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- Herausgeber: Worldwide Publishing Group
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
LIVING THE SURRENDERED LIFE?
"I Surrender All." This famous hymn was written by art teacher turned music evangelist, Judson W. Van De Venter, in 1896. Reprinted in countless hymnals ever since the song is an all-time favorite. How many times have we sung these words, "I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live?" It is wonderful to assert in a song that we have made such a commitment, but how does it work from day to day? What does it really mean to surrender all to God? How do you actually do that in more than a symbolic way?
The answers to these questions and more are found in this book as it represents some of the devotional insights and inspired wisdom God has shared with saints down through the centuries. The light God provided them on their path can help illuminate our own. The answers they discovered to these same questions can inform our search as well. More than just a devotional thought for the day, the book invites the reader to intentionally and prayerfully engage with the Word. To that end, four styles of writing are included in the book:
- Excerpts and adaptations from 2000 years of Christian writings
- Hymns and poems from across the centuries and around the world
- Scripture passages converted to confessions of truth for recitation
- Extended Bible studies in a daily format for discipleship building
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
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VICTORY THROUGH SURRENDER
Confessions of a Prisoner of Grace
A 365-Day How-To Guide
VOLUME TWO
Tim Tremaine
© Copyright 2021 by The Tremaine Company, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this collection may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except in the case of brief quotations for use in articles and reviews, without written permission from the author.
The views expressed in this book are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Victory Through Surrender: Confessions of a Prisoner of Grace
Other books by Tim Tremaine
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
MONTH SEVEN
by B. M. Franklin (1882-1965)
MONTH EIGHT
MONTH NINE
MONTH TEN
The Hymns of Ann Griffiths. Translated by George R. G. Pughe. Geo. H. Durham, Exchange Works, Blackburn, 1900. pp. 12-13
MONTH ELEVEN
MONTH TWELVE
EPILOGUE
INDEX OF AUTHORS
INDEX OF WEEKLY THEMES OR FEATURED AUTHORS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Cover design: Harvest Creek Ministry by Design, www.harvestcreek.net
Dedicated to my family:
Dottie,
Taylor and Laura,
Chase and Paige,
for
Selah
Other books by Tim Tremaine
Officer Up! Creating a Climate for Appropriate Officer Behavior
Victory Through Surrender: Confessions of a Prisoner of Grace, Volume One
INTRODUCTION
If you have completed Volume One, congratulations! I am gratified that you found value in that material and want to continue here growing in your Christian walk as a surrendered disciple of Christ. If you have come across this volume first, do not worry. Each volume can stand on its own. You will have enough information to begin here and go on to Volume One later. The primary difference is that the first week of Volume One covers issues related to a person’s salvation experience and personal relationship to Christ. These books are written for believers as an aid to discipleship. If you do not have a personal born-again experience, I encourage you to begin with Volume One and get that issue settled in your heart now. You cannot learn how to live the life surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord until you have first surrendered your life to Jesus Christ as Savior through confession, repentance, and faith.
When Volume One was published, I tried to find it on Amazon and discovered other books with the same title. I bought them and read them as well. I was already familiar with the 1966 book by E. Stanley Jones. I used it in Volume One. A second is from 2013 by Air Force veteran and minister Dr. Raymond P. Findlater. He uses accumulated messages, devotionals, and social media posts to emphasize the necessity of surrender related to the Great Commission. Findlater asserts that “being a field worker in the service of the Lord requires total dedication and selflessness. Our salvation is not just a badge of honor to be worn conveniently. Jesus has called us to take up his cross and follow him, to give up our own will for our heavenly Father’s. We are sent out as lambs among wolves, stripped of our own usual means of survival, to be totally reliant on God (Luke 10:3–4). The believer thus becomes the representative of Christ in the highways and byways of life; preaching and teaching the gospel, healing the sick and casting out devils in the name of Jesus. Whether on a secular job or in full time ministry the commission is the same; to give hope to the hopeless, sight to the blind, light where there is darkness, and peace where there is turmoil” (p. 12).
One book had “Victory Through Surrender” in the subtitle. It was a workbook called The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. In week two, Rogers records part of a conversation he had with a Romanian pastor friend about the difference between commitment and surrender. The friend said he noticed that the word “surrender” had been replaced with “commitment” in most American settings in recent years. Rogers asked why that was significant. The friend replied, “When you make a commitment, you are still in control. Surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don’t tell that individual what you are committed to. You simply surrender and do as you are told. Americans love commitment because they are still in control. The key word is surrender. We are to be the slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Rogers concluded that “There are many things we may be committed to in a godly and wholesome way, but nothing can take the place of absolute surrender” (p. 28-29).
The oldest book is a small but powerful work from 1892 by Benjamin Fay Mills. I begin Week 27 with an excerpt from this book. Mills contends that “We need to continually keep in mind the fact that the principles that govern the entrance into the Christian life are the same principles that govern every advanced step, and the development of the life of God in man” (p. 44). I completely agree. We are saved by faith, and we work out that salvation daily by faith. Regarding the need for absolute surrender to God, Mills concludes that “The secret of the Lord which is with them that fear him... (is) that God is satisfied not with our simply being dependent upon him, but with our being independent of everything else” (p. 68). “The infinite life of God, in purity, and wisdom, and peace, and strength, and power, is waiting for the one who is willing to receive it” (p. 81).
All this to say that the message of absolute surrender is far from unique to me. In fact, that is one of the purposes of these two volumes; to demonstrate that the message of surrender and dependence upon God alone is a constant theme of teachers and preachers throughout the centuries. Hopefully, you have been exposed to many new voices and resources in Volume One. If not, you can begin that journey now. I hope that at least some of these voices will reverberate in your spirit and bring encouragement, instruction, and insight into how you can live the life totally surrendered to our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
As in the first volume, I offer my own surrender prayer to you as a model or pattern for you to use daily in your walk of faith. The important thing is to pray the prayer every morning, as soon as you can, out loud, and believe that God hears it and accepts it, and works it out in you. I detail these points in Volume One, so I will simply reproduce the prayer for you here to use and modify as the Holy Spirit leads.
“My God, I am willing to be made willing (Psalm 51:12). Lord, I yield myself in absolute surrender to you, my God. I accept your terms of absolute surrender. By your grace, I desire to do your will in everything, every moment of every day. I give myself absolutely to you, to your will, to do only what you want. I give myself absolutely to you, God, to let you work in me to will and to do your good pleasure.
“I count, reckon, and consider myself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus my Lord. Help me not to let sin reign in my body so that I obey its evil desires or offer the parts of my body to sin as instruments of wickedness. I offer myself to you and the parts of my body to you as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:11-14); so that in everything, you may be glorified through Christ Jesus my Lord (1 Peter 4:11).
“You are my God, apart from you I am nothing (Gal 6:3), I know nothing (1 Cor 8:2), I have nothing (1 Cor 4:7), and I can do nothing (John 15:5). I want to speak what you are speaking and do what you are doing (John 5:19). I am willing to lose what I have, or what I think I have, to gain what you are willing to give. I am putting my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to you, I lift up my soul. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your good Spirit lead me on level ground (Psalms 143:8, 10).”
You may not think that you can, or feel like you can, surrender everything to Jesus. But if you are willing, God will do it! List the things you are willing now to surrender to Jesus. Begin with the obvious things and listen to the Holy Spirit for what he wants you to add to the list as you go along. You will probably begin with things, then move to activities, relationships, and finally, attitudes. The deeper you go, the deeper he will take you. Learning to live the surrendered life is not a one-time experience. You will not get where he wants you to be in 30 days or six months, or even one year. This will be an ongoing lifestyle until he comes, or you leave to meet him. It's not easy, but it is simple. Just pray for it and, by faith, receive it. God will do it!
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Were you to pick up this book and flip through the pages, you might think this is a devotional based on the layout. But that is not quite accurate. I refer to it as a “confessional journal anthology.” It involves something you speak, something you write, and something you read. The purpose is not just to teach lessons, although I have included a few and I trust you will learn something along the way. The purpose is to model for you how to live the Christian life in complete surrender to God and trust in God through daily confessing the truths of His Word. The Confessions sections, not unlike the confessions of faith throughout history, are based on Scripture as well as the Spirit-led words of other faithful men and women through the centuries.
These confessions are prayers, in the sense that you are talking to God, but not in the sense that they are requests, petitions, or intercessions. They are more like proclamations, declarations, or affirmations of truth. They will sound and feel like praise but are really your faith responses to truth. I have my own God-given filter that takes in truth and finds a way to speak it out that is meaningful to me. Maybe I can communicate in a way that is meaningful to you. I’m not trying to re-interpret Scripture or make a new translation, although it might sound like it. I simply want to model for you how you can take the truths in Scripture, accept them, incorporate them into your life, verbalize them as faith confessions, and let God transform you through them.
The approach is more like; “Since these things are true, therefore I will respond like this.” I encourage you to read the Scripture passage first, then read the confession. I am simply sharing the style the Lord has given me and the styles I have found with other people. There is space at the end of each week to journal what you learn or write your own confessions and prayers.
God is always the primary audience, but not the only audience. You will be speaking to yourself as well. There is something powerful and wonderful about hearing the truths of God in your own ears spoken by your own voice. These confessions are not simply to be read. They are to be read out loud. You can recite them privately or as part of a group or congregation. But the point is, speak them out loud. Get them out of your brain and into the air. The powers of the air, the enemy with which we war every day, will also be an audience to your confessions. The strongholds you battle are like the walls of Jericho. But the walls did not fall from silent prayer and worship, they fell at the shouts of obedience! So, give voice to your devotion.
Spirit-filled words based on God’s truth are powerful and effective when spoken into our atmosphere, sounded forth into the heavenlies, and endorsed by the awesome “Yes!” of the Lord Jesus Christ. The concept of words, the spoken word, or The Word is very important in the economy of God. Throughout the history of man, God has spoken to His people and given them words to speak. Phil Driscoll, the great trumpeter and general in the worship army of God, says that “words are process starters.” He refers to 1 Corinthians 14 where it talks about words having significance. Speaking the truth to God, to yourself, and to others is an important and powerful part of the process of sanctification.
These confessions are not just made at the beginning of the Christian walk when a person is born again. Confessions of faith need to be made throughout our life as we grow in the Lord and learn how to trust Him and depend on Him and wait on Him every day. The walk of holiness, obedience, and surrender requires a continual confession of faith. Not that we have to be saved over and over, in terms of our regeneration, but in terms of working out our salvation on a daily, hourly, moment by moment basis. It’s walking by the Spirit, step-by-step, less of me and more of Him, toward the goal of maturity and the fullness of Christ in our life.
Men and women of faith have been teaching these principles for centuries and I will highlight many of them in the Insight and Encouragement sections. When I read books, I often highlight, underline, or make notes, then I go back and type up those notes creating a synopsis of the book for my future reference. Throughout the book, I will share synopses, adaptations, and excerpts of other books that God has used over the years to help me along the way. Many are condensed or adapted for clarity and space purposes, but I strive to remain true to their message. I also include some insights that the Lord has given me. I hope they are helpful as well.
I have also included several poems and old hymns, written out in poem form, in the Hymns and Poems sections. Reading those great hymns of old as poems underscores that the saints of old had a pretty good handle on what it means to live the life “hidden with Christ in God.” At times, the voice of the selection is changed from third to first person. Like the Confessions section, these also are meant to be spoken out loud.
The believers referenced herein span the centuries and represent a wide range of theological perspectives and backgrounds. Just because I have used someone as a resource for this book does not mean that I agree with everything they ever said or wrote. It simply means that, in this instant, I and others have found some truth in what they wrote regarding the subject at hand, living the surrendered life. You may not like everything I have shared and that is ok. These are simply examples that spoke to me and helped me along the way. They are tools, part of the “how-to” of living the Christian life. I hope to demonstrate the consistency of the message and experience throughout the ages of the church era. Some will speak to you where others will not and that is ok too.
I encourage you to use my examples to “prime the pump” of your own faith confessions. Use mine until your thought categories are developed by the Holy Spirit to create your own. The purpose is to further your relationship with Him and teach you how to submit to that relationship in total surrender as a true disciple of Christ. If you question whether this is necessary, read and meditate on Luke 14 and I trust you will gain a fuller appreciation for the effort.
My hope is to encourage you by illustrating that this message, this process, this effort has been consistent throughout the centuries of the Church era. I have left most of the language as I found it in the source, so there will be some language you may not be familiar with. But I trust there will be many who speak to you in a way you can receive that will transform your life and walk with the Lord.
While researching the book, I came across a few books from the recent and distant past that follow a similar format. These resources (listed in the Bibliography) were a great source of encouragement and material for me. I am very grateful to those who “plowed the row” ahead of me: John Baillie, A. W. Tozer, Charles and John Wesley, Richard Foster and James B Smith, and John Shepperd.
Four times along the way, we take a break from the daily devotional format and spend a week delving into a particular subject. I hope you will be blessed by these expanded studies. They are meant to bring a deeper understanding and appreciation of Biblical topics that are crucial for living the surrendered life. Most weeks have a topic or a featured author so if you want to hear from a particular person or need to address a particular area you can jump around to those pages. Indexes are provided in the back. At the first of every month (or 30-day section), I include a short personal story about my background, successes, and failures living the Christian life. I hope these testimonies will be a blessing and encouragement to you.
Most of the selections are one-page long. Some are shorter, a few are longer. Once in a while, I insert a longer multiple day study. The order of the days is not important. I have tried to use each of the three sections almost every week for variety, but you are welcome to switch the order around as needed. If time is short one day, pick a day with a shorter section. Periodically, I will interject a note or comment on a page. These “Author Notes” are in brackets to identify them as mine.
Pray your surrender prayer at the beginning of each day. Read that day’s devotion or confession as early in the day as you can. Journal whatever the Holy Spirit speaks to you as a record of what God speaks into your life. This is not information for you to learn, it is a lifestyle for you to live.
I suppose someone will ask, why do we need to spend an entire year studying one concept? The process is simple, but it is not easy. The purpose of this book is to help you work through some of the most difficult hurdles in living the surrendered life because it won’t just be a one year study. You and I will be working on this for the rest of our lives. This is a process, a journey that will only end when you see Jesus face to face. It takes time, practice, and perseverance to succeed. There is no end to the insights God wants to reveal to us along the way. Experts say it takes anywhere from 18-254 days to establish a new habit. This is more than a habit – it’s a way of life, a way of thinking, a way of processing and implementing Kingdom realities into earthly circumstances. Stick with it. You will not regret it.
I leave you with this verse: He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him (John 14:21). Obey, and Jesus will show up!
MONTH SEVEN
One day at the beginning of my shift, I got a scolding from another supervisor much junior to me. I recently returned to his shift (my former shift) on a part-time basis but was acting like I was still the senior supervisor, walking right in and taking control. I was used to being proactive and making sure things were done right in a timely fashion. In doing so, he felt like I was steamrolling him, so to speak, and undermining his authority with the shift. Apparently, one or more of the troops had mentioned something to him about it. It was hard to listen to and harder for him to say. I don’t think he knew what my reaction would be, but he found a way to say it in as non-confrontational a manner as he could.
As I listened to his concerns, I realized that God had shown me what I was about to do before I did it, but I missed it. As I was walking in the room, I got a quick mental image or impression, for lack of a better term, that what I was about to do would not sit well with them. But I did it anyway. The troops listened and complied, but my fellow supervisor told me after the fact that he had already covered those points. I had to agree with him and apologize. Although uncomfortable for me, we had a cordial conversation, and we established new boundaries.
God often puts up red flags or stop signs for us when we are about to go over the line or cross a boundary. I have trouble not running his stop signs. The funny thing about this situation was that, earlier in the day, I was reading an old journal from 1994 where I was talking about getting clearance from God before I did things. Same idea. I am a slow learner sometimes.
One of the biggest stop signs I ever ran happened in 2006. I had just retired from the police department and was trying to get back into full-time ministry. I knew a pastor looking for help as he was just called to a new church in the area. We began to talk about what that might look like and how we could make it work. I cannot speak for him, but I know now that I had no direction from the Lord and was moving totally in my strength, my wisdom, and my desires. The problem was, I had gotten a divorce a year earlier, which was a career killer in my circles. This pastor had gone through a divorce but was moving forward, and the church had been understanding and accepting. I thought this was God helping me find a way. It wasn’t.
At the same time, I decided to apply for the department where I now work. As I approached the end of that process, this church opportunity came up, and I canceled the application process to pursue the church job. The night after we agreed on the church job, I suffered an anxiety attack so strong, I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the hospital. Testing showed there was nothing wrong with me physically. I realized much too late that was God putting up a stop sign – a really big one. I was so set on my own desires and my own plans that I plowed right through it. It led to three years of under-employment or unemployment. That job lasted only one year and was followed by four more short-lived jobs. It cost me three precious years of seniority in my present job and thousands of dollars of retirement savings just to stay afloat in the meantime. Being surrendered to God means you acknowledge his right to say yes or no to your plans and ideas. Pay attention to his stop signs and heed them. They are there to help you, not hurt you. God knows. Trust him.
WEEK TWENTY SEVEN INSIGHT and ENCOURAGEMENT DAY 1
Count It Done
Benjamin Fay Mills (1857-1916)
There never was, and there never will be any way to walk in the light of God other than by faith. In fact, the thing that God offers to us is his own faith, the principle by which he lives, and the knowledge that what he says shall be accomplished. The exact expression that the Master used and speaking to his disciples, as the word is recorded in the eleventh chapter of Mark (11:22), is not as the King James version puts it, “Have faith in God,” but rather as the margin records it, “Have the faith of God.” What Paul said to the Galatians (2:20) concerning the principle of the life that he lived with Christ was, that the life which he now lived in the flesh, he lived by “the faith of the Son of God.” The gift which God makes to us in giving us faith, is that sublime confidence which enables us to count the things that are not as though they are and thus the faith is reckoned unto us for righteousness. When the Lord Jesus uttered a command, or worked a miracle, he had no question in his mind but that what he said would be perfectly accomplished; and just so far as we grow to be like him, and have no will but the will of God, abiding in Christ and having Christ abide in us, do we have the same sublimity of faith, and we shall ask what we will, and it shall be done unto us.
We need to make the words in the sixth chapter of Romans exceedingly practical, where Paul says, “Likewise reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ... Know ye not that to whom you yield yourself servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ... For as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when you were the servants of sin you were free from righteousness. ... But now, being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our lord.”
I would to God that we might see that when we present ourselves to God as if we were alive from the dead, that God does indeed make us alive from the dead, and that no practical faith was ever manifested toward him in vain. As a friend of mine said, in turning his back forever upon having any confidence in the flesh, and utterly surrendering himself to God, “I felt as though I walked out to the end of the ridge pole in the darkness, and jumped off, and Jesus caught me.”
Excerpted from Victory through Surrender; a Message Concerning Consecrated Living. New York: Fleming H Revell Company, 1892. p. 47-50
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WEEK TWENTY SEVEN HYMNS and POEMS DAY 2
The Means of Grace (Part 1)
by Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
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Long have I seem’d to serve Thee, Lord,
With unavailing pain;
Fasted, and pray’d and read Thy word,
And heard it preach’d, in vain.
Oft did I with th’ assembly join,
And near Thine altar drew;
A form of godliness was mine,
The power I never knew.
To please Thee thus (at last I see)
In vain I hoped and strove:
For what are outward things to Thee,
Unless they spring from love?
I see the perfect law requires
Truth in the inward parts,
Our full consent, our whole desires,
Our undivided hearts.
But I of means have made my boast,
Of means an idol made;
The spirit in the letter lost,
The substance in the shade.
I rested in the outward law,
Nor knew its deep design;
The length and breadth I never saw,
The height of love Divine.
Where am I now, or what my hope?
What can my weakness do?
JESU, to Thee my soul looks up,
‘Tis Thou must make it new.
Thine is the work, and Thine alone —
But shall I idly stand?
Shall I the written Rule disown,
And slight my God’s command?
Wildly shall I from Thine turn back,
A better path to find;
Thy holy ordinance forsake,
And cast Thy words behind?
Forbid it, gracious Lord, that I
Should ever learn Thee so!
No – let me with Thy word comply,
If I thy love would know.
Suffice for me, that Thou, my Lord,
Hast bid me fast and pray:
Thy will be done, Thy name adored;
‘Tis only mine t’obey.
Thou bidd’st me search the Sacred Leaves,
And taste the hallow’d Bread:
The kind commands my soul receives,
And longs on Thee to feed.
HTTP://SCRIPTORIUMDAILY.com/charles-wesley-on-means-of-grace/. Hymn No. 83, “The Means of Grace” (from Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1740).
WEEK TWENTY SEVEN HYMNS and POEMS DAY 3
The Means of Grace (Part 2)
by Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
I work, and own the labour vain;
And thus from works I cease:
I strive, and see my fruitless pain,
Till God create my peace.
Fruitless, till Thou Thyself impart,
Must all my efforts prove:
They cannot change a sinful heart,
They cannot purchase love.
I do the Thing Thy laws enjoin,
And then the strife gives o’er:
To Thee I then the whole resign:
I trust in means no more.
I trust in Him who stands between
The Father’s wrath and me:
JESU! Thou great eternal Mean,
I look for all from Thee.
Thy mercy pleads, Thy truth requires,
Thy promise call Thee down!
Not for the sake of my desires–
But, O! regard Thine own!
I seek no motive out of Thee:
Thine own desires fulfill;
If now Thy bowels yearn on me,
On me perform Thy will.
Doom, if Thou canst, to endless pains,
And drive me from Thy face:
But if Thy stronger love constrains,
Let me be saved by grace.
Still for Thy loving kindness, Lord,
I in Thy temple wait;
I look to find Thee in Thy word,
Or at Thy table meet.
Here, in Thine own appointed ways,
I wait to learn Thy will:
Silent I stand before Thy face,
And hear Thee say, “Be still!”
“Be still –and know that I am God!”
‘Tis all I live to know;
To feel the virtue of Thy blood,
And spread its praise below.
I wait my vigour to renew,
Thine image to retrieve,
The veil of outward things pass through,
And gasp in Thee to live.
http://scriptoriumdaily.com/charles-wesley-on-means-of-grace/. Hymn No. 83, “The Means of Grace” (from Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1740).
WEEK TWENTY SEVEN INSIGHT and ENCOURAGEMENT DAY 4
Walk After the Spirit
by John Wesley (1703-1791)
Now "whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not"; "walketh not after the flesh." The flesh, in the usual language of St. Paul, signifies corrupt nature. In this sense he uses the word, writing to the Galatians, "The works of the flesh are manifest" (Gal. 5:19); and a little before, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust" (or desire) "of the flesh" (v. 16). To prove which, namely, that those who "walk by the Spirit," do not "fulfilll the lusts of the flesh," he immediately adds, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit lusteth against the flesh (for these are contrary to each other); that ye may not do the things which ye would."
They who are of Christ, who abide in him, "have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts." They abstain from all those works of the flesh; from "adultery and fornication"; from "uncleanness and lasciviousness"; from "idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance" from "emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings"; from every design, and word, to which the corruption of nature leads. Although they feel the root of bitterness in themselves, yet are they endued with power from on high to trample it continually under foot, so that it cannot "spring up to trouble them"; insomuch that every fresh assault which they undergo, only gives them fresh occasion of praise, of crying out, "Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord."
They now "walk after the Spirit," both in their hearts and lives. They are taught of him to love God and their neighbour, with a love which is as "a well of water, springing up into everlasting life." And by him they are led into every holy desire, into every divine and heavenly temper, till every thought which arises in their heart is holiness unto the Lord.
They who "walk after the Spirit," are also led by him into all holiness of conversation. Their "speech is always in grace, seasoned with salt"; with the love and fear of God. "No corrupt communication comes out of their mouth; but only that which is good," that which is "to the use of edifying," which is "meet to minister grace to the hearers." And herein likewise do they exercise themselves day and night, to do only the things which please God; in all their outward behaviour to follow him "who left us an example that we might tread in his steps"; in all their intercourse with their neighbour, to walk in justice, mercy, and truth; and "whatsoever they do," in every circumstance of life, to “do all to the glory of God.”
These are they who indeed "walk after the Spirit." Being filled with faith and with the Holy Ghost, they possess in their hearts, and show forth in their lives, in the whole course of their words and actions, the genuine fruits of the Spirit of God, namely, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance," and whatsoever else is lovely or praiseworthy. "They adorn in all things the gospel of God our Saviour"; and give full proof to all mankind, that they are indeed actuated by the same Spirit "which raised up Jesus from the dead."
Sermons on Several Occasions, Vol. 1. Digireads.com Publications, 2012. p. 121-122.
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WEEK TWENTY SEVEN HYMNS and POEMS DAY 5
O Jesus, I Have Promised
by John Ernest Bode (1816-1874)
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O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my Guide.
Oh, let me feel Thee near me;
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.
Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,
My Savior and my Friend.
HTTPS://WWW.HYMNAL.net/en/hymn/h/465
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WEEK TWENTY SEVEN CONFESSION about the Nature of Obedient People DAY 6
Read Psalm 15
I understand that not just anyone can live in your presence and expect to be with you in eternity. Only those whose manner of life and daily walk is blameless are there. Only those who do right and good are there. Only those who speak honestly and earnestly and don’t say mean, false things about other people are there. Only those who treat others with love and concern and compassion and don’t say evil things about others are there. Only those who hate what God hates, who despise what evil people do but always honor those who live in obedience to the Lord are there. Only those who keep their promises even when it costs them something they highly value are there. Only those who are generous and kind and helpful and don’t take advantage of another’s difficult situation are there. Only those who absolutely refuse to be talked into hurting anyone, especially the innocent, are there. But I confess that in and of myself, I can’t do any of these things. I confess that only through the grace and mercy of God am I able to live up to this standard. And it’s not even me doing it but the life of the Lord Jesus Christ living in me that makes it all possible. When I do stumble, he is there to forgive and restore. By the grace and the life of Jesus, I am one of those, I am there.
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WEEK TWENTY SEVEN INSIGHT and ENCOURAGEMENT DAY 7
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
by Andrew Murray (1828-1917)
Our Lord, on the last night that he was with His disciples, promised to send the Holy Spirit as a Comforter. Although His bodily presence was removed, they would realize His presence with them in a wonderful way. The Holy Spirit as God would so reveal Christ in their hearts that they would experience His presence with them continually. The Spirit would glorify Christ and would reveal Him in heavenly love and power.
How little Christians understand and believe and experience this truth. We fail in our duty as ministers if, in our preaching, we encourage Christians to love the Lord Jesus, without at the same time warning them that they cannot do this in their own strength. God, the Holy Spirit, will shed abroad His love in our hearts, and teach us to love Him fervently. Through the Holy Spirit we may experience the love and abiding presence of the Lord Jesus all the day.
But let us remember that the Spirit of God must have entire possession of us. He claims our whole heart and life. He will strengthen us in the inner man, so that we have fellowship with Christ, keep his commandments, and abide in his love.
When once we have grasped this truth, we will begin to feel our deep dependence on the Holy Spirit, and pray the Father to send Him in power into our hearts. The Spirit will teach us to love the word, to meditate on it and to keep it. He will reveal the love of Christ to us, that we may love Him. Then we shall see that life in the love of Christ is a blessed reality.
After our Lord had given the great command: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” He again added another: “Tarry till ye be endued with power from on high.” “Wait for the promise of the Father.” “Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
All Christians agree that the great command to preach the Gospel to every creature was not only for the disciples, but is binding on us too. All, however, do not appear to consider that the very last command, not to preach until they had received the power from on high, is equally binding on us as it was on the disciples. The Church appears to have lost possession of that which ought to be to her a secret of secrets – the abiding consciousness, day by day, that it is only as she lives in the power of the Holy Spirit that she can preach the gospel in power. This is why there’s so much preaching and working with so little result. It goes back to the universal complaint but there is insufficient prayer to empower the church.
Growing in Christ. Westchester, IL: Good News Publishers, 1979. p. 67-69.
Record your insights, revelations, and meditations from this week. DATE:
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WEEK TWENTY EIGHT HYMNS and POEMS DAY 1
Help, Lord, For Men of Virtue Fail
by Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
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Help, Lord, for men of virtue fail,
Religion loses ground,
The sons of violence prevail,
And treacheries abound.
Their oaths and
promises they break,
Yet act the flatterer's part;
With fair, deceitful lips they speak,
And with a double heart.
If we reprove some hateful lie,
How is their fury stirred
"Are not our lips our own?" they cry;
"And who shall be our Lord?"
Scoffers appear on every side,
Where a vile race of men
Is raised to seats
of power and pride,
And bears the sword in vain.
Lord, when iniquities abound,
And blasphemy grows bold;
When faith is hardly to be found,
And love is waxing cold;
Is not thy chariot hastening on?
Hast thou not given this sign?
May we not trust and live upon
