APRIL 1

" They are without fault before the throne of God."

They had lots of faults when they were on Earth; some of them they saw, some of them they couldn't see. Others saw some of them, but only God could see them all. And what patience God had with them ! The Bible tells us not only the good things about God's people but also the bad things ; Abraham's lies, Noah's drunkenness, David's adultery. They wanted to be perfect on earth, but it was not possible. They confessed their sin, repented and were forgiven, But God promised those whom He justified through faith on earth that they would be glorified in heaven, and glory is for us perfect holiness. We sin every day on the journey but we become perfect when we arrive.

For the forgiven the throne of God is a throne of grace, but for the unforgiven it is a throne of justice. Not every mistake is a sin, but every sin is a mistake, a fault in the character. Only the blood of Christ can cleanse us fro these ' spots and blemishes ' ( Eph.5:27), so that He may present them ' blameless ' to His Father ( Jude 24). Just as He finished His work for them, so He will finish His work in them. It will be a happy new experience for us, to be without fault in ourselves and in our worship. Is this our hope, our aim ? Then, look to Him for it.

APRIL 2

" Seek ye first the kingdom of God. " Matthew 6:33.

Christ the King did this Himself, and His priorities must be ours. Young people, in particular, like to have a cause to follow in this world. We all seek a purpose in life and Christ's command here gives us ours. This not a short term and easily accomplished task, it is a lifelong commitment. What about other things, lesser priorities in life ? He adds that all these other things you shall have also. This is the happy consequence when we obey our ' marching orders ', and this King has the power to fulfil all His promises. Christ can give you more than the world does, in life and in death. There are two kingdoms in this world, both in conflict, with contrasting aims. The world seems to have more influence and more victories than the church, but this is only a temporary appearance. Who will win in the end - dying creatures or the eternal God ?

Meanwhile, if we are to follow this King successfully, we must study His words and methods, and these are bound up with His character. We must therefore study to develop our own character and conform it to His ( and there is always room for improvement ). Many fail to follow as they ought to because they put second things first, and thus lack life. The early disciples experienced loneliness and isolation in the world as they followed this true King, but now this is all in the past, they are Home now with the King. He kept all His promises to them.

APRIL 3

" And Cain went out ...and built a city." Genesis 4:16,17.

One of the first things Cain did after defying God was to build a city, an organised anti-God world system, filling it with people like himself who had no time for God. It was a self-centered materialistic society, where evil could be practised and justified somehow. And yet this city, as we see from history, had a religious group in it, although it was not God's religion. It was not the church but a religion to rival the church ( Ps. 46:4). In his book The Holy War Bunyan shows how the devil wants to develop his own religious services to rival God's ! This is because human beings cannot rid themselves of a ' religious instinct ' ( Rom.1:18-22 ) and are never entirely successful in suppressing it or annihilating it. It cannot be effaced by calling it ' wish fulfilment ' or a childish stage in evolution. This rival religion is characterised by self-righteousness, expediency and compromise. The pattern of worship follows that of Cain's and not Abel's ( Genesis 4). Like Cain such people resent being corrected by what God says ( written down in the Bible now ) and become angry. In their anger they separated from Seth and others like him who call upon the true God ( Gen. 4:26). But Cain's way is not God's way ( Jude 11 ). It is a way which God does not approve and does not accept. Abel, like Jesus after him, died for God's truth. Soon the descendants of Cain ' filled the earth with violence '( Gen. 4:23,24) - the violence of false religion. But this is not the religion of Christ !

APRIL 4

" Lord, I believe. Help Thou my unbelief." Mark 9:24.

Why is it difficult to believe God completely and trust Him entirely, especially in distressing circumstances ? It is because some remnant of unbelief has been left in us, left to conflict with the root of faith as it grows. This was the conflict of the man in this passage, and he cried for help, because this was not the way he wanted to be in the presence of God. He knew he believed and he also discerned some hindrances to belief in himself. Christ promises to save us by faith but many questions about faith circulate in our minds. We do have faith, but we cannot control it in its operations as we would like. It was good that the man discerned the opposition within ; this showed that there were two forces at work within him, not just the single force of unbelief which used to dwell in his heart alone !

In the natural man the Will ( the choosing-power in the soul ) blocks any trust in or obedience to God. Emotion and natural reason support it. This deviation is corrected by God at conversion, the will is now free to choose Christ. However, there are still forces at work within which cause the Will to bend or deviate from its proper course. It is only in heaven that the Will shall always choose what is right. Until then, we need help and so we pray with David,' Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments, for therein do I delight.' ( Ps.119:35,32 ) We pray thus because we ' see another law in my members ' ( Rom.7: 23), at war with faith and love, and sometimes with hope too. " Deliver me from that evil man, myself." prayed Augustine. Like the man in this passage we find it difficult to go forward in faith, but we do not go back in unbelief ( Heb.10:39). Faith shall yet have the victory.

APRIL 5

" Take heed therefore how ye hear." Luke 8:18.

How are we to hear the Bible read and preached ? We hear it in our minds as we read it, we hear it when repeated by others, but how are we hearing it ? The preceding parable explains that 3 out of 4 hearers ( 'soils ' upon which the Word lands) do not hear it with any beneficial effect. Some are hard, some are too much in love with this world, some are emotionally unstable. The state of the soil affects how the seed is treated, so with the heart and the Word. These 4 different types of hearers are found wherever the Bible is found.

This is a call therefore for self-examination. Thomas Chalmers was complimented in an excellent sermon, and responded, " Maybe, but what effect did it have ? " Were people collecting facts, measuring eloquence or were they moved to put what they heard into practice ? Was the effect temporary or was there lifelong perseverance in trust and obedience ? ( James 1:21,22). It is not perfect obedience but it is sincere endeavour. If a field does not produce fruit year after year there is something wrong below the surface. Many start off impressively but do not have the power of God to finish ( Rom.1;16). Moreover, are we coming to hear the Message or the messenger ? If it is the former we need to prepare with prayer, so that the Holy Spirit will plant the Word firmly in the heart and keep us from forgetting it throughout the day and throughout the life ( Ps.103:2).

APRIL 6

" Be ye angry and sin not." Ephesians 4:26.

God has anger in Him, which means it is not sinful to be angry. This anger is visibly expressed ( not necessarily immediately ) when someone or something is wrong in His sight, however much others may justify the wrongdoing ; even if they pass an act of Parliament to approve it ! God's anger presupposes a clear line drawn between something which is right and something which is wrong. There are no grey areas or moral debates in His sight, He always gives a verdict - right or wrong, good or bad, and there is no appeal from His judgement. We are not free to make up the Law as we go along throughout history, this is but a slavery to our own changing ( collective) opinions.

The world, of course, does not accept God's character from the Bible because it doesn't agree with their opinion. They do not believe that He must and He shall punish sin, so either they fantasise or they vilify Him. This is not the ' God of the Old Testament ' only, but there are clear examples in the Gospels of Christ being angry ; Divine and human anger in one Person. It is therefore not a sin to be angry. We must however be careful that the anger is for the right reason and against the right person. If we are not angry at sinful behaviour there is some flaw in our character ; to tolerate evil is an evil in itself (Rom.1:32 ) and has often led to a destructive society.

APRIL 7

" Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world" 2 Timothy 4:10.

Like many others, Demas started off well. He became a companion of Paul and there were great expectations of him. But after a few years his love for the world and its ways overpowered him, which proved that although he had much talk he had no grace. He began to talk like the world and adopted its ways, and then abandoned Paul in his prison ; he knew Paul would not agree with his changed viewpoint. What happened to Demas ? All we know is that he never came back from the world. The pull of this world stopped him from entering the next one, he sacrificed the happiness of eternity for the pleasures of time.

Demas is an example of the ' word received among thorns ' in the parable of the Sower ( Matt.13). He never got rid of the weeds in his heart and in the end they choked him. He had ' played the game ' of Christianity for many years but now what was in his heart was revealed ; he became hardened and cynical about the truths of Christianity. He did not understand that he was choosing a greater prison than the one Paul was in. At death Paul was freed from prison but Demas died in his, and never came out.Demas was attracted to the comforts and prosperity of the world and was repelled by the afflictions involved in following Christ ; he did not want to suffer like Paul. " Affliction has slain its thousands and prosperity its ten thousands ! " ( Spurgeon).

APRIL 8

" Eve conceived and bare Cain...and his brother Abel. " Genesis 4:1,2.

At the beginning of human history we have two distinct lines of descendants beginning, between those who depart from God ( like Cain, vs.16 ) and those who call upon God like Seth, the brother of Abel ( vs.26). These two lines, so near in blood, are separated in their hearts ; faith and unbelief divides them as it did Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau. In the one is a selfish emptiness, in the other a trust in God's Son, the promised Saviour ( Gen.3;15). It is not fashionable nowadays, not even in the church, to emphasize this division between elect and reprobate, righteous and wicked, believers and unbelievers. Some even say that to talk about God's sovereignty and initiative in salvation is' detrimental to evangelism.' And are we to hide what God has revealed ?

The world does not like classification or distinctions, especially those made by God. There is a revolt against what God has said, and also against defining the terms we use in language. But to desire an ' uncertain sound ' is to hide both the danger and the remedy ( 1 Corinth 14:8.) ; it causes confusion in the understanding. The fact remains, in one group is peace and eternal safety, in the other group is delusion and eternal death. God has revealed the way into death ie. unbelief, and the way out of it ie. faith. We need therefore distinctions and classification of the two groups and their corresponding characters. This explains the history of the world, it has only two divisions that matter in the end. Alas, the two groups will continue not only in this world but in the next also.

APRIL 9

" Seest thou this woman ? " Luke 7:44.

This woman was the only person in the house that Christ accepted and therefore defended ( vs. 50 ), which doubtless shocked many. She had formerly been a prostitute but now was changed and welcomed back by God. She, with her new faith and repentance, loved Christ, and she showed it ! Because of this love he wept when she looked at Him, despite how unworthy she looked to others. No-one knew this better than herself, and no-one knew Christ's love and grace better in that house than herself either ! She only cared about what Christ thought of her. She was condemned by the other sinners in that house, but were they not sinners also ? The Pharisees did not believe they had broken God's law ( Luke 15:29 ) and thus displayed their pride, another sin. Moreover they thought that Christ was a sinner Himself because He received sinners like this woman and ate with them ( Luke 15:2).The Pharisees did not think of Christ in the way that this woman did, and therefore there was no loving gratitude - the Law only produces tears of frustration and guilt !

Christ can reach the hearts of sinners that no-one else can ( or wants to ). Like this woman He is the friend of the sinners that the ( religious ) world rejects, all the prodigals and outcast - He is able to save from the 'uttermost 'depravity and gives these returning sinners the greatest welcome. For such ( like this woman ) He becomes their Advocate, defending them against the accusations of the Law ( Zechariah 3:1-5. Rom.8:33,34 ). His forgiveness removes guilt and fears of being condemned, IF we are saved in the same way as this woman. Do we have the same love as hers ?

 APRIL 10

" When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked." Acts 17:32

Athens was the University city of Greece, the home of the great philosophers Plato and Aristotle. But even Athens

accepted that there was still much " unknown " ( vs.23 ) about God. In this speech Paul gave Biblical summary of

the origin and corruption of the human race and the response of God, justice and mercy. It was when he came to

the Day of Judgement that the Athenians became interested, because Paul asserted that the Judge was One who

was raised from the dead ( vs.30 ), raised by Divine power. At this point many scoffed, but some wanted to hear

more of this as this was new to them. Something new always arouses interest, if only for a while ( vs. 18,21).

However, a handful of people did repent ( change their mindset ) and believe the Gospel ( vs.34 ).

Mocking responses continue today when the resurrection is mentioned. " When you're dead, you're dead,' they

say. But they cannot disprove that there is something beyond death. They would like to, but they can't. They also

have a secret fear of being surprised when they do die, and not a pleasant surprise either ! Some say they will

consider the matter further when they get older ( vs.32 ), but tomorrow is not guaranteed for anybody. But for those

who believed, suddenly the ' Unknown God ' ( vs.23) was known through the Person of Jesus Christ ; they had the

joy of knowing that He is alive, that He is not only Judge but Saviour also. He can be known. What a difference all

this makes !

APRIL 11

" But I see another law ( power ) in my members." Romans 7:23

If it had been God's purpose He could have made us not only perfect in justification at conversion but also perfect in holiness, but this is not His plan. Sin was left in us, no longer with dominion but present in rebellion, and this was no mistake, this is God's wisdom at work. It may puzzle us why He did it, but our wisdom is of course flawed and imperfect, and sometimes struggles to agree with God's way of doing things. John Newton suggest several advantages in receiving sanctification from Christ as a process and not as a perfect experience in this world ; the perfection, the completion of it is reserved for the next world.The sense of indwelling sin ( a sense which varies in its intensity) keeps us humble, dependent, prayerful in daily repentance, daily trusting in the power of Christ's blood to cleanse ( 1 John 1:7-9).We are thankful, for deliverances from sin's consequences and for being restored so often in life ( Ps.23:3). This confidence keeps us ' looking unto Jesus ' as we run the race, fight the battles and journey on through the trials of life, inward and outward. Indwelling sin keeps us looking to the end of sin, longing for heaven, keeping us from ' settling down ' in this world where nothing is perfect. " Soon the desires He has given to us shall be abundantly satisfied. Ps.17:15." ( John Newton)

Sin wars against us, we may win some battles but the war goes on to the end of the road through this world. It can never regain the dominion it had before but it does sadden us as we see what we ought to be but still lack the power to be so ( Gal.5:17). But the fact that we have this desire for perfect holiness is a comfort to us. Despite our failures and mistakes, God's love is unchangeable and all is overruled for our good ( Rom.8:28). It is a mark of grace that a Christian cannot be happy without holiness, and perfect happiness awaits us in that holy place beyond this world. " Christians are not perfect but they are forgiven," and this forgiveness is a pledge of future perfection in holiness.

APRIL 12

" My soul is even as a weaned child." Psalm 131:2

While we know our duty and also the means by which we may stay close to God, our problem is to conform these means into practice. John Newton wisely said, " We shall keep close to Him in proportion as we are solidly convinced of the disparity between Him and the things which would presume to stand in competition with Him, and the folly, as well as the ingratitude, of departing from Him." We learn by experience what benefits and what detracts from nearness to Him, and there are some painful lessons to be learned. We must also beware of reducing communion to a set of man-made rules, regulations and traditions. This temptation creeps into all churches, as if this strictness in outward behaviour was a sign of inner devotion. It may be just the result of fear of being ostracised for non- conformity. Conformity to the Person of Christ is the ideal and this is the result of an obedience rooted in love not fear. The children of God have a loving obedience to their Father and wish to develop a likeness to Him. This is the ideal of faith. Christ's character is as His Father's.

Another help to stay close to Him is a fear of ourselves, our weakness and potential to fall into some mistake. " To be humble and like a little child, afraid of taking a step alone and so conscious of dangers and snares around us so as to cry to Him continually to hold us up that we may be safe - this is the sure, infallible and only secret of walking closely with Him." ( John Newton), Oh to feel our weakness, and also His strength !

APRIL 13

" Grey hairs are upon him, yet he knows not." Hosea 7:9

Grey hairs are the sign of inner decay, we do not notice them unless we use a mirror. Likewise we shall not notice any spiritual decline unless we use the mirror of the Word ( James 1:23-25 ). We cannot properly judge our spiritual condition by how we feel or don't feel. It is always difficult to maintain our spiritual balance when climbing uphill in our difficulties or racing downhill in our joys. Emotion can deceive us one way or the other. Weak faith can begin a decline, often visible by lack of attendance upon the means of grace, lack of commitment to what God has appointed for our progress. Weakened faith is reluctant to read, to pray or to self-examine. Is our' first love ' still first or has he been relegated below many other interests ? Christ never the wonder of Christ's love for Him, he never took it for granted. He sought Him and contemplated Him, His Person and His works.

Weak faith lacks this mental involvement. On the other hand, many mask this decline by multiplying outward words and activities, in the same way as hair colour is used to hide grey hairs. These people do not ' take in ' and therefore cannot ' give out ', and so their actions come to nothing. There is a shallowness about them because there is no depth in their communion. They are prone to tolerating sin, in themselves and others, and lack a clear commitment to Christ. The answer ? - to recognise our condition, pray for renewal ( 2 Corinth.4:17,18 ), and give time to and for Christ.

APRIL 14

" the whole family in heaven and earth." Ephesians 3:15.

Sin has produced a widespread feeling of personal isolation and loneliness in this world. People are in the crowd but rarely feel that they belong, and this is a human need, to feel that you belong. However, sin has produced the feeling that we live in a kind of vacuum. We wander from one experience to another but still feel we have no root ; we are a nation of individuals living in isolation. God has remedied this alienation by creating a new family, the church - not the organisation but the people. They are all united in one love, love for Christ ; this is what they all have in common, and show it by their devotion ( obedience and loyalty ) to Him. This where they all meet together, joined at the centre to and with Christ. Now they feel they belong to the best family, the " children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. " ( Gal.3:26 ). This membership can of course be abused, and bad characters in it repel people, but there are still members who have the family likeness to Christ.

This family is there to help and support one another. Tragically, the history of society is the breakup of families ; this individualism is encouraged by society. The true church does not let down its family members, which ought to be attractive to those who are disowned or cast out. Certainly Jesus welcomed the outcasts of society. No-one was ever as kind, loyal or supportive as Jesus. Only God can satisfy our need to belong, and the prodigals when they return shall find His door always open. " He sets the solitary in families," says the Psalmist.

APRIL 15

" When the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth ? " Luke 18:8.

' Not much ', is the implication of this question. What He shall find when He returns is a society trying to counterfeit the Kingdom of God on earth without having God as its King, a kind of religious humanism minus the Trinity. The only perfect state is in heaven ( and heaven is where Christ is right now, it is not going to shift). Before the Lord returns there will still be wars, famines, earthquakes etc on earth ; the world will still be opposed to Christianity. But the church also will have moved further and further away from basing its doctrine, worship and practice on the actual Word of God - and they have gone a long religious way sideways already. Faith and the obedience which flows from it will be scarce, says the Lord. It will not be easy to find it, and only He can discern the true wheat from the tares - they shall both grow together in the church till He comes ( Matt. 13:30 ), We must not therefore expect a perfect church or society on earth. However, this fact does not excuse disobedience and rebellion against God. ( Psalm 2).

There are no national conversions recorded or predicted in the Bible, the church is always the minority in the world. It will still be the ' church militant ' until He comes,but when they are taken to heaven they will be the ' church triumphant.' At present the Lord reigns in the midst of His enemies ( Ps.110. Rev.19:6-21). Faith is rare and precious, and His people are like precious jewels ( Malachi 3:17. 1 Peter 1:7). The world does not value them, but God does.

APRIL 16

" How long halt ( limp ) ye between two opinions. If the LORD be God, follow Him." 1 Kings 18:21.

The people were in two minds, and Elijah had observed them limping back and forth from one opinion to the other, and taking a stand upon neither. They were ' agnostic.' They were also afraid of the consequences if they did commit themselves to the true God that Elijah spoke of. King Ahab's government would doubtless persecute them, just as they did Elijah, and they were afraid. But should they not be afraid of disobeying God ? Was it not good of God to give them a warning, perhaps their final warning before destruction came ? Just as then, God calls for a verdict and a commitment. He has given us the truth and it is our duty to believe it. " How long...? " asks Elijah, and the demand of truth is, " Follow Him ! "

The people, like today, are trying to be friendly with both sides, with God and His opposers. A clear decision would alienate one party and mark them out for life. But they were ' facing both ways ' and their motto was " ready for either." They were people without a clear allegiance and the consequence is always the same - they could be trusted by neither side. This is the case with so many today. With God there can be no reservations, it is " all or nothing " ; there can be no mental reservations, no Declaratory Act. To refuse to choose is a choice in itself. Many are gambling that their neutrality will not affect their eternal destiny. But who can give any hope to those who will not take God's side ? Who can be saved by neglect or indifference ? ( Heb.2:3). Jesus said, " He that is not with me is against Me." Surely that is clear enough ?

APRIL 17

" I am alive for evermore. " Revelation 1:18.

It is a great matter to believe that Christ is alive and to hold on to this truth all our days. The Bible plus Jewish and Roman history confirms that He did die, but they cannot confirm that His body was found. Having finished His work on earth, to reconcile sinners to God, He returned to heaven, never to die again but to live forever. Some try to add to His self-sacrificial death, but this implies that He did not do enough, that He left something unfinished in His finished work. But Jesus said, " It is finished, " and to contradict this or to add to this shows a complete lack of faith in Him and His veracity. He could not be a perfect Saviour if His work was imperfect and there was something missing which we had to do ourselves. The New Testament emphasizes the completeness of His work ( cf. Heb.9:25-2 ). If we do not believe that it was not complete, then we have reason to be afraid, because we cannot save ourselves ; lack of faith means lack of peace ( Rom.5:1).

Faith believes that God punished the sins of His people upon Christ, the Surety and Substitute for sinners. God cannot and does not punish the same sins twice. The doctrine of ' Substitutionary Atonement ' is an essential truth of the Gospel. To those who trust in Christ, believing that He did as He said, He said, "Because I live you shall live also." He has triumphed over the grave and removed the fear, the sting of dying for His people. He will bring us through life and death, He knows the way through, He has been through it Himself.

APRIL 18

" He sits alone. " Lamentations 3:28.

Those who study history will tell you that there are few things as sad as standing in a place of former glory where there is nothing now but desolation. When we return to places of former joy we cannot recapture that former joy, and there is sadness over this. " The glory has departed. " This is how Jeremiah felt as he sat in the dust of Jerusalem ; memories of former happiness could not fill the present emptiness in his soul. The site at Bannockburn is like this ; you are surrounded there by granite monuments of a short-lived past victory, but this does not make the present misery better ! The burn that flowed there is underground now, buried along with all utopian hopes. There is only one unchanging joy, Jesus ' the joy which man desires ', as J.S. Bach called Him. All former victors and their victories pass away, but not His.

Many would have us distracted from the future by focusing our thoughts on the past. They " celebrate " the past, but where are we heading today ? If the current is carrying you over Niagara Falls to destruction, what profit is there in looking back upon the way by which you have come ? Looking backwards or looking around you at the nice scenery will not save you from the approaching disaster. Would it not be wiser to look for something solid to take hold of, something to take you away from the abyss and onto the shore ? Jeremiah sat alone. The past was gone, the present was in ruins, but he took hold of God, the One who held the future and who held him also. He was no longer alone !

APRIL 19

" The prayers of David...are ended." Psalm 72:20.

Some parts of the Old Testament are written in poetical form ( like the Psalms ), but they differ from secular poetry as the Biblical ones are " inspired " ( 2 Tim. 3:16 ). Human poems try to express what is humanly inexpressible ie. the Mind of God, but creatures can only know a little about the infinite Creator. However, we know that Christ has told us all that we need to know. Faith now looks for deeper understanding of established truths, and obedience to Christ is the key to this ( John 7:17 ). Poetry can make valiant attempts to set down what we have understood, but it is always the attempts of children in knowledge, sincere but still ' early learning ' when compared to the expanse of our knowledge promised in eternity. One valiant attempt is by Matthew Arnold in his poem 'The Buried Life'

" But often, in the world's most crowded streets,

 But often, in the din of strife,

 There rises an unspeakable desire

 After the knowledge of our buried life :

 An urge to spend our fire and restless force

 In tracking out our time, original course :

 A longing to inquire

 Into the mystery of this heart which beats

 So wild, so deep in us - to know

 Whence our lives came and where they go."

God in the Bible condescends to speak to us as children, and children can learn the right answer without understanding the steps which make it the right answer. Do we trust God's Mind as revealed in the Bible, or do we conceal it under our own thoughts ? But if we trust only our own minds there is so much concealed !

APRIL 20

" But deliver us from evil." Matthew 6:13.

It is common nowadays to reduce crime to the category of mental illness, and thus diminish or remove responsibility. The word ' evil ' is carefully avoided in describing crime, because evil is a description of a moral judgement, a judgement by the standard of God. Academics and social reformers wish to avoid references to God and thus also to avoid the pessimism regarding the inherent corruption of human nature. Nevertheless, the history of the world is the history of evil in the world and the story of how God opposes it. However much educationists and politicians try to bury the fact of evil, the non-indoctrinated public eagerly study it and its ramifications in society. The fatal flaw in the idea of ' human goodness " is that it fails to correspond with what we know about the world and our own ordinary experience." ( C.Colson ).

There are real fears about the potential for evil in people and, despite hopes, this view is confirmed every week by what we read in the newspaper. The public are drawn to read accounts of evil in fiction also, because they recognise it as part of the real world. " In ' enlightened thought ' there is no true evil, but people gravitate to fiction that says there is true evil...and that there are moral choices. People have an inner need to see what they really know on a gut level." ( Dean Koontz, a best-selling author ).

Refusing to address the problem of evil will not make it go away ; changing its name, denying it, excusing it will not help people. However, God has addressed this matter, He has the answer for all your questions and the way out of evil.

APRIL 21

" But when he saw the wind, he was afraid..." Matthew 14:30.

If we look only at the difficulties, obstacles and the opposition, we shall not begin to accomplish anything. Peter had been doing well, he responded to Christ's command, but then he took his eyes off his aim, his purpose and began to sink. If we take our eyes off the purpose and look at other things, it's a bit like taking your eyes off the road, you begin to go sideways. Peter looked off, became afraid and began to sink. You also can get that sinking feeling when you start thinking of what lies yet to be accomplished instead of focussing on the next step. When the Lord calls us to do something He does not expect us to accomplish this in our own strength, but He also expects us to acknowledge this also ( Philipp.4:13). Once you start looking at the negatives and counting them up you become more wind-conscious instead of Christ-conscious. David knew the danger of this and said, " I have set the Lord always before me ( and because of this ) I shall not be moved." ( Psa.16:8). We are not blind to the force of opposing winds but there can be an unhealthy emphasis on them instead of embracing " Apostolic optimism." After all, ' if God be for us' ( Rom.8), does it really matter how many are against us ? If finite power is opposed to infinite power, the latter will always triumph. You may think,' We haven't seen it yet,' but you will - there can be doubt in such an unequal contest ! For the soldier, " Eyes front ! ", for the runner, " Keep your eyes on the finish line ! " For the pilgrim, " Look to your Guide ! "

APRIL 22

" The dust returns to the earth...the spirit shall return to God. " Ecclesiastes 12:7.

The body was formed from the earth ( as any chemical analysis reveals ) and the soul is sent to inhabit the body at its conception. At death the body returns to where it came from and the soul ( undying ) to the One who gave it. This is the Biblical answer to the mystery of death. There is a ' fate worse than death, which is the 'second death '. Psalm 90 tells us to number our days ( because God has them numbered ) and to apply to Christ for wisdom. All that happens in this world shall pass away, and it is wisdom to prepare for the inevitable. Augustine well said that we should ' not centre our happiness on that which shall be lost.'

What about immortality ? The soul lives on in either heaven or hell while it waits for the body at the resurrection and then soul and body go to the same eternal place. The power of God preserves all bodies and reconstitutes them for their eternal existence ; He knows where they are, and He will find them all on the last Day. All creatures belong to Him, and He has already assigned them their eternal places. This cannot be changed. What needs to be changed is our attitude to death - it is the final transition. But those who die without Christ die without hope. Pessimism ? - but they have made their choice also.

Those who ' die in the Lord ' die as Samuel Rutherford and " Now he has the full fruition of that which he had seen in vision." ( Words on his gravestone in St. Andrews ).

APRIL 23

" I am He that lives." Revelation 1:18.

This is what all Christians believe about Christ, and only Christians do believe this ie. that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, rose from the dead and lives to give life to sinners. This belief forms the background of all that we see and hear, that He is alive and reigning over all. For this He would have to be God. Unbelief means that you live in a world of mindless chance and that people are simply advanced biological animals ; which would explain the way people are treated nowadays. How can anyone enjoy secure peace and hope with such views ? This King is a Person and can be trusted to do the right thing ; human judgement of Himself means nothing to Him, except a sign of conceit. His power is present at all times throughout the earth ; nothing escapes His attention. Because he lives He communicates, and He calls upon us to pray to Him. If we listen to Him we will respond ; communication is two-way. His predictions have come to pass ( and this can be checked from the Bible ) ; the future is certain also. He does not fail to understand us ; He suffered mentally and physically. He no longer suffers at all, but He does remember what it was like. " I am He that lives " - this testimony is given to strengthen us in distresses and perplexity. John needed to hear this in his banishment by Rome, but Heaven did not banish him, Christ kept in touch.

APRIL 24

" As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee." Joshua 1:5.

It is a great loss when someone you have grown up with, who has guided you and helped you over the last 40 years ( as Moses with Joshua ), suddenly dies. This was Joshua's experience, and now he was to take Moses' place ! He felt alone, inadequate and fearful of the future. He did not know what to say to God, but God took the initiative and spoke to him first.

God spoke to encourage him. Moses was dead, but the God of Moses was still alive ! And what He was to Moses He would be to His servant Joshua. His power to each of His people is unchanging, this is the secret of power ( Acts 7:9. Philipp.4:13 ; the power to endure. Moses had a hard time leading the people and Joshua would not find it easy also ; much of what we have to endure comes from other people. Meanwhile we must ' take in ' in order to give out ; thus the command from God to meditate on His words each day ( vs.8). "The man who would know God must give time to Him.Failure to get a right understanding at the beginning of our Christian lives may result in weakness and sterility for the rest of our days." ( AW Tozer ). Moreover, meditating prayerfully on one or two verses with understanding is better than reading several chapters without pausing to understand and apply it.

APRIL 25

" Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. " Luke 13:3,5.

The first and last message of Jesus ( Mark 1:15. Luke 24:47) was to encourage repentance as you cannot be forgiven without it. Repentance is not doing something to punish yourself for your sins or by doing something extra in order to ' make it up ' to God. Repentance is not trying to make a bargain with God, that if you do something you will be forgiven by your works. Repentance is literally a " change of mind " - regarding yourself, sin, Christ and God's way of salvation. Forgiveness comes by confessing your sins to God and looking to Christ crucified for forgiveness. Both are necessary. This was David's experience in Psalm 130. Confession alone, remorse alone never saved anyone.

It has always been the case that people are too proud to confess that they have sinned. " Many are not ashamed to sin, but they are ashamed to repent." ( Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe ). The people mentioned in the earlier part of Luke 13 were not punished for one great sin but for the sins of a lifetime, for which none of them had yet repented. They perished because they were without repentance. Heaven is populated with sinners, but they have repented, they all have this in common. On the way to heaven they repented every day, because they sinned every day. True repentance is lifelong, but left behind when we enter heaven. There is always forgiveness ( 1 John 1:9) upon repentance, repentance by sinners ; there are no sinless people on earth. People are anxious because they have feelings of guilt. Jesus came to preach peace, and peace requires repentance, the seeking of reconciliation by His blood.

APRIL 26

" Why art thou cast down, my soul ? Hope in God. " Psalm 43:5.

This was not an 'ordinary' sadness that David experienced, it was a cloud over his soul which was not lifting. It disabled him from his normal activities and necessary duties. Understanding the cause of something is a step towards feeling hopeful about a cure for it. But what if the cause cannot be ascertained ? Physical science fails us when it cannot find, or is unwilling to find the cause of a mental disorder. We say 'unwilling' to find, because if you rule out the existence of a soul or spirit and limit your search to physical biology you cannot detect an inorganic cause ; you have limited your search area. Certainly there can be a biological factor involved, but a half diagnosis cannot lead to a whole cure. If the cause is in the soul it may be undetected by others or by ourselves. This seems to have been David's case, and thus the constant questioning. The condition cannot be without a cause, but he could not perceive it ; this can often make the soul feel worse, as you need to know the cause before you can treat it.

But in his emptiness he could still look to God and pray to be a patient ' patient .' If the condition cannot at present be removed it becomes a matter of enduring it. Without trust in God there is a danger of spirally down into despair. However, like Abraham we must hope against hope ( when signs giving hope are absent, Rom.4:18. ) The simple encouragement of Scripture is ' still trust in God ' - you may not understand what is happening, but He does !

APRIL 27

" We walk by faith and not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7.

We often find our sight & feeling in conflict with faith & trust. We tend to think that if something feels good it is good, but this is not always the case. Some things may be working for your good but they do not look good at all ! " It is your senses and imagination that are going to attack belief." ( Spurgeon ) The faculty of reason was given to support faith ( and not oppose it). " I believe in order to understand," said Augustine.Often we are afraid because of how things look and not by their reality ; this tells us a lot about ourselves ie. that we are rather enslaved to our perception of things. Many have turned away from following Christ by fear of what it will cost them if they continue. Faith often has to struggle against being overwhelmed by appearances. " It is always assumed that the difficulties of faith are intellectual difficulties...nothing could be more superficial. How many ' losses of faith ' have a rational basis which stand examination for a moment ? " ( C.S.Lewis ) Most of such decisions have emotional or social or even financial reasons for not following Christ ; they have not examined the historical or the rational basis for Christianity.

True believers must also be aware that changing our environment ( seeing different things around us ) can also affect our faith. Lewis gives an example with which we can identify : " I find that mere change of scene always has a tendency to decrease my faith at first - God seems less credible when I pray in a hotel bedroom than when I am in church." Do any of us really know what it is like to walk by faith alone, a faith unaffected by our emotions or environment ? No, none, not until we get to heaven.

APRIL 28

" out of weakness were made strong." Hebrews 11:37.

They were not made strong by what they were by nature. God's power alone made them become what they were not. These illustrustrious men and women listed in Hebrews 11 were ordinary people but were enabled to do extraordinary things. They had weaknesses inside and faced problems outside. They did not lead a ' victorious life ' but faced many difficulties in serving God but were enabled to get through them, and not without scars. God is glorified by giving us what we do not have ( 2 Corinth.4:7 ) ; there is no boasting, only thankfulness to go another day onward. Sometimes that strength is needed even to get up in the morning and take another few steps heavenward.

Many times we mistakenly believe that greatness implies the eradication of problems, but we have clear examples that such is not the case. They coped, they grew. But for them, like us, pain as well as pleasure ebbed and flowed throughout their lives. So-called victorious Christian living is not found in the eradication of problems but in handling problems...with the all-sufficiency of God." ( E.Skoglund)

It is a comfort as well as a relief to know that our faith, however little, places us in the same weak company of Hebrews 11. They lived by faith, battling through life's problems and pain. They learned to prayerfully cope with unavoidable obstacles in the journey and had the faith to die ( vs.13), still depending upon God for their support in weakness. God never let them down.

APRIL 29

" Moses called his son Gershom." Exodus 2:22.

The word Gershom means " I am a stranger here." This is how Moses and every other Christian feels in this world. We are told that human beings are the product of a materialistic universe, but why then do we not feel at home in that universe ? Something in us tells us, warns us that there is more to life, that the universe does not define the limits of reality. There is a world beyond the bounds of human knowledge and experience, and we have desires which this world cannot satisfy. This implies that we are made for another world. Faith in Christ expects and anticipates that other world. Paul writes that when the soul leaves the body it is ' at home with the Lord.' ( 2 Corinth.5:8) " At present we are on the outside of that world, the wrong side of the door...It will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in." ( C.S.Lewis )

' Minimalist Atheism ' cannot explain the mysteries and complexities of God's creation. By limiting knowledge to materialistic scientific observations all we see is a purposeless universe. Physics has no metaphysics ! A view of human nature which reduces eternal longings and hopes to chemical or electrical interactions in the brain dehumanises us. Chemistry has no morality and Scientism is not science. This ' brave new world ' is a world of despair, a world which so many desire to leave behind...but to go where ? Heaven is where Christ is now, seeing and hearing the cries which go up from the Earth. Moses was heard.

APRIL 30

" It is good for me that I have been afflicted." Psalm 119:71.

Few people can say this. Affliction is not welcomed at the time but looking back, as David did, we can see the benefits. The path to heaven is not a smooth one, but Paul also could look back on the way he had come and thank God also for His Fatherly corrections ( Heb.12:11). Such changes also stimulate prayer ; it is those who have unchanging prosperity who pray least - but Providence is no safe guide. God's children get to the point in prayer quickly, words are few and formality is banished amid urgency. Urgency affects us when we see that no-one else can help us ; prayer is now more than just routine ( Luke 11:8,9).

The child of God longs to be like her Father, but this means progressing through afflictions for ' foolishness ' ( Ps.85:8). These afflictions keep us from ' settling down ' here ; like the old pilgrims we journey on in tents and do not put down roots in this dying world. Afflictions call our thoughts Home, there are no disobedient children in heaven, they have reached the state of perfection at last. The afflictions of Egypt stirred up the people with a desire to reach the promised land, there can be no enjoyment of perfect peace here. We learn much in Christ's school of affliction as we are cut into shape by ' Christ's hammer and chisel ' ( Rutherford). " I will give you rest," said the Lord Jesus. He gives many promises in Scripture to the afflicted, His love and faithfulness will bring them Home at last. Can we say with David, who is now at Home, " It was good for me.." ?