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October | 1 - 1 November
All day 2021.11.01-2022.10.26 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips--Psa. 141: 3. The number of watchmen or pickets doing duty and standing guard over our actions and words will be fewer in proportion as the picket line guarding our minds, our thoughts, is a strong one. It is here that we need to be especially on the alert. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." This general truth is particularly exemplified in the regenerate, who are more open in their conduct and language, proportionately, than others. Having the right sentiments at heart they are less on their guard in respect to their manner of expression perhaps than previously; but all the more, they need to remember the words of the Apostle, "If any man sin not with his lips, the same is a perfect man" (Jas. 3: 2)—Z '04, 23 (R 3304). Because of his liability to err in word and of the liability of the majority to misunderstand, and of a minority to misrepresent, the Christian must guard well his speech. The failure so to do has wrought much evil, while success in so doing has not only prevented evil but also has accomplished much good. The surest way of guarding our lips is in having the Truth fill our minds and impress its spirit upon our hearts. As we cannot do this of ourselves, how fitting that we pray the Lord to set a watch before our mouth and to keep the door of our lips. Then we will not offend in word—P '34, 159. Parallel passages: Ex. 22: 28; Psa. 10: 7, 8; 12: 3, 4; 34: 13; 41: 5-9; 52: 2-4; 59: 12; 64: 2-5; 106: 33; 119: 23; 120; Prov. 4: 24; 6: 16-19; 8: 13; 10: 11, 19, 31, 32; 11: 11; 12: 5, 6, 13, 17-19; 13: 3; 14: 25; 15: 1, 4, 28; 18: 21; Matt. 12: 34-37; Rom. 3: 13, 14; Eph. 4: 25, 29, 31; Col. 4: 6; Titus 1: 10, 11; 3: 2; Jas. 1: 19, 26; 3: 5-10; 4: 11; 1 Pet. 3: 9, 10. Hymns: 145, 1, 44, 78, 154, 183, 208. Poems of Dawn, 143: In the Presence of the King. Tower Reading: Z '06, 76 (R 3737). Questions: What have been this week's experiences in line with this text? What helped or hindered therein? In what did they result? IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING
IF we could always feel each little thing
We do, each hour we spend
Within the presence of the King,
What dignity—'twould lend!
If we could realize our every thought
Is known to Him, our King,
With how great carefulness would it be fraught,
And what a blessing bring!
If, when some sharp word leaves a cruel sting,
Our faith could know and feel
'Twas heard within the presence of the King,
How soon the wound would heal!
Oh, when the song of life seems hard to sing,
And darker grows the way,--
Draw nearer to the presence of the King,
And night shall turn to day!
| 2 - 2 November
All day 2021.11.02-2022.10.27 It is the LORD; let him do what seemeth him good--1 Sam. 3: 18. We know not what is for our highest welfare. Sometimes those things which we crave and desire to grasp, considering them to be good, might really be to our disadvantage. Blessed are they who are able by faith to pierce the gloom of every trial and difficulty and perplexity, and to realize that "The Lord knoweth them that are his," and that He is causing all things to work together for their good. We are to wait patiently for the Lord and to take patiently such experiences as His providences may mark out for us, questioning not the wisdom, the love and the power of Him with whom we have to do—Z '01, 147, 317 (R 2806, 2887). The Christian should recognize the Lord's providence in all his affairs, whether it brings toward or untoward events, rewards or punishment. In every case the Lord's will should be heartily accepted. This will be difficult in untoward experiences, especially if these are chastisements; but all the more necessary will it then be to be submissive; for insubmissiveness then is liable to lead to total willfulness, which must result in complete disaster. It is, however, better for us to be like Samuel, a type of the Little Flock, whom a look was sufficient to guide, than like Eli, a type of the Great Company, who needed punishment for a large measure of willfulness—P '33, 162. Parallel passages: Matt. 26: 39, 42; John 5: 30; 6: 38; Phil. 2: 8; Acts 21: 10-14; 1 Pet. 2: 23; 4: 19; Psa. 31: 5; 39: 9; Luke 23: 46; Job 1: 21; Isa. 39: 8. Hymns: 67, 38, 43, 57, 228, 222, 305. Poems of Dawn, 184: His Will, Not Mine, Be Done. Tower Reading: Z '13, 251 (R 5296). Questions: What have been the week's experiences in line with the text? How were they met? What helped or hindered therein? What resulted therefrom? HIS WILL, NOT MINE, BE DONE
O THOU of little faith! why dost thou fear?
Didst thou forget that Jesus is so near?
And hast thou thought that thou must walk alone?
Behold now at thy side the loved One!
Aye, more than this, thou'rt held within His hand,
And 'twas Himself that hath thy trial planned!
There was a need be seen by Eye Divine,
Although, perchance, not visible to thine.
And, wherefore wouldst thou see? Thou canst not tell
If what thy heart contends for would be well;
Perhaps thy hope's fruition would be vain,
Or prove a life-long discipline of pain!
Hast thou not seen, in retrospective life,
That will of God which caused thee bitterest strife
Hath turned to sweetness—while the thing He gave
To suit thy will grew darker than the grave?
There's rest supreme for souls that choose His will;
A blest security from every ill.
The things God chooses for us never fail!
They have their anchorage within the veil.
| 3 - 3 November
All day 2021.11.03-2022.10.28 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak--Matt. 26: 41. Some make the mistake of praying without watching; others make the mistake of watching without praying; but the safe and only proper method is that which our Lord directed, to combine the two. We are to watch for all the encouragements of the Lord's Word, the evidence of their fulfillment and the signs that betoken His presence and the great changes of dispensation just at hand. We are to watch for everything that will strengthen us in faith and hope and loyalty and love; and while watching we are to pray without ceasing. We are to pray together as the Lord's people; we are to pray in our homes, as families; we are to pray in secret, in private—Z '01, 80 (R 2773). Watchfulness surveys our dispositions, thoughts, motives, words, acts, surroundings and the influences operating upon us. Prayer is the uttered or unuttered heart's sincere desire going out to God for good things. The former furnishes us with all the knowledge and energy to arouse us to activity, the latter with all the light and energy from the Word and all the circumstances and other helps from the providences to assist our activity in realizing the blessings that the Lord offers us. Such watching and prayer will deliver us amid and from temptation and will enable the willing spirit to conquer the weak flesh to God's glory—P '32, 166. Parallel passages: Matt. 26: 38-40, 42-46; Mark 13: 33; 1 Cor. 16: 13; Eph. 6: 18; 1 Pet. 5: 8, 9; Heb. 3: 12, 13; Isa. 26: 8, 9; Rom. 7: 18-25; 8: 3; 1 Cor. 9: 27; Gal. 5: 16, 17, 24; Phil. 2: 12, 13; 3: 12-14. Hymns: 183, 184, 20, 145, 78, 13, 130. Poems of Dawn, 111: Watch and Pray. Tower Reading: Z '13, 279 (R 5312). Questions: Have I this week watched and prayed? How? Why? With what results? WATCH AND PRAY
CHRISTIAN, seek not yet repose,
Hear thy gracious Savior say,
"Thou art in the midst of foes:
Watch and pray."
Principalities and powers
Mustering their unseen array,
Watch for thine unguarded hours:
"Watch and pray."
Gird thy heavenly armor on,
Wear it ever, night and day;
Ambush'd lies the Evil One:
"Watch and pray."
Hear, above all, hear thy Lord,
Him thou lovest to obey;
Hide within thy heart His words:
"Watch and pray."
Watch, as if on that alone
Hung the issue of the day;
Pray that help may be sent down:
"Watch and pray."
| 4 - 4 November
All day 2021.11.04-2022.10.29 He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant--Phil. 2: 7. As no man is able to serve two masters and satisfy both, and do justice to both, their interests conflicting, likewise we cannot please God and serve God and righteousness and at the same time be acceptable to the Adversary and those who are in harmony with him who now rules in this present dispensation, the "prince of this world." All the Lord's consecrated people, those who would lay up treasures in heaven and be rich toward God, must be willing to become of no reputation among those who are not consecrated, and who, whatever their professions, are really serving Mammon, selfishness, the present life, and not sacrificing these interests to the attainment of the Kingdom—Z '00, 318 (R 2715). This verse and its preceding and following verses properly translated are among the strongest of the Bible to show that Jesus not only was not Almighty God, but that He gave up His prehuman nature and office to become a man; and therefore, while on earth was not a God-man, but before His begettal of the Spirit was only a perfect, sinless man. The properly translated expression, "He emptied Himself by having taken the form of a servant," means His giving up His prehuman nature and office with their glory; and the expression, "having become in the likeness of men," means His taking human nature. Thus He became exactly in nature and quality an equivalent to Father Adam; and this made it possible for Him to become the Ransom for Adam and his race—P '26, 156, 157. Parallel passages: John 1: 14; 2 Cor. 8: 9; Heb. 2: 9-18; Rom. 5: 18, 19; Isa. 42: 1; 52: 13-15; 53: 11; Matt. 20: 27, 28; Luke 22: 27; John 13: 14. Hymns: 168, 167, 308, 96, 139, 166, 141. Poems of Dawn, 27: Christ Within. Tower Reading: Z '16, 35 (R 5842). Questions: What effect did Christ's abasing Himself have on me this week? How? Why? CHRIST WITHIN
A LIVING Christ, of wondrous birth,
Who trod the dreary paths of earth,
Shedding abroad His holy light
Through the deep gloom of sin's dark night.
A dying Christ, whose precious blood
Seals the poor sinner's peace with God;
And fills the soul with fullest love,
Like to the joy prepared above.
A Christ ascended—all is done,
A world redeemed, a victory won.
With angel hosts, a glorious throng,
We'll sing with joy salvation's song.
A living Christ our spirits need,
A loving Christ our souls to feed;
A dying Christ, our ransom He,
A risen Christ to set us free.
This, too, our need—a Christ within,
A life with God, afar from sin,
A Christ whose love our hearts shall fill,
And quite subdue our wayward will.
| 5 - 5 November
All day 2021.11.05-2022.10.30 Having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith--Heb. 10: 21, 22. Let us remember that He who has begun the good work changes never; and that if our hearts are still in harmony with Him, if our faith is still clear and firm in the great atonement, if our consecration is still full and complete, so that we seek not our own wills but His will to be done in our affairs, then we may indeed have the full assurance of faith, because knowing that God is unchangeable, and knowing that we are still in line with His promises and arrangements, we know that all His gracious providences are still being exercised on our behalf. This is full assurance of faith—full confidence in the Lord—Z '00, 170 (R 2642). As children of God, we have Christ as our High Priest. This guarantees that our ignorance and unwilling weaknesses and faults are all covered; and thus we are enabled to remain in the Lord's favor. This made it possible for the Underpriests to draw near to the golden candlestick, seeing its beautiful light; to the table of shewbread, partaking of its strengthening food; to the incense altar, sacrificing with a sweet-smelling savor; and to the second vail, which, passing by death, they entered into the direct presence of God with faithful and pure hearts and full confidence in the Lord and His provisions. Let us draw near—P '36, 165. Parallel passages: Heb. 3: 1, 6; 4: 14, 16; 7: 27; 1 Tim. 3: 15; Psa. 51: 6; 1 John 3: 21; John 1: 47; Acts 8: 37; Heb. 11: 1-39; Psa. 118: 8, 9; 125: 1; Prov. 3: 5; Isa. 26: 3; 30: 15; Mark 9: 23, 24; Luke 17: 5; Rom. 4: 18-21; 15: 13; Col. 1: 23; Heb. 13: 5, 6; Jas. 1: 6; 1 Pet. 1: 5, 7, 9, 21; 1 John 5: 4. Hymns: 137, 99, 110, 120, 174, 197, 293. Poems of Dawn, 34: Jesus. Tower Reading: Z '14, 88 (R 5424). Questions: What has this text meant to me this week? What did I do with it? What were the effects? JESUS
THE gentle sighing of the wind among the pines,
The joyous singing of the lark at break of day,
The rippling of the water-brooks through cooling shade,
The patter of the softly falling rain at night,
Are sounds less sweet by far than His most precious name.
No art can show a form so gracious and so fair,
No master's hand hath drawn a smile so sweet,
Nor could depict the majesty of that pure brow;
No canvas ever glowed with such a holy light
As shines from His most radiant image in my heart.
The dearest earthly friend may fail in time of need,
The sweetest and the loveliest grow cold at heart,
The nearest may not heed the throbbing heart's sad cry,
The gayest throng may hold the loneliest solitude,
But Jesus, Jesus never fails my call to hear.
Oh, may the music of Thy name more clearly fall
Upon my ears attuned to catch that sweetest sound!
Oh, may Thine image in my heart so bright become
That I by gazing may be changed into the same;
Oh, blessed Jesus, let Thy presence ne'er depart,
Oh, come and reign forevermore within my heart!
| 6 - 6 November
All day 2021.11.06-2022.10.31 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service--Rom. 12: 1. To render all we have to the Lord's service is not only a reasonable thing, but an offering far too small—far less than what we would like to render to Him who has manifested such compassion and grace toward us. And we should feel thus, even if there were no rewards attached to such a consecration of ourselves. But inasmuch as God has attached great rewards and blessings, we should feel not only that a refusal to accept would be an indication of non-appreciation of Divine mercy but also an indication of weakness of mind, of judgment, which is unable to balance the trifling and transitory pleasures of self-will for a few short years, with an eternity of joy and blessing and glory, in harmony with the Lord—Z '00, 170 (R 2642). This exhortation is not given to induce us to consecrate in the hope of getting thereby a great reward; but rather to do so out of a thorough trust in God, a thankful love for the good already received and an appreciative love for the good that God is and does. These qualities, wrought in us by the Truth seen and experienced in justification, enable us to render the Lord our little all, not only in its presentation but also unto its full consummation in death as a sacrifice. If we exercise the power, love, justice and wisdom that the Lord daily works in us, we will be enabled to carry out our consecration unto God's glory, others' profit and our eternal welfare—P '30, 183. Parallel passages: 2 Cor. 10: 1; Psa. 50: 5, 14; 45: 10, 11; Prov. 23: 26; Matt. 13: 44-46; 16: 24; Rom. 6: 13, 16; 1 Cor. 6: 13, 20; 2 Cor. 8: 5; Heb. 10: 7; 1 Pet. 2: 5, 9. Hymns: 160, 114, 134, 191, 244, 8, 14.
Poems of Dawn, 37: My Sacrifice.
Tower Reading: Z '14, 86 (R 5422). Questions: Have I been carrying out my consecration this week? Under what circumstances was my consecration tested? How have I been meeting the calls on my consecration? What has helped or hindered me? What are the effects? MY SACRIFICE LAID on Thine altar, O my Lord Divine,
Accept this gift to-day, for Jesus' sake.
I have no jewels to adorn Thy shrine,
Nor any world-famed sacrifice to make;
But here I bring, within my trembling hand,
This will of mine—a thing that seemeth small;
And Thou alone, O Lord, canst understand
How, when I yield Thee this, I yield mine all. Hidden therein Thy searching gaze canst see
Struggles of passions, visions of delight,
All that I have, or am, or fain would be--
Deep loves, fond hopes, and longings infinite.
It hath been wet with tears, and dimmed with sighs,
Clenched in my grasp till beauty hath it none.
Now, from Thy footstool, where it vanquished lies,
The prayer ascendeth—"May Thy will be done!" Take it, O Father, ere my courage fail;
And merge it so in Thine own will that I
May never have a wish to take it back;
When heart and courage fail, to Thee I'd fly.
So change, so purify, so like Thine own
Make Thou my will, so graced with love Divine,
I may not know or feel it as mine own,
But recognize my will as one with Thine.
|
7 - 7 November
All day 2021.11.07-2022.11.01 And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God--Rev. 20: 4. Although this beheading is figurative and not literal, it nevertheless has a deep significance. … It signifies, not only death to self-will but also to be cut off from all other heads, governments and law-givers, and to recognize no "Head" but Jesus, whom God has appointed to be the Head of the Church, which is His Body—the Head of every member of it. It means not only to be cut off from institutional heads and authorities but also to cease to have heads and wills of our own, and to accept, instead, the Headship, the will, of our Lord Jesus. It is the same thought that is drawn to our attention by the Apostle in Rom. 6: 3, where he declares that the Little Flock have been baptized into the Body of Christ, as members of that Body, under the one Head, Christ, by being baptized into His death—a full consecration of the wills, and a full laying down of the lives, faithfully unto death—Z '00, 285 (R 2699). The beheading here meant cannot refer to a literal beheading; for that would exclude Jesus, Peter, Stephen, John and Thomas from the Little Flock, of whom we have inspired evidence that they overcame. Doubtless it would exclude many others from it who are of it. It must, therefore, be a symbolic beheading, i.e., a giving up of natural hearts, minds and wills, so that Jesus can be taken in His heart, mind and will as the Head. We undergo and maintain this beheading on account of our allegiance to the Truth, which describes God and Christ in relation to our and the world's salvation—P '35, 171. Parallel passages: Matt. 13: 44-46; Rom. 6: 3-11, 16, 19; 12: 1-5; 2 Cor. 8: 12; Matt. 7: 21-23; Mark 10: 35-39; 12: 42, 43; Acts 18: 5; Rom. 10: 9-11; 1 John 1: 6; Rev. 6: 11. Hymns: 322, 134, 8, 259, 208, 191, 299. Poems of Dawn, 256: In Due Time. Tower Reading: Z '01, 227 (R 2844). Questions: What has this text meant to me this week? What were the circumstances and results? "IN DUE TIME"
IN Thy due time, our Heavenly Father, shall be
known
Thy gracious plan, which now is hid
Except unto thy saints alone.
O glorious day, when Thine All-wisdom, justice,
power and love,
The whole creation shall approve!
In His due time, O blessed Jesus, Thou shalt see
The travail of Thy soul, and shalt
Be satisfied eternally;
Thine agony on Calvary,—the price that Thou didst
give,
Shall cause the dead again to live!
In God's due time, O pilgrim on the "narrow way,"
Thy painful journey ended, darkest
Night shall turn to brightest day;
Thine every trial, then, thine every tear, shall prove
a gem
To beautify thy diadem!
In His due time, O weary, groaning, sin-cursed Earth,
The Lord will wipe away thy tears,
And bring the promised "second birth;"
And there shall be no pain, nor any death in that
blest day
When sin and sorrow flee away!
In His due time angelic choirs shall sing again
In grander strain that heavenly message,
"Peace on earth, good will toward men!"
And every knee shall bow, and every loving heart
confess
The Christ who comes to reign and bless!
| 8 - 8 November
All day 2021.11.08-2022.11.02 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain--Exodus 20: 7. Although this commandment was not given to spiritual Israel, we can readily see how the spirit of it comes to us. … We have taken the name of Christ as our name. … The holy name of the Head belongs to all the consecrated. … What carefulness the thought of this should give us, and how appropriately we should say to ourselves: "I must see to it that I have not taken the Lord's name in vain, that I appreciate the honor, dignity and responsibility of my position as His representative and ambassador in the world. I will walk circumspectly, seeking as far as possible to bring no dishonor to that name, but contrariwise to honor it in every thought and word and deed"—Z '04, 73 (R 3329). The name of God stands for His appellation, nature, character, reputation, honor, office and word. As God's representatives, the consecrated take His name in all these ways—now tentatively, and after the resurrection fixedly and eternally. To take His name in vain would imply either to neglect to use, or to misuse the privileges that come to us in our consecration as God's representatives. Accordingly, he who is unfaithful in his consecration takes the name of God in vain; while he who is faithful to his consecration vows, takes God's name properly and in harmony with its purpose. So to do should be our daily purpose—P '34, 159. Parallel passages: Lev. 19: 12; 22: 32; 24: 10-16; Deut. 4: 10; 5: 29; 10: 12, 20, 21; Josh. 24: 14; 1 Sam. 2: 30; Job 21: 14; 40: 2; Prov. 30: 8, 9; Rom. 12: 1; Matt. 10: 22; 25: 14-29. Hymns: 278, 14, 196, 224, 277, 198, 8. Poems of Dawn, 92: Believe Good Things of God. Tower Reading: Z '14, 55 (R 5404). Questions: What have I done this week with God's name? How? Why? With what results? BELIEVE GOOD THINGS OF GOD
WHEN in the storm it seems to thee
That He who rules the raging sea
Is sleeping, still, on bended knee,
Believe good things of God.
When thou hast sought in vain to find
The silver thread of love entwined
In life's soft, tangled web, resigned,
Believe good things of God.
And should He smite thee till thy heart
Is crushed beneath the bruising smart,
Still, while the bitter teardrops start,
Believe good things of God.
'Tis true thou mayst not understand
The dealings of thy Father's hand;
But trusting what His love hath planned,
Believe good things of God.
He loves thee; in that love confide;
Unchanging, faithful, true and tried;
And through whatever may betide,
Believe good things of God.
| 9 - 9 November
All day 2021.11.09-2022.11.03 The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would--Gal. 5: 17. Here is the great and continual battle; for although the new will asserts itself and puts the body under and compels its subjection to the new mind, nevertheless the mortal body, not being actually dead, is continually coming in contact with the world and the Adversary and is continually being stimulated by these and reinvigorated with earthly cares, ambitions, methods, strivings, conflicts and insubordination to our new will. No saint is without experiences of this kind—fightings without and within. It must be a fight to the finish or the great prize for which we fight will not be gained. For although the new heart, mind and will masters the mortal body by the Lord's grace and strength repeatedly, nevertheless until death there can be no cessation of the conflict—Z '03, 424 (R 3272). By the word flesh here the human disposition, natural or acquired, is meant; while by the word spirit the new heart, mind and will, undeveloped or developed, is meant. Even if the flesh were not depraved, it would yet be inimical to the spirit; for it is of the earth, earthy, and hence aspires to earthly things, while the spirit is of the heavens, heavenly, and aspires to heavenly things, which can be obtained only at the sacrifice of earthly things. Consequently there is a constant conflict between the flesh and the spirit. This prevents our doing perfectly, as we will to do. This conflict will continue until the flesh or spirit dies—P '33, 162. Parallel passages: Matt. 26: 41; Mark 7: 21-23; Rom. 6: 12-22; 7: 14-25; 8: 1-13; 13: 11-14; 1 Pet. 2: 11; 1 Cor. 2: 9; Eph. 5: 3-5; Col. 3: 5; Jas. 3: 14-16; Gal. 5: 16. Hymns: 343, 150, 78, 4, 47, 196, 198. Poems of Dawn, 199: "So As by Fire." Tower Reading: Z '13, 103 (R 5211). Questions: What have been this week's experiences as to this text? How were they met? What helped or hindered? What were the results? "SO AS BY FIRE"
I SOMETIMES feel so passionate a yearning
For spiritual perfection here below,
This vigorous frame with healthful fervor burning,
Seems my determined foe.
So actively it makes a stern resistance,
So cruelly it sometimes wages war
Against the higher spiritual existence,
Which I am striving for.
It interrupts my soul's intense devotions;
Some hope it strangles at its very birth
With a swift rush of violent emotions
Which link me to the earth.
It is as if two mortal foes contended
Within my bosom in a deadly strife;
One for the loftier aims Jesus intended,
One for the "Mammon" life.
And yet I know this very war within me,
Which brings out all my will-power and control;
This very conflict yet through Christ shall win me
The loved and longed-for goal.
And when in the immortal ranks enlisted,
Sometimes I wonder if we shall not find
That not for deeds alone, but also what's resisted,
Our places were assigned.
| 10 - 10 November
All day 2021.11.10-2022.11.04 Love … rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth--1 Cor. 13: 4, 6. Are the principles of right and wrong so firmly fixed in my mind, and am I so thoroughly in accord with the right and so opposed to the wrong, that I would not encourage the wrong, but must condemn it, even if it brought advantage to me? Am I so in accord with right, with truth, that I could not avoid rejoicing in the Truth and in its prosperity, even to the upsetting of some of my preconceived opinions, or to the disadvantage of some of my earthly interests? The love of God, which the Apostle is here describing as the spirit of the Lord's people, is a love which is far above selfishness, and is based upon fixed principles which should, day by day, be more and more distinctly discerned, and always firmly adhered to at any cost—Z '03, 57 (R 3150). Iniquity is untruth in theory and practice. Charity, being based on a delight in good principles, cannot rejoice in iniquity. While it sympathizes with the brethren and pities the world in their iniquities, it is pained and distressed by the latter, which it abhors correspondingly as it rejoices in the Truth in theory and practice. It cannot but rejoice in God's Plan and Spirit because they are the embodiment of every good principle in faith and conduct. It rejoices in the principles, aims, conflicts, works, successes, triumphs and spirit of the Truth, and that because of its delight in good principles and things—P '32, 167. Parallel passages: Psa. 10: 3; Rom. 1: 32; 2 John 4; Neh. 8: 10-12; Psa. 9: 2; 13: 5; 19: 8; 40: 16; 46: 4; 89: 15; 97: 11, 12; 119: 1, 16, 55, 111, 165; Isa. 12:1-6; Jer. 15: 16; Heb. 10: 34; 1 Pet. 1: 8; Acts 11: 18, 22, 23. Hymns: 95, 130, 136, 165, 149, 179, 204. Poems of Dawn, 120: Master, Say On! Tower Reading: Z '02, 197 (R 3033). Questions: Have I this week rejoiced in iniquity or in the Truth? Why? How? With what results? MASTER, SAY ON!
MASTER, speak! Thy servant heareth,
Longing for Thy gracious word,
Longing for Thy voice that cheereth;
Master, let it now be heard.
I am listening, Lord, for Thee;
What hast Thou to say to me?
Often through my heart is pealing
Many another voice than Thine,
Many an unwilled echo stealing
From the walls of this Thy shrine.
Let Thy longed-for accents fall;
Master, speak! and silence all.
Master, speak! I cannot doubt Thee;
Thou wilt through life's pathway lead;
Savior, Shepherd, oh! without Thee
Life would be a blank indeed.
Yet I seek still fuller light,
Deeper love, and clearer sight.
Resting on the "faithful saying,"
Trusting what Thy gospel saith,
On Thy written promise staying
All my hope in life and death;--
Yet I ask for more and more
From Thy love's exhaustless store.
Master, speak! And make me ready,
As Thy voice is daily heard,
With obedience glad and steady
Still to follow every word.
I am listening, Lord, for Thee:
Master, speak, speak on, to me!
| 11 - 11 November
All day 2021.11.11-2022.11.05 Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue [fortitude]--2 Pet. 1: 5. One great difficulty with the Lord's people is that, even when determined for a right course and thus resisting the temptation, they do not take sufficiently positive action. Many say to the tempter, I have concluded not to yield at this time. Thus they leave in their own minds an opportunity open by which the tempter may return. Our Lord's course was the proper one: we should dismiss the tempter once and forever. We should take our stand so firmly that even the Adversary would not think it worthwhile to come back at us along that line; "Leave me, Adversary, I will worship and serve my God alone"—Z '04, 10 (R 3296). After we have developed mental appreciation of, and heart reliance upon God and Christ as the foundation of Christian character, we are to build upon this basis the other higher primary graces, beginning with fortitude, whose essence is hope for victory. The Lord has given us the objects for such hope and a sure basis for it in His Oath-bound Covenant, Christ's Priestly office and the Spirit's participation. Such hope will make us brave to meet any difficulty and to fight on against any foe. To develop such fortitude will require constant diligence. Otherwise our efforts, unsustained by faithfulness, will ultimately prove insufficient for overcoming—P '26, 157. Parallel passages: Heb. 11: 1, 2, 39; Psa. 27: 13; Rom. 8: 24, 25; 2 Cor. 4: 18; 5: 7; Josh. 1: 1-9; 2 Chron. 19: 11; Prov. 28: 1; 1 Cor. 16: 13; Phil. 1: 27, 28; 2 Tim. 1: 7. Hymns: 197, 174, 228, 92, 29, 58, 201. Poems of Dawn, 76: O Soul of Mine! Tower Reading: Z '15, 179 (R 5705). Questions: Have I this week added fortitude to faith? How? Under what circumstances? With what results? O SOUL OF MINE!
O SOUL of mine, be calm, be still,
Submit thyself to God,
In all thy ways yield to His will,
Nor faint beneath the rod.
O soul of mine, like potter's clay
Within the Master's hand,
O let Him mould thee day by day,
Till faultless thou shalt stand.
O soul of mine, have faith, believe,
Nor count the cost of strife,
Fight on, faint not, thou shalt receive
At last the Crown of Life!
| 12 - 12 November
All day 2021.11.12-2022.11.06 Be not faithless, but believing--John 20: 27. It is impossible for us to come near to the Lord except as we shall exercise faith and trust in Him, in His goodness, in His power, in His wisdom, in His love. Faith is a matter of cultivation, of development. The same Apostles who cried out in terror when the storm was upon the Sea of Galilee gradually grew stronger and stronger in faith until, as the records show, they could and did trust the Lord in His absence and where they could not trace Him. Similarly it should be a part of our daily lesson to cultivate trust in the Lord, and to think of the experiences in the past in our lives and all these lessons in His Word, that thus our faith in Him may become rooted and grounded—Z '04, 89 (R 3337). To be faithless implies that one does not exercise a mental appreciation of, and heart's reliance upon, God and Christ with respect to Their persons, characters, words and works, while to be believing implies that one exercises a mental appreciation of, and heart's reliance upon, God and Christ in respect to Their persons, characters, words and works. They do not deserve unbelief, and no child of God should insult Them therewith; for unbelief in act tells God and Christ that They are unreliable. On the contrary, we should be very zealous to prove to Them in acts that we rely implicitly upon Them as dependable in Their persons, characters, words and works. Thus we will be pleasing to Them—P '36, 165, 166. Parallel passages: Ex. 4: 1; Num. 20: 12; Psa. 78: 19, 21, 22, 32; 95: 8-11; 106: 7, 24; Isa. 7: 9; 53: 1-3; Matt. 17: 17, 19, 20; Mark 6: 2-6; 9: 24; Mark 16: 14, 16; Luke 8: 12, 18; 24: 11, 21, 25, 26; John 16: 8, 9; Rom. 3: 3; 10: 6, 7, 14. Hymns: 174, 12, 56, 63, 93, 124, 251. Poems of Dawn, 83: Assurance. Tower Reading: Z '15, 40 (R 5624). Questions: What have been this week's experiences in line with this text? How were they met? In what did they result? ASSURANCE
IT may not come to us as we have thought,
The blessed consciousness of sins forgiven;
We may not hear a voice that shall proclaim
Our title clear to the sweet rest of heaven.
We may not see a light upon the path
Above the brightness of the noonday sun,
Whose radiance shall reveal our names enrolled
As ransomed by the Lord's Anointed One.
Not thus may the sweet knowledge come to us,
That all is well with us forevermore;
Not with a flash of glory on the soul
Do all pass into life through Christ the door.
But like the winter merging into spring,
Or gently as the trees put forth their leaves,
May come to us the impulse of that life
Which God bestows on those sin truly grieves.
If we are conscious of a firm resolve
To follow Jesus as our constant guide;
If, in prosperity or in distress,
Our hearts cling closely to the Crucified;
If we are not ashamed to have it known
That in His service is our chief delight;
Though we may never feel the ecstasy
Which those attain who reach the mountain height;
Yet, if the hour of secret prayer be sweet,
When we hold converse with the Friend Divine,
And dear the time when with His "own" we meet,
For us the promise stands, "They shall be Mine."
| 13 - 13 November
All day 2021.11.13-2022.11.07 Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of--Matt. 6: 8. Our petitions, our requests, our cries to the Lord, therefore, should be for the holiness of heart, for the filling of His Spirit, for the spiritual food, refreshment, strength; and as for the natural things, He knows the way we take and what would be to our best interests as Christians. We are to leave this to Him; He would not be pleased to see us importuning Him for things which He did not give us, for to do so would not be an exemplification of faith in Him, but the reverse—an exemplification of doubt, a manifestation of fear that He was forgetting or neglecting His promise to give us the things needful—Z '04, 90 (R 3337). We stand in need of earthly and heavenly things, but we do not understand the details respecting them. Nor do we know in what order, time, place and manner these needs may best be supplied. Therefore we should refrain from giving the Lord specific directions respecting the supply of them. It is enough for us to know that God knows their every detail, and just how, when and where to supply them. Nor need we doubt His willingness to supply them, because as our Father He pities us more than earthly fathers pity their children. Therefore let us wait on Him, grateful and content in His provision for us—P '30, 183. Parallel passages: Psa. 38: 9; 69: 17-19; 139: 2; Matt. 6: 32-34; Luke 11: 13; John 16: 23, 24; Phil. 4: 6, 19; 1 John 5: 14, 15. Hymns: 121, 301, 67, 99, 293, 63, 333. Poems of Dawn, 109: I Know Not the Way That's Before Me. Tower Reading: Z '15, 38 (R 5623). Questions: What events of the week indicate the Lord's providence over me? Have I trusted or worried during the week? What helped or hindered? What lessons did I learn from the experiences? I KNOW NOT THE WAY THAT'S BEFORE ME
I KNOW not the way that's before me,
The joys or the griefs it may bring;
What clouds are o'erhanging the future,
What flowers by the wayside may spring.
But there's One who will journey beside me,
Nor in weal nor in woe will forsake;
And this is my solace and comfort,
"He knoweth the way that I take."
|
14 - 14 November
All day 2021.11.14-2022.11.08 Take heed therefore unto yourselves … for grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them--Acts 20: 28-30. It is necessary for the discipline, trial and final proving of the Church of God that they should be subjected to these adverse influences; for to him that overcomes them is the promise of the great reward. If we would share in the Kingdom with Christ, we must prove our worthiness by the same tests of loyalty to God, of faith in His Word, of zeal for the Truth, of patient endurance of reproach and persecution, even unto death, and of unwavering trust in the power and purpose of God to deliver and exalt His Church in due time. To such faithful ones are the blessed consolations of Psalm 91—Z '04, 74 (R 3331). Wolves are not God's, but Satan's servants, who come among God's people with evil and destructive intent. They, therefore, seek not the welfare but rather the life-blood of God's flock. They pursue and terrify; they bite and devour His sheep. They spare neither the old nor the young among the flock. Those who arise from among the brethren, taking teaching positions, and using them to falsify the teachings of the Word, have been of two classes: Great Company and Second Death sifters. Both have taught doctrines that are perversions of the Truth, though the latter class does worse than the former class in this respect. They do so to win a following. God's elect take heed of all three classes, and do so by studying, practicing and spreading the Truth—P '35, 171. Parallel passages: Jer. 23: 1; Ezek. 34: 1-10; John 10: 12; Matt. 7: 15; Heb. 6: 4-6; 10: 26-29; 2 Pet. 2: 1, 22; Jude 3-19; 2 Tim. 1: 15; 3: 1-9; 1 Tim. 1: 19, 20. Hymns: 130, 1, 13, 44, 71, 120, 315. Poems of Dawn, 304: 'Twas a Sheep. Tower Reading: Z '14, 29 (R 5388). Questions: What have been the week's experiences in line with this text? Under what circumstances did they occur? How were they met? In what did they result? 'TWAS A SHEEP
'TWAS a sheep, not a lamb, that went astray
In the parable Jesus told;
'Twas a grown-up sheep that wandered away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And out on the hilltops and out in the cold
'Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd sought,
And back to the flock, and back to the fold,
'Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd brought.
Now, why should the sheep be so carefully fed
And cared for still today?
One reason is that if they go wrong
They will lead the lambs astray;
For lambs often follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever they wander, wherever they go.
And if sheep go wrong, it will not be long
Till some lambs are as wrong as they;
So, still with the sheep we must earnestly plead,
For the sake of the lambs today.
If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost
Some sheep will have to pay!
| 15 - 15 November
All day 2021.11.15-2022.11.09 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked--1 John 2: 6. He is to walk as our Lord walked, in his general deportment and relationship to everything that is good and correspondingly to avoid everything that is evil. He is to walk as nearly as possible in the footsteps of Jesus. This, however, does not mean that he either should or could, in an imperfect body, walk up to all the perfection of his Lord, who even in His flesh was perfect. It means just what it says, that we should walk as He walked—in the same way, in the same direction, toward the same mark and standard that He recognized and established—Z '03, 345 (R 3235). To abide in Christ implies not only consecration and Spirit-infilling but also continuity in the consecrated attitude, deadness to self and the world, and aliveness unto God. Jesus fulfilled His consecration vows: He remained dead to self and the world and alive unto God. Therefore, He studied the Word, watched and prayed in harmony with the Word, spread and practiced the Word, and suffered in holiness for faithfulness to the Word. Whoever abides in Christ not only ought so to conduct himself, but surely in spirit will perfectly so do, and in flesh as nearly perfectly as his fallen earthen vessel will permit. A blessed walk indeed is the walk like Christ's. Who so does possesses all things—P '34, 159. Parallel passages: John 15: 1-9; 13: 15, 34; Phil. 2: 5-8; 1 Pet. 2: 21-24; Matt. 11: 29; 20: 28; Mark 10: 43-45; Luke 22: 26, 27; Rom. 8: 29; 15: 2, 3, 5, 7; Eph. 5: 2; 1 Cor. 3: 13; Heb. 12: 2-4; 1 John 3: 16; 4: 17; 2 John 9; Rev. 3: 21; 14: 4. Hymns: 196, 28, 325, 326, 323, 167, 198. Poems of Dawn, 28: Christ, Our Teacher. Tower Reading: Z '14, 126 (R 5446). Questions: Have I imitated Jesus this week? Under what circumstances? What helped or hindered therein? With what results? CHRIST, OUR TEACHER LET Him teach thee, weary soul; ( Psa. 27: 11.) Let His hands now make thee whole; ( Job 5: 18.) Let His peace thy heart control,—( Col. 3: 15.) Let Him teach thee. Into paths of righteousness ( Psa. 23: 3.) Let Him lead and let Him bless; ( Psa. 67: 7.) Let Him save thee from distress,—( Psa. 107: 13.) Let Him teach thee. Let Him guide thee with His eye: ( Psa. 32: 8.) Let His hand thy need supply; ( Phil. 4: 19.) Let His goodness satisfy,—( Psa. 65: 4.) Let Him teach thee. Let His good Word sanctify; ( John 17: 17.) Let the furnace purify; ( 1 Peter 1: 7.) Let Him say, "Fear not; 'tis I,"—( Mark 6: 50.) Let Him teach thee. Let Him probe thy heart within; ( Psa. 66: 10.) Let Him search out every sin; ( Psa. 139: 23.) Let the glorious light shine in,—( 2 Cor. 4: 6.) Let Him teach thee. Let the Shepherd kindly feed; Let Him firmly, truly lead; ( Isa. 40: 11.) (He'll not break the bruised reed,) ( Isa. 42: 3.) Let Him teach thee. Let Him give thee songs at night; ( Job 35: 10.) Let Him make the darkness light; ( Isa. 42: 16.) Let Him set thy spirit right,—( Psa. 51: 10.) Let Him teach thee. In the tumult let Him hide, ( Psa. 27: 5; 31: 20.) Let Him keep thee at His side; ( Ex. 33: 21.) Let His name be glorified—( Isa. 61.3.) Let Him teach thee.
| 16 - 16 November
All day 2021.11.16-2056.11.09 She hath done what she could--Mark 14: 8. It is not our privilege to come into personal contact with our dear Redeemer, but it is our privilege to anoint the Lord's "brethren" with the sweet perfume of love, sympathy, joy and peace, and the more costly this may be as respects our self-denials, the more precious it will be in the estimation of our Elder Brother, who declared that in proportion as we do or do not unto His brethren, we do or do not unto Him. … Our alabaster boxes are our hearts, which should be full of the richest and sweetest perfumes of good wishes, kindness and love toward all, but especially toward … our Lord Jesus, and toward all His disciples … on whom we now have the privilege of pouring out the sweet odors of love and devotion in the name of the Lord, because we are His—Z '99, 78; '00, 378 (R 2447, 2743). It was not because Jesus was without knowledge of Mary's human weaknesses that He was appreciative of her good deed wrought on Him; but despite that knowledge He had the nobility of character that could look upon both her ability and intention, and this made Him so appreciative of Mary, whom He knew to have intended the best she had for Him, and to have done it to the best of her ability. Therefore as a memorial to her, He gladly praised her. And doubtless He purposed that this praise should be a lesson and an encouragement for us, that we may learn to appreciate the good deeds, the loving deeds, of others, and be encouraged to do good. If with our best intentions and ability we break our alabaster boxes on His consecrated ones, He will appreciate our deed and mention it as a memorial of our having done what we could. Than this God asks no more of us; nor should we yield less—P '33, 162. Parallel passages: Ezek. 9: 11; Matt. 25: 14-17; Luke 21: 1-4; Rom. 12: 3-8; Eph. 4: 7; 6: 8; 1 Tim. 6: 20; 1 Cor. 3: 8, 12-15; 16: 2; 2 Cor. 8: 11-24; Rev. 2: 23. Hymns: 200, 8, 14, 177, 224, 259, 114. Poems of Dawn, 220: She Hath Done What She Could. Tower Reading: Z '05, 103 (R 3534). Questions: What have I done this week for the Lord? How? Why? With what results? "SHE HATH DONE WHAT SHE COULD"
THE Feast was spread at Simon's house, and as
they sat at meat,
A woman came and silent stood within the open
door--
Close pressed against her throbbing heart an alabaster
box
Of purest spikenard, costly, rare, she held. With modest fear,
She dreaded to attract the curious gaze of those
within,
And yet her well-beloved Friend was there, her
Master, Lord.
With wondrous intuition she divined that this might
be
Her last, her only opportunity to show her love;
She thought of all that He had done for her, the
holy hours
She spent enraptured at His feet, unmindful of all
else,
If only she might hear those words of Truth, those
words of Life.
She thought of that dark hour when Lazarus lay
within the tomb
And how He turned her night to day, her weeping
into joy.
Her fair face flushed, with deepening gratitude her
pure eyes shone;
With swift, light step she crossed the crowded room.
She bravely met
Those questioning eyes (for Love will find its way
through paths where lions
Fear to tread); with trembling hands she broke the
seal and poured
The precious contents of the box upon her Savior's
feet,
And all the house was filled with fragrance wonderful
and sweet.
She could not speak, her heart's devotion was too
deep, her tears
Fell softly, while she took her chiefest ornament, her
long
And silken hair and wiped His sacred feet,—when
suddenly
A rude voice broke the golden silence with, "What
waste! this might
Have sold for much, to feed the poor!" She lower
bent her head--
To her it seemed so mean a gift for love so great to
make!
Again a voice re-echoed through the room, her
blessed Lord's,
(He half arose and gently laid His hand upon her
hair)--
And how it thrilled her fainting heart to hear Him
sweetly say,
"Rebuke her not, for she hath wrought a good work,
what she could;
Aforehand, to anoint Me for my burying, she hath
come,
and this her deed of love throughout the ages shall
be told!"
* * *
How oft since first I read the story of this saint of old,
My own poor heart hath burned with fervent, longing,
deep desire,
That I might thus have ministered unto my Lord and
King--
"The chiefest of ten thousand, altogether lovely One."
And now, to learn—oh! precious thought, 'tis not
too late, I still
May pour Love's priceless ointment on "the members"
of His Feet!
Dear Lord, I pray, oh! help me break with sacrificial
hand
The seal of Self, and pour the pent-up odors of my
heart
Upon Thy "Feet!" Oh! Let me spend my days and
nights in toil,
That I, perchance, may save from needless wandering,
and help
To keep them in the narrow way that leads to light
and life.
Oh! let me lay within their trembling hands a rose of
love,
A lily's pure and holy inspiration on their breast!
Dear Master, let me kneel with them in dark
Gethsemane;
Oh! help me boldly stand and meekly bear the scoffs
and jeers
Of cruel, mocking tongues! Oh! may I count no
cost, e'en life
Itself, too great to serve, to bless, to comfort Thy
dear "Feet,"
And when the last drop of my heart's devotion hath
been shed,
Oh, may I hear Thy sweet voice say, "She hath done
what she could!"
| 17 - 17 November
All day 2021.11.17-2022.11.11 He shall give his angels [messengers] a charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways--Psa. 91: 11. That is, God will raise up some faithful pastors and teachers who will "watch for your souls as they that must give an account." True, there shall arise false teachers, perverting the Word of the Lord and seeking by cunning sophistries to subvert your souls; but if in simplicity of heart God's children require a "Thus saith the Lord" for every element of their faith, and carefully prove all things by the Word, they will be able to distinguish readily the true from the false. And having done so, the Apostle Paul (Heb. 13: 17) counsels us to have confidence. The Lord, our Shepherd, will care for the true sheep—Z '04, 75 (R 3331). God's angels, messengers, are varifold; some are animate, some are inanimate. His animate messengers are sometimes human, sometimes spiritual. Of both His animate and inanimate messengers it can be said that they have been charged with the ministry of protecting God's saints; particularly, however, does this apply to His animate angels. While God's spiritual angels have been given a providential oversight over God's people to protect them in ways other than those of the Spirit and the Word, His human angels have been given the special ministry of guarding them by the Spirit and Word in the paths of the Truth and its Spirit. This is the especial charge of the teachers in the Church, though all God's people are charged with the ministry of one another as they are able—P '32, 167. Parallel passages: Gen. 19: 16; 32: 1, 2; 1 Kings 19: 5; 2 Kings 6: 17; Psa. 34: 7; 68: 17; 63: 9; 103: 20, 21; Dan. 3: 28; 6: 22; Matt. 4: 11; 18: 10; Luke 1: 19; 2: 9-14; 22: 43; Acts 12: 7; 27: 23; Heb. 1: 14. Hymns: 120, 121, 286, 288, 216, 293, 301. Poems of Dawn, 84: His Veiled Angels Guard Thee. Tower Reading: Z '13, 182 (R 5257). Questions: What experiences of the week show the Lord's care? How did they affect me? HIS VEILED ANGELS GUARD THEE"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."— Psa. 34: 7. "He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways."— Psa. 91: 11. "Are they not all minist- erring spirits sent forth to minister unto them that shall be heirs of sal- vation?"— Heb. 1: 14. OFTEN when thou'rt faint and weary in the struggle and the strife, And thy heart nigh sinks within thee, 'neath the strain and stress of life: When thou'rt tempted, tried and fearful, and thou canst not see the way, And each night looms black with shadows from thy sorrows in the day; I would ask thee still to trust Him, He who sees all in the light, For He guards thee by His angels, though they're veiled from thy sight-- Yea, He guards thee by His angels, though they're veiled from thy sight. Oh, be watchful, oh, be sober, for the Adversary tries To allure us to destruction by his subtly fashioned lies. He would sift us, he would tempt us, he would claim us for his prey, And his legions ever watch us as we tread the Nar- row Way: But we know of his devices, and we trust Jehovah's might, For He guards us by His angels, though they're veiled from our sight-- Yea, He guards us by His angels, though they're veiled from our sight. There is One who knows thy weakness, and thy failings, and thy tears, Thy burdens and thy sorrows, and thy tremblings and thy fears; And thy heart-cries always reach Him, and are answered in His way, Though thou canst not see His workings as they shape thy path each day. Sad disaster had o'erwhelmed thee, had He not put forth His might, Through His angels that surround thee, but are veiled from thy sight-- Guardian angels that surround thee, but are veiled from thy sight. Ah, believe me, when the Day breaks, and we know as we are known, In the sunlight of the glory that surrounds our Father's Throne, He will tell us how He led us: we shall see the path- way clear, The way we trod that led to God through failing, fault and fear. And we'll see those guardian angels who were veiled from our sight, We shall understand the workings of the Power put forth in might: Yea, and with those guardian angels who were veiled from our sight, We shall see our Savior, and our God, in Heaven's Eternal Light.
| 18 - 18 November
All day 2021.11.18-2022.11.12 The Angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them--Psa. 34: 7. How it enlarges the confidence of a Christian to realize that while earthly powers may be in opposition, and while he may be really of himself powerless to resist adversaries, and while in addition to the flesh and blood adversaries he may realize that he battles also with spiritual wickedness in exalted places—against Satan and his minions of darkness—yet, that, on the other hand, "greater is he that is on our part than all that be against us," and that all the heavenly hosts are subject to the Divine will and may be employed for the advancement of the Divine cause according to Divine wisdom!—Z '97, 120 (R 2139). Our Lord Jesus is the special Messenger of the Lord and is here meant by the Angel of the Lord. Those that fear the Lord are His saints, whose fear of Jehovah is one of reverence. They are the especial targets of Satan, who seeks through their flesh and the world to entice them into sin, error, selfishness and worldliness. They would be helpless against his wiles, if the Lord Jesus would not Himself form a camp, an armed defense, about them, repelling the Adversary's attacks by His Power, Word and providences, whereby He delivers them. To experience such deliverance, it is necessary for them to avail themselves of His protection, and to co-operate with Him against Satan's onslaughts. Thus they share with Jesus in victory after victory in this holy war for God—P '26, 157. Parallel passages: Gen. 19: 16; 32: 1, 2; 1 Kings 19: 5; 2 Kings 6: 17; Psa. 34: 7; 68: 17; 63: 9; 103: 20, 21; Dan. 3: 28; 6: 22; Matt. 4: 11; 18: 10; Luke 1: 19; 2: 9-14; 22: 43; Acts 12: 7; 27: 23; Heb. 1: 14. Hymns: 330, 63, 121, 293, 294, 301, 328. Poems of Dawn, 183: "Your Father Knoweth What Things Ye Have Need Of." Tower Reading: Z '15, 55 (R 5633). Questions: What deliverances did I experience this week? What conditions did I fulfill to experience them? How did I feel about it? "YOUR FATHER KNOWETH WHAT THINGS YE HAVE NEED OF"MATT. 6: 8. OUR Father knows what things we need Each step along the way, His eye of love doth never sleep,-- He watches night and day. He knows sometimes, like ripening grain, We need the sunshine bright, Again He sends the peace that comes With shadows of the night. Sometimes our pride would fain unfurl Ambition's flaunting sail,-- Ah! then He knows we need to walk Humiliation's vale. Sometimes He takes our eager hands And folds them on our breast, He gently lays our work aside,-- He knows we need to rest. Sometimes we need companionship, Sometimes, "the wilderness,"-- How sweet to feel He'll know and give The state that most will bless! Then let us leave it all with Him. Assured that, come what may, Our father knows just what we need.Upon our pilgrim-way.
| 19 - 19 November
All day 2021.11.19-2022.11.13 Let us watch and be sober--1 Thes. 5: 6. Let us watch in the sense of taking careful notice of all the directions which the Lord our God has given us, respecting what would be acceptable service to Him. Let us watch ourselves, striving to walk as nearly as possible in the footsteps of the great High Priest. Let us be sober in the sense that we will not be frivolous; that while happy, joyous in the Lord, free from the anxious cares that are upon many others through misapprehension of our Father's character and Plan, we may, nevertheless, be sober in the sense of earnest appreciation of present opportunities and privileges in connection with the Lord's service—not thoughtlessly negligent, letting opportunities and privileges slip through our hands to be afterwards regretted—Z '02, 239 (R 3054). The word watch implies sentinelship. It suggests that we be armed, remain awake, survey our dispositions, thoughts, motives, words, acts, surroundings and influences operating on and from us, challenge all things that would enter or leave the camp of our minds and hearts, be incredulous to their claims of friendliness, require proof of such claims, capture those unable to furnish such proof, permit egress or ingress on such proof, survey the whole sphere of our duties and privileges, and remain on guard until relieved. To be sober implies balance of disposition and judgment, not over or under estimating the participants of our warfare, recognizing our infirmities, needs, purposes and attainments, those of our enemies, the powers, purposes and helps of our Leader, the hardships, duration and purpose of our warfare and the certainty of defeat to the unfaithful and of victory to the faithful, and from such consideration exercise great and continual carefulness—P '36, 166. Parallel passages: Ex. 23: 13; 34: 12; Deut. 4: 9, 23; Josh. 22: 5; 1 Kings 8: 25; Psa. 39: 1; 141: 3; Prov. 4: 23; Mal. 2: 15; Matt. 16: 6; 24: 4; 26: 40, 41; Luke 11: 35; Acts 20: 28-31; 1 Cor. 10: 12; 16: 13; Eph. 5: 15; 6: 18; 1 Tim. 4: 16; Heb. 2: 1; 3: 12; 1 Pet. 1: 13; 4: 7; 5: 8. Hymns: 13, 145, 1, 20, 44, 130, 183. Poems of Dawn, 239: Courage! Morning Dawns. Tower Reading: Z '13, 181 (R 5256). Questions: Have I this week heeded this text? How? Why? What did it effect? COURAGE! MORNING DAWNS
THOUGH the night be dark and dreary,
Though the way be long and weary,
Morn shall bring thee light and cheer;
Child, look up, the morn is near.
Though thine eyes be sad with weeping,
Through the night thy vigils keeping,
God shall wipe thy tears away,
Turn thy darkness into day.
Though thy spirit faint with fasting
Through the hours so slowly wasting,
Morn shall bring a glorious feast.
Thou shalt sit an honored guest.
| 20 - 20 November
All day 2021.11.20-2022.11.14 If ye do these things, ye shall never fall--2 Pet. 1: 10. The contingency is not in the doing of these things perfectly, and regardless of the righteousness of Christ to cover our transgressions and compensate for our daily shortcomings; but if, added to our faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ, we have cultivated all these graces to the extent of our ability, we shall not fall. When we have done all that we can do, we are still unprofitable servants, not daring to trust in our own righteousness, but in the ample robe which is ours by faith in Christ, while, with consistent "diligence," we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that the righteousness of Christ is only applied to such as desire to forsake sin and pursue that "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord"—Z '97, 148 (R 2154). Doing these things implies three distinct activities: first, adding--i.e., developing the graces mentioned above; second, being in you--i.e., exercising these graces after they are developed; and third, abounding--i.e., using these graces, so that they act properly toward one another, and in such action control all our other graces and our affections, thoughts, words and acts. These three activities faithfully performed develop perfection of character in Christlikeness. Through these three modes of character activity and development one is kept from falling from God's special favor, and is enabled ultimately to come off more than conqueror through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us make a most faithful use of this, the most important of all character development instructions—P '30, 183. Parallel passages: Ex. 19: 5; 2 Pet. 3: 18; Jude 24; Mal. 3: 2; Matt. 10: 22; Mark 13: 13; 1 Cor. 15: 2, 58; Gal. 6: 9; 2 Tim. 2: 11; Rev. 2: 10; 16: 15; Jas. 1: 22-25; Psa. 24: 3, 4. Hymns: 136, 197, 95, 267, 346, 145, 1.
Poems of Dawn, 130: Keep Striving.
Tower Reading: Z '15, 133 (R 5677). Questions: Have I been doing "these things" this week? Why? How? What were the results? KEEP STRIVING KEEP striving: The winners are those who have striven
And fought for the prize that no idler hath won;
To the hands of the steadfast alone it is given,
And before it is gained, there is work to be done. Keep climbing: The earnest and steadfast have scaled
The height where the pathway was rough to the feet;
But the faint-hearted faltered, and faltering, failed,
And sank down by the wayside in helpless defeat. Keep hoping: The clouds hide the sun for a time,
But sooner or later they scatter and flee,
And the path glows like gold to the toilers who climb
To the heights where men look over landscape and sea. Keep onward—right on, till the prize is attained;
Front the future with courage, and obstacles fall.
By those, and those only, the victory's gained
Who look not to self, but to God above all.
|
21 - 21 November
All day 2021.11.21-2022.11.15 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations--Jas. 1: 2. All wish frequently, no doubt, that the testings were all over and that we were accepted to a place among the overcomers; but patience and faith and trust are to do a refining work in our hearts, making us mellow, willing and obedient to the Lord. Let the good work go on. Let us rejoice if our trials have brought us lessons of any kind that are profitable to us—that have tended to make us stronger in character, more firm for truth and righteousness, more aware of our own weaknesses, and more on guard against the same. Even those conflicts which have resulted in only partial victories have possibly been to our advantage. Even on points in which there may have been absolute failure, the result may be a strengthening of character, a crystallization of determination for greater zeal in that direction again, and a humility of heart before the Lord in prayer—Z '02, 133 (R 3000). The temptations here meant are the Christian's trials along the lines of losses, disappointments, delays, restraints, shelvings, faults, lacks, weaknesses, mistakes, failures, chastisements, hardships, necessities, calamities, misunderstandings, disagreements, divisions, misrepresentations, oppositions, sickness, pains, sorrows, dangers and persecutions. The natural tendency of such trials is to distress us, but we should rejoice in them as evidence of God's favor and as opportunities for our development. Amid such trials at first it is impossible to rejoice; the best we can do is to count them joy, i.e., reckoned, not actual joy. By and by such reckoning will become a habit, and this habit will gradually produce such joy as will enable us to exult and glory, if not at, yet amid our tribulations. Hallelujah!—P '35, 171. Parallel passages: Ex. 34: 12; Deut. 13: 3; Psa. 119: 165; Prov. 2: 10-12; 14: 27; 19: 27; Isa. 33: 15, 16; Matt. 4: 1-11; 13: 22; Rom. 5: 3-5; 8: 35-39; 12: 21; 1 Cor. 10: 13, 14; 2 Cor. 7: 4; Eph. 6: 11-17; Heb. 2: 18; 4: 15. Hymns: 78, 56, 57, 91, 119, 137, 266. Poems of Dawn, 294: Two Frogs. Tower Reading: Z '14, 149 (R 5459). Questions: What have been this week's trials? How were they met? What helped or hindered therein? In what did they result? TWO FROGS
TWO frogs fell into a deep cream bowl.
One was an optimistic soul.
The other took the gloomy view:
"We'll drown," he cried, without more ado;
So, with a last despairing cry
He flung up his legs and said "Good-by."
Said the other frog with a plucky grin,
"I can't get out, but I won't give in;
I'll just swim around till my strength is spent,
Then I can die with more content."
Bravely he swam till it would seem
His struggles began to churn the cream.
At last on top of the butter he stopped
And out of the bowl he gladly hopped.
What of the moral? 'Tis easily found--
When you can't get out keep swimming around.
| 22 - 22 November
All day 2021.11.22-2022.11.16 The zeal of thine house hath consumed me--Psa. 69: 9. Cold, calculating people may have other good qualities, but there is no room for coldness or even luke-warmness on the part of those who have once tasted that the Lord is gracious. With such, the love enkindled should lead to a consuming zeal. It was thus with our Lord Jesus, and this was one of the reasons why He was beloved of the Father. Let all who desire to be pleasing in the Lord's sight become so filled with the same spirit of zeal for righteousness and truth that it will consume them as sacrifices upon the Lord's altar. Thus they will be most pleasing and acceptable to Him through Jesus our Lord—Z '98, 112 (R 2288). Zeal is an energetic devotion to, and lively activity in, a cause. Properly developed in a child of God, it is a combination of a number of qualities, prominent among which are faith, hope, love, activity, enthusiasm and obedience. In God's children, zeal is directed to the furtherance of God's Plan, and it acts toward principles and persons, varying as their attitude and relation to God's Plan varies. Accordingly, it acts favorably toward some principles and persons and unfavorably toward other principles and persons. The zeal of God's house, i.e., both the zeal that is for and peculiar to the Lord's house, implies an energetic devotion to, and activity for the Church according to the Word. As with Jesus, so with us, such a zeal is self-sacrificial, consuming us and all that we have and hope to be and to have as human beings—P '34, 160. Parallel passages: Josh. 24: 15, 16; 1 Chron. 29: 17; 2 Chron. 15: 15; Ezra 7: 23; Psa. 119: 139; Eccles. 9: 10; Isa. 62: 6, 7; Matt. 5: 13-16; John 9: 4; Rom. 12: 11; 1 Cor. 13: 3; 15: 58; 2 Cor. 4: 8-10, 13, 16-18; Gal. 4: 18; 6: 9; Titus 2: 14; 2 Pet. 3: 14; Jude 3; Rev. 3: 19. Hymns: 8, 95, 134, 192, 259, 44, 78. Poems of Dawn, 164: My Heart's Desire. Tower Reading: Z '13, 168 (R 5250). Questions: Have I been zealous for the Lord this week? Wherein? How? Why? What helped or hindered therein? With what results? MY HEART'S DESIRE
DEAR Master, long I've sought
A grain of "wheat" to find,
My heart's desire has been,
Just one with truth to bind!
Perhaps Thou canst not trust
Thy servant with this work,
Because some earth-born pride
Within my breast doth lurk.
If thou dost find this, Lord,
Oh, send affliction's fire,
Burn out the dross, the gold refine,
And grant my heart's desire!
V
Perhaps I've sought a path,
Thou hast not marked for me,--
Forgive, I only thought
Some work to do for Thee!
I own no will of mine,
The place I would not choose,
But simply give mine all
To Thee as Thou canst use.
| 23 | 24 - November 24
All day 2021.11.24-2022.11.17 Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man--Acts 24: 16.Our consciences require regulating, as do all the other features of our fallen nature. If our consciences are to be regulated, we must have some standard by which to set and regulate them. The conscience is like a watch whose dial is properly marked with the hours, but whose correctness as a time-keeper depends upon the proper regulating of its mainspring, so that it may point out the hours truthfully; so, our consciences are ready to indicate right and wrong to us, but they can only be relied upon to tell us truly what is right and what is wrong after being regulated in connection with the new mainspring, the new heart, the pure will, brought into full harmony with the law of love, as presented to us in the Word of God—Z '00, 360 (R2733).As Justice is the foundation of God's throne, so should it be the foundation of all our acts as children and servants of God. It consists of duty love to God with all the heart, mind, soul and strength, and of love to the neighbor as to self. We may be sure that any service for God or man which is performed contrary to the requirements of justice is unacceptable to God and harmful to others and ourselves; for to obey, i.e., to do justice, is better than to sacrifice, when the sacrifice is performed in violation of justice. Like St. Paul we should exercise constant vigilance to act justly toward God and man; and thus only may we have a conscience free from accusing us of sinning against the Lord and our fellows. Then, based upon such a good conscience, our sacrificial acts will be in order and will be acceptable, if in harmony with the Lord's Spirit, Word and providence—P '32, 167.Parallel passages: Acts 23: 1; Rom. 2: 14, 15; Rom. 9: 1, 14; 1 Cor. 8: 7-13; 1 Cor. 10: 27-31; 2 Cor. 1: 12; 2 Cor. 4: 2; 1 Tim. 1: 5, 19; 3: 9; Heb. 9: 14; 10: 22; 13: 18; 1 Pet. 2: 19; 3: 16, 21; Prov. 28: 1; Acts 2: 37; 1 Tim. 4: 2.Hymns: 198, 13, 130, 136, 145, 190, 244.Poems of Dawn, 117: Evening Prayer.Tower Reading: Z '11, 424 (R4919).Questions: Have I had this week a good or an evil conscience? How? Why? With what results?EVENING PRAYER FATHER, now the day is over,Weary, worn, myself I bring;My defenseless head, oh, coverWith the shadow of Thy wing. Pardon all the day's transgressing,Cleanse from every stain of sin;Lord, I come, my need confessing,Make and keep me pure within. Wipe away my tears of sorrow,Take me to Thy loving breast,Make me stronger for the morrow,Give me peace and holy rest. - 24 November
All day 2021.11.24-2022.11.18 Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man--Acts 24: 16. Our consciences require regulating, as do all the other features of our fallen nature. If our consciences are to be regulated, we must have some standard by which to set and regulate them. The conscience is like a watch whose dial is properly marked with the hours, but whose correctness as a time-keeper depends upon the proper regulating of its mainspring, so that it may point out the hours truthfully; so, our consciences are ready to indicate right and wrong to us, but they can only be relied upon to tell us truly what is right and what is wrong after being regulated in connection with the new mainspring, the new heart, the pure will, brought into full harmony with the law of love, as presented to us in the Word of God—Z '00, 360 (R 2733). As Justice is the foundation of God's throne, so should it be the foundation of all our acts as children and servants of God. It consists of duty love to God with all the heart, mind, soul and strength, and of love to the neighbor as to self. We may be sure that any service for God or man which is performed contrary to the requirements of justice is unacceptable to God and harmful to others and ourselves; for to obey, i.e., to do justice, is better than to sacrifice, when the sacrifice is performed in violation of justice. Like St. Paul we should exercise constant vigilance to act justly toward God and man; and thus only may we have a conscience free from accusing us of sinning against the Lord and our fellows. Then, based upon such a good conscience, our sacrificial acts will be in order and will be acceptable, if in harmony with the Lord's Spirit, Word and providence—P '32, 167. Parallel passages: Acts 23: 1; Rom. 2: 14, 15; 9: 1; 14; 1 Cor. 8: 7-13; 10: 27-31; 2 Cor. 1: 12; 4: 2; 1 Tim. 1: 5, 19; 3: 9; Heb. 9: 14; 10: 22; 13: 18; 1 Pet. 2: 19; 3: 16, 21; Prov. 28: 1; Acts 2: 37; 1 Tim. 4: 2. Hymns: 198, 13, 130, 136, 145, 190, 244. Poems of Dawn, 117: Evening Prayer. Tower Reading: Z '11, 424 (R 4919). Questions: Have I had this week a good or an evil conscience? How? Why? With what results? EVENING PRAYER
FATHER, now the day is over,
Weary, worn, myself I bring;
My defenseless head, oh, cover
With the shadow of Thy wing.
Pardon all the day's transgressing,
Cleanse from every stain of sin;
Lord, I come, my need confessing,
Make and keep me pure within.
Wipe away my tears of sorrow,
Take me to Thy loving breast,
Make me stronger for the morrow,
Give me peace and holy rest.
| 25 - November 25
All day 2021.11.25-2022.11.18 Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil: neither tempteth he any man--Jas. 1: 13.There is a difference between temptations which the Father considers proper and the temptations which come from the Adversary. The former are tests of loyalty to God and to the principles of righteousness, and are intended to be a blessing and a help to all those who withstand them, and who thus demonstrate their loyalty to righteousness. The temptations of Satan, on the contrary, are in the nature of pitfalls and snares in evil and wrongdoing, temptations to make right appear wrong and wrong appear right, putting light for darkness and darkness for light. In this sense of misrepresentation and ensnarements in evil, God tempts no man—Z '04, 7 (R 3296). Temptations are appealing suggestions. They may be either to good or evil. The latter come from the devil, the world and our flesh; the former come from the Lord through His Spirit, Word and providence. Temptations to evil, though permitted by the Lord for our trial, never come from the Lord, because as the Source and Promoter of perfect wisdom, power, justice and love, such suggestions are contrary to His character and aims. As temptations to evil do not appeal to God's qualities, so they cannot flow from His qualities as allurements to His creatures. To ascribe to God temptations to evil is blasphemy; to ascribe to Him temptations to good is praise. While thankfully ascribing to Him our temptations to good, let us refrain from ascribing to Him our temptations to evil. Let us rather ascribe them to those to whom they properly belong—the devil, the world and the flesh—P '26, 157. Parallel passages: Gen. 3: 1-13; Deut. 13: 3; Psa. 119: 165; Prov. 1: 10-17; 6: 27; 14: 27; Isa. 33: 15, 16; Matt. 4: 1-11; 26: 41; Luke 11: 4; 2 Cor. 11: 3, 14, 15; Jas. 1: 14; 2 Pet. 2: 9; 1 Cor. 10: 13. Hymns: 56, 120, 145, 197, 130, 136, 313. Poems of Dawn, 177: Thou Knowest. Tower Reading: Z '15, 341 (R 5799). Questions: What special temptation did I have this week? How did I meet it? What were the results?
THOU KNOWEST MASTER, I am so glad Thou knowest all
Outspoken joys, and sorrow's hidden pain.
I am so glad my path is known to Thee,
And that Thou wilt my wayward steps restrain.
I place my hand in Thine. Oh, hold it fast!
Nor heed my cry whene'er I ask amiss.
Thou knowest what is best, my loving Lord,
From out my heart all willfulness dismiss! Lord, when the thorns of earth pierce sharp and deep,
And I instead would choose the scented rose,
Let me recall thy tender, watchful love,
And that mine inmost need Thy wisdom knows.
Ah, who can tell how far our feet might stray?
We are so prone to wander from Thy side,
If not hedged in by Thine eternal arms,
And made within Thy sheepfold to abide. I am so glad Thou knowest all, dear Lord!
My life but poorly proves what lips confess,
And well I know none but a Father could
So frail an offering with such mercy bless.
Thou knowest all! This is my cradle, Lord,--
The shadow of Thy wings, 'neath which I sleep.
Not for my goodness, but Thine own great love,
Thou wilt in peace Thy child securely keep. - 25 November
All day 2021.11.25-2022.11.19 Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil: neither tempteth he any man--Jas. 1: 13. There is a difference between temptations which the Father considers proper and the temptations which come from the Adversary. The former are tests of loyalty to God and to the principles of righteousness, and are intended to be a blessing and a help to all those who withstand them, and who thus demonstrate their loyalty to righteousness. The temptations of Satan, on the contrary, are in the nature of pitfalls and snares in evil and wrongdoing, temptations to make right appear wrong and wrong appear right, putting light for darkness and darkness for light. In this sense of misrepresentation and ensnarements in evil, God tempts no man—Z '04, 7 (R 3296). Temptations are appealing suggestions. They may be either to good or evil. The latter come from the devil, the world and our flesh; the former come from the Lord through His Spirit, Word and providence. Temptations to evil, though permitted by the Lord for our trial, never come from the Lord, because as the Source and Promoter of perfect wisdom, power, justice and love, such suggestions are contrary to His character and aims. As temptations to evil do not appeal to God's qualities, so they cannot flow from His qualities as allurements to His creatures. To ascribe to God temptations to evil is blasphemy; to ascribe to Him temptations to good is praise. While thankfully ascribing to Him our temptations to good, let us refrain from ascribing to Him our temptations to evil. Let us rather ascribe them to those to whom they properly belong—the devil, the world and the flesh—P '26, 157. Parallel passages: Gen. 3: 1-13; Deut. 13: 3; Psa. 119: 165; Prov. 1: 10-17; 6: 27; 14: 27; Isa. 33: 15, 16; Matt. 4: 1-11; 26: 41; Luke 11: 4; 2 Cor. 11: 3, 14, 15; Jas. 1: 14; 2 Pet. 2: 9; 1 Cor. 10: 13. Hymns: 56, 120, 145, 197, 130, 136, 313. Poems of Dawn, 177: Thou Knowest. Tower Reading: Z '15, 341 (R 5799). Questions: What special temptation did I have this week? How did I meet it? What were the results? THOU KNOWEST
MASTER, I am so glad Thou knowest all
Outspoken joys, and sorrow's hidden pain.
I am so glad my path is known to Thee,
And that Thou wilt my wayward steps restrain.
I place my hand in Thine. Oh, hold it fast!
Nor heed my cry whene'er I ask amiss.
Thou knowest what is best, my loving Lord,
From out my heart all willfulness dismiss!
Lord, when the thorns of earth pierce sharp and deep,
And I instead would choose the scented rose,
Let me recall thy tender, watchful love,
And that mine inmost need Thy wisdom knows.
Ah, who can tell how far our feet might stray?
We are so prone to wander from Thy side,
If not hedged in by Thine eternal arms,
And made within Thy sheepfold to abide.
I am so glad Thou knowest all, dear Lord!
My life but poorly proves what lips confess,
And well I know none but a Father could
So frail an offering with such mercy bless.
Thou knowest all! This is my cradle, Lord,--
The shadow of Thy wings, 'neath which I sleep.
Not for my goodness, but Thine own great love,
Thou wilt in peace Thy child securely keep.
| 26 - 26 November
All day 2021.11.26-2022.11.20 And the Lord said unto Moses, What is that in thine hand?--Exodus 4: 2. If any man would be more abundantly used of the Lord in His blessed service, let him seek first to be fitted for it more and more. Let him imitate that beloved and honored servant, Moses, in meekness, humility, energy and untiring zeal and self-sacrificing service of the Lord. But the wise steward will seek always to cultivate along the lines of his natural abilities, and not expect the Lord to work a miracle for his advancement, and so waste valuable time seeking to develop that which he does not by nature possess. … Let us each, therefore, seek by humility, by zeal, by love for the Lord and for His cause, by faith in His power, to be in that condition of heart and mind which will make us ready to be used and useful in any department of the Divine service to which the Lord may be pleased to call us—Z '94, 143; '01, 348 (R 1651, 2902). In the symbols of the Scriptures, the hand represents power. To have something in our hand, therefore, would in general mean to have in our power things that belong to our new heart, mind and will and to our humanity. In particular it would mean to have in our power: knowledge, grace, character, position, time, talents, influence, means, friends, relatives, citizenship, health, life, etc. The Lord desires to have us serve along the lines of what we are and have, and not along the lines of what we are not and do not have. Therefore, in the question of our text, He asks us to consider what we are and have. This question is not for His information but is suggestive, admonishing us to take stock of our stewardship, to the intent that we may be the better enabled to use our stewardship to the glory of the Lord and to the profit of others and ourselves in grace—P '36, 166. Parallel passages: Psa. 34: 10; 68: 35; 84: 11; Eccles. 2: 26; Isa. 42: 5; Dan. 2: 21-23; Matt. 25: 14, 15; Rom. 12: 6-8; 1 Cor. 1: 5-7; 7: 7; Eph. 4: 7; 1 Tim. 6: 17; Jas. 1: 17; 1 Pet. 4: 10; Luke 12: 47, 48; 19: 12, 13. Hymns: 134, 14, 160, 8, 191, 208, 277. Poems of Dawn, 168: My One Talent. Tower Reading: Z '14, 78 (R 5418). Questions: What have I done with my talents and opportunities this week? Why? How? With what results? MY ONE TALENT
IN a napkin smooth and white,
Hidden from all mortal sight,
My one talent lies tonight.
Mine to hoard, or mine to use,
Mine to keep, or mine to lose;
May I not do what I choose?
Ah! the gift was only lent,
With the Giver's known intent
That it should be wisely spent.
And I know He will demand
Every farthing at my hand,
When I in His presence stand.
What will be my grief and shame
When I hear my humble name,
And cannot repay His claim!
Some will double what they hold;
Others add to it tenfold,
And pay back in shining gold.
Lord, O teach me what to do!
I would faithful be and true;
Still the sacred trust renew.
Help me, ere too late it be,
Something now to do for thee;
Thou who hast done all for me! - November 26
All day 2021.11.26-2022.11.19 And the Lord said unto Moses, What is that in thine hand?--Exodus 4: 2.If any man would be more abundantly used of the Lord in His blessed service, let him seek first to be fitted for it more and more. Let him imitate that beloved and honored servant, Moses, in meekness, humility, energy and untiring zeal and self-sacrificing service of the Lord. But the wise steward will seek always to cultivate along the lines of his natural abilities, and not expect the Lord to work a miracle for his advancement, and so waste valuable time seeking to develop that which he does not by nature possess. … Let us each, therefore, seek by humility, by zeal, by love for the Lord and for His cause, by faith in His power, to be in that condition of heart and mind which will make us ready to be used and useful in any department of the Divine service to which the Lord may be pleased to call us—Z '94, 143; '01, 348 (R 1651, 2902).
In the symbols of the Scriptures, the hand represents power. To have something in our hand, therefore, would in general mean to have in our power things that belong to our new heart, mind and will and to our humanity. In particular it would mean to have in our power: knowledge, grace, character, position, time, talents, influence, means, friends, relatives, citizenship, health, life, etc. The Lord desires to have us serve along the lines of what we are and have, and not along the lines of what we are not and do not have. Therefore, in the question of our text, He asks us to consider what we are and have. This question is not for His information but is suggestive, admonishing us to take stock of our stewardship, to the intent that we may be the better enabled to use our stewardship to the glory of the Lord and to the profit of others and ourselves in grace—P '36, 166.
Parallel passages: Psa. 34: 10; 68: 35; 84: 11; Eccles. 2: 26; Isa. 42: 5; Dan. 2: 21-23; Matt. 25: 14, 15; Rom. 12: 6-8; 1 Cor. 1: 5-7; 7: 7; Eph. 4: 7; 1 Tim. 6: 17; Jas. 1: 17; 1 Pet. 4: 10; Luke 12: 47, 48; 19: 12, 13.
Hymns: 134, 14, 160, 8, 191, 208, 277.
Poems of Dawn, 168: My One Talent.
Tower Reading: Z '14, 78 (R 5418).
Questions: What have I done with my talents and opportunities this week? Why? How? With what results? MY ONE TALENT
IN a napkin smooth and white,
Hidden from all mortal sight,
My one talent lies tonight.
Mine to hoard, or mine to use,
Mine to keep, or mine to lose;
May I not do what I choose?
Ah! the gift was only lent,
With the Giver's known intent
That it should be wisely spent.
And I know He will demand
Every farthing at my hand,
When I in His presence stand.
What will be my grief and shame
When I hear my humble name,
And cannot repay His claim!
Some will double what they hold;
Others add to it tenfold,
And pay back in shining gold.
Lord, O teach me what to do!
I would faithful be and true;
Still the sacred trust renew.
Help me, ere too late it be,
Something now to do for thee;
Thou who hast done all for me!
| 27 - 27 November
All day 2021.11.27-2022.11.21 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance--Eph. 6: 18. We are to have the spirit of prayer in all that we say and do; that is to say, our hearts should be going out continually to the Lord for guidance in all life's affairs, that we may do with our might what our hands find to do, in a manner that will be acceptable to Him, and that we may be shielded by Him from temptation that would otherwise be beyond our endurance, and that we may be ultimately delivered from the Evil One and have a place in our Lord's Kingdom. Brethren, let us more and more remember and put into practice these words of our Lord, "Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation"—Z '01, 80 (R 2773). Prayer is the uttered or unuttered heart's sincere desire going out to God for good things. It is as essential to our development as the desires of the natural man for human blessings are necessary for his human growth. As without these desires the natural man would soon die, so without true prayer the new heart, mind and will would die. Our prayers are not to be merely formal, they are to be heartfelt; for the things requested should be earnestly desired. Such prayers offered up in harmony with the Lord's Word are sure of an answer. Without watching for the answer, we often fail to note the Lord's response to our petitions. And sometimes, despite our watching for His answers, we fail to note them, because He delays granting our requests. Therefore perseverance in such watching is necessary, and will in due time be rewarded by receiving the long-sought answer—P '30, 183. Parallel passages: Luke 11: 5-13; 21: 36; Psa. 5: 1-3; 116: 1, 2; Dan. 6: 10; Acts 6: 4; 10: 2, 9; Rom. 12: 12; Phil. 4: 6, 7; Col. 4: 2; 1 Thes. 5: 17; Matt. 26: 39-44; Eph. 1: 16; 1 Tim. 5: 5. Hymns: 35, 239, 183, 130, 19, 199, 324.
Poems of Dawn, 118: A Prayer.
Tower Reading: Z '15, 182 (R 5707). Questions: Did I pray always this week? How did I pray? For what did I pray? Did I perseveringly watch for God's answers? What was the result? A PRAYER HEAVENLY Father, Holy One!
May Thy will in us be done:
Make our hearts submissive, meek,
Let us ne'er our own way seek.
Loving Savior, we would be
Ever more and more like Thee,
Free from pride and self-desire,
Fervent with a holy fire. Jesus, Master, we would bear
In Thy sufferings a share;
Help us, Lord, to follow Thee,
Heavy though the cross may be.
Fill us with Divinest love,
With Thy spirit from above,
May we patiently endure,
Trusting in Thy promise sure. Blessed Lord, Thy saints defend,
Watching o'er them to the end;
Day by day their faith increase,
Keep them in Thy perfect peace;
Comfort, strengthen, guide and bless,
Lead them through the wilderness,
And when Thy due time shall come,
Gather all Thy loved ones home. - November 27
All day 2021.11.27-2022.11.20
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28 - November 28
All day 2021.11.28-2022.11.21 When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?--Job 34: 29.Who but He, the "God of all comfort," can give quietness in the midst of tumults which rise upon the soul like sudden storms upon the sea? Like ocean mariners in peril, we cry unto Him, and He brings us to the desired haven—blessed haven—of quietness and peace in God. What is the cry which brings this answer of peace? It is not a prayer that all occasion for disturbance shall be removed, for it is not always the Divine will to bring peace to the human spirit in that way; it is not always the best way. But there is a cry which never fails to bring the quietness in which none can "make trouble." It is a prayer for sweet, trustful, loving acquiescence in the will of God—Z '96, 259 (R 2058).
Elihu, like Job's three other disputants, lacked Divine inspiration, which Job had. Nevertheless, there is much wisdom found in Elihu's address, a wisdom that proves him, a contemporary with Abraham, to have been far removed from a monkey, a wisdom that evolutionists have not yet attained. While the statement of our text is not inspired, it is nevertheless a true saying; for God does give a peace to His own that others cannot overthrow. This peace flows from a full faith in, and a heart's harmony with Him, His character, Plan and works, such as the world does not know, nor can bestow, nor take away. His own, by blessed experience, realize this. Secure in His Oath-bound promise, in the High-Priestly work of Jesus and in the possession of the holy Spirit, they arise above the troubles of the present and thus enjoy the peace of God that passes all understanding, guarding their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto eternal life with Him—P '35, 171, 172.
Parallel passages: Isa. 26: 3; Rom. 8: 31; Phil. 4: 7; Psa. 1: 1, 2; 4: 8; 25: 12, 13; 29: 11; 85: 8;119: 165; Luke 1: 79; 2: 14; John 14: 27; 16: 33; Rom. 2: 10; 5: 1; 8: 6.
Hymns: 128, 80, 87, 94, 179, 244, 321.
Poems of Dawn, 100: Mortally Wounded.
Tower Reading: Z '16, 101 (R 5878).
Questions: What have been the week's experiences in line with this text? How were they met? What helped or hindered therein? In what did they result?
MORTALLY WOUNDED
I LAY me down to sleep,
With little thought or care
Whether my waking find
Me here—or there!
A bowing, burdened head,
Only too glad to rest,
Unquestioning upon
A loving breast.
I am not eager, bold,
Nor strong—all that is past!
I'm willing not to do,
At last, at last!
My half-day's work is done,
And this is all my part:
To give a patient God
My patient heart;
And grasp His banner still,
Though all its blue be dim;
These stripes, no less than stars,
Lead after Him.
Weak, weary and uncrowned,
I yet to bear am strong;
Content not e'en to cry,
"How long! How long!" - 28 November
All day 2021.11.28-2022.11.22 When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?--Job 34: 29. Who but He, the "God of all comfort," can give quietness in the midst of tumults which rise upon the soul like sudden storms upon the sea? Like ocean mariners in peril, we cry unto Him, and He brings us to the desired haven—blessed haven—of quietness and peace in God. What is the cry which brings this answer of peace? It is not a prayer that all occasion for disturbance shall be removed, for it is not always the Divine will to bring peace to the human spirit in that way; it is not always the best way. But there is a cry which never fails to bring the quietness in which none can "make trouble." It is a prayer for sweet, trustful, loving acquiescence in the will of God—Z '96, 259 (R 2058). Elihu, like Job's three other disputants, lacked Divine inspiration, which Job had. Nevertheless, there is much wisdom found in Elihu's address, a wisdom that proves him, a contemporary with Abraham, to have been far removed from a monkey, a wisdom that evolutionists have not yet attained. While the statement of our text is not inspired, it is nevertheless a true saying; for God does give a peace to His own that others cannot overthrow. This peace flows from a full faith in, and a heart's harmony with Him, His character, Plan and works, such as the world does not know, nor can bestow, nor take away. His own, by blessed experience, realize this. Secure in His Oath-bound promise, in the High-Priestly work of Jesus and in the possession of the holy Spirit, they arise above the troubles of the present and thus enjoy the peace of God that passes all understanding, guarding their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto eternal life with Him—P '35, 171, 172. Parallel passages: Isa. 26: 3; Rom. 8: 31; Phil. 4: 7; Psa. 1: 1, 2; 4: 8; 25: 12, 13; 29: 11; 85: 8; 119: 165; Luke 1: 79; 2: 14; John 14: 27; 16: 33; Rom. 2: 10; 5: 1; 8: 6. Hymns: 128, 80, 87, 94, 179, 244, 321. Poems of Dawn, 100: Mortally Wounded. Tower Reading: Z '16, 101 (R 5878). Questions: What have been the week's experiences in line with this text? How were they met? What helped or hindered therein? In what did they result? MORTALLY WOUNDED
I LAY me down to sleep,
With little thought or care
Whether my waking find
Me here—or there!
A bowing, burdened head,
Only too glad to rest,
Unquestioning upon
A loving breast.
I am not eager, bold,
Nor strong—all that is past!
I'm willing not to do,
At last, at last!
My half-day's work is done,
And this is all my part:
To give a patient God
My patient heart;
And grasp His banner still,
Though all its blue be dim;
These stripes, no less than stars,
Lead after Him.
Weak, weary and uncrowned,
I yet to bear am strong;
Content not e'en to cry,
"How long! How long!"
| 29 - November 29
All day 2021.11.29-2022.11.22 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised--Heb. 10: 23.God's promise is the foundation upon which all that we hope for, either of character or coming glory, is built. Let us prize this truth so that we will not compromise it in any sense or in any degree; let us not only hold the Truth in the letter but also in the spirit—in the love of it, because it is true, as well as because it is beautiful and grand. And let us ever remember the importance of patient endurance, that we may not only cultivate the Christian graces, and practice them, but that we may take joyfully the trials, persecutions or difficulties which God may see proper to permit to come upon us for our testing and character development, which He explains to us is of paramount importance, and without which perfect love could neither be attained nor maintained—Z '01, 119 (R 2790).
The thought of the text would be clearer if the word translated "profession" were rendered "professing" or "confessing." Here the word "faith" has the meaning of the "Truth" (Jude 3). The Apostle's thought seems to be that we persevere in declaring the Truth undauntedly, fearlessly, and steadfastly, however great the obstacles that stand in the way. His thought can most clearly be seen when we remember that in this chapter he first describes Jesus in the Holy and in the Most Holy and then describes the Underpriests in the Holy. In our text he is giving the antitypical thought of the Lampstand, which he shows represents the Church in its capacity of giving light, not to those in the Court, nor in the Camp, but in the Holy only. Thus seen, we recognize that the Priesthood in the flesh would have the work of enlightening one another in the deep things. God promises His favors to those who faithfully and steadfastly persevere in His good work. He will surely prove Himself faithful under all circumstances in fulfilling His promises—P '34, 160.
Parallel passages: Heb. 4: 14; 1 Cor. 1: 17, 18, 21, 31, 27-29; 2: 1-8, 12, 13; 14: 1-25; 2 Cor. 2: 14-16; 3: 12, 13; Col. 1: 23-29; 1 Thes. 2: 3-12; 2 Tim. 2: 15; Titus 3: 8, 9; Psa. 57: 7; Matt. 10: 22; 1 Cor. 15: 58; Heb. 13: 9; Deut. 7: 8, 9; Josh. 23: 14; 2 Sam. 7: 28; 1 Kings 8: 23, 24, 56;Psa. 89: 1, 2, 5, 8, 14, 24, 28, 33, 34; Isa. 54: 9, 10.
Hymns: 293, 11, 44, 70, 164, 260, 309.
Poems of Dawn, 302: The Granite Wall.
Tower Reading: Z '14, 211 (R 5497).
Questions: Have I persevered in presenting the Truth this week? How did God show His faithfulness therein? What resulted therefrom? THE GRANITE WALL
I CAME against a granite wall--
It would not break nor bend;
I tried to get around it, but
It seemed there was no end;
I tried to climb up over it,
But its sides—they were too steep;
Then I tried to dig beneath it, but
Its foundation was too deep:
I took my problem to the Lord,
I left it in His care;
And when I sought that wall again--
It wasn't even there! - 29 November
All day 2021.11.29-2022.11.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised--Heb. 10: 23. God's promise is the foundation upon which all that we hope for, either of character or coming glory, is built. Let us prize this truth so that we will not compromise it in any sense or in any degree; let us not only hold the Truth in the letter but also in the spirit—in the love of it, because it is true, as well as because it is beautiful and grand. And let us ever remember the importance of patient endurance, that we may not only cultivate the Christian graces, and practice them, but that we may take joyfully the trials, persecutions or difficulties which God may see proper to permit to come upon us for our testing and character development, which He explains to us is of paramount importance, and without which perfect love could neither be attained nor maintained—Z '01, 119 (R 2790). The thought of the text would be clearer if the word translated "profession" were rendered "professing" or "confessing." Here the word "faith" has the meaning of the "Truth" ( Jude 3). The Apostle's thought seems to be that we persevere in declaring the Truth undauntedly, fearlessly, and steadfastly, however great the obstacles that stand in the way. His thought can most clearly be seen when we remember that in this chapter he first describes Jesus in the Holy and in the Most Holy and then describes the Underpriests in the Holy. In our text he is giving the antitypical thought of the Lampstand, which he shows represents the Church in its capacity of giving light, not to those in the Court, nor in the Camp, but in the Holy only. Thus seen, we recognize that the Priesthood in the flesh would have the work of enlightening one another in the deep things. God promises His favors to those who faithfully and steadfastly persevere in His good work. He will surely prove Himself faithful under all circumstances in fulfilling His promises—P '34, 160. Parallel passages: Heb. 4: 14; 1 Cor. 1: 17, 18, 21, 31, 27-29; 2: 1-8, 12, 13; 14: 1-25; 2 Cor. 2: 14-16; 3: 12, 13; Col. 1: 23-29; 1 Thes. 2: 3-12; 2 Tim. 2: 15; Titus 3: 8, 9; Psa. 57: 7; Matt. 10: 22; 1 Cor. 15: 58; Heb. 13: 9; Deut. 7: 8, 9; Josh. 23: 14; 2 Sam. 7: 28; 1 Kings 8: 23, 24, 56; Psa. 89: 1, 2, 5, 8, 14, 24, 28, 33, 34; Isa. 54: 9, 10. Hymns: 293, 11, 44, 70, 164, 260, 309. Poems of Dawn, 302: The Granite Wall. Tower Reading: Z '14, 211 (R 5497). Questions: Have I persevered in presenting the Truth this week? How did God show His faithfulness therein? What resulted therefrom? THE GRANITE WALL
I CAME against a granite wall--
It would not break nor bend;
I tried to get around it, but
It seemed there was no end;
I tried to climb up over it,
But its sides—they were too steep;
Then I tried to dig beneath it, but
Its foundation was too deep:
I took my problem to the Lord,
I left it in His care;
And when I sought that wall again--
It wasn't even there!
| 30 - November 30
All day 2021.11.30-2022.11.23 Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the Age--Matt. 28: 20Surely He who was careful to supervise the sowing work is not less interested and careful in respect to the reaping. Let us then thrust in the sickle of Truth with energy and courage, remembering that we serve the Lord Christ, remembering that we are not responsible for the harvest but merely for our energy in gathering what ripe grain we can find. If the labor be great for the finding of a few kernels of ripe grain, we are to rejoice the more in those we do find, and learn to love and appreciate that which is scarce and precious. Let us remember, too, while using all the wisdom we can in this service, that the Lord's object in giving us a share in His work is not so much what we can accomplish as in the blessing that the labor will bring upon us—Z '01, 155 (R 2808).
This is one of our Lord's last promises to the Church before His ascension. It gives the assurance, not of His bodily presence with His elect, but of His special favor, fellowship, sympathy, love, care, direction, restraint, protection, correction, encouragement, counsel and cooperation. The expression rendered "alway" should have been given as "all the days." The idea seems to be that the Lord would be with us not intermittently, but continuously, not even permitting a day to pass without His keeping His promise to the full according to the needs of His Church. Faithfully has He kept His promise, as Church history proves. We by experience and observation are living witnesses to this fact in the unfolding of the Truth, in the Harvest gatherings and siftings and in our individual lives, during this, the Laodicean period of the Church—P '33, 162.
Parallel passages: Ex. 33: 14, 15; Josh. 1: 5, 9; Psa. 34: 7; 46: 1, 5, 7, 11; 105: 14, 15; Isa 41: 10;Jer. 15: 20; Ezek. 48: 35; Hag. 1: 13; Zech. 2: 5; John 14: 16-23; 1 John 1: 3.
Hymns: 333, 110, 120, 242, 293, 328, 330.
Poems of Dawn, 234: Our Burden Bearer.
Tower Reading: Z '14, 363 (R 5587).
Questions: Have I this week experienced the Lord's presence? How? What were its effects? OUR BURDEN BEARER
THE little sharp vexations,
And the briers that catch and fret,
Why not take all to the Helper,
Who hath never failed us yet?
Tell Him about the heartache,
And tell Him the longings, too;
Tell Him the baffled purpose,
When we scarce know what to do.
Then, leaving all our weakness
With the One divinely strong,
Forget that we bore the burden,
And carry away the song. - 30 November
All day 2021.11.30-2022.11.24 Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the Age--Matt. 28: 20. Surely He who was careful to supervise the sowing work is not less interested and careful in respect to the reaping. Let us then thrust in the sickle of Truth with energy and courage, remembering that we serve the Lord Christ, remembering that we are not responsible for the harvest but merely for our energy in gathering what ripe grain we can find. If the labor be great for the finding of a few kernels of ripe grain, we are to rejoice the more in those we do find, and learn to love and appreciate that which is scarce and precious. Let us remember, too, while using all the wisdom we can in this service, that the Lord's object in giving us a share in His work is not so much what we can accomplish as in the blessing that the labor will bring upon us—Z '01, 155 (R 2808). This is one of our Lord's last promises to the Church before His ascension. It gives the assurance, not of His bodily presence with His elect, but of His special favor, fellowship, sympathy, love, care, direction, restraint, protection, correction, encouragement, counsel and cooperation. The expression rendered "alway" should have been given as "all the days." The idea seems to be that the Lord would be with us not intermittently, but continuously, not even permitting a day to pass without His keeping His promise to the full according to the needs of His Church. Faithfully has He kept His promise, as Church history proves. We by experience and observation are living witnesses to this fact in the unfolding of the Truth, in the Harvest gatherings and siftings and in our individual lives, during this, the Laodicean period of the Church—P '33, 162. Parallel passages: Ex. 33: 14, 15; Josh. 1: 5, 9; Psa. 34: 7; 46: 1, 5, 7, 11; 105: 14, 15; Isa 41: 10; Jer. 15: 20; Ezek. 48: 35; Hag. 1: 13; Zech. 2: 5; John 14: 16-23; 1 John 1: 3. Hymns: 333, 110, 120, 242, 293, 328, 330. Poems of Dawn, 234: Our Burden Bearer. Tower Reading: Z '14, 363 (R 5587). Questions: Have I this week experienced the Lord's presence? How? What were its effects? OUR BURDEN BEARER
THE little sharp vexations,
And the briers that catch and fret,
Why not take all to the Helper,
Who hath never failed us yet?
Tell Him about the heartache,
And tell Him the longings, too;
Tell Him the baffled purpose,
When we scarce know what to do.
Then, leaving all our weakness
With the One divinely strong,
Forget that we bore the burden,
And carry away the song.
| December | December | December | December |
The Birmingham class have been meeting together for 45 years since 1967, we are a small group of individuals who fellowship in harmony with the bible teachings (Matt 18:20). We meet once a week in an informal setting where we are able to relax & learn from the bible, everyone has the opportunity to ask questions, give their opinion, share their thoughts so that we ALL fully understand the TRUTH, whilst promoting and encouraging FAITH and erasing fears based on common misperceptions of the Bible. It is not our intention to attack or denigrate the beliefs of others. The Birmingham Bible Class are supporters of the Bible Standard Ministries. You can read more about the movement here. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information. If you do not live in Birmingham but would like to fellowship, there are other similar classes around the UK (Hyde, London, Sheffield, Cardiff, etc.) and the World (USA, France, Germany, Brazil, Poland, India, Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, etc.) .
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