continuous discovery.

Heavenly Father, I humbly pray that I may make these discoveries in the treasures of rest. May every new circumstance unveil to me some deeper secret in Thy peace. May the turbulent season be a minister helping me in the quest of the unsearchable riches of Christ. May every day unveil new mercy, and every night discover deeper peace. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 23.

EE giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

—Isaiah 40: 29.

He does not always take away the burden but He increases the strength to lift it. What does the hill matter to the motor-car if the engine power is more than sufficient? God increases our dynamic. He makes us more than level with our task. In Him we are more than conquerors.

Almighty God, equip me with the needful power for my work. Let me not fear the difficult circumstance. Let me not be terrified by temptation. The young lion and dragon let me trample under feet. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 24.

FOB as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. — Isaiah 55: 9.

The thoughts of the eternal are characterized by loftiness, by breadth, by comprehensiveness, by an all inclusive isym’paJthy which vibrates o the interests of every one. “We are therefore growing in the likeness of God as we grow in magnanimity. We are putting on the Lord’s likeness when we pass out of self into brother. When our mind is loftier and broader we are entering into the mind of Christ.

My Father God, let me share Thy holy thought and will. Lift me out of low thinking into the heights of the heavenly places in Christ. Lift me out of narrow feeling to the wonderful breadth of Thine own love. Let me love because Thou hast first loved me. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

5une 25.

I AM come that they inigM have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

—John 10: 10.

Why do we live in March when May and June may be ours? Why do we live in the bald constraints of the commandments when we might live in the gracious fulness of the beatitudes? Why do we live at Sinai when we can live near Calvary? Why go fainting along the way when we can leap vigorously in the life of the Lord?

God of all Grace, I come to Thee for fulness of life. Lead me into the unsearchable riches of Christ. Let Thy holy love fill my being and quicken every power into vigorous health and strength. Make me athletic and exuberant in the aiervice of Thy Kingdom. For the Saviour ’s sake. Amen.

June 26.

THIS is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent. — John 17: 3.

Knowledge implies likeness. To know we must be. To know music we must be musical. To know art we must be artistic. To know Christ we must be Christlike. He that loveth not knoweth not Grod. Eternal life is just Christ life. This is life eternal, to have life like Christ, to know Him in spirit and in truth.

My Father in Heaven, I humbly pray that I may rise into the life which is light. Quicken me so that I may understand Thee. Let me share Thy nature, and then shall I share Thy secrets. Unite my heart to Thee, and then will mine eyes be opened upon the glory of my inheritance. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

June 27.

THOU hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength. — Isaiah 17: 10.

Here is a forgetfulness that is born when we have recovered from some weakness. Our weakness helps our remembrance of God; our strength is the friend of forgetfulness,. And so our strength is in danger of becoming our drug. It is an opiate which ministers to spiritual forgetfulness.

My Father in Heaven, I pray that my comforts may not put my spirit to sleep. Let me not be mindful of Thee only in the dark day and forget Thee when the day is bright. Let me make my strength the servant of Thy holy will. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

5une 28.

THEY have gone from mountain to “hill, and, have forgotten their resting places.

^Jekemiah 50: 6.

This is the figure of wandering sheep roaming over the distant hills and mountains. They have gone from one place to another and they have forgotten their place of rest. And our lives can become so vagrant that God is exiled from our minds.

Almighty God, I humbly pray that I may abide in Thee. Let me make my home in Thy holy grace and will. Deliver me from spiritual vagrancy. Let me not pass from one altar to another in the worship of idols. Let me rest in the Lord. For the Saviour’s sake. Amen.

5une 29.

THE height, and depth, and length and ireadth, and to know the love of God which passeth knowledge. — Ephesians 3: 18, 19.

In love the scale of height is measured by the degree of purity. In love its depth is measured by the depth of its service. As for its breadth we might as well try to break up the sea into allotments as peg out the love of God. And as for its length: — to what length will it not go? Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Most Loving God, Thy love is deeper than my sorrow. It is deeper than my necessity. It is deeper than my sin. My sin can be buried in Thy love as a pebble is buried in the sea. I thank Thee for the height to which Thy love dost call me. Let my spirit awake to Thy call like a bird awaking at the dawn. For Christ’s sake. Amen.

5une 30.

I THANK Thee Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. — Matthew 11: 25.

Spiritual secrets are not the rewards of culture. It is not by cleverness that we gain access into the Kingdom of grace. All people cannot be “knowing” but all can be docile. All people cannot be “learned” but all can be trustful. We can all be as a little child.

Almighty God, I bless Thee that lowly soul a can enter into Thy secrets. When we lay aside our pride we discover the open door. Deliver me from the bondage of mere cleverness and give me the grace of simple trust. Fill me with reverent wonder, and so let me grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.