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daily devotional
Evening ...
Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.
The word "conversation" does not merely mean our talk and converse with one
another, but the whole course of our life and behaviour in the world. The Greek
word signifies the actions and the privileges of citizenship: and thus we are
commanded to let our actions, as citizens of the New Jerusalem, be such as
becometh the gospel of Christ. What sort of conversation is this? In the first
place, the gospel is very simple. So Christians should be simple and plain in
their habits. There should be about our manner, our speech, our dress, our
whole behaviour, that simplicity which is the very soul of beauty. The gospel
is pre-eminently true, it is gold without dross; and the Christian's life will
be lustreless and valueless without the jewel of truth. The gospel is a very
fearless gospel, it boldly proclaims the truth, whether men like it or not: we
must be equally faithful and unflinching. But the gospel is also very gentle.
Mark this spirit in its Founder: "a bruised reed He will not break." Some
professors are sharper than a thorn-hedge; such men are not like Jesus. Let us
seek to win others by the gentleness of our words and acts. The gospel is very
loving. It is the message of the God of love to a lost and fallen race.
Christ's last command to His disciples was, "Love one another." O for more
real, hearty union and love to all the saints; for more tender compassion
towards the souls of the worst and vilest of men! We must not forget that the
gospel of Christ is holy. It never excuses sin: it pardons it, but only through
an atonement. If our life is to resemble the gospel, we must shun, not merely
the grosser vices, but everything that would hinder our perfect conformity to
Christ. For His sake, for our own sakes, and for the sakes of others, we must
strive day by day to let our conversation be more in accordance with His gospel.
Morning ...
Psalm 38:21
Forsake me not, O Lord.
Frequently we pray that God would not forsake us in the hour of trial and
temptation, but we too much forget that we have need to use this prayer at all
times. There is no moment of our life, however holy, in which we can do without
His constant upholding. Whether in light or in darkness, in communion or in
temptation, we alike need the prayer, "Forsake me not, O Lord." "Hold Thou me
up, and I shall be safe." A little child, while learning to walk, always needs
the nurse's aid. The ship left by the pilot drifts at once from her course. We
cannot do without continued aid from above; let it then be your prayer to-day,
"Forsake me not. Father, forsake not Thy child, lest he fall by the hand of the
enemy. Shepherd, forsake not Thy lamb, lest he wander from the safety of the
fold. Great Husbandman, forsake not Thy plant, lest it wither and die. 'Forsake
me not, O Lord,' now; and forsake me not at any moment of my life. Forsake me
not in my joys, lest they absorb my heart. Forsake me not in my sorrows, lest I
murmur against Thee. Forsake me not in the day of my repentance, lest I lose
the hope of pardon, and fall into despair; and forsake me not in the day of my
strongest faith, lest faith degenerate into presumption. Forsake me not, for
without Thee I am weak, but with Thee I am strong. Forsake me not, for my path
is dangerous, and full of snares, and I cannot do without Thy guidance. The hen
forsakes not her brood, do Thou then evermore cover me with Thy feathers, and
permit me under Thy wings to find my refuge. 'Be not far from me, O Lord, for
trouble is near, for there is none to help.' 'Leave me not, neither forsake me,
O God of my salvation!'"
"O ever in our cleansed breast,
Bid Thine Eternal Spirit rest;
And make our secret soul to be
A temple pure and worthy Thee."
Luke 2:25
(25) And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was
Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of
Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him
Luke 2:30-32
(30) For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, (31) Which thou hast
prepared before the face of all people; (32) A light to lighten the Gentiles,
and the glory of thy people Israel.
Luke 2:36-38
(36) And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of
Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an
husband seven years from her virginity; (37) And she was a widow of about
fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God
with fastings and prayers night and day. (38) And she coming in that instant
gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked
for redemption in Jerusalem.
How were Simeon and Anna able to recognize the Messiah three
decades before His first witness actually began? Luke provides the answer. He
shows us that, in aggregate, the people of this group displayed the following
characteristics:
1. They had God's Spirit. As a result, they were able to
understand "the deep things of God. . . . No one knows the things of God except
[by] the Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 2:10-11). When He promised the Spirit to
His disciples, Christ called it
the Spirit of truth [which] . . . will guide you into all
truth; for [it] will not speak on [its] own authority, but whatever [it] hears
[it] will speak; and [it] will tell you things to come. (John 16:13)
The Spirit taught Simeon and Anna, just as it taught the
apostles-just as it teaches us today.
2. They heard God's Word. Anna "did not depart from the Temple
. . . night and day." She often heard the reading of God's Word, which Christ
defined as truth (John 17:17). That Word "is profitable for . . . instruction
in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16). The Devout received frequent instruction
from God's Word.
3. They talked with others of like mind. Simeon was not alone;
neither was Anna. Luke 2:38 says Anna "spoke of [Christ] to all those who
looked for redemption in Jerusalem." An unspecified number of other people also
waited for the Messiah! They fellowshipped with those who were "just and
devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel" (verse 25).
4. They fasted often. Notice the plural: Anna "served God with
fastings" (Luke 2:37). These were not the fastings of vanity (see Matthew
6:16-18), but she fasted in service to God. A result of proper fasting is
knowledge (see Daniel 9:1-22; 10:1-21). Surely, Anna's frequent fastings
contributed to her ability to recognize the Messiah.
5. They prayed regularly. Again, notice the plural, "prayers"
(Luke 2:37). Many hours of prayer lay behind Anna's recognition of her Messiah.
Solomon writes in Proverbs 2:3-5, "If you cry out for
discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, . . . then you will . .
. find the knowledge of God." Solomon should know. God greatly increased his
knowledge and wisdom as a result of his prayer (II Chronicles 1:10).
6. The Devout made the right connections. As a result of
hearing God's Word, they were aware of the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy (Daniel
9:20-27). They realized that it was about 69 prophetic weeks since the
rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the Messiah's coming was imminent. That is what
Luke 2:26 tells us: God's Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not die
before seeing the Messiah.
7. The Devout saw the Day approaching and did not forsake the
assembling of themselves together (Hebrews 10:25). They understood the value of
Christian fellowship. The prophet wrote of them and their sort through the
ages: "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD
listened and heard them" (Malachi 3:16).
Discussing God's Word in frequent fellowship, with humble
fastings and prayers, the Devout received understanding from God. Thus, they
recognized their Messiah while the superstitious and the proud did not.
Charles Whitaker
From Recognizing the Second Witness
