Christians habitually weep and pray over beautiful truth, only to draw back from that same truth when it comes to the difficult job of putting it into practice! Actually, the average church simply does not dare to check its practices against biblical precepts. It tolerates things that are diametrically opposed to the will of God, and if the matter is pointed out to its leaders, they will defend its unscriptural practices with a casuistry equal to the verbal dodgings of the Roman moralists. Can it be that there is no vital connection between the emotional and the volitional departments of life" Since Christ makes His appeal directly to the will, are we justified in wondering whether or not these divided souls have ever made a true commitment to the Lord" Or whether they have been inwardly renewed" It does appear that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right! Jesus Himself left a warning: "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (Revelation 3:lb).

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

PRACTICING THE TRUTH

If you would see souls converted, if you would hear the cry that "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord;" if you would place crowns upon the head of the Saviour, and his throne lifted high, then be filled with zeal. For, under God, the way of the world's conversion must be by the zeal of the church. Every grace shall do exploits, but this shall be first; prudence, knowledge, patience, and courage will follow in their places, but zeal must lead the van. It is not the extent of your knowledge, though that is useful; it is not the extent of your talent, though that is not to be despised; it is your zeal that shall do great exploits. This zeal is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: it draws its vital force from the continued operations of the Holy Ghost in the soul. If our inner life dwindles, if our heart beats slowly before God, we shall not know zeal; but if all be strong and vigorous within, then we cannot but feel a loving anxiety to see the kingdom of Christ come, and his will done on earth, even as it is in heaven. A deep sense of gratitude will nourish Christian zeal. Looking to the hole of the pit whence we were digged, we find abundant reason why we should spend and be spent for God. And zeal is also stimulated by the thought of the eternal future. It looks with tearful eyes down to the flames of hell, and it cannot slumber: it looks up with anxious gaze to the glories of heaven, and it cannot but bestir itself. It feels that time is short compared with the work to be done, and therefore it devotes all that it has to the cause of its Lord. And it is ever strengthened by the remembrance of Christ's example. He was clothed with zeal as with a cloak. How swift the chariot-wheels of duty went with him! He knew no loitering by the way. Let us prove that we are his disciples by manifesting the same spirit of zeal.

This timeless classic from Charles Spurgeon will help to both start and end your day with wonderful insight into God's Word.

Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

"Be zealous." - Revelation 3:19

Evening Devotional

As many as I love. Is this the voice which has just been giving expression to such intensity of holy disgust? "Well may we marvel at the modulations of which it is susceptible. Ah, if there had not been love somewhere in thy heart, thou wouldst not have threatened the Laodiceans with ignominious ejection, but wouldst have cast them forth without any words of condescending reproach. Thou sawest how that confusion and alarm were being borne by thy words to their hearts, and how they began to exclaim, " Whither shall we flee from his presence? Who shall stand before him? For the day of his wrath is come." Thy words were mighty to tear down the palace of delight in which they had enshrined themselves; to tear it down for some at least. Even among these Laodiceans were some who had no idea of parting with Christ; and who, as soon as they saw that they had been building for themselves an edifice that Christ approved not, looked upon it with detestation, and loathed themselves for their inconsiderateness; they were appalled at the thought that Christ had perhaps had enough of them and had cast them clean off forever. So powerfully indeed was this view impressed upon them by the discovery of their folly, that they were fast giving way to a conviction that hope and they had parted company eternally. But the Saviour draws them from the brink of despair with the cords of love. " As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent." Knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade men: The love of Christ constraineth us. To those that are lukewarm, both the language of stern rebuke and the language of encouragement are necessary. Without experience of his indignation, they will derive no profit from the exhibition of his love. Too many churches, perhaps, derive no benefit from the preaching of Christ's love; from week to week, and from year to year, they only sink deeper in their spiritual apathy. They need to be brought acquainted with Christ's glance of fire, and to get their own indignation against themselves kindled by his indignation. There is nothing like the mingled indignation and love of the Saviour, for inspiring the soul with a genuine zeal to do his will. The indignation does not diminish the love, for it is the indignation of love, of wounded love. And when the heart has begun to burn with a steady zeal, then the indignation may withdraw into the past, and be looked at by memory, and the soul's uninterrupted experience be of love. Well for us, if we allow ourselves to hear the chastening rebuke of Christ contained in his word, and do not constrain him to clothe it in afflictive providences. Let us beware how we hide our conscience from the light of any portion of God's truth. At the door of many how long does Jesus stand and knock, while they hear not. They read, from time to time, the very words which express his deep dissatisfaction with the iniquity which they are regarding in their hearts; read, hear, but never discern the voice of Christ addressed to themselves. When in a rougher fashion he at length knocks at their door, they become aware that such a forcible appeal has been made necessary by their strange and long-protracted spiritual deafness. It is the office of conscience to rebuke. It does this, not as the enemy of the soul, but as the guardian of the soul's highest interests. It has, however, participated in the general ruin of our nature; and seldom speaks as the sincere servant of truth. But Christ is formed in us the hope of glory. Our conscience puts on Christ. The great need of the Christian is, that Christ and his conscience should be identified; that the rebuke of his conscience may ever be the rebuke of Christ. To this end let him give utmost heed to such rebukes; and by cords of love enchain his whole nature to the new Christ-conscience coming forth from the sepulcher of his dead nature.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me." - Revelation 3:19-20. 

I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act. (Revelation 3:19 GWT) 
 There is the big 
 question which is always confronting us as to why is it that some leap into 
 the light and go on, and others do not, but always lag behind, and never seem 
 to see any more? Is it that there is a selectiveness on the part of God, a 
 kind of elect of the elect that He has, is it that He has favorites? I do not 
 think so. I think a great part of the answer lies here, namely, in what God 
 finds He has to deal with, whether people mean business with Him or not, 
 whether He has a clear way or not, whether the ground is occupied or not 
 already by that which is an obstruction to Him. I do not think anybody will 
 fail to get all the light the Lord wants them to have if they really do mean 
 business with God. The Holy Spirit knows us. He looks right deep down into our 
 hearts and knows whether we mean business. He sees exactly what there is to 
 hinder Him and how far He can go; for the Lord is not going to coerce anyone. 
 
 If we are taken up with 
 ourselves, occupied with ourselves, circling round ourselves, centering in 
 ourselves, then the Holy Spirit has not a chance. We have to come to an end of 
 ourselves. That is the trouble with so many. They have got a self-complex set 
 up, and all the time it is a continuous going round in a circle and coming 
 back to the same point at which they started, and it is all round themselves, 
 and they are wearing themselves out. Before long they are going to have an 
 awful crash that involves all that for which they are supposed to stand and 
 represent for the Lord, and it will come down with them. The Holy Spirit has 
 not a clear way. We have to get out of the way, so far as this self-occupation 
 is concerned, if we are going to move straight on, and to go on. He knows 
 exactly where we are, whether we are so tied up in them that we are not open to 
 the Lord to consider any further light at all. "We have got it all, or our 
 people with whom we are associated have got it all, and we are a part of that!" 
 You know what I mean. The Holy Spirit cannot do much with folk who are in a 
 position like that; and He knows. His attitude is, "It is no use, I cannot do 
 much there, they are too tied up." But, if we are prepared to put everything 
 into the water, then the Lord can go on and get a clear way.

This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

Open Windows

Spiritual Sight - Chapter 4

 Self-Occupation Or Christ-Occupation 

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. § Just as a father the son in whom he delights. § He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole. § Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. § I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. § He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

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

 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. 

You say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”— and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. § The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. § I am the Lord your God … open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. § I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. 

19 <woj>Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. </woj>

<woj>Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.<cr>1</cr> So be earnest and repent.<cr>2</cr> </woj>

Revelation 3:19

 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.   So be earnest and repent.  

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

 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest and repent. 

<woj>Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. </woj>

 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.   So be earnest and repent.  

Bible Verse of the Day

December 5, 2023

Revelation 3:19 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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