Scripture: "That the Father may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened."—EPH. i. 17, 18.
        In the Word of God we find a wonderful combination of the human and the divine. The language is that of a man. Any one who has a good understanding can grasp the meaning of the words, and the truths contained in them. Yet this is all that man, in the power of his human understanding, can do.

        There is a divine side in which the holy God expresses His deepest thoughts to us. The carnal man cannot attain to them, or comprehend them, for they must be "spiritually discerned." Only through the Holy Spirit can the Christian appropriate the divine truth contained in Gods Word. Paul prays earnestly that God would grant the spirit of wisdom to his readers, eyes that are enlightened through the Holy Spirit to understand what is writ¬ten, and to know the exceeding greatness of His power working in all who believe.

        Much of our religion is ineffectual, because people accept the truths of Gods Word with the intellect, and strive to put them into practice in their own strength, but it is only the Holy Spirit that can really reveal divine truth to us. A young student in a theological seminary may accept the truths of Gods Word as head knowledge, while the Word has little power in his heart to lead to a life of joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. Paul teaches us that when we read Gods Word, or meditate on it, we should pray: "Father, grant me the spirit of wisdom and revelation." As we do this each day we shall find that Gods Word is living and powerful, and will work experience in our hearts: Gods commands will be changed into promises. His commands are not grievous, and the Holy Spirit will teach us to do lovingly and joyfully all that He has commanded.

Scripture: "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
        See how the Bible opens: "In the beginning God." Let your life open in the same way. Seek with your whole soul, first and foremost, the kingdom of God, as the place of your citizenship, and His righteousness as the character of your life. As for the rest, it will come from the LORD Himself without your being anxious concerning it. All that is needful for this life and godliness "shall be added unto you."

        What a promise this is! Food, raiment, home, and so forth, God undertakes to add to you while you seek Him. You mind His business, and He will mind yours. If you want paper and string, you get them given in when you buy more important goods; and just so all that we need of earthly things we shall have thrown in with the kingdom. He who is an heir of salvation shall not die of starvation; and he who clothes his soul with the righteousness of God cannot be left of the LORD with a naked body. Away with carping care. Set all your mind upon seeking the LORD. Covetousness is poverty, and anxiety is misery: trust in God is an estate, and likeness of God is a heavenly inheritance. LORD, I seek Thee; be found of me.

Scripture: “For the truths sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.”(2 John 2)
        Once let the truth of God obtain an entrance into the human heart and subdue the whole man unto itself, no power human or infernal can dislodge it. We entertain it not as a guest but as the master of the house—this is a Christian necessity, he is no Christian who doth not thus believe. Those who feel the vital power of the gospel, and know the might of the Holy Ghost as he opens, applies, and seals the Lords Word, would sooner be torn to pieces than be rent away from the gospel of their salvation. What a thousand mercies are wrapped up in the assurance that the truth will be with us for ever; will be our living support, our dying comfort, our rising song, our eternal glory; this is Christian privilege, without it our faith were little worth. Some truths we outgrow and leave behind, for they are but rudiments and lessons for beginners, but we cannot thus deal with Divine truth, for though it is sweet food for babes, it is in the highest sense strong meat for men. The truth that we are sinners is painfully with us to humble and make us watchful; the more blessed truth that whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus shall be saved, abides with us as our hope and joy. Experience, so far from loosening our hold of the doctrines of grace, has knit us to them more and more firmly; our grounds and motives for believing are now more strong, more numerous than ever, and we have reason to expect that it will be so till in death we clasp the Saviour in our arms.

        Wherever this abiding love of truth can be discovered, we are bound to exercise our love. No narrow circle can contain our gracious sympathies, wide as the election of grace must be our communion of heart. Much of error may be mingled with truth received, let us war with the error but still love the brother for the measure of truth which we see in him; above all let us love and spread the truth ourselves.

Scripture: “She gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.”(Ruth 2:3)
        Her hap was. Yes, it seemed nothing but an accident, but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had gone forth with her mothers blessing, under the care of her mothers God, to humble but honourable toil, and the providence of God was guiding her every step. Little did she know that amid the sheaves she would find a husband, that he should make her the joint owner of all those broad acres, and that she a poor foreigner should become one of the progenitors of the great Messiah. God is very good to those who trust in him, and often surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen to us to-morrow, but this sweet fact may cheer us, that no good thing shall be withheld. Chance is banished from the faith of Christians, for they see the hand of God in everything. The trivial events of to-day or to-morrow may involve consequences of the highest importance. O Lord, deal as graciously with thy servants as thou didst with Ruth.

        How blessed would it be, if, in wandering in the field of meditation to-night, our hap should be to light upon the place where our next Kinsman will reveal himself to us! O Spirit of God, guide us to him. We would sooner glean in his field than bear away the whole harvest from any other. O for the footsteps of his flock, which may conduct us to the green pastures where he dwells! This is a weary world when Jesus is away—we could better do without sun and moon that without him—but how divinely fair all things become in the glory of his presence! Our souls know the virtue which dwells in Jesus, and can never be content without him. We will wait in prayer this night until our hap shall be to light on a part of the field belonging to Jesus wherein he will manifest himself to us.

Scripture: "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24).
        During the Civil War, a man had an only son who enlisted in the armies of the Union. The father was a banker and, although he consented to his sons going, it seemed as if it would break his heart to let him go.

        He became deeply interested in the soldier boys, and whenever he saw a uniform, his heart went out as he thought of his own dear boy. He spent his time, neglected his business, gave his money to caring for the soldiers who came home invalid. His friends remonstrated with him, saying he had no right to neglect his business and spend so much thought upon the soldiers, so he fully decided to give it all up.

        After he had come to this decision, there stepped into his bank one day a private soldier in a faded, worn uniform, who showed in his face and hands the marks of the hospital.

        The poor fellow was fumbling in his pocket to get something or other, when the banker saw him and, perceiving his purpose, said to him:

        "My dear fellow, I cannot do anything for you today. I am extremely busy. You will have to go to your headquarters; the officers there will look after you."

        Still the poor convalescent stood, not seeming to fully understand what was said to him. Still he fumbled in his pockets and, by and by, drew out a scrap of dirty paper, on which there were a few lines written with a pencil, and laid this soiled sheet before the banker. On it he found these words:

        "Dear Father: "This is one of my comrades who was wounded in the last fight, and has been in the hospital. Please receive him as myself. --Charlie."

        In a moment all the resolutions of indifference which this man made, flew away. He took the boy to his palatial home, put him in Charlies room, gave him Charlies seat at the table, kept him until food and rest and love had brought him back to health, and then sent him back again to imperil his life for the flag. --Selected

References: Further Study: 2 Cor 8:5 Heb 13:10 2 Cor 8:1-15
The book of Hebrews refers to ‘our altar’. Obviously, this is not a physical place. What then does the Scripture mean when it speaks of the altar? When we consider the relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it is quite clear that they are forever giving and offering to one another. We know that Jesus gave Himself to the Father as an offering. Likewise, the Father gave Jesus for us. Both the Father and the Son give the Holy Spirit to us. The altar of Yahweh could firstly be described as a meeting place. In the fellowship of the Godhead, Each brings Their person and gives it to the Other. This of course is the way of the Christian life. We are reminded here that Paul said the Macedonians ‘firstly gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God’. Our offerings are nothing if they do not truly represent us. Paul commended the Macedonian Christians for understanding this most fundamental expression of offering. Evidently in giving themselves, they were offering on an altar. They were evidently ‘meeting’ Paul and the brethren in the fellowship of offering upon this altar. The apostle referred to it as the altar ‘which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat’. We can conclude that an altar describes the meeting place of the giver and the recipient. Paul glorified the fellowship of ‘giving and receiving’ and commends it to us as an essential mode of Christian living. The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world was most certainly the offering of the Son. He gave Himself to the Father and the Holy Spirit upon the altar of Their fellowship.

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References Further Study Rom 15:16, 27 Acts 4:36-37 2 Cor 8 Phil 4:13 2 Cor 8:1-2 Acts 11:29-30
The apostle Paul was constantly indebted to the church in Jerusalem. He understood that the Gentile churches had shared in spiritual things which came forth from Jerusalem in the beginning. Therefore, he believed the Gentile churches were indebted to priest to the Jerusalem church in material things. The very first initiative which Paul undertook was an offering for the church in Jerusalem. He raised this offering in conjunction with Barnabas. Barnabas was always a helper, bringing encouragement to all the churches. He was a man of offering. He was among the first to lay an offering at the apostles’ feet. It is not surprising then, that he was an equal participant with Paul in this initiative. This was the precedent which followed Paul throughout his whole ministry life. He saw himself as a priest of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ‘ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that his offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit’. We are thankful that Paul learned the secret of offering, and therefore testified, ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’. The power of God was being perfected in his weakness. This motivated Paul to raise an offering from among all the Gentile churches for the saints in Jerusalem. The churches in Macedonia enthusiastically joined Paul and became sharers with him in his afflictions. In a great ordeal of affliction, ‘their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality’. As these churches poured themselves out, and we know they did, they found an abundance of grace. The fruit of their sonship increased and multiplied as an overflow for those in greater need. Paul referred to this as the grace of God in the churches of Macedonia.

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References Further Study Pro 12:25 Psa 27:5 Psa 27 Psa 31:20 Mat 6:6, 32 Mat 22:37
When we are weighed down with anxious thoughts, then we must cast our cares on Him, for He knows our need before we ask or think. Therefore, prayer is not of itself, fundamentally and firstly, a petition to get an answer to an anxious need. Prayer is the place of solitude. Prayer is the place of peace. Prayer is the place of comfort, where we know that He knows. Where are your concerns today? Don’t let frustration get hold of you. If you are volatile; even angry about the things that have happened, remember that what began as concern gave way to worry, then anxiety, then anger. Why are you worried about many things? There is a constant pressure upon us to be drawn to the worries of life as if by reason of thought we can rationalise a better position or a better outcome. The only way that we will get the outcome we need is to choose and follow one master. In our mind, in our heart, in our emotions, there are many things besetting us. The heavenly Father knows our needs. He knows that all the Gentiles, all the nations, seek these things. If anxiety is our default mode, then we are no different to anyone in the world. Be anxious for nothing by putting Him first and seeking first the kingdom. Whatever you are concerned about, put it second to doing the will of God in His kingdom. And the Scripture guarantees you, that ‘all these things will be added to you’. As the apostle James wrote, submit yourself to God. Will you resist the onslaught of the worry, the apparent lack of resolution, the apparent lack of answer, the apparent uncertainty, and submit yourself to God? Will you cast your cares upon Him?

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References Further Study Rev 1:6 Rom 12:1-2 2Co 13 Rev 7:14 Lev 17:11 Joh 6:63 Rom 2:29 1Co 1:22
The key to being a son of God is to receive the life of the Son. And we are being given the privilege of being priests of God. Our priesthood is activated by Christ’s blood, enabling us to be priests of His body and blood. The Scriptures show that Christ’s blood enables the service of our offering. His blood gives us the capacity to present our bodies a living sacrifice and follow in the path of sanctified obedience, thus fulfilling our destiny as sons of God. Let us consider this question: what is Christ’s blood? It is His life. We cannot present ourselves to God using our own blood as the agency of our life and capacity to make offering. God has made a way whereby His life, that is, His blood, becomes the capacity for our offering. When we think of blood, we think of life. If all of your blood was drained from you, you wouldn’t have any life left in you. A person can’t be divided from their life. Christ can give us His life to live, in our heart by faith. The blood of Jesus is the life of Jesus in your heart, and it is this life that enables us to change. That is the power of His life, and that life is sonship life. ‘The words that I speak are Spirit and life.’ His identity is in His Spirit and, while we share Christ’s life, we cannot share His identity. Christ’s identity is His intrinsic name as Yahweh the Son. You can receive a blood transfusion from another person. Their life saves your life, but their identity is not shared with you. So we can see that there is a difference between our identity and our life. Jesus gives us His life. But He also comes into our heart by the Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is in us so we are able to fellowship with Him, both in our heart and in one another, in the community of the body of Christ.

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