<p>Fellowship, committees and clubs are all right under the right circumstances, but this kind of an answer to that kind of a problem presupposes that those who give the answer have misuderstood the problem. There are three things they misunderstand. First, they misunderstand the nature of Christian faith. Christian faith is inward, not outward. It is of the spirit and not of the flesh. The kingdom of God is within you, Christ dwells in your heart, and "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (<span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:27">Colossians 1:27</span>) is the burning core of the Christian faith. So Christianity, the true Christian faith, is inward in nature--we are to be inwardly Christians. It is inside, somewhere in the spirit, soul and heart--the inner person--that we get into the rut. Because the problem is inward, it is ridiculous to say, "All right. The inner person, the spirit of me, the inner shrine of me, is in a rut. It isn't where it ought to be, so let's eat something."</p><p>
</p>

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

On Being Inwardly Christian

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="pr+12:11-28">Proverbs 12:11-28</span></span></p><p>There are people in our world who, even though they are not Christians, catch sight of the fact that the universe is made for wisdom and that to live effectively on this earth one has to search for wisdom and cultivate it. Through rational thought and intuition these people come to the conclusion that without diligence, life is more a cage than a challenge. Victor Frankl is one such person. Frankl is a Jew who was put into a concentration camp in the Second World War and survived the Holocaust. In fact, the only reason why he was not murdered with the other Jews was because he was appointed personal physician to several of the Nazi SS officers. Throughout the years in concentration camp he gave himself to the task of finding out why it was that despite tremendous odds some survived while others gave up the will to live. He discovered that the reason why people gave up so easily was because they had no sense of meaning. Those who had a meaning or purpose to live for, such as the hope of seeing a loved one again, kept going despite the greatest odds, while those who had no meaning or purpose simply gave up. Frankl discovered by empirical means what another Jew discovered by revelation - that in order to persist, one needs hope. That Jew was the apostle Paul and he took things a stage further than Frankl when he said, "Christ in you, the hope of glory"  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:27">Colossians 1:27</span>). Christ with us is one thing; Christ in us - now that's another. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O Father, how can I sufficiently thank You for the joy of having Christ within? His presence within gives me a hope that provides meaning in the deepest and darkest moments of my life. Thank You, Father. I am eternally 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="ga+6:1-9">Galatians 6:1-9</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+12:1">Hebrews 12:1</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="jas+5:11">James 5:11</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 must we not become weary in?</li><li>How are we to run?</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

"Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor." (v. 24)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:15-27">Colossians 1:15-27</span></span></p><p>We spend one more day meditating on the text: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Today we ask ourselves: What did Jesus mean by the phrase, "for they will inherit the earth"? It means, so I believe, that when we develop the attitude of meekness, the whole universe is behind us. If, for example, we decide to manifest the attitude of anger and hostility rather than cultivating a meek and quiet spirit, then the anger and hostility becomes, as someone put it, "sand in the machinery of life". The universe has been made in a Christlike fashion. Our text for today shows that when God made the world, He made it to work in the way of Christ: "All things were created by him [Christ] and for him." Edison, the scientist, tried eleven hundred experiments, all of which turned out to be failures. Someone said to him: "You must feel that you have wasted your time." "Oh no," answered Edison, "I simply found out eleven hundred ways how not to do things." This is what is happening in the world right now - humanity is finding out how to live. People are discovering that there are some things which the universe will not approve and some things it will approve. The meek are those who have come to terms with reality and know that they cannot twist it to their own ends or make it approve of what cannot be approved. Whoever has the first word in this universe must always remember that the universe has the last word. The Christian who adopts the attitudes of his Master finds the universe backing him in everything he does. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Father, thank You for reminding me that life works in one way only - Your way. When I live life as You designed it, then the whole universe works with me. I inherit all things - all that is Yours is mine. Blessed be Your Name for ever. 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+2:1-11">Philippians 2:1-11</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+1:3">John 1:3</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="1co+8:6">1 Corinthians 8:6</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+1:1-2">Hebrews 1:1-2</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 did Jesus demonstrate meekness?</li><li>How does this apply to you?</li></ul></div></div>

"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth ' all things were created by him and for him." (v. 16)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="ga+2:15-21">Galatians 2:15-21</span></span></p><p>We turn now to consider the second of our Lord's Beatitudes: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted"  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="mt+5:4">Matthew 5:4</span>). It is important to note that there is a very definite order in these sayings of Christ. Every one is carefully thought out and is given a precise place in the spiritual sequence. Once we see that entrance into the kingdom of God is through the acknowledgement of one's spiritual poverty and the acceptance of Christ's riches and resources, we are then ready to consider the next: "Happy are those who know what sorrow means, for they will be given courage and comfort" (Phillips). Before pondering the meaning of this Beatitude, we pause to make clear that the Beatitudes must not be viewed simply as a code of ethics, but as a description of character. Many people view these sayings of Jesus, as well as the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, as a set of regulations which they must follow in order to become a Christian - a kind of New Testament "Ten Commandments". The simple truth is that to try to live out these principles in our own unaided strength would be about as possible as trying to move the Rock of Gibraltar with a pea-shooter. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: "We are not told, 'Live like this and you will become a Christian ', but rather, 'Become a Christian and you will live like this.' " Advocates of the "social gospel" - the belief that we become Christians by attempting to live out Christ's principles - are seriously in error. We must first know Christ as a Person before we can fully live out His principles. </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Father, how tragic that, down the centuries, so many have got Your truth the wrong way round - they have tried to follow Your principles before first knowing You in Person. Help me never to go wrong here - ever. 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+3:1-19">Ephesians 3:1-19</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+14:20">John 14:20</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:27">Colossians 1:27</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="1jo+3:24">1 John 3:24</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Of what does the indwelling Christ bring a full knowledge?</li><li>What is the 'hope of glory'?</li></ul></div></div>

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me '" (v. 20)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+6:60-71">John 6:60-71</span></span></p><p>The next aspect of Christian uniqueness we consider is the Person of our Lord Himself. "Christianity is Christ," said one great preacher. "He is not just the Founder of Christianity but its very foundation. On Him rests the weight of bringing all men and women to God." It is important to reflect at this point, as John Stott reminds us, that Christians must claim uniqueness and finality only for Christ, not for Christianity. We have to admit that over the centuries things have been done in the name of Christianity of which our Lord would not approve. The historical figure of Jesus and His teaching is the criterion by which everything must be measured. "Jesus Christ," said Bishop Stephen Neill, "is not in the least like anyone else who has ever lived." No one else in history can be compared to Him. You do not select Jesus Christ from rivals; He stands alone. He is not the first of a class; He occupies the category all by Himself. Simon Peter realized this, as we see from the passage before us today. When Christ's followers started to drift away because He began to disappoint the hopes they had of Him, it seems the disciples started reconsidering their position too. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds and broke in on their thoughts with the question: "You do not want to leave too, do you?" (v. 67). Somehow that question seemed to clarify their minds. They saw in a flash His inevitability. Peter answered for them all: "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (v. 68). </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O God, drive this thought more deeply than ever into my soul that there is just no substitute for Jesus. He has no rivals. How glad I am that I belong to Him and He belongs to me. May the wonder of this fact grow and glow within me day by day. 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+1:21">Philippians 1:21</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="col+1:27">Colossians 1:27</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="re+3:20">Revelation 3:20</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 is the hope of glory?</li><li>What has Christ promised to those who respond to His voice?</li></ul></div></div>

"From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." (v. 66) 

<font size="2" face="Verdana">
<p align="justify"><i>Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)</i></p>

<p align="justify">We feel the importance of saying a word with 
regard to Christ in heaven and Christ within the believer, that is, what is 
objective and what is subjective. It is tremendously important that we should 
keep a proper balance of truth. A very great deal of our trouble is because of 
there being an unbalanced emphasis upon some aspect of truth. It is good to know 
the truth, and it is good to rejoice in it, but it is just possible that even 
truth may get us into trouble. There are many perils lying in the direction of 
truth, even spiritual truth; and there are not a few of the Lord's people who 
have fallen into those perils. It is not that they suffer from want of light, 
but they are suffering very much because they have not got their light properly 
adjusted and balanced. Thus it becomes very necessary for us to get things in 
their right perspective and proportion. Preponderance on any one side will 
always lead to spiritual injury, and very often to disaster. The history of many 
instrumentalities which have been raised up and used by the Lord is eventually 
the sad story of a loss of power and effectiveness because of striking an 
unbalanced emphasis, of putting some side of truth in a place out of proportion 
to that which is complementary to it....</p>


        <p align="justify">If we over-emphasize the subjective we take something 
        from the glory of Christ. If we over-emphasize the objective we take 
        something from God's purpose. It is a <i>matter </i><em>of the work of </em><i>God
        in Christ, </i>and <i>the purpose </i><em>of</em> <i>God
        in Christ: </i>and these two things must both have their
        place. May the Lord give us understanding, so
        that we come into a place of rest and are delivered from
        the perils which lurk in the vicinity of every Divine
        blessing.</p>



</font>

<p>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!” </p><p>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.</p>

Open Windows

Christ in Heaven and Christ Within

<font size="2" face="Verdana">
<p align="justify"><i>
Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)</i></p>

<p align="justify">
What does this mean? Not that I come before God saying, “I have had pure motives; I have been very honest, earnest and conscientious, and my intentions have all been of the best.” Let us stop talking nonsense. It is utter folly to talk like that. We do not know ourselves. Only God knows the truth about us, and none of that finds a place with Him or counts with Him for a moment. The point is, have I recognized that the Cross of the Lord Jesus was the smashing and ending of me, good and bad, so that I am not holding up before the Lord anything? I am as capable of the worst as any being in God’s creation is. For anybody to take the attitude that they are not capable of the worst is an attitude of the deepest deception. 
We do not know the power in our beings until we are put to it. If we have never committed the worst, it is because we have never been put to it in the mercy of God, but it is all there. The Lord puts His finger upon it in principle when He says, <i>“He that hates his brother is a murderer.”</i> It is the same spirit. You have only to extend that, provoke that anger enough, put that nature into certain circumstances, and you will discover that you are capable of things of which you would have stood in utmost horror at one time. 
</p>
<p align="justify">
You and I have got to come down before God and admit that we are capable of the worst, not standing on the ground of our right. The only right one is Christ from God’s standpoint. The only safe one is Christ, and therefore the only one who stands in God’s eyes is Christ, and it is as you and I, in all the brokenness, frailty, conscious weakness and humility of our own beings, by faith cling to Christ that we shall find the way out, the deliverance, the salvation. We must look behind God’s words to see bigger things than words on the surface indicate. <i>“To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at My word.”</i> That statement embodies all that we are saying.
To what one will He look? To the one who never says, “I am right!” but to the one who says, “I may be as wrong as ever a man or woman was wrong, there is nothing of which I am not capable; my only ground is Christ; so help me God, Christ is my ground!” To stand on Christ is to stand always in the consciousness and recognition that this other ground, ourselves at any point, is dangerous ground. <i>He</i> is so Other, and there is the great divide, there is no overlapping. Between Christ and us there is a gaping chasm. God never sees that bridged, but thank God He will put Christ into us by the Holy Spirit, and while the two will ever remain apart, the old creation will go one day and that which is of Christ, as wrought into us, will abide.
</p>



</font>

The Church of the Firstborn - Chapter 1

 The Church of the Firstborn 

<p>We walk by faith, not by sight. § We love Him because He first loved us. § And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. § In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. § To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.<br><br>If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?<br><br>Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” § Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.</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

 Whom having not seen you love. 

<blockquote>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Christ in you, the hope of glory" (<a id="verse_1632880075840856" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/1/27">Col. 1:27</a>).    </strong></p>
</blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">Beware! The world, both secular and religious, is seeking to destroy your individuality by conforming you to the mass of faceless ones. But our heritage and destiny in the Lord Jesus Christ is to be conformed to His image - not at the loss of our individual personality, but by the gain of His nature and character. "I in you"; "Christ liveth in me" (<a id="verse_1632880075317579" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/John/15/4">John 15:4</a>; <a id="verse_1632880075919635" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/2/20">Gal. 2:20</a>).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"Something has got to be done in us as well as for us. We want to proceed on the line of having things done for us, heaven intervening for us, our difficulties removed for us, having a straight path made for us. Heaven may be ready to come in, the Lord may be prepared to work for us, but it is not sufficient for Him - and it would not prove good enough for us - if that were all. The very principle of spiritual growth and maturity demands that He keep the objective and the subjective balanced; that is, that something is done in us as well as for us." -T. A-S.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">"We are apt to think that if and when the circumstances and conditions of our lives are changed and we are in another position than the one we now occupy, then something will happen, the purpose of God will begin to be fulfilled. But the Lord says, No, it is not circumstances, not conditions, at all; it is you.'"</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>"Being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ"</strong> (<a id="verse_1632880075202448" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/1/6">Phil. 1:6</a>).</p>

A 365 day devotional that will help you in your Christian growth and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This devotional is a collection of quotes from some of the best authors in the realm of Christian growth that has been organized by Miles J Stanford.  This devotional study is divided into 12 sections each containing 31 daily portions.

None but the Hungry Heart

 Internal Priority 

<p><span class="bible-text "> <sup class="verse-num ">27 </sup>To them God has chosen to make known   among the Gentiles the glorious riches   of this mystery, which is Christ in you,   the hope of glory. </span></p>

To them God has chosen to make known<cr>1</cr>  among the Gentiles the glorious riches<cr>2</cr>  of this mystery, which is Christ in you,<cr>3</cr>  the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27

 27 To them God has chosen to make known   among the Gentiles the glorious riches   of this mystery, which is Christ in you,   the hope of glory.

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

 To them God has chosen to make known  among the Gentiles the glorious riches  of this mystery, which is Christ in you,  the hope of glory.

<p><span class="bible-text ">To them God has chosen to make known   among the Gentiles the glorious riches   of this mystery, which is Christ in you,   the hope of glory. </span></p>

 To them God has chosen to make known   among the Gentiles the glorious riches   of this mystery, which is Christ in you,   the hope of glory.

Bible Verse of the Day

August 29, 2024

Colossians 1:27 NIV

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