JULY 1

" When Jesus knew that His hour had come, that He should depart out of this world to the Father.  John 13:1.

Jesus knew the Divine timetable, the time to be born, the time to die, the time to ascend from the sepulchre to go to the Father. He had a glorious view of the nature of His death ; it was no ordinary death, as many thought. It was a world of rebels He was leaving, who opposed His Father's government and His own. They would rage, but He would reign ( Psalm 2 ). He had the desire to return to His Father, a desire which is also in God's adopted children from this world ; the children of God by faith. In going to His Father He would receive the highest approbation of His work, and He would enjoy the sublimest communion. The motive for His death was His love for His Father and His love for ' His own .' Although He would be physically separated from His loved ones for a while, He assured them He would ' love them to the end.' The Son would abide with them, with His divine presence. The ' end ' was to be to be with Him in heaven. His love continues and it knows no end. ( D.Thomas )

JULY 2

" Having loved His own which were in the world..." John 13:2.

The love of Christ is a personal love, it is also the highest love ; there is no ' general love ', only a saving love for particular sinners, ' His own.' There is no everlasting punishment for those who are ' loved with an everlasting love ' ( Jerem.31:3). When a man can say, " He loved me and gave Himself for me ( Gal.2:20), he has passed ( or is passing ) from death to life, from darkness to light. It is either wrath or love ; there is no explaining it away or shading it off. He loves His own with an uncaused love from the beginning. ( A. Raleigh ) Christ was going into suffering and great glory, His work almost done and then Home to the Father. The suffering was a trial of His own love, for His own Father and His own people given to Him by the Father ( John 6:37). Those who are suffering must hold on to this fact, that He loves His own to the end ; He will bring them through. The way out of suffering is sometimes through it. Each day He washes His disciples feet as they walk through a sinful world ; their repentance always brings forgiveness. Soon they will be with Him, and shall need repentance no more. Let us not indulge the wicked thought that He will forsake us. What a misery it must be to be without such a Saviour ! ( C.H.Spurgeon )

JULY 3

" What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." John 13:7.

This promise applies to each individual believer, with his or her unique experiences and perplexities.We have many questions here, most of which will not be answered until we reach heaven ; some may not be answered at all. However, we continue to trust God, however weakly, even when we do not understand. We know, in general principles, God's intentions in dealing with us as believers, but not the intricate details involved and how they harmoniously fit together. We see the beginnings but not yet the close of actions ( eg. sanctification ). We are also shortsighted by nature and cannot see the future ( in our minds ) of things, how they work out in the details. However, faith has to accept many things we do not understand ( eg. the doctrine of the Trinity ), and is strengthened by our experience of depending on God for the unknown ( Heb.11:1). Faith also bows to God's sovereignty ( Job 1:21,22) ; we do not have the capacity to judge Him. But we know His character and this fuels our hope, even in the worst situation. Christ tells us we shall know later. Then we shall see the glory of His wisdom and sovereign power.. Meanwhile, just like children, we must trust, seek to submit and obey, and defend His character, and also justify His proceedings. ( T.Horton )

JULY 4

" If I wash thee not, thou hast no part ( portion ) with Me. " John 13:8.

Firstly this means having union and communion with Him, partaking of all the saving benefits He has for us. The believing soul needs daily washing, in sanctification, because sin is still a defiling presence ; it is contrary, in opposition to, to the holiness of God. Indwelling sin fills the soul with shame before God. But God has provided for this. There is an infinite value in the blood of Christ to cleanse ( Heb.10:20). Faith is the instrument by which we are cleansed ( Acts 15:9. Rom 3:25. Song of Sol.4:7 ). He that has the blood to cleanse of guilt, justification, has the water of sanctification to cleanse from daily defilement as we walk after Jesus, seeking to ' follow in His footsteps.' Justification is inseparable from sanctification, the one brings the other into the life. ( Thomas Boston ) " Be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt and power." ( A.M. Toplady ).

JULY 5 

" You call Me Master and Lord." John 13:13.

We learn in His school and serve in His house. He is our Lord and Master by creation, but more importantly for the sinner who has faith, He is our Lord by redemption. We are' bought with a price ', belonging to Him not only creation ( which does not save us ) but by the ransom of His death. The converted sinner has the saving motive to serve Him( Exodus 20:2). We have the obligation to serve Him and not others. Caesar has his place, but God's is higher ; Christ has the pre-eminence. His rule requires our submission, He determines all ; there can be no profitable arguing with His decrees. We also ought to imitate Him ( as far as that is possible ). " If any man serve Me, let him follow Me." Therefore, our time, our tongues, our substance are not our own. Because we belong to Christ, we may depend upon Him for all that He has ; we shall not be losers by serving Him. Many flatter Jesus with the words,' Lord, Lord..' but the Day of Judgement shows that these were empty words ( Matt.7:21,22). ( W.Jay )

JULY 6

" If you know these things, happy are you if you do them." John 13:17.

A mere contemplative knowledge of Christ never saved anyone. A saving faith is a faith which goes into action; it does not hide itself, it shows itself. Faith moves the soul in a certain direction, it follows Christ into heaven ; seeking to walk as He walked. Faith has hope and love. " If ye love Me, keep my commandments." " Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it," He said. We are not saved by the keeping of the Law, but the Law is given to guide the life of those who are saved. As David says in Psalm 119, the Commandments set out the path of duty. We are not left in ignorance of what the Christian life involves. Hebrews 11 is another example of faith in action. We are happy in doing what Christ says, we cannot be happy if we maintain a constant course of disobedience. Even if we somehow ' prosper ' in doing so, conscience within will be in a distressing uproar ( Ps. 32:3,4). Christ commends those who follow Him by His word, and not anyone else's words. His sheep ' hear His Voice and follow Him,' - these sheep are happy, and sing Psalm 23 sincerely and devotedly.

JULY 7

" I know whom I have chosen. " John 13:18.

It was determined that Judas would be in the ' visible church ', and so was the object of prophecy ( Ps.41:9. Ps.109. ). Judas was chosen to office only, but the other disciples were chosen to salvation ( 1 Thess.1:4). In verse 21 Christ announced that it was about to happen ; one of the professing disciples would betray Him. He had never trusted Judas, He knew what he would do ( John 6:70 ). Christ was telling Judas that He knew him ! But, although he had God's word to warn him, Judas did not repent of his wickedness. Christ knew from the beginning who would be saved and who would not. He uses His Word, often through preaching, to gather in His elect. The Spirit makes it ' the power of God unto salvation.' ( Rom.1:16). Christ knows the hearts ( John 2:24,25), and His words show that He was not deceived by Judas, although the other disciples were. Judas had spent 3 years following (outwardly) Christ, and is set forth as a beacon ( Acts 1:16-20) for those who wish to avoid shipwreck. He was gifted, but gifts are not grace. He was in the company of the disciples, but he is not with them now. Those who are chosen by Christ will always choose Him, and that choice will continue to the end.

JULY 8

" There was leaning ...one of His disciples whom Jesus loved." John 13:23.

This description John gives of himself with humility, he prefers not to name himself. It is the title most precious to him, and is common to all of God's people ( Daniel 10:19. John 11:5. John 13:1) Jeremiah 31:3). All of Christ's people are loved equally ; each is loved with an infinite, eternal and unchangeable love. John was ' leaning on Jesus ' at the meal. This is the posture of a dependent child, feeling secure with the best protection nearby. He was leaning on the place nearest to Jesus's heart, with his own love for Jesus, knowing that Jesus' love was greater. Trust ( faith ) and love are always together ; this is how we get through this world ( Song of Sol.8:5). This is ' the life we now live ' ( Gal.2:20), and this is how we die. Our strength has all gone, and we lean on Him, knowing He will support our weary souls.. " And I will give you rest." 

" A disciple whom Jesus loved " - What a lovely epitaph this would be on the gravestone of God's people !

JULY 9

" That he should give something to the poor." John 13:29.

When Judas left the room ( at Christ's command,' Do it quickly' ), the other disciples thought that he was going to give money to the poor. This was always a characteristic of the church ( Psalm 41:1), and should still be. Alas, Judas was going out to earn money for himself, with no thought for the poor.Let us mark the snares which attend the possession and fingering of money. The man who has care of the money in our Lord's little company of followers is the very man who makes shipwreck of his soul forever through the love of money. " Give me neither poverty nor riches " should be a Christian's frequent prayer. But the possession of money is evidently not in itself sinful or wicked ; it is the " love of money " that is. The Romish mendicant friars, and others who make a self-imposed poverty, are under a complete delusion. It is not the having, but the misusing of money which is sinful. ( J.C.Ryle )

JULY 10

" Judas...went immediately out, and it was night." John 13:30.

This was the ' hour of darkness.' It was dark outside and the works of darkness were being prepared by the Sanhedrin. But the heart of Judas was also dark with enmity. He was preparing himself for ' his own place ' in hell ( Acts 1:25).The children of God ' walk in the light ', despite their stumbling. Judas had heard Christ's words, but chose to contradict and defy Him, and all in the name of religion ! All sin is voluntary, and all sin is predicted. Christ knew what Judas was doing, but all would be overruled, to His glory ( vs.31) and Judas' destruction. Judas was the mouthpiece and the representative of God's enemies. He had crept in among the disciples, but Christ knew Him, and his end. There is a dark side to human nature. It is restrained by God in this world, but it has full expression in the next world, in the place where all is darkness. Not every disciple is genuine, but the disciples did not realize until after the event what Judas was up to. The devil welcomed Judas, as did the Sanhedrin, but when they had used him they cast him away. He chose the wrong side !

JULY 11

" A new commandment do I give you, that you love one another." John 13:34.

It is not always easy to love the brethren, and there are certainly degrees of love here ; an imperfect love, which shall only be perfected in heaven. We love the brethren primarily for Christ's sake, and not for their own sake ( and likewise, this is why they love us - not because any of us are perfectly loveable. It is a command of Christ, and we need to remember this prayerfully when we get hurt ( as we shall do ). This command is not a cliche, it is something practical, which takes effort. We all know what it is like to live in a family - God's church is a family also, with many of the same family difficulties. There is indeed a likeness in the family members, but each has a different personality ; this is what usually causes the difficulties. However, in the end we are all of one Spirit ( rather than of one blood only ), and this is what keeps us together in love. Love is the perfect bond, as Paul reminds us ; and Paul had a hard time among the ' brethren.' If we think of how the Lord loves us, despite what He sees in us, this should prove a good incentive as to how we are to persevere in loving one another.

JULY 12

" Whither I go, thou cannot follow me now, but thou shalt follow Me afterwards.."   John 13:36.

Peter had the regeneration necessary to follow Christ now, but was not yet ready to follow Christ into heaven. He had to be prepared first, and the preparation lasts a lifetime, which is an individual matter. For example, the dying thief in one day went from a state of sin into a state of grace, and was prepared over a few hours for entrance into the state of glory. This was unusual, but it shows the stages we have to pass through. There was a promise to Peter that he would follow Christ into heaven, but it would be in Christ's chosen time, not ours. Doubtless, Peter and many of us, would be impatient at this answer, but trust in Christ must pray for patience ; such patience does not come without prayerful effort. Job, Jeremiah and others wanted to go now, to be with Christ ( ' far better ') and sin no more. But Christ has His reasons for keeping us here a bit longer. Suffering sharpens the appetite for heaven, but we must also think positively ; not so much on what we leave behind, but more about what we come to ( Heb.12: 22-24 ).

JULY 13

" Simon Peter said to Him, Lord whither goest Thou ? " John 13:36.

This was unlawful curiosity. It is a common fault among us to be more inquisitive concerning secret things, which belong to God alone, than concerning things revealed, which belong to us and our children ( Deut.29:29). We are more desirous to have our curiosity satisfied than to have our conscience directed, to know what is done in heaven rather than what we need to do to get there ( Deut. 29;29). This is easy to observe in the behaviour of many Christians. How soon they drop a discourse or discussion of what is plain and edifying, and no more is said of it, as if the subject were exhausted ( while the matter is yet to be put into practice).On the other hand, how often a matter which is beyond dogmatic assumptions will run into an endless strife of words. ( M.Henry ) Theology is always practical, and we shall not know many things until we arrive in heaven. Finite minds must accept that there is a limit to our thinking.

JULY 14

" Let not your heart be troubled..."  John 14:1.

These words are the foundation for all that follows in the upper room. He speaks of ' heart ' ( singular), as He knows all the similar new hearts He gives to His people, that they shall experience trouble. The following chapters are to comfort and encourage them as they pass through trouble, " Believe also in Me." A man had a little sign on his wall above his desk which read, " Will you trust Him ? " This is the question for us each day. He has spoken of trust, what is our response ? We shall find troubles in the home, in the church, in the world we meet around us. It is the troubled heart that focuses on these words ; they are usually ignored in prosperity. " Grace grows best in winter," says Rutherford. Christ is always our Friend in need ; this is daily. Although we may feel self sufficient some days, we are not ! If one of His sheep falls into the ditch, will He not pull him out ? If a woman is assaulted by the devil, will He not hear her cry and respond with help ? These are, of course, invisible rescues for the overwhelmed soul. This help is not seen, sometimes not felt, and we are tempted to think He will not come to us in our trouble. But He has promised. " Will you trust Him ? " - You can understand why he put up that sign.

JULY 15 

" Let not your heart be troubled." John 14:1.

When we are shaken we must be careful not to mistake God's goodness and murmur at His Providence, wronging His graciousness and nursing a rebellious pride. This would be to act as if He were not a sufficient remedy for us ; this He forbids. We must look for any cause of trouble in our own hearts ; see if there be not some Achan in the camp. If so, confess our sin, and consider what promises and comforts in the Word of God are suited to our condition. Make these promises our own and then walk in the strength and comfort of them. Labour likewise to have them fresh in memory. It is a great defect in Christians that they forget their consolations ( Heb.12:5). Labour to keep unspotted consciences and, above all, let us labour for a spirit of faith. Faith empties us of ourselves and makes us cling to Another ; it makes us one with the Fountain of comfort. It stirs up hope in the good things promised - ' In My father's house...'  ( R.Sibbes )

JULY 16

" In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2.

God's children have a Home to go to. Christ says so, and it would not exist unless Christ went thereafter His finished work. It is His Home and ours, and we are being prepared for it by following Him Home. Jesus was speaking to sad disciples, who felt the longing to be with Him as He announced His departure to go there Himself. Any home here lacks one thing to make it perfect - permanence. We have ' no continuing city ' here. We sometimes have to limit the number to invite to our house because it is so small, but Christ's invitation to sinners does not come under this restriction. ' There is yet room.' He says. The Father's house can take ' many.' By the miracle of His grace He changes the enemies of God into the children of God, and children need a Home. Heaven was made at the beginning ( Gen. 1:1), and Christ uses Time to fill it with His chosen people. This He has revealed. He will come again to gather their bodies to join their souls there. He is the Door, and He has the keys ( Rev.1). ( C.Stanford )

JULY 17

" If it were not so, I would have told you. " John 14:2.

We are eager for certainty, for reality, especially in the midst of sorrow. In the hour of a bitter loss, the heart refuses a fictitious comfort. Christ here announces His knowledge of the facts, and shows that He has a full knowledge of the secrets of another world. This is the truth a loving God would make known to His children who tread a sad path through this world. Christ appeals to His known character. The disciples could not point to any of His words which had been false. Moreover, because of His goodness He could not deceive them. Some people can be true but not good, giving hard facts but without gentleness. Christ seeks the confidence of His disciples in Him. If there is any doubter, struggling in the midst of perplexities, these words are for her. Could He deceive any soul on such a matter of supreme importance ? Note that comfort comes from what He does not say, " If it were not so, I would have told you." Take Him at His word, " I go to prepare a place for you."

JULY 18

" I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. " John 14:6.

We are to regard the second and third words as explanatory of the first, the Way. These words together describe the One who says, " I am." ( Exodus 2) We show the way, He is the way. He separates Himself from all others ; " I am ' declares His Self-consciousness. As the Truth He is the ground for our way to God, there is no other. By His truth He teaches us, by revealing Himself, by His words. He is the way because He is the life ; dead men cannot walk the road. It is no use making a path if it starts from a graveyard ! Life is by being joined to His Divine life ; faith reveals that life. If Christ is not received for life the sinner remains in his deadness, separated from God. We are ignorant of this life until we are taught by Him as His disciples, willing to learn. We are like the miner who needs the light stuck to his cap, says John Trapp. Christ is the way by which we know the truth about His father and His Spirit ; we need His words alone for this, and our experience will be based on His words.We need to be enriched by His words, this requires our study. We need to be prepared for death by His words of life, this requires trust also. ( A. Maclaren )

JULY 19 

" I am the Way. " John 14:6.

Christ is the only way to the Father ; we are God's children only when new creations in Christ Jesus. Only by His blood is there conscious acceptance by the Father, ' made nigh by the blood of Christ.' Only through Christ can we talk with God and have communion with Him. Only can we have the family likeness by conformity to the Son ( Rom.8:29). It is a free way to the Father. He that wants to pay for Christ cannot have Him at all. Faith is required and is the gift of God. Repentance is necessary and Christ is exalted to give it. It is a permanent way, not just a way for the saints of the Old Testament and the Apostles only ; this way cannot be broken up. It is a joyful way, for all types of sinners ; for the backsliders and wanderers also. If He is our way we shall get into that way. To keep on that way is to continue in it. " The just shall live by faith,' not by any other means. ( C.H.Spurgeon )

JULY 20

" Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me ? " John 14:9.

Not to know Christ is to be ignorant of Him. This disciple wanted more revelation than Christ gave - which is still a fault in many professing Christians. There are still those today who want more than the Words of Christ ; they are discontented. They want signs and wonders, secret revelations, and despise what Christ has given. Their desire for extra signs shows their ignorance of Christ, especially of His sufficiency. If they cannot see the Father reflected in the Person of Christ ( by the Light and word of the Holy Spirit ), there is something lacking in their faith. " Take away the Bible and you take away Christ," said one of the early bishops. We cannot know the Father unless we know Christ first. This was a gentle rebuke to Philip. After 3 years he should have known better. " He that has seen Me has seen the Father," says the Son. The Father is manifested in the Son, " who is the image of the invisible God " ( Coloss.1:18. Heb.1:3. John 1:18). Hopefully these words of Christ made Him more precious in the eyes of Philip, and in our own !

JULY 21 

" If ye love Me keep My commandments. " John 14:15.

Why does the Saviour give us this as a test ? It shows us whether our love is genuine or not, whether it is barren sentimentality or active devotion. It is Christ's commandments we are to keep, the One we profess to love. ' To love Him and belittle Him would be absurd. ' (Spurgeon) Love always desires to have its Object near ; you cannot love Christ and fail to obey, fail to worship - as much as you can. Love makes no excuses, it repents of disobedience, sincerely and honestly. His love constrains us to obey Him as " My Lord and my God." We are not only the children of God by faith but the servants of God by Covenant. Obedience not only pleases God ( Heb.11:6), it glorifies Him, gives Him His rightful place. We are called to prove our love. " Some commands may seem trifling to others but if the Lord commands them they cannot be neglected." ( Spurgeon ). True love will endure this test. If you love Him you will keep His commandments ; and find out what His commandments are. " If there is a commandment which you do not like, it ought to be a warning to you that there is something wrong in your heart that needs setting right. " 

( Spurgeon ).

JULY 22

" I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another Comforter. " John 14:16.

This is the Gift from God, from Father and Son, a Gift who 'abides forever '. The Holy Spirit is more than an influence, He is an eternal Divine Person, equal to the Father and Son in every respect ; and to be acknowledged by us in our worship. Without Him we could not return to God in faith, nor persevere in that faith all the way to heaven. He is our permanent Companion and chief Comforter. To ' comfort ' means to strengthen inwardly ; we are 'fort-ified '. He works from within, He is the Spirit of Truth, who uses God's truth with power. We cannot be comforted by what is not true, although many try to be. The world, and many in the ' church ' are blind to their need of Him. Without Him there would be no Word, no conversions, no church. He applies what Christ has achieved ie. redemption from beginning to end. Having the Spirit brings knowledge, the only knowledge which saves. It is possible to have a natural religious knowledge ( Jude 19). But this is not a saving knowledge of Christ, as this is inseparable from the possession of the Holy Spirit ; given to us by the intercession of Christ ( Ps.68:18). Christ prays for the people, although they do not hear Him do so. But now, like the disciples in this passage, we know.

JULY 23

" The Spirit of Truth. " John 14:17.

This Spirit of truth is needed. It was by a lie that evil gained entrance into the world ; satan is both a liar and a murderer ( John 8 ). Falsehood is now established throughout the earth, from rulers to ruled. Christ's kingdom is a kingdom of truth, a kingdom of opposition, a counter-culture. Because of widespread falsehood there is much distrust, even in the church, as somethere will not accept what is written. The Lord opposed the devil with the ' sword of the Spirit ( Ephes.6:17), " it is written ! " ( Matthew 4). Pentecost showed that the truth of God can be spoken in all languages, it is a sign of His work. This divine Person has been sent to rectify the disorder of man's Fall in Eden. It is the truth that sets us free to follow Christ. The Word and the Spirit shall prevail in the enlightened sinner's heart and mind. He is necessary for knowing Christ and the way of life. The Holy Spirit puts the written truth of the Bible inside the heart, and it will abide there forever with Him. If we have the spirit of truth, we shall be willing to receive the truth, all of it.    ( H.Melvill )

JULY 24

" The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit." John 14:26.

The Spirit is an indwelling Comforter. Most of our comforts are external, outside of us. Our souls are empty, weak and unsatisfied ; we need to look away from ourselves for strength and consolation. The Spirit's indwelling makes us a temple, with living water flowing within. He is the glory in the midst of us ( 2 Corinth.3:18 ).Whereas change is written over all things here, He is an abiding Comforter ( vs.16 ). Christ, as to His bodily presence, was a sojourner here, His human nature is now in heaven. But the Spirit will never leave the soul of which He has taken saving possession. He is an unworldly Comforter ; the world cannot see, or understand Him or His work in the soul. The world can have no sympathy with Him, for He does not speak of worldly, earthly things. If He spoke of earthly things He could not be the Comforter of God's poor, humbled, broken and weary people. He speaks of Christ 

( John 1:26. 16:14 ) and therefore His comfort is not about what this world can give. This comfort is sent from heaven itself. ( John Milne )

JULY 25

" Because I live, you shall live also." John 14:19.

Christ is the Lord of life, natural and also spiritual ; the giving of both is a sovereign act. Life in this verse means something more than mere existence ; it points to spiritual life with a purpose to glorify the Giver of it. This elevated life is derived from Christ, from our union to His life, like the branches in the Vine. From the first Adam we derive natural life, but the second Adam is a life-giving Spirit ( 1 Corinth.15:45).  ( H.P.Liddon ) Christ communicates this life by contact, a contact which is known by the receiver of life. They are aware that their life has changed, ' all things have become new.' It is a life changing experience when Christ meets us and makes Himself known to us, by His word and Spirit. Many have the word without the Spirit, but it is the spirit that gives life ( John 6:63 ), the Word points to the Author of life. He is the Head of the body, the church. The proof of life is that it is lived to Him, according to His Word. The Ten commandments, in particular, did not give life but were a guide to those who had life, showing them how to live it. Love for Christ is the great motive to ' keep His commandments.' " If a man love Me, he will keep my words." ( vs.23). He will maintain this spiritual life in us ; those joined to Him cannot perish.

JULY 26

" But the Comforter...shall teach you all things. " John 14:26.

It is necessary that we be taught ; we do not know spiritual things by nature. The Holy Spirit teaches us about sin. No-one knows the exceeding sinfulness of sin but by Him. He also teaches us the total ruin, depravity and helplessness of self. He also teaches us the character of God. God's goodness and omnipotence are clearly manifested in the works of Creation ( Rom.1), but where do I read of His grace, mercy or justice but in this precious Book ; and we cannot know them until the spirit opens our eyes to perceive them. It is the Spirit who teaches us about Jesus Christ, giving us not justa knowledge but a saving knowledge. He also teaches us about our adoption into God's family ; the nature, marks and purpose of it. He gives us interest in these truths and makes the soul teachable, which it was not before. The soul under His teaching says, ' Now I see it and understand it.' He also refreshes our memory ( vs.26) and restores the effect of truth in the soul. He teaches whom He wills to, does it effectually and continually. He will complete their education.( C.H.Spurgeon )

JULY 27

" Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you." John 14::27.

This is Christ's legacy. It is peace with God. The man who inherits this precious legacy was once the enemy of the Lord, but now the enmity of his carnal mind has been subdued. Like the prodigal he has returned and found a welcome and pardon from the Father through Christ. Being justified by faith he now has peace with God ( Rom.5:1). It is Christ's peace, a peace which He enjoyed Himself in the midst of all His sorrows. This peace could never have been inherited unless the great Giver of it had died ; it is His Testament of grace, bequeathed to us. He is alive to administer His Testament Himself ; this is ' not as the world gives '. It satisfies the longing soul, even in the darkest night of adversity ; the root remains in darkest winter. This legacy is permanent, it shall remain when the world has gone ; it is not as the world gives. It is an ' evil heart of unbelief ' which keeps sinners strangers to the peace of God ; it is ' peace by believing.' We must be united to Christ by a living faith in order to have it. Meanwhile, this truth also continues, " There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked."  ( C.Bradley )

JULY 28

" My peace I leave with you...not as the world gives." John 14;27.

When He says, My peace, our Lord distinguishes it from the peace men ordinarily pursue. Some seek peace by conforming to the world's ( or the church's ) opinion, accepting the low standard provided by the majority, and rejecting the way appointed by Christ. Some seek peace by gratifying all their desires, fulfilling their needs from what the world provides, leaving no unrest but getting all they want, at any cost. They want comforts, ease, planty, social acceptance and influence. Their appetites give them no peace unless they are fulfilled, whether it's right or wrong desires. Some seek peace by suppressing or ignoring the things that disturb their desires for peaceful living. they shun what would give them anxiety - the Bible, thoughts of death and eternity, sound teaching, the revealed holy character of God. The lord teaches that these kinds of peace are delusive ( 1 Thess.5:3. 2 Thess.2:10.. It is not outward things that give peace with God ( and all other peace is vain without that ), but it must be the inward fruit of the Spirit applying Christ to the soul ( Galat. 5:22). Living with this peace will bring conflict on earth but Rest in heaven.

JULY 29

" Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27.

This peace from Christ is applicable to many conditions of the soul. We are called to do difficult things, and they can be done even when our heart is troubled. We can be afraid but continue to serve Him, as we know that despite all, despite ourselves, He shall bring us through the day ; another day onward, another day nearer heaven. The whole of this exhortation proceeds on the assumption that the disciple of Christ has a source of joy which counteracts his sorrows. The final entrance into heaven, with all that this implies, is guaranteed by the One who is present with us all the way. Nor is He a mere spectator, but with wisdom, power and faithfulness, binds His people to Himself with eternal love and faithfulness. We may expect changes on the way Home ; losses, bereavement, ostracism from the world and the worldly, physical or mental illness, poverty. The Lord says, " Take no

[ anxious ] thought for tomorrow." " I am with you always."  ( S. Martin )

JULY 30 

" The prince of this world comes, and he has nothing in Me." John 14: 30.

Christ's greatest enemy comes forward, for the final struggle. He is of great power, a fallen angel, and is very cunning. He has many subjects in this world, of the same mind as himself ie. they want rid of Christ from this world so that they can believe and do what they like. They would prefer to make up their own version of Reality, not Christ's. Like the devil before them, they follow him with this rebellious mind. Judas was nearby and with him the devil approached Christ. He had a violent aim, and intended to abolish Christ's plan of salvation by overcoming Him at the cross - but the evil was going to be bound at the cross, overcome by a superior power ( Coloss. 2;13-15 ). The devil had nothing in Christ to use ; He was sinless, unlike us. The devil can use our indwelling sin against us with his cunning and deceit , but all his triumphs are little ones and temporary. He and the world thought they triumphed at the cross, but after three days it was demonstrated that it was an empty boast. The Resurrection of Christ proclaimed Christ as God over all and ruling over all. Christ overcame and we also shall overcome, by Him and with Him. ( T.Whitelaw)

JULY 31

" Arise, let us go hence. " John 14:31.

Christ could not wait there, He must go on to the cross. We also cannot settle down here, we must go on with our cross. if we follow Him we must bear the cross He gives us here ; but it too must be left behind on earth when we join Christ in heaven. This is the watchword for the Christian, " Arise, let us go hence." We do not go alone, and we go with the same aim as our Master, to glorify the Father in obedience to Him. Christ expected to suffer, but this did not hinder Him, He went forward to meet it. He prefers action to the sweetest converse, and so leaves the Supper table. " I will not talk much with you. Arise.." He could not rest in the company of His beloved until He had accomplished our redemption. This is our own motto, ' Arise, let us go hence.' Ever onward and forward ( Exodus 14:15). If Jesus is outside the camp we must go to Him ( Heb.13:13). We must arouse ourselves to make the separation. We must arise out of present attainments when growing in grace ( Philipp. 3:13,14). Self-satisfaction should startle us. we should be prepared to defend the Truth from the foe, and to arise heavenward when called. Oh sinner, where would you go if suddenly summoned ? Oh saint, what better could happen to you than to arise and go hence ?  ( C.H.Spurgeon )