A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer

Man - The Dwelling Place of God - How to Try the Spirits

<p>Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2</p>
<p>Let us think of our intelligent plain man mentioned in chapter six coming for the first time to the reading of the Scriptures. He approaches the Bible without any previous knowledge of what it contains. He is wholly without prejudice; he has nothing to prove and nothing to defend.</p>
<p>Such a man will not have read long until his mind begins to observe certain truths standing out from the page. They are the spiritual principles behind the record of God's dealings with men, and woven into the writings of holy men as they `were moved by the Holy Ghost.' As he reads on he might want to number these truths as they become clear to him and make a brief summary under each number. These summaries will be the tenets of his Biblical creed. Further reading will not affect these points except to enlarge and strengthen them. Our man is finding out what the Bible actually teaches. High up on the list of things which the Bible teaches will be the doctrine of faith.</p>
<p>The place of weighty importance which the Bible gives to faith will be too plain for him to miss. He will very likely conclude: Faith is all- important in the life of the soul. Without faith it is impossible to please God (<span class="scriptRef">Hebrews 11:6</span>). Faith will get me anything, take me anywhere in the Kingdom of God, but without faith there can be no approach to God, no forgiveness, no deliverance, no salvation, no communion, no spiritual life at all.</p>
<p>By the time our friend has reached the eleventh chapter of Hebrews the eloquent encomium which is there pronounced upon faith will not seem strange to him. He will have read Paul's powerful defense of faith in his Roman and Galatian epistles. Later if he goes on to study church history he will understand the amazing power in the teachings of the Reformers as they showed the central place of faith in the Christian religion.</p>
<p>Now if faith is so vitally important, if it is an indispensable must in our pursuit of God, it is perfectly natural that we should be deeply concerned over whether or not we possess this most precious gift. And our minds being what they are, it is inevitable that sooner or later we should get around to inquiring after the nature of faith. What is faith" would lie close to the question, Do I have faith" and would demand an answer if it were anywhere to be found. Almost all who preach or write on the subject of faith have much the same things to say concerning it. They tell us that it is believing a promise, that it is taking God at His word, that it is reckoning the Bible to be true and stepping out upon it. The rest of the book or sermon is usually taken up with stories of persons who have had their prayers answered as a result of their faith. These answers are mostly direct gifts of a practical and temporal nature such as health, money, physical protection or success in business. Or if the teacher is of a philosophic turn of mind he may take another course and lose us in a welter of metaphysics or snow us under with psychological jargon as he defines and re-defines, paring the slender hair of faith thinner and thinner till it disappears in gossamer shavings at last. When he is finished we get up disappointed and go out `by that same door where in we went.' Surely there must be something better than this.</p>
<p>In the Scriptures there is practically no effort made to define faith. Outside of a brief fourteen-word definition in <span class="scriptRef">Hebrews 11:1</span>, I know of no Biblical definition, and even there faith is defined functionally, not philosophically; that is, it is a statement of what faith is in operation, not what it is in essence. It assumes the presence of faith and shows what it results in, rather than what it is. We will be wise to go just that far and attempt to go no further. We are told from whence it comes and by what means: `Faith is a gift of God,' (<span class="scriptRef">Ephesians 2:8</span>) and `Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' (<span class="scriptRef">Romans 10:17</span>) This much is clear, and, to paraphrase Thomas Kempis, `I had rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof.'</p>
<p>From here on, when the words `faith is' or their equivalent occur in this chapter I ask that they be understood to refer to what faith is in operation as exercised by a believing man. Right here we drop the notion of definition and think about faith as it may be experienced in action. The complexion of our thoughts will be practical, not theoretical.</p>
<p>In a dramatic story in the Book of Numbers faith is seen in action. Israel became discouraged and spoke against God, and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. `And they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.' Then Moses sought the Lord for them and He heard and gave them a remedy against the bite of the serpents. He commanded Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole in sight of all the people, `and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.' Moses obeyed, `and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived' (Num.21:4-9)</p>
<p>In the New Testament this important bit of history is interpreted for us by no less an authority than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is explaining to His hearers how they may be saved. He tells them that it is by believing. Then to make it clear He refers to this incident in the Book of Numbers. `As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life' (<span class="scriptRef">John 3:14-15</span>).</p>
<p>Our plain man in reading this would make an important discovery. He would notice that `look' and `believe' were synonymous terms. `Looking' on the Old Testament serpent is identical with `believing' on the New Testament Christ. That is, the looking and the believing are the same thing. And he would understand that while Israel looked with their external eyes, believing is done with the heart. I think he would conclude that faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.</p>
<p>When he had seen this he would remember passages he had read before, and their meaning would come flooding over him. `They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed' (Ps.34:5). `Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us' (Ps.123:1-2). Here the man seeking mercy looks straight at the God of mercy and never takes his eyes away from Him till mercy is granted. And our Lord Himself looked always at God. `Looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the bread to his disciples' (Matt.14:19).Indeed Jesus taught that He wrought His works by always keeping His inward eyes upon His Father. His power lay in His continuous look at God (<span class="scriptRef">John 5:19-21</span>).</p>
<p>In full accord with the few texts we have quoted is the whole tenor of the inspired Word. It is summed up for us in the Hebrew epistle when we are instructed to run life's race `looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.' (Hebr 12:2) From all this we learn that faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God.</p>
<p>Believing, then, is directing the heart's attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to `behold the Lamb of God,' and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain. Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him, after each brief excursion away from Him the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.</p>
<p>I would emphasize this one committal, this one great volitional act which establishes the heart's intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances He must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. He knows that we have set the direction of our hearts toward Jesus, and we can know it too, and comfort ourselves with the knowledge that a habit of soul is forming which will become after a while a sort of spiritual reflex requiring no more conscious effort on our part.</p>
<p>Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves&mdash;blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.</p>
<p>Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said, `I will set my throne above the throne of God.' Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.</p>
<p>All this may seem too simple. But we have no apology to make. To those who would seek to climb into heaven after help or descend into hell God says, `The word is nigh thee, even in the word of faith.' The word induces us to lift up our eyes unto the Lord and the blessed work of faith begins.</p>
<p>When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon God we are sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is written that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth. The sweet language of experience is `Thou God seest me.' When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on this earth.</p>
<p>`When all my endeavour is turned toward Thee because all Thy endeavour is turned toward me; when I look unto Thee alone with all my attention, nor ever turn aside the eyes of my mind, because Thou dost enfold me with Thy constant regard; when I direct my love toward Thee alone because Thou, who are Love's self hast turned Thee toward me alone. And what, Lord, is my life, save that embrace wherein Thy delightsome sweetness doth so lovingly enfold me"' (So wrote Nicholas of Cusa four hundred years ago. Nicholas of Cusa, The Vision of God, E.P. Dutton and Co. Inc., New York, 1928. - This and the following quotations used by kind permission of the publishers.)</p>
<p>I should like to say more about this old man of God. He is not much known today anywhere among Christian believers, and among current Fundamentalists he is known not at all. I feel that we could gain much from a little acquaintance with men of his spiritual flavor and the school of Christian thought which they represent. Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by the evangelical leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same train of thought, a kind of `party line' from which it is scarcely safe to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion and our most strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that everyone around us is saying&mdash;and yet to find an excuse for saying it, some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more,at least a new illustration.</p>
<p>Nicholas was a true follower of Christ, a lover of the Lord, radiant and shining in his devotion to the Person of Jesus. His theology was orthodox, but fragrant and sweet as everything about Jesus might properly be expected to be. His conception of eternal life, for instance, is beautiful in itself and, if I mistake not, is nearer in spirit to John17:3 than that which is current among us today. Life eternal, says Nicholas, is `nought other than that blessed regard wherewith Thou never ceasest to behold me, yea, even the secret places of my soul. With Thee, to behold is to give life; 'tis unceasingly to impart sweetest love of Thee; 'tis to inflame me to love of Thee by love's imparting, and to feed me by inflaming, and by feeding to kindle my yearning, and by kindling to make me drink of the dew of gladness, and by drinking to infuse in me a fountain of life, and by infusing to make it increase and endure.' (The Vision of God)</p>
<p>Now, if faith is the gaze of the heart at God, and if this gaze is but the raising of the inward eyes to meet the all-seeing eyes of God, then it follows that it is one of the easiest things possible to do. It would be like God to make the most vital thing easy and place it within the range of possibility for the weakest and poorest of us. Several conclusions may fairly be drawn from all this. The simplicity of it, for instance. Since believing is looking, it can be done without special equipment or religious paraphernalia. God has seen to it that the one life-and-death essential can never be subject to the caprice of accident.</p>
<p>Equipment can break down or get lost, water can leak away, records can be destroyed by fire, the minister can be delayed or the church burn down. All these are external to the soul and subject to accident or mechanical failure: but looking is of the heart and can be done successfully by any man standing up or kneeling down or lying in his last agony a thousand miles from any church.</p>
<p>Since believing is looking it can be done any time. No season is superior to another season for this sweetest of all acts. God never made salvation depend upon new moons nor holy days or sabbaths. A man is not nearer to Christ on Easter Sunday than he is, say, on Saturday, August 3, or Monday, October 4. As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial throne every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation.</p>
<p>Neither does place matter in this blessed work of believing God. Lift your heart and let it rest upon Jesus and you are instantly in a sanctuary though it be a Pullman berth or a factory or a kitchen. You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.</p>
<p>Now, someone may ask, `Is not this of which you speak for special persons such as monks or ministers who have by the nature of their calling more time to devote to quiet meditation" I am a busy worker and have little time to spend alone.' I am happy to say that the life I describe is for everyone of God's children regardless of calling. It is, in fact, happily practiced every day by many hardworking persons and is beyond the reach of none.</p>
<p>Many have found the secret of which I speak and, without giving much thought to what is going on within them, constantly practice this habit of inwardly gazing upon God. They know that something inside their hearts sees God. Even when they are compelled to withdraw their conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs, there is within them a secret communion always going on. Let their attention but be released for a moment from necessary business and it flies at once to God again. This has been the testimony of many Christians, so many that even as I state it thus I have a feeling that I am quoting, though from whom or from how many I cannot possibly know.</p>
<p>I do not want to leave the impression that the ordinary means of grace have no value. They most assuredly have. Private prayer should be practiced by every Christian. Long periods of Bible meditation will purify our gaze and direct it; church attendance will enlarge our outlook and increase our love for others. Service and work and activity; all are good and should be engaged in by every Christian. But at the bottom of all these things, giving meaning to them, will be the inward habit of beholding God. A new set of eyes (so to speak) will develop within us enabling us to be looking at God while our outward eyes are seeing the scenes of this passing world.</p>
<p>Someone may fear that we are magnifying private religion out of all proportion, that the `us' of the New Testament is being displaced by a selfish `I.' Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other" they are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become `unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole Church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and higher life.</p>
<p>All the foregoing presupposes true repentance and a full committal of the life to God. It is hardly necessary to mention this, for only persons who have made such a committal will have read this far. When the habit of inwardly gazing Godward becomes fixed within us we shall be ushered onto a new level of spiritual life more in keeping with the promises of God and the mood of the New Testament. The Triune God will be our dwelling place even while our feet walk the low road of simple duty here among men. We will have found life's summun bonum indeed. `There is the source of all delights that can be desired; not only can nought better be thought out by men and angels, but nought better can exist in any mode of being! For it is the absolute maximum of every rational desire, than which a greater cannot be.' (The Vision of God) O Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to Thee and be satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till I see Thee but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Thine own precious blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze upon Thee all the days of my earthly pilgrimage. Then shall I be prepared to behold Thee in full splendor in the day whey Thou shalt appear to be glorified in Thy saints and admired in all them that believe. Amen</p>

In the Pursuit of God - The Gaze of the Soul

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:1-10">Ephesians 2:1-10</span></span></p><p>We are acknowledging that in order to understand "grace" we must see it in relation to a Sovereign. As one writer puts it: "Grace is bound to be sovereign since it cannot by its very nature be subject to compulsion." That is why we often refer to it as free grace. There is no reason for grace but grace. I believe the old definition of grace cannot be improved: "Grace is the free unmerited favor of God." At the heart of all true communion with God there lies this gripping truth - God took the initiative. He is more inclined toward us than we are toward Him. We cannot earn His affection. We have simply to receive it. Always the initiative is from God. When you originally came to Him you came because He first drew you. The very faith by which you lay hold of Him is not of yourself; it is, as our text says, "the gift of God." Every step you make on your spiritual pilgrimage is possible because of His grace. I know this teaching affronts modern-day men and women because they like to feel that they can "work their passage to heaven," as one preacher puts it. That is like someone in debt for a million pounds trying to get the one to whom he is indebted to accept his resources of a few pence as being sufficient to clear the debt. Listen to the Word of God again and let it sink deep into your soul: "For it is by grace you have been saved  it is the gift of God." Grace is a gift. You have not to achieve but simply receive.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, once again my heart is moved as I realize it was not my merit but Your mercy, acting in grace, that drew You to me, and me to you. All honor and glory be to Your mighty and everlasting Name. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+5:1-21">Romans 5:1-21</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="tit+3:7">Titus 3:7</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul define grace?</li><li>Write out your own definition of grace.</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith  it is the gift of God " (v. 8)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="de+7:1-10">Deuteronomy 7:1-10</span></span></p><p>When the Bible says God is love, it is saying more than that God loves, or that God is loving, or even that God is lovely; it is saying that love is the power behind everything He does - love is not merely one of His attributes but His whole nature. God is not only the Author of loving acts; He is love in the very core of His Being. Our thoughts of God's love must be built on God's revelation about Himself in the Scriptures, not by projecting our own ideas about love on to Him. Let's focus, therefore, on what the Bible has to say about the God who is love. First, God's love is uninfluenced. By that I mean nothing in us can give rise to it and nothing in us can extinguish it. It is "love for nothing," as someone once put it. The love which we humans have for one another is drawn out of us by something in the object of our love. But God's love is not like that; His love is free, spontaneous, and uncaused. The passage before us today makes clear that there is no reason behind the love of God for His people. If you look for a reason you just won't find one. He loves because  He loves. No man or woman can ever explain why God loves us. To "explain" it would require that He loves us for something outside of Himself, and, as we have seen, He loves us for ourselves alone. And that love has its beginning not in us but in Himself. He is love's source as well as its river.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O God, what security this gives me to know that Your love for me will never be diminished and never be taken away. Help me reflect on this and draw from it the inspiration I need to walk tall and strong through every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:1-10">Ephesians 2:1-10</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="1jo+3:1">1 John 3:1</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul describe God's reason for saving us?</li><li>How does John put it?</li></ul></div></div>

"The Lord did not  choose you because you were  numerous  But the Lord loved you " (vv. 7-8)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ga+3:1-25">Galatians 3:1-25</span></span></p><p>The Christian Church has always struggled to get the balance right between faith and works. Romans is the great book on "faith" while James is the great book on "works." I know some Christians who never read the book of James, taking sides with Martin Luther who called it a "book of straw." Martin Luther may have been right about many things but he was wrong when he referred to the Epistle of James in this way. We need to study both Romans and James if we want to be properly balanced Christians. The difficulty with faith and works is this: we come into the Christian life by depending on the innocent sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary as sufficient ground for our acceptance with God, and then when we learn the principles of Christian living we turn from dependency on Christ to dependency on them. This was the great problem in the Galatian churches and it is still a problem here in the Church of the twentieth century. Bringing forth the fruit of repentance by good works is terribly important but we are not to depend on works for our salvation. We tend to focus more on works than faith because it is something visible and tangible. We can see what we are doing and assess it or measure it. Faith is different. It requires of us a degree of helplessness (something the carnal nature detests), but if we are to know God better and avoid falling into the trap of pursuing godliness more keenly than God, then faith must be seen as the primary virtue.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, help me get this right. I am saved to good works but I am not saved by good works. Prevent me from falling into the trap of being more preoccupied with Your principles than with You Yourself. In Jesus' Name. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:1-9">Ephesians 2:1-9</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ga+2:16">Galatians 2:16</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+9:32">Romans 9:32</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did Paul remind the Ephesians?</li><li>What did he emphasise to the Galatians?</li></ul></div></div>

"After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (v. 3)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="lu+19:1-10">Luke 19:1-10</span></span></p><p>We spend one more day meditating on the first of the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Dr Raymond Cramer, the minister and psychologist whom I mentioned earlier, says that in the psychology of Jesus, it is the one who has a problem that gets the Master's attention. When our Lord was here on earth, everyone needed Him, but only those who realised their need got His attention. It is often said that God rushes to the side of a person in need. That is not quite true. It would be more correct to say that God rushes to the side of the person who recognises and acknowledges their need. Those who recognise their need are to be congratulated, they are to be envied - they are candidates for the kingdom of heaven. We could translate this first Beatitude in the following manner without doing any injustice to the original statement of Jesus: "Congratulations to those who are humble and willing enough to recognise their need - for they are candidates for the help of God." Take it from me, there is no one in the kingdom of God who is not "poor in spirit". You cannot be filled until you are first empty. Salvation is not something earned, but something received. It is by grace we are saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:8">Ephesians 2:8</span>). The old hymn puts it in a way that is powerful and effective: Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling ' Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Saviour, or I die.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Father, thank You for helping me understand that to be "poor in spirit" is to recognise my utter helplessness in trying to save myself. I have nothing to give, but everything to receive. Humbly I bow and receive You now. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="php+3:1-9">Philippians 3:1-9</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="mr+10:28">Mark 10:28</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="lu+5:27-28">Luke 5:27-28</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="lu+18:29-30">Luke 18:29-30</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What was Paul's attitude?</li><li>What did Jesus require of the first disciples?</li></ul></div></div>

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (v. 10)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+1:15-23">Ephesians 1:15-23</span></span></p><p>Young Christians who have just come into the faith often ask: Why is the resurrection so important? How can an event which took place 2,000 years ago have any relevance for us today? Three very simple statements (not original to me) will bring us to the heart of the matter. First, the resurrection of Christ assures us of God's forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of humanity's greatest needs. Jack Winslow, in his book Confession and Absolution, says that the head of a large English mental hospital remarked that he could dismiss half of his patients immediately if they could be assured of forgiveness. The resurrection is convincing proof that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was accepted, and thus gives us the assurance that all our sins can be forgiven. Second, the resurrection of Christ assures us of God's power. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another to live above the power of sin. "Men may change their ways," say some writers (as we saw) from non-Christian religions, "but they can't change their character." Well, God can change people's character. He did so with the apostle Paul, with Peter, and with countless others. Paul's prayer in the passage before us today focuses on this - that we might comprehend something of the power released in the world through the resurrection. Third, the resurrection assures us of God's ultimate triumph. Other religions and ideologies have very vague ideas about the future. Some believe in endless cycles of reincarnations; others nirvana. Christians, however, have a hope that is different. Death for a believer is nothing more than the anteroom to glory.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Father, this must be the moment when debate ends and dedication begins. As You have done so much for me, I want to commit myself in a deeper way than ever before to living life in the power of Your resurrection. Help me dear Father. In Jesus' Name. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:1-10">Ephesians 2:1-10</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+8:11">Romans 8:11</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="col+3:1">Colossians 3:1</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>To what extent do we experience resurrection life?</li><li>To what heights does resurrection life raise us?</li></ul></div></div>

"... he raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms ..." (v. 20)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="1co+6:1-11">1 Corinthians 6:1-11</span></span></p><p>In his book Conversion - Christian and Non-Christian, C. Underwood says that the future of religion lies with the religions of the East, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, where conversions seem to occur. He hears followers discussing such things as self-sacrifice and the practice of good works and labels that as spiritual conversion. When people of any religion begin to become more interested in others than in themselves, then that has to be applauded and recognized as beneficial. But that does not equate with the conversion Jesus talked about. An acquaintance of mine in India, the principal of a high school, told me of a Christian student who was given to immorality. The student was introduced to a pastor who took him aside, and after a month of deep spiritual counseling he was transformed. Several months later a Hindu student was similarly discovered to be practicing immorality. The principal of the school, hearing of this, said to one of his senior staff, a Hindu: "Tell me of a saintly Hindu that I can talk to, or an institution where there is hope of this young man being reformed." The staff member shook his head and replied: "We don't have such a thing. Hinduism can do nothing for this case. Can't you take him to one of your Christian pastors and get him to pray with him or read the Bible to him?" Here was bankruptcy confessed. I do not tell this story to put the Hindu religion in a bad light. I tell it simply to establish the fact that when other helpers fail and comforts flee, there is always Jesus. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Lord Jesus, I am so thankful that You and You alone are the true Savior. All other Saviors are pseudo-Saviors. Not only do You save me from sin but You save me also from sinning. I am deeply, deeply grateful. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+3:20">Romans 3:20</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ga+2:16">Galatians 2:16</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:8-9">Ephesians 2:8-9</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Why does observing the law fail?</li><li>What did Paul underline to the Ephesians?</li></ul></div></div>

"... you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ ..." (v. 11)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:1-10">Ephesians 2:1-10</span></span></p><p>A Hindu once said in my presence: "A man may change his acts but not his character." He was saying that a change is possible, but not a vertical change; there can be improvement, modification, a change of attitude, but no deep radical change. The Christian church is not without a sprinkling of what yesterday I called "horizontal" conversions. Many historians have called attention to the fact that when Christianity swept through Europe, there were many genuine conversions to Christ but many horizontal ones too - people taking the Name of Christ for political or economic expediency. They were converted horizontally but still in need of a vertical conversion. When I was about fourteen years of age I was "horizontally" converted. I was a mischievous young man, and one day in church I made up my mind to be "a good boy." I tried hard to give up such things as swearing, stealing, and so on, but it didn't last. Although I felt religious, there was no great inward change. On a horizontal level I was converted, but not in relation to God. About a year later, sitting in the same church and under deep conviction of sin, I made a complete and total surrender to God. I was vertically converted. I walked out of that church feeling as if I had been turned inside out. From that moment my life was changed, old habits began to disappear, and my whole being was flooded with light. I tell you with all the conviction of my being, the vertical was much different than the horizontal. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O God, help us not to be converted to the things surrounding Christ - religious rituals for example - but to Christ Himself. For if we don't touch Him we don't touch life, and there will be no deep inward change. In His dear Name we ask it. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="tit+3:1-5">Titus 3:1-5</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eze+36:26">Ezekiel 36:26</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+3:3-7">John 3:3-7</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="1pe+1:23">1 Peter 1:23</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How is the change in a person described?</li><li>How is it accomplished?</li></ul></div></div>

"... God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions ..." (vv. 4-5) 

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+5:1-8">Romans 5:1-8</span></span></p><p>Why should the offer of free salvation in Christ be such a stumbling block to the world? Mainly because it cuts deep into people's pride. Bishop Neill, a writer, says: "... that which we ask the Muslim to look for in Jesus is in itself a cause of grave offense to Muslim pride. We suggest - we cannot do otherwise - that he find a Savior. The Muslim affirms that he has no need of such a thing." Pride adopts the stance: "I can save myself by my fasting, good works, or other meritorious acts." But the message of the gospel is this: there is simply nothing we can do to save ourselves. We must let God save us - or be lost. Helen Woodhouse, another religious writer, says: "We think we must climb to a certain height of goodness before we can reach God, but He doesn't say, 'at the end of the road you may find Me'; rather, 'I am the Way, I am the road under your feet, the road that begins just as low down as you happen to be.'" If we are in a hole, then the way begins in a hole. The moment we give up our pride and turn our face to God, confessing that we can do nothing to save ourselves, that moment we put ourselves in the position where we can be saved. The next step is simply to call out to the Lord and ask Him to save you. If you have never done that before, I urge you - do it today. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O God, I see clearly that I can do nothing to save myself, and if I am to be saved then I must look to You to save me. I repent of my sin, and turn to You as Your Word commands. Save me. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+9:1-15">2 Corinthians 9:1-15</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+6:23">Romans 6:23</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:8">Ephesians 2:8</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+4:10">John 4:10</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How is salvation described?</li><li>What two responses can we have?</li></ul></div></div>

"... at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." (v. 6) 

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+3:14-21">Ephesians 3:14-21</span></span></p><p>We are seeing that once we enter the sanctuary of God our perspective changes. This can happen to us when we are alone, of course, but the chances are it will happen more swiftly in the act of corporate worship. It is a command of God that we meet together, not only that we might come to know each other better, but that we might also come to know Him better. And here's the interesting thing - the more effectively we relate to one another, the more effectively we relate to Him. We come to know God better through the act of corporate worship than when we worship on our own. That is not to say that the shut-ins, or those who for various reasons are unable to meet together in worship, cannot know God intimately, but something special flows out of the act of corporate worship. Listen to how C.S. Lewis put it: "God can show Himself as He really is only to real men. And that means not simply men who are individually good but to men who are united together in a body, loving one another, helping one another, showing Him to one another. For that is what God meant humanity to be like; like players in one band, or organs in one body. Consequently the only real adequate instrument for learning about God is the whole Christian community, waiting for Him together. Christian brotherhood is, so to speak, the technical equipment for this science - the laboratory outfit." Christians who neglect attendance at the church, or choose to deprive themselves of fellowship with other Christians, miss out on life's greatest science - learning about God. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">My Father and my God, I am so thankful that, although I can know You when I am alone, I can know You even better through the fellowship of the Church. Help me to learn about You in every way I can. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:1-19">Ephesians 2:1-19</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+8:15">Romans 8:15</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+6:18">2 Corinthians 6:18</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ga+4:5">Galatians 4:5</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul describe the Church?</li><li>What does it mean to be adopted?</li></ul></div></div>

" that you  may be able to comprehend with all the saints " (vv. 17-18, NKJ)

<p>Contrary to popular opinion, there are no degrees of fitness for heaven. A person is either absolutely fit or he is not fit at all. This goes counter to the common notion that at the top of God's totem pole are good, clean-living people, at the bottom are the crooks and mobsters, and in between are those with varying degrees of fitness for heaven. It is an enormous mistake. We are either fit or we aren't. There is nothing in between.</p><p>Actually none of us is fit in himself. We are all guilty sinners, deserving eternal punishment. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have all gone astray and turned to our own way. We are all unclean, and all our best works are like filthy rags.</p><p>Not only are we totally unfit for heaven, but there is nothing we can do by ourselves to make us fit. Our best resolutions and noblest endeavors cannot avail to put away our sins or to provide us with the righteousness that God demands. But the good news is that God's love provides what His righteousness demands, and He provides it as a free gift. "It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast," (<span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:8-9">Ephesians 2:8-9</span>).</p><p>Fitness for heaven is found in Christ. Whenever a sinner is born again, he receives Christ. God no longer sees him as a sinner in the flesh; He sees him in Christ, and accepts him on that basis. God has made Christ to be sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (see <span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+5:21">2 Corinthians 5:21</span>).</p><p>So what it comes down to is this. Either we have Christ or we don't. If we have Christ, we are as fit for heaven as God can make us. Christ's fitness becomes ours. We are as worthy as He is, because we are in Him.</p><p>On the other hand, if we don't have Christ, we are as lost as we can possibly be. To be without Him is the fatal deficiency. Nothing else can ever make up for this crucial lack.</p><p>It should be clear then that no believer is any more fit for heaven than another believer. All believers have the same title to glory. That title is Christ. No believer has more of Christ than another. Therefore none is more fit for heaven than another. </p><p> </p>

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"…in Him you have been made complete." (Colossians 2:10 NASB)

<p>The grace of God is His favor and acceptance to those who do not deserve it; who, in fact, deserve the very opposite; but who trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.</p><p>Four of the better known verses on grace are these! "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+1:17">John 1:17</span>). "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="ro+3:24">Romans 3:24</span>). "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+8:9">2 Corinthians 8:9</span>). "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="eph+2:8-9">Ephesians 2:8-9</span>).</p><p>Some extol God's grace as the chief of all His virtues. Samuel Davies, for instance, wrote:</p><p>Great God of wonders! all Thy ways</p><p>Display Thine attributes divine;</p><p>But the bright glories of Thy grace</p><p>Above Thine other wonders shine:</p><p>Who is a pard'ning God like Thee?</p><p>Or who has grace so rich and free?</p><p>But who can say that one of God's attributes is greater than another?</p><p>God has always been a God of grace-in the Old Testament as well as in the New. But that aspect of His character was revealed in a new and arresting way with the coming of Christ.</p><p>Once we come to understand something of the grace of God, we become worshipers forever. We ask ourselves, "Why should He have chosen me? Why should the Lord Jesus have shed His life's blood for one so unworthy? Why should God not only save me from hell, but bless me with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies now, and destine me to spend eternity with Him in heaven?" No wonder we sing of the amazing grace that saved such wretches!</p><p>Then, too, God wants His grace to be reproduced in our own lives and to flow through us to others. He wants us to be gracious in our dealings with others. Our speech should be always with grace, seasoned with salt (<span class="scriptRef" ref="col+4:6">Colossians 4:6</span>). We should impoverish ourselves that others might be enriched (<span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+8:9">2 Corinthians 8:9</span>). We should grant favor and acceptance to the unworthy and the unlovely.</p><p> </p>

"The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus…" (1 Peter 5:10)

<p>Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. § What do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? § By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.<br><br>By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. § For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. § All things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for in Your sight no one living is righteous.</p>

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants.” 

<p>By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. § Without faith it is impossible to please Him. § He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. § Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!<br><br>Whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. § Faith working through love. § Faith without works is dead.<br><br>We walk by faith, not by sight. § I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. § Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.</p>

 The fruit of the Spirit is . . . faithfulness. 

<p>Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.<br><br>By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. § Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.<br><br>Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. § Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. § [Be] filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.<br><br>Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.</p>

 The God of peace … make you complete in every good work to do His will. 

<p>I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. § He is gracious to him, and says, “Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.” § Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. § Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.<br><br>By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. § Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. § To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. § As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. § He gives more grace.<br><br>Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.</p>

 The God of all grace. 

<p>Not everyone who says … , “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. § Pursue … holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. § Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.<br><br>By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.</p>

 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. 

<p>A new and living way which He consecrated for us. § Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. § For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.<br><br>Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory. § To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. § You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. § I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number … crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”</p>

Evening Daily Light

 They sang as it were a new song. 

<p><span class="bible-text "> <sup class="verse-num ">8 </sup>For it is by grace   you have been saved,   through faith  —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— </span></p>

For it is by grace<cr>1</cr>  you have been saved,<cr>2</cr>  through faith<cr>3</cr> —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Ephesians 2:8

 8 For it is by grace   you have been saved,   through faith  —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

<p><span class="bible-text ">For it is by grace   you have been saved,   through faith  —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— </span></p>

 For it is by grace   you have been saved,   through faith  —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Bible Verse of the Day

January 30, 2022

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

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