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David

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Daily Light
June 1

MORNING

The fruit of the Spirit is longsuffering, gentleness.

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abun-dant in goodness and truth.

Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. -- Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. -- The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. -- Charity suffereth long, and is kind.

In due season we shall reap, if we faint not. -- Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

GAL. 5:22. Exo. 34:6. Eph. 4:1,2. ‑Eph. 4:32. ‑Jas. 3:17. ‑I Cor. 13:4. Gal. 6:9. ‑Jas. 5:7,8.



EVENING

Emmanuel, ... God with us.

Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. -- The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. -- Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.

God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

The first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, ... came Jesus and stood in the midst. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. After eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then saith [Jesus] to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas ... said, My Lord and my God. -- Unto us a Son is given: the mighty God.

MATT. 1:23. II Chr. 6:18. ‑John 1:14. ‑I Tim. 3:16. Heb 1:2. John 20:19,20,26‑28. ‑Isa. 9:6

Reported Judy's Daily Light to get us started.
Tom
 
"Two natures beat beneath our breast,

one is foul, the other blessed.

One we love and one we hate,

The one we feed will dominate."

"Have a good and Godly day, for of what lasting value is a good day if it is not a Godly day?" Woodrow Kroll
 
Very comforting: we have a place in God's House!

Daily in His Presence by Rebecca Barlow Jordan

"I am going there to prepare a place for you. . . .
I will come back and take you to be with me
that you also may be where I am."
John 14:2-3




FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, I'm so excited about your new forever room. You're going to love it. As long as I keep you here on earth to bring Me glory, we will work on the rooms of your heart together. But in the meantime, My anticipation grows for the time when I'll unveil your final home. It's so beautiful - you won't believe it!

A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
Have You really prepared a place for me, Lord? Do You have room in Your mansions for one like me? You wait there with anticipation until the time You call me to join Your presence. How precious that You care so much! Lord, I'm coming home to You soon.

SIMPLE TRUTH

God spares no expense to add on more rooms to His house.
 
by Neil Anderson

June 2

FOCUS ON THE SIGNIFICANT

1 Corinthians 3:14
If any man's work . . . remains, he shall receive a reward

Significance is a time issue. What is forgotten in time is of little significance. What is remembered for eternity is of great significance. Paul wrote to Timothy: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness . . . since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:7, 8). If you want to increase your significance, focus your energies on significant activities: those which will remain for eternity.

Brian was a pastor of a small church who attended one of my classes at the seminary. He was in his mid-thirties and married when he found out he had cancer. The doctors gave him less than two years to live.

One day Brian came to talk to me. "Ten years ago somebody gave a prophecy about me in church," he began. "They said I was going to do a great work for God. I've led a few hundred people to Christ, but I haven't had a great work for God yet. Do you think God is going to heal me so the prophecy can be fulfilled?"

My mouth dropped open in shock. "You've led a few hundred people to Christ and don't think you have accomplished a great work for God? Brian, I know some big-name pastors in large churches who can't make that claim. I know some great theologians who have probably never led anyone to Christ. If a few hundred people are believers today because of you, and they have influenced who knows how many other people for Christ, I'd call that a great work for God." (Brian is now with the Lord, having completed his significant ministry of reaching hundreds for Christ.)

As children of God, we are in the significant business of collecting treasures for eternity. What we do and say for Christ, no matter how insignificant it seems in this world, will last forever. There are no insignificant children of God, because our life is eternal.

Prayer: Lord, I desire to use wisely the time You have allotted to me. May my life count for gold, silver and precious jewels
 
The Word Among Us

“Keep yourselves in the love of God.” (Jude 21)

That’s quite a tall order, isn’t it? How in the world are we supposed to keep ourselves in God’s love? Isn’t that more something God does for us?

Well, yes and no. It’s true that only God can sustain us. It’s true that we can’t earn God’s love or do anything to make him love us any more—or any less, for that matter. But Jude isn’t telling us to keep working hard to make sure that our Father still loves us. Instead, his words speak more directly to the way we use the precious gift of our memories. His words tell us to do all we can to keep the memory of God’s love for us alive so that we can con*tinue to think and act in a way that honors the Lord.

Of course, we may experience some feelings of joy and happiness when we pray, but these feelings can fade, and difficult times can threaten our peace. And this is precisely where memory comes in. As we recall past events that proved God’s love for us—past times of prayer or situations where we’ve really felt God’s hand on us—we build up our database of trust and faith in him. Then, during those darker times when God feels a little more distant, we can draw upon this database to help us stay faithful to the Lord and to remain rooted in his love.

Throughout Scripture, God calls us to remember him and his love. He gave the Israelites the feast of Passover to remind them how he delivered them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:14). And at the Last Supper, Jesus told us: “Do this in memory of me” so that we can remember and relive the miracle of his death and resurrection every day (Luke 22:19).

It is vital that we keep our memories clear and active so that we can stand on the truths of the Lord. Worshipping him and listening to him in personal prayer can do wonders in awakening the memory of God’s covenant with us. If we nourish our memories every day, we’ll find it easier to remain in God’s love, no matter what happens.

“Jesus, I trust in your mercy and love. Help me to remember you every day—you who are my Lord, my Savior, and my Friend!”

Psalm 63:2-6; Mark 11:27-33
 
Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
June 2
Psa 143:10, PBV: Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee.

I want this note to help even the youngest who is in earnest to live a holy life. So I will write something so simple that at first reading it will seem hardly worth writing at all.

There are two prayers, one of which we are constantly praying, sometimes in words, sometimes in thoughts, always in actions. One is, “Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee”; the other is, “Lord, let me do the thing that pleaseth me.” If we are honest with our God He will show us which of these two prayers we habitually use. Some use the first in the morning and the second all through the day; for such, the second is the habit of the soul. Some vary between the two, and that leads to an up-and-down life. Some are growing more and more into the first as an all-day prayer, and their lives are growing stronger and gladder, more equable, more dependable, and much more peaceful.

I do not think anything worth having in the spiritual world is easily attained. There is no short-cut to holiness. But there can be a true, humble, loving choice of the soul, and that choice, becoming a habit, will lead it into peace.
 
As I was reading this, I thought of our Michael who is now with our dear Annie. He would at times be quiet and not post on this thread. When we sought him he would say he was introspecting. From time to time, we need to do likewise and todays reading is a great place to start.

My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chamber

Are You Obsessed by Something?

Who is the man that fears the Lord? —Psalm 25:12

Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, “No, by nothing,” but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.

If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.

“He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . .” (Psalm 25:13). God will cause us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. “God is our refuge . . .” (Psalm 46:1). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.
 
Daily Light
JUNE 2
MORNING

Thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover.

Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest. -- Here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. -- There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediatety. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching. -- Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. -- This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, ... I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.

EXO. 12:11. Mic. 2:10. ‑Heb. 13:14. ‑Heb. 4:9. Luke 12:35‑37. ‑I Pet. 1:13. -Phi. 3:13‑15.

EVENING

The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup.

Heirs of God, and joint‑heirs with Christ. -- All things are your's. -- My beloved is mine. -- The Son of God ... loved me, and gave himself for me.

The Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thy inheritance among the children of Israel .

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. -- I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land.

PSA. 16:5. Rom. 8:17. ‑I Cor. 3:21. ‑Song 2:16. ‑Gal. 2:20. Num. 8:20. Psa. 73:25,26. Psa. 23:4. ‑II Tim. 1:12. Psa. 63:1.
 
Thanks for your words about Michael Judith...brought back pleasant memories.

Streams in the Desert by Cowman

Evidence of His Love

"But the dove found no rest for or the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him...And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf" (Gen. 8:9-11).


God knows just when to withhold from us any visible sign of encouragement, and when to grant us such a sign. How good it is that we may trust Him anyway! When all visible evidences that He is remembering us are withheld, that is best; He wants us to realize that His Word, His promise of remembrance, is more substantial and dependable than any evidence of our senses. When He sends the visible evidence, that is well also; we appreciate it all the more after we have trusted Him without it. Those who are readiest to trust God without other evidence than His Word always receive the greatest number of visible evidences of His love. --C. G. Trumbull

***

"Believing Him; if storm-clouds gather darkly 'round,
And even if the heaven seem brass, without a sound?
He hears each prayer and even notes the sparrow's fall.

"And praising Him; when sorrow, grief, and pain are near,
And even when we lose the thing that seems most dear?
Our loss is gain. Praise Him; in Him we have our All.

"Our hand in His; e'en though the path seems long and drear
We scarcely see a step ahead, and almost fear?
He guides aright. He has it thus to keep us near.

"And satisfied; when every path is blocked and bare,
And worldly things are gone and dead which were so fair?
Believe and rest and trust in Him, He comes to stay."

***

Delays are not refusals; many a prayer is registered, and underneath it the words: "My time is not yet come." God has a set time as well as a set purpose, and He who orders the bounds of our habitation orders also the time of our deliverance. -- Selected
 
In His Presence

"At midnight the cry rang out:
'Here's the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him!'"
Matthew 25:6


FROM THE FATHER'S HEART

My child, not even I know the time when I, your bridegroom, will return for My church and My children. Only My Father knows. Stay close to Me and keep the light on in the window of your heart. Watch with anticipation for My return. And when the time is right, My bride, you'll shout with joyful heart, "Here comes the groom!"

A GRATEFUL RESPONSE

Lord, I can only imagine the wedding day, when You, my bridegroom, say to me, "Come!" With fluttering heart, and trembling hands, I'll join my long-awaited love and celebrate an eternity of joy in the home You have prepared for me. Lord, there is no other love but You. Your bride is ready!

SIMPLE TRUTH

The bridegroom never breaks His vows. He loves you today, tomorrow, and forever.
 
The Word Among Us


The Most Holy Trinity

Go, therefore… (Matthew 28:19)

Have you ever started to leave a friend’s house, but then turned turn back to say: “Oh, and one more thing… .” That’s kind of what Jesus does here. Just before he ascends into heaven, he turns to his apostles and tells them one more thing: “Go … and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Teach them. Tell them what you know. Make them students of my life, my Father’s love, and the power of the Spirit. Baptize them—immerse them—in all that it means.

Those words are for us, too. Tell people who the Father is, who the Son is, and who the Holy Spirit is. So here are a few things we can all meditate on today so that we are bet*ter equipped to go out and “make disciples” ourselves.

The Father: He is the creator of the universe who holds us close to his heart. His voice thunders in the heav*ens and whispers quiet words of love in our hearts. He is supreme above all things. He knows us completely and loved us absolutely before we were even conceived.

The Son: He is the image of the invisible God, divine love in human form. Jesus opened the gates of heaven for us and all who believe and are baptized. On the cross, he restored our relationship with God, bringing us back into his embrace. He rescued us from sin and death, and set our feet in the way of peace.

The Spirit: He is a divine gift given to guide and direct us. He leads us in all truth and teaches us God’s mind. Through his indwelling pres*ence, we grow more loving, patient, and joyful. He gives us words of understanding, comfort, and instruction for our day. And he gives us the energy we need to do the things God has called us to do.

Immerse yourself in these truths today. Then go and teach them, remembering that Jesus is always with you!

“Holy Trinity, help me experience your love and life more today, and to tell everyone about you.”
 
MEDITATIONS ON THE MYSTERY OF TRINITY
by Richard Rhor

In the name of the Holy One
In the name of the Son
In the name of the Spirit
We are made one

God for us, we call You Father
God alongside us, we call You Jesus,
God within us, we call You Holy Spirit.

You are the Eternal Mystery that enables and holds
and enlivens all things
—even us and even me.

Every name falls short of Your goodness and greatness.
We can only see who You are in what is.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.
Amen
 
Daily Light on the Daily Path
JUNE 3
MORNING
Watch, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
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 unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

MATT. 25:13. Luke 21:34‑36. I Thes. 5:2‑6.

EVENING
I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Enoch walked with God and he was not; for God took him.
Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. — We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

These words spake Jesus, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.

GEN. 17:1. Phi. 3:12‑14. Gen. 5:24. II Pet. 3:18. ‑II Cor. 3:18. John 17:1,15,23
 
Sharon,
It did bring back fond memories of our friends and fellow comrades in the faith.

Edges of His Ways,byAmy Carmichael
June 3

Deuteronomy 2.3: Ye have compassed this mountain long enough.

[or, in a modern translation,“You've been traveling around this hill country long enough.”

There is a mountain which, when I find myself circling it, I call by this name, "Discontent with the ways of God." It has other names which sound nicer, but I think this name strips it of all pretense.

How can we know if we are circling that mountain? Do we fit anywhere into this sentence from the "Imitation"? "Many secretly seek themselves in things that they do, and are unaware of this. It seems to them also that they stand well in peace when everything goes their way, or how they feel. And if things happen they don't desire, they are soon disturbed and are unhappy." If we find ourselves there, then we may know that we are circling that mountain. But we need not circle it for one hour longer. "You have circled this mountain long enough," It is a trumpet-note word. We are called to be soldiers. Soldiers obey the call of the trumpet. Let us obey.
 
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