"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30
If we preached down ourselves and exalted Christ, the world would soon be reached. The world is perishing to-day for the want of Christ. The church could do without our theories and pet views, but not without Christ; and when her ministers get behind the cross, so that Christ is held up, the people will come flocking to hear the gospel.
Selfishness is one of the greatest hindrances to the cross of Christ. Every one wants the chief seat in the synagogue. One prides himself that he is pastor of this church, and another of that. Would to God we could get all this out of the way, and say, "He must increase, but I must decrease." We cannot do it, however, except we get down at the foot of the cross. Human nature likes to be lifted up; the grace of God alone can humble us.
D.L. Moody
Saturday, October 8, 2011
October 9
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and he shall be My son. - Revelation 21:7
After the Chicago fire I met a man who said,
"Moody, I hear you lost everything in the Chicago fire."
"Well," I said, "you understood it wrong; I didn't."
He said, "How much have you left?"
"I can't tell you; I have got a good deal more left than I lost."
"You can't tell how much you have?"
"No."
"I didn't know that you were ever that rich. What do you mean?"
"I mean just what I say. I got my old Bible out of the fire; that is about the only thing. One promise came to me that illumined the city a great deal more than the fire did. 'He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and he shall be My son.'"
You ask me how much I am worth. I don't know. You may go and find out how much the Vanderbilts are worth, and the Astors, and the Rothschilds, but you can't find out how much a child of God is worth. Why? Because he is a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.
Why are you going around with your head down, talking about your poverty? The weakest, poorest child of God is richer than a Vanderbilt, because he has eternal riches. The stuff that burned up in Chicago was like the dust in the balance. Joint-heir with Jesus Christ! That is what the eighth of Romans teaches us.
After the Chicago fire I met a man who said,
"Moody, I hear you lost everything in the Chicago fire."
"Well," I said, "you understood it wrong; I didn't."
He said, "How much have you left?"
"I can't tell you; I have got a good deal more left than I lost."
"You can't tell how much you have?"
"No."
"I didn't know that you were ever that rich. What do you mean?"
"I mean just what I say. I got my old Bible out of the fire; that is about the only thing. One promise came to me that illumined the city a great deal more than the fire did. 'He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and he shall be My son.'"
You ask me how much I am worth. I don't know. You may go and find out how much the Vanderbilts are worth, and the Astors, and the Rothschilds, but you can't find out how much a child of God is worth. Why? Because he is a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.
Why are you going around with your head down, talking about your poverty? The weakest, poorest child of God is richer than a Vanderbilt, because he has eternal riches. The stuff that burned up in Chicago was like the dust in the balance. Joint-heir with Jesus Christ! That is what the eighth of Romans teaches us.
October 8
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation." Isaiah 12:2
Don't be watching your feelings. There is not one verse from Genesis to Revelation about being saved by feeling. When the devil sees a poor soul in agony in the waves of sin, and getting close to the Rock of Ages, he just holds out the plank of "feeling" to him, and says,
"There, get on that; you feel more comfortable now, don't you?"
And while the man is getting his breath again, out goes the plank from under him, and he is worse off than ever. Accept no refuge but the Rock, - the Everlasting Strength.
Don't be watching your feelings. There is not one verse from Genesis to Revelation about being saved by feeling. When the devil sees a poor soul in agony in the waves of sin, and getting close to the Rock of Ages, he just holds out the plank of "feeling" to him, and says,
"There, get on that; you feel more comfortable now, don't you?"
And while the man is getting his breath again, out goes the plank from under him, and he is worse off than ever. Accept no refuge but the Rock, - the Everlasting Strength.
October 7
"Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him." Psalm 91:14
We all have some weak point in our character. When we would go forward, it drags us back, and when we would rise up into higher spheres of usefulness and the atmosphere of heaven, something drags us down. Now I have no sympathy with the idea that God puts us behind the blood and saves us, and then leaves us in Egypt to be under the old taskmaster. I believe God brings us out of Egypt into the promised land, and that is the privilege of every foe, from besetting sin.
If there is some sin that is getting the mastery over you, you certainly cannot be useful. You certainly cannot bring fruit to the honor and glory of God until you get self-control.
We all have some weak point in our character. When we would go forward, it drags us back, and when we would rise up into higher spheres of usefulness and the atmosphere of heaven, something drags us down. Now I have no sympathy with the idea that God puts us behind the blood and saves us, and then leaves us in Egypt to be under the old taskmaster. I believe God brings us out of Egypt into the promised land, and that is the privilege of every foe, from besetting sin.
If there is some sin that is getting the mastery over you, you certainly cannot be useful. You certainly cannot bring fruit to the honor and glory of God until you get self-control.
Monday, October 3, 2011
October 6
"And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." John 5:40
The battle is fought on that one word of the will; the door hangs on that one hinge of the will. Will you obey? That is the question! Will you obey the voice of God and do as He commands you? No man can obey for you any more than he can eat and drink for yo. You must eat and drink for yourself, and you must obey God for yourself.
The battle is fought on that one word of the will; the door hangs on that one hinge of the will. Will you obey? That is the question! Will you obey the voice of God and do as He commands you? No man can obey for you any more than he can eat and drink for yo. You must eat and drink for yourself, and you must obey God for yourself.
October 5
"And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead." Mark 9:9
It is a singular fact that John, the only one of the four evangelists that was with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, is the only one who does not give an account of it. Perhaps the scene was so solemn, so impressive, and so holy that he could not bring himself to write of it. Peter, who was also present, barely mentioned it in his writings that have come down to us. His only reference to the scene is in his second epistle, written many years afterward, when he was an old man:
"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount." 2 Peter 3:16-18
It is a singular fact that John, the only one of the four evangelists that was with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, is the only one who does not give an account of it. Perhaps the scene was so solemn, so impressive, and so holy that he could not bring himself to write of it. Peter, who was also present, barely mentioned it in his writings that have come down to us. His only reference to the scene is in his second epistle, written many years afterward, when he was an old man:
"We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount." 2 Peter 3:16-18
October 4
"For whether we be besides ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause." 2 Corinthians 5:13
In my opinion no one is fit for God's service until he is willing to be considered mad by the world. They said Paul was mad. I wish we had many more who were bitten with the same kind of madness. As some one has said: "If we are mad, we have a good Keeper on the way and a good Asylum at the end of the road."
In my opinion no one is fit for God's service until he is willing to be considered mad by the world. They said Paul was mad. I wish we had many more who were bitten with the same kind of madness. As some one has said: "If we are mad, we have a good Keeper on the way and a good Asylum at the end of the road."
Sunday, October 2, 2011
October 3
"All these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God." Deuteronomy 28:2
Do you know every man who was blessed while Christ was on earth, was blessed in the act of obedience?
Ten lepers came to Him, and He said, "Go and show yourselves to the priest." They might have said, "What good is that going to do us? It was the priest that sent us away from our families." But they said nothing; and it came to pass, that, as they went, they were healed. Do you want to get rid of the leprosy of sin? Obey God. You say you don't feel like it. Did you always feel like going to school when you were a boy? Supposing a man only went to business when he felt like it; he would fail in a few weeks.
Jesus said to another man, "Go to the Pool of Siloam and wash," and as he washed, he received his sight. He was blessed in the act of obedience.
The prophet said to Naaman, "Go and dip seven times in Jordan," and while he was dipping he was healed. Simple obedience.
Do you know every man who was blessed while Christ was on earth, was blessed in the act of obedience?
Ten lepers came to Him, and He said, "Go and show yourselves to the priest." They might have said, "What good is that going to do us? It was the priest that sent us away from our families." But they said nothing; and it came to pass, that, as they went, they were healed. Do you want to get rid of the leprosy of sin? Obey God. You say you don't feel like it. Did you always feel like going to school when you were a boy? Supposing a man only went to business when he felt like it; he would fail in a few weeks.
Jesus said to another man, "Go to the Pool of Siloam and wash," and as he washed, he received his sight. He was blessed in the act of obedience.
The prophet said to Naaman, "Go and dip seven times in Jordan," and while he was dipping he was healed. Simple obedience.
October 2
"Trust in Him at all times ye people." Psalm 62:8
There are a good many who trust God when they see all is light and clear before them, but not in the dark. They will trust when everything is fair and bright - no opposition, no persecution or bitterness, but all smooth sailing. Well, that is walking by sight, and not by faith. We are to trust in the Lord at all times. The Lord will not have one who cannot be tried. If you are starting out in the Lord's work, you are going to be tempted. St. Augustine said that God has had one Son without sin, but no son without trial.
There are a good many who trust God when they see all is light and clear before them, but not in the dark. They will trust when everything is fair and bright - no opposition, no persecution or bitterness, but all smooth sailing. Well, that is walking by sight, and not by faith. We are to trust in the Lord at all times. The Lord will not have one who cannot be tried. If you are starting out in the Lord's work, you are going to be tempted. St. Augustine said that God has had one Son without sin, but no son without trial.
October 1
"God commendeth His love His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
I know of no truth in the whole Bible that ought to come home to us with such power and tenderness as that of the love of God. There is no truth in the Bible that Satan would so much like to blot out. For more than six thousand years he has been trying to persuade men that God does not love them. He succeeded in making our first parents believe this lie; and too often he succeeds with their children.
The idea that God does not love us often comes from false teaching. Mothers make a mistake in teaching children that God does not love them when they do wrong, but only when they do right. That is not taught in Scripture. You do not teach your children that when they do wrong you hate them.
Their wrongdoing does not change your love to hate; if it did, you would change your love a great many times. Because your child is fretful, or has committed some act of disobedience, you do not cast him out as though he did not belong to you! No! He is still your child; and you love him. And if men have gone astray from God it does not follow that He hates them. It is the sin that He hates.
I know of no truth in the whole Bible that ought to come home to us with such power and tenderness as that of the love of God. There is no truth in the Bible that Satan would so much like to blot out. For more than six thousand years he has been trying to persuade men that God does not love them. He succeeded in making our first parents believe this lie; and too often he succeeds with their children.
The idea that God does not love us often comes from false teaching. Mothers make a mistake in teaching children that God does not love them when they do wrong, but only when they do right. That is not taught in Scripture. You do not teach your children that when they do wrong you hate them.
Their wrongdoing does not change your love to hate; if it did, you would change your love a great many times. Because your child is fretful, or has committed some act of disobedience, you do not cast him out as though he did not belong to you! No! He is still your child; and you love him. And if men have gone astray from God it does not follow that He hates them. It is the sin that He hates.
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