November 6

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”—2 Corinthians 5:10

SOME people say that you never can tell till you are before the throne of Judgment whether you an saved or not. Why, if our life is hid with Christ in God, we are not coming into judgment for our sins. We may come into judgment for reward. This is clearly taught where the lord reckoned with the servant to whom five talents had been given, and who brought other five talents. His lord said unto him, “Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matt. 25:20, 21.) We shall be judged for our stewardship—that is one thing; but salvation—eternal life—is quite another thing.

November 5

“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” — 2 Timothy 2:23

There are two kinds of skeptics—one class with honest difficulties, and another class who delight only in discussion. I used to think that this latter class would always be a thorn in my flesh, but they do not prick me now. I expect to find them right along the journey. Men of this stamp used to hang around Christ to entangle Him in His talk.

Many young converts make a woeful mistake. They think they are to defend the whole Bible. I knew very little of the Bible when I was first

converted, and I thought that I had to defend it from beginning to end against all comers. A Boston infidel got hold of me, floored all my arguments at once, and discouraged me. But I have got over that now. There are many things in the Word of God that I do not profess to understand.

November 4

"Be not faithless, but believing." John 20:27

PEOPLE say, “If I could only get rid of these doubts and fears, I think I would be ready to work.” 

Go to work, and these doubts will disappear. There is work to be done. Life is short at the longest, so let us be about our Master’s business. While you are engaged in His work, these doubts will not assail you so much. I believe any Christian would have doubts in less than six months if he did nothing.

November 3

“His divine power hath given unto as all thing: that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue." — 2 Peter 1:3

There is Glory for the time to come. A great many people seem to forget that the best is before us. Dr. Bonar once said that everything before the true believer is “glorious.” This thought tool: hold on my soul, and I began to look the matter up, and see what I could find in Scripture that was glorious hereafter. I found that the kingdom we are going to inherit is glorious; our crown is to be a “crown of glory”; the city we are going to inhabit is the city of the glorified; the songs we are to sing are the songs of the glorified; we are to wear garments of “glory and beauty”; our society will be the society of the glorified; our rest is to be “glorious”; the country to which we are going is to be full of “the glory of God and of the Lamb.”

There are many who are always looking on the backward path, and mourning over the troubles through which they have passed; they keep lugging up the cares and anxieties they have been called on to bear, and are forever looking at them. Why should we go reeling and staggering under the burdens and cares of life when we have such glorious prospects before us? 

November 2

Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)


Christ is all to us that we make Him to be. I want to emphasize that word “ALL.” Some men make Him to be “a root out of a dry ground,” “ without form or comeliness.” He is nothing to them; they do not want Him. Some Christians have a very small Saviour, for they are not willing to receive Him fully, and let Him do great and mighty things for them. Others have a mighty Saviour, because they make Him to be great and mighty.

November 1

"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me." Romans 7:10-11

A friend in England was telling me that an acquaintance of his, a minister, was once called upon to officiate at a funeral, in the place of the chaplain of one of Her Majesty's prison, who was absent. He noticed that only one solitary man followed the body of the criminal to the grave. When the grave had been covered, this man told the minister that he was an officer of the law whose duty it was to watch the body of the culprit until it was buried out of sight; that was "the end" of the British law.

And that is what the law of God does to the sinner; it brings him right to death, and leaves him there. I pity deep down in my heart those who are trying to save themselves by the law. It never has, it never will, and it never can save the soul.