PREFACE

Older sheep need better feeding than younger ones ( Hebrews 5:12-14 ) ; we cannot live on milk all of our life ( although many attempt it ). The old disciples are fast approaching a time when they shall almost be in view of Home, and their concern is to be ' ready to depart ' ( Philipp.1:23 ). The old are aware of a decline in many areas of their life, but there is no necessity for spiritual decline. These Readings are written to encourage elderly believers, to help lift the mind onward and upward, - a comfort which only God can give with His Word. May the Spirit work with His Word in us.

None of us knows if we are on the last page of the last chapter of our life in this world, and from that perspective these readings are profitable for all ages.

Rev J.Clark. BA(hons.) MA. BSc(hons) MSc. MEd. MTh.

JUNE 1 

" There shall be time no longer. " Revelation 10:6.

This cannot be said of Eternity or of Heaven, but it can be said of Time. It is limited. It is a welcome statement, for time means changes. Grey hairs and decline in mental and physical strength - these are inescapable in a place which contains time. But heaven does not contain time or changes ; perfection is constant. Time also means the presence of sin and conflict, the one always leads to the other. But there is no sin allowed to enter heaven, and therefore heaven is a place of eternal peace. It is a holy place and therefore a happy place.All tears are left outside the door. Time also means losses, disappointments, the need to be protected, upheld etc. There are none of these in heaven ; ' to die is gain ', says Paul, nothing but gain. But we have to live in time, to go through it, to get to this Promised Land. Time also means a condition of waiting ; waiting for Christ to come, waiting to be with Christ in that happy land. It is not far away, and time is nearing its end. Let us pray and raise our minds to eternity - there is much to contemplate there, it is endless.

JUNE 2 

" And it came to pass when Samuel was old."  1 Samuel 8:1.

Samuel was now seeing changes in the church, and they were not for the better. Unfortunately, his own sons were still unconverted and supporting innovations also ( vs.3). He saw also that the people were moving away from God as their Leader (vs.7) and wanted a king ' like all the nations.' (vs.5). There was nothing wrong in having a king ( God had intended to have a type of Christ as King), but not that kind of king, a king ' like all the nations ' ! However, he did not give up the fight for God's preeminence ( ch.7:15) but continued to do his duty in increasingly difficult days. He continued to teach them the right attitude to God and the king whom they wanted to be over them (vs.9ff ) - it was a poor exchange ! Moreover, the king was to have no religious authority, that belonged to God alone. God had to reject Saul because he continually attempted to make decisions that belonged to God alone. David, however, was a ' man after God's own heart ', and in many ways ( not all ) his life reflected the kingship of Christ. Samuel was kept by God ' faithful unto death,' ( Rev.2:10 ) - this is what we pray for also.

JUNE 3 

" Jesus wept." John 11:35.

The bystanders discerned by this how much Jesus loved Lazarus. But they were wrong to assign this love to a past tense. Lazarus was still alive and well, and still loved. Nevertheless Jesus still wept. This was the reaction in this world of His perfect human nature to the corruption and decay which sin, by death, brings upon the body of those He loves.We also, when we attend a funeral, are aware that what is happening is not natural ie. an evil power came into the world when Adam sinned and now, as Paul wrote, " As in Adam all die." ( 1 Corinth. 15:22). But, unlike the world, we remember at a funeral of a believer ( unlike the other dreadful kind ) that there is life in Christ for the ' blessed dead ' ( Rev.14:13 ). They indeed had a past life in this world, but they had more than that - they had a future with Christ ( " from henceforth," vs.13). Many orations and eulogies at funerals of unbelievers emphasize their achievements of the past, but it is painfully obvious to the speaker and others that they have no future. Death is their end ! It is no wonder that despair fills the crowd, a despair which they try to smother by words which refer to the past or to the present. All believers have a past, but with Christ they have a future, and the future is with Him. They shall live as long as He does.

JUNE 4 

" The eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."   Deuteronomy 33:27.

This is a beautiful encouragement, and must be grasped when suffering pain. Some knowledge of God's character helps us. We have a Refuge to go to in the storm, we have arms around us to keep us ( often unfelt, but their presence does not depend on our feeling). We can be hurt, but it can do us no eternal harm.We speak to Him; in pain we sometimes cry out and shout inside. We look for that calm which these words in the verse suggest, and wait on. The view from the sickbed may be the same every day, but the spiritual view changes. There are subtle changes in our spiritual perspective. The pain is still here but Someone else is also. We think of His plan, it is not clear to us, but the temporality of everything is a comfort to us. We go under, we come back to consciousness, we open our eyes,- " Oh, am I still here ? "Suffering pain " is not a state but a process. It keeps changing - like a winding road with quite a new landscape at each bend...and relying on God has to begin all over again every day. " ( C.S.Lewis)

JUNE 5 

" And all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. " Genesis 5:5.

" What a mess Adam made of it all ! " said an old preacher. While he later believed in Christ for salvation from his sins, Adam had to live many years viewing the consequences of his sin in the world, and in his own family. He saw Abel and others die, animals die, plants die, the changes in the physical environment etc. There was a sadness in his life, the depth of which we cannot understand. However, we see many effects of our own sin in others. The ripples go out and cannot return. This causes a sadness in the midst of our joys. " You have to live with it," they say. Yes, but we shall not die with the guilt of it. The blood of Christ blots that out. Nevertheless the consequences can remain. But again, God can overrule our sins and still be glorified. We also see our children inheriting the same effects of the Original Sin as ourselves. Adam died and brought death, but Christ died and brought life. He came to ' destroy the work of the devil.' How glorious that He can reverse the worst and bring out the best.

JUNE 6

" Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life."  John 6:68.

There were only a few of them left, the great crowd of ' disciples ' had gone away. But the real disciples refused to join them ( apart from Judas, who stayed because of selfish motives). These would keep Christ's words - this was the way to stay close to Him. If we contradict His words we have left our safety ; it also disproves our genuineness as His disciples. By His words He also keeps us ( Heb.1:3), especially by His promise and His intercession.

Where would we be without this written guide to heaven ? What would we be if we didn't have this revelation from Christ to warn us and comfort us ? They say the old become as children ; we certainly do in this sense, that we desire Christ's words for everything in our lives. It is the only rule to direct us, the only rule for living our lives. The Lord knows who receives His words and welcomes them. Mary said wisely, " Whatever He says to you, do it." ( John 2:5). Those who went away, despite their professions, declined to do so. Maybe they said,"Nobody's perfect." True, but how many are sincere if they ignore Christ's words on every matter ?

JUNE 7 

" The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41.

We have problems with energy, concentration and therefore consistency as we grow older. We seem to be a mass of weaknesses somehow going forward, and happy to go another day without collapse. Like the disciples in Gethsemane we had good intentions but were overcome with a spirit of slumber ; we were not up to the task required. Doubtless the disciples felt the gentle rebuke the Lord gave them and resolved to do better next time, but the Lord also knew the weariness in their souls. It had not been easy following Him. There had not just been the visible opposition involved in following someone whose teaching did not make Him popular. There was also the invisible opposition of satan and other fallen, malignant angels. Being in a constant war does bring weariness to the soul and our flesh ( body ) is consequently weakened as the days go on. We would like to have a break in this spiritual warfare, but it is literally something we cannot get away from, while we are in this fallen world.

But Jesus does acknowledge the willing mind as it attempts to battle through weaknesses, obstacles and hindrances in order to follow Him closely. It will be strange putting off the armour at death, leaving also confession of sin and repentance behind forever - but these do not belong where we are going.

JUNE 8. 

" He is not here but is risen." Luke 24:6.

We often become discouraged when we forget, without realizing it, that Christ is alive and reigning over all people and events. He is active and proactive. We sometimes forget to live upon this truth, forget the implications of this great truth and fret accordingly. But prayer takes hold of this fact ; it has to, or it would be prayer. We pray to One who is not seen but loved and trusted, and we endure in His company on the journey ( Heb.11:27).The angels had to remind the women, and later the Lord Himself reminded the two on the road to Emmaus of the Word of God, that it cannot fail. Paul also emphasizes the need to keep it in the forefront of the mind ( 1 Corinth.15:1-4). In that same chapter Paul spells out the consequences of the resurrection and the glory that will follow.

" But it is true and Christ is risen. 

 And mortal spirit from its prison

 of sin and death, with Christ shall rise !

 Worthwhile the struggle, sure the prize. " ( Henry Barstow )

JUNE 9 

" Work out your own salvation...for it is God who worketh in you."  Philippians 2:12,13.

We have been struggling along in the process of sanctification for many years. Are we active or passive in sanctification ? - a debated question.The Holy Spirit initiates the first movement in the soul to sanctification,. Until this work of God in the soul there is no sanctification at all, just attempts at morality.But as a result of His work the soul becomes active in pursuing sanctification until the climax of perfection in heaven is reached. " We work out ( in our life ) what God works in."(Augustine). This work of God begins at justification, and faith is common to both justification and sanctification ( Rom.5:1. Acts 15:9).

It is an ongoing struggle while we are in this world as we cannot attain perfect holiness here ( Philipp.3:12 ), but we pursue the ideal. We are as the climber who keeps slipping downward as he makes his way perseveringly to the summit. But at the last he reaches the top of the mountain, and what a view there is there ! All is fulfilment, all God's promises kept...and ourselves kept in them. On a gravestone there was one word written under his name - " Kept."

JUNE 10

" And man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7.

Man had a soul in his body, and began his natural, physical life in Eden. But because of sin,that physical life is short. Its length is uncertain, and uncertainty in life disturbs people. Plans are precarious ( James 4:13,14). The time of our death is unpredictable ( Eccles.8:8), but inescapable. However, there is hope for sinners, because Christ came to conquer death and put eternal life into us. Adam had no spiritual life until after he sinned. Christ came only to save sinners and only gave the Holy Spirit to Adam after he sinned. Now he had a spiritual life, and could prepare for heaven ( John 14:1-3). Eternal life is in the Mediator to give to sinners, but Adam needed no Mediator until he sinned. The believer is in a more secure position than sinless Adam in his natural life. Why ? Because although " Adam had the power to stand, but the believer has the grace to persevere ! " ( Samuel Rutherford) There are sorrows here but in heaven the believers are more happy, but not more secure - they are just as safe in Christ here ( A.Toplady). What a blessing to pass from natural life into spiritual life in Christ Jesus.

JUNE 11 

" For me to live is Christ, to die is gain." Philippians 1:21.

The world thinks of death only in terms of loss ; loss of companions, of work, of functions, of hope etc. But for Paul and other believers death is not the tragedy the world fears but rather a transformation to a higher realm of life, worship and service. Paul thought of death as bringing gain to him. It was the fulfilment of his hopes and not the end of them. The desire to see his Saviour would be granted. There would be reunion with all those who had gone ahead and with all those who were still waiting to follow him. The family would gradually be reunited in heaven, one by one. 

The plague of indwelling sin and evil would be left behind finally and forever. There would be no more defeats but eternal victory gained. There would be no such thing as sorrow, tears or pain. It would not be a kind of ' worldly retirement ' but there would be new opportunities to serve ( Rev.22:3). We do not think of death as the world does, because we do not think of Christ as the world does.

JUNE 12 

" Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.

This is God's comfort to the widow and all the other bereaved. To be still is submission, often to say nothing at all, as Aaron, as David, because they acknowledged that God has done it. ' Ours is not to reason why,' but to submit - this is the right way to respond, no matter what our feelings are. The doctrine is clear, but the practice can be painful. But what you cannot do in your own strength you can do in His, and we have seen others held up to go on their way to that place where there is no more bereavement. " Is it too much for God to expect this confidence in Him from you ? " said J.A. James to a widow (1841). Do we still believe in a paternal providence when the giant wave hits us ? Have we loved someone or something more than God and thus exacerbated our sense of loss ? " Not My Will but Thine be done," said the perfect Son. There is great pressure on us to be good witnesses for God at such times of loss, for the world is watching. When Elisha asked the grieving mother how she was, she replied, " It is well." She could look at the grave, but she could also look at the cross nearby.

JUNE 13

" Threescore years and ten... fourscore years." Psalm 90:10.

The days soon turn into years, another calendar must replace the old. As the years climb above seventy is indeed a climbing experience. There are more frequent rests now, but we look more above now also. Moses adds that strength is ' labour ', it is a mixture now of energy and gravity, and some days the one prevails over the other. Moses had seen many deaths over the 40 years of the journey through the wilderness of this world. The path of the Hebrews could be followed by the trail of graves left behind them. The graveyards in our time testify to those who have gone over to the Promised Land ahead of us. But we also wonder how many did not die with the promise of faith. The graveyard is a place of peace but also of concern. JC Ryle tells of how a boy wandered off while his parents spoke to the Minister at the church door. The boy was concerned when he came back, as he had noticed that some of the graves were shorter than himself. Many live long, but many do not. We need humility and the grace to be ready for whatever is our length of life here ; it " is soon cut off " (vs.10)

JUNE 14 

" Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. " Psalm 23:6.

This means nothing but goodness and mercy shall follow the believer. All unbelievers partake of God's goodness ( Ps.145:9) but only believers receive mercy ; only they have the faith to believe that it is there to be received. They shall follow us all the days, they are both there on the dark days also. As David came to the end of his life here ( Psalm 23 being written in his old age) ,he could look back on how the Shepherd had found him lost and wandering in his mind, how He had often restored his soul to walk again in the path of righteousness, how He had fed him, led him and protected him. 

" Before he set down this resolution (vs.6) he numbered up the various benefits received from the Lord...By means of all these mercies of God bestowed on him, he came to be persuaded of the continuance of the favour of God towards him." ( W.Perkins) Many a sheep has died looking up at the Shepherd with these words on their lips.

JUNE 15

" The time is short." 1 Corinthians 7:29.

The valley of tears has an end, the days of mourning are numbered, the world's atheistic laughter shall die out. The people of heaven never weep but joy is common ( Ps.16:11). In heaven they remember how the Lord supported them along the way so that they did not sink. They see now how short their time here was, but it does not seem short to us who are in it. However, while we are here, we are waiting for many things to end, and say, " How long, Lord ? " We would rather get the journey, the race, the fight over with, but God has His reasons for keeping us here still, with all its attendant disturbances on our soul. It is not novices who retire and rest at death but battle-hardened veterans. Few of us have been through what Paul went through and he had God's wisdom to encourage us to remember while we toil that " the time is short."" Time will soon be gone. It is just ready to be wrapped up in eternity...Possess what you must shortly leave without suffering yourself to be possessed by it...All is show, nothing solid in it; and it is transient show too, it will quickly be gone." ( M. Henry) " Never set your happiness on that which shall be lost." ( Augustine) Loyalty to Christ is the thought that will keep us persevering.

JUNE 16

" For this God is our God ; He will be our Guide even unto death  Psalm 48:14.

This God, the One who reveals Himself ( vs.1,2) and always through Christ Jesus, has covenanted to save, preserve and guide His people. His people confess their natural and their religious ignorance and are happy to follow His Word and not their own. Only this God will bring us to and over death, He will not abandon us at death as human guides do. If we do not have ' this God ' we are on our own in life and death. On the Day of Judgement God says to those who would not follow His lead, " I never knew you." ( Matt.7) But those in covenant with God, who submit to His promised leading, will be kept ( John 17: 12,15,17). He acknowledges them ( 2 Tim.2:19 ) and will preserve us through the days and into eternity. We cannot afford to make a mistake in our knowledge of ' this God.' The god that many follow is not the One revealed in the Bible ; we live in a ' pick and mix ' religious age, and many beliefs are not God-given. But if we have David's confession of faith ( vs.14) we are God's forever. Our Guide has been through death and He will carry us through it.

JUNE 17 

" Whom have I in heaven but Thee ? " Psalm 73:25.

John Howe, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, wrote the following to a widow." The cause of your sorrow, madam, is exceedingly great. The causes of your joy are inexpressibly greater. You have infinitely more left than you have lost. Does it need to be disputed whether God is greater and better than man, or more to be valued, loved and delighted in ? and whether an eternal relation be more considerable than a temporary one ?... The principal causes of your joy are immutable, such as no supervening [ unexpected ] things can alter...Your husband cannot descend to share with you in your sorrows, but you may ascend ( by faith ) every day to partake with him in his joys ( Heb.11:1). "John Howe directs the bereaved to visit heaven with their thoughts. God is a Father and also a Husband to His people.The widow is directed to the widow's God. Such thoughts will help us to serve God more cheerfully in the time which remains here for ourselves. Samuel Rutherford wrote to a widow on this remedy for sorrow, " She is the best divine [ theologian ] who can rightly apply Christ to herself."

JUNE 18 

" But then Face to face." 1 Corinthians 13:12.

Mary Love could not be with her husband when he was in his last days here and she wrote to him as follows," My heavenly dear, I call thee so, because God hath put heaven into thee before He hath taken thee to heaven.Thou now beholdest God, glory and Christ as in a glass [mirror] ; but tomorrow heaven's gates will be opened, and thou shalt be in the full enjoyment of those glories which eye hath not seen...God hath now swallowed up thy heart in the thoughts of heaven, but ere long thou shalt be swallowed up in the enjoyment of heaven...O let not one troubled thought for thy wife and babes rise within thee ! Thy God will be our God and portion. He will be a Husband to thy widow and a Father to thy children. The grace of thy God shall be sufficient for us... I am confident, though separated for a time, yet will ere long bring us together again, where we shall eternally enjoy one another, never to part more." ( 1651) The disciples saw Christ in heaven; there was glory in His Face and it was reflected in their faces. Now they fully and perfectly love Him, who ever fully and perfectly loved them. What a happy people whose God is the LORD !

JUNE 19 

" Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15.

We are taught in the Bible that death is a sleep, and there is nothing to fear when it comes; it is welcomed. " What a blessing at the end of the toilsome day to retire to rest and kindly sleep overtakes us.We appreciate the blessedness of sleep when we reach the end of the road, tired and worn out and weary with life's burdens and trials. Death is also spoken of as an Exodus. What a joyful blessing the exodus was to the children of Israel. No more slavery, no more burdens, no more sorrow and pain. What a glorious deliverance it shall be. What release,what freedom and joy ! 

" Death is also represented as a departure. You have seen the vessel moored to the wharf. The time comes for its departure. The ropes are let go and she moves out into the ocean on her journey. Sickness and disease and old age will loosen our hold on this life and earth, and when every shoreline is gone we depart to be with Christ, which is very far better. " ( W.P. Nicholson).

JUNE 20 

" And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple."  Luke 14:27.

To bear the cross is to bear the enmity of the world. It signified this for Christ and it means the same for us. we shall have to bear the cross right to the end of the journey. The world may not be attacking you as much as before, but you will find that the devil will make up for that ; he will attack you more in old age, no matter how seldom your contact with the world is. A mark of being a disciple of Christ is that you are not popular with the world and are also a target for satan." Our Lord made discipleship hard, and many prospective followers were lost, because He called them to a pilgrimage, not to a parade, to a fight, not a frolic. " ( V.Havner)

The devil will attack you at your weak spot, which is often the place of your deepest need. This will drive you to constant prayer - which is the opposite of what the devil wants. If you did not suffer bearing the cross, you would not be so much in prayer. It cannot be removed in this world ; this shows that it is a real cross, it is inseparable from being in this hostile world, its hostility seen and unseen. Nevertheless, Christ has said, " I have overcome the world." Experience can help with patience.

JUNE 21 

" We are His workmanship. " Ephesians 2:10.

And His work in us is not finished yet ! However we do belong to Him, creation and new creation, not only by nature but also by redemption. He is developing us for the inheritance promised. We are a ' work in progress ', hence the imperfections lying within us yet ; the inconsistencies, false steps taken, the damage caused by sin and satan. However, we are ' in the hands of the Potter ', and the wheel goes round. What patience and pity God shows us. We find so many things going wrong in us each day, but His work goes on ; a work of restoration and improvement. This ongoing work of God in us follows the completed work of Christ for ; the one follows the other. The world judges us ( and we are guilty of this ourselves ) before the work is finished, and sneers. Artists do not show their work to the world until it is finished, and so with God. " Wait until the work is done, and you will then see if there is any flaw or fault in the finished work ! " ' Judge nothing before the time,' said Paul. Christ has prepared heaven for us, and is now preparing us for heaven.

JUNE 22

" Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." 1 Peter 5:8.

This is actually a command from God, and it would be sinful to distrust His word. The temptation is to think, ' If I were God I would not have done that ' or ' I would never have allowed that to happen.' etc. Such thinking is useless and also brings reproach upon God. Do we really think that we can understand God or His ways ? Are we not advised to accept our mental limitations ( and flaws in our understanding ? cf. Rom.11:33-36. The child does not understand but the child knows her need for care. God in this passage God tells us to bring our needs to Himself by prayer, and do it first before anything else !" Resist the tendency and temptation to worry, as you would resist the temptation to immorality. When we worry we don't trust ; when we trust we don't worry." ( W.P.Nicholson) " Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us." (O. Chambers) We would be better spending our time and energy in prayer, before worry takes it away.

" Then trust in God through all thy days.

  Fear not, for He doth hold thy hand.

  Though dark thy way, still sing and praise.

  Sometime, sometime, we'll understand."

JUNE 23 

" The peace of God." Philippians 4:7.

There are two kinds of peace in this world, the false, temporary peace of sin and the true eternal peace given by the Spirit of God ( Gal.5:22). False peace is characterised by contradicting God's word, true peace is based on what He says through Christ. Peace arises from depending on Christ for justification, sanctification and glorification. False peace rests on good works and good experiences. In religious circles it flows from a false faith, a faith not defined by the word of God and which does not lead to the practice of it. This peace from God always accompanies salvation ( the Word will tell us whether it is from God or not). The blood of Christ whispers peace to the soul, it gives us peace in the court of God and in the court of conscience. Sin will disturb that peace enjoyed, but repentance will restore it. When the Prodigal came back to his father he did not become sinless, but he was reconciled, and that made all the difference. " When we lack the peace of God we should turn to our peace with God, Rom.5:1." ( R.Horn)

JUNE 24 

" Let not your heart be troubled ;you believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:1.

He does not say, believe in yourselves, or your circumstances, or your church, or your friends, or your prayers or your strong faith. " Faith, in itself, is nothing ; it is its object that determines its nature and character." ( W.P Nicholson) Believing in a Creator never saved anyone, but believing in the Redeemer does. He has not said that we will be without troubles but He does say that He will deliver us out of them. Hence the need for faith and patience. He is a present Help in time of trouble, not an absent help ( Ps.46:1). He delivered His people in the Old and the New Testament history, and He has not changed." Is there any trouble too great or peculiar that He cannot deliver us out of ? What a long and varied experience He has had in dealing with His troubled children. He is an expert, a specialist at this sort of work." ( NIcholson) We need to lift our heads up and our knees down.

JUNE 25

" These all died in faith." Hebrews 11:13.

Hebrews chapter 11 presents a selection of those who suffered in and for their faith ; there are many others who are not mentioned. Faith looks for the promised unseen and this chapter is about the activities of faith in the lives of ordinary men and women. They believed God and set out to reach Him ! They got through one day with all its emotions, circumstances, reactions and then got through the next. How they got through some days they knew, how they got through other days they did not know. But they did know their Guide, and His words helped them ; it gave them principles for action. They were weak some days, strong on others. Some days there was a sense of having accomplished something, other days they were just happy to get through and leave them behind forever. Moreover, they had varying circumstances at death. Jacob and Joseph died with his family around him, Samson died far from home, but not alone. We die battling with the world, but do not die as the world, we are citizens of another world, members of another Body.

 " Shall I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,

  While others fought to win the prize and sailed through stormy seas ? "

JUNE. 26

" Let him deny himself." Matthew 16:24.

Christ said this often.Self denial means that ' I do not exist for myself.' Pride is full of self, lives for self and has little time for other selves. There is a difficulty in looking outside of self, so absorbed is the person with his own life. ' It's my life! ' she says - but is it ? Does it not belong to the One who gives the life ? But of course, such atheists believe that all that exists came out of nothing, all by itself ! For them there was no First Cause unmoved by any other existing cause.But to 'deny oneself ' means to imitate Christ, to have the mind of Christ ( Philipp. 2:5). Thomas a Kempis was right to call the ideal Christian Life " The imitation of Christ." - there is no higher purpose for us. By this alone we glorify God ; not perfectly here but when we see Him we shall be like Him ( 1 John 3:2). Then,there, it will be a perfect likeness. " All self-seekers and self-lovers are bound in chains, full of desires, always seeking their own ease and not the things of Jesus Christ, but often devising the things which shall not stand. For all that does not come from God shall come to nothing." ( a Kempis) Self-denial is not the work of a day here, but the work of a life, a life in Christ.

JUNE 27

" By grace are you saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8.

Grace all the way home and by faith in Christ alone. We cannot accept the other Gospel that " God needs help and permission to save." That would be no salvation at all. We need grace even to receive grace ( John 1:16), prevenient grace. " Grace is God's mercy pitying, God's wisdom planning, God 's power preparing and God's love providing." ( W.H.Griffith Thomas ). It was God who was seeking us, else we would not have sought Him. C.S. Lewis comments that some seek merit because they sought God by their own powers, whereas in his case, if he was seeking God at all ( before regeneration ), it was as the mouse seeks the cat ! We are not saved by works which precede salvation, nor are we saved by the works which follow salvation ; salvation is not by works but is all of grace. The watchword of the Reformation was SOLA GRATIA, by grace alone. " By the grace of God I am what I am", says Paul, not grace plus works. Where there is salvation by grace there is peace ( Rom.5:1,2).This grace cannot be lost, and therefore there is perseverance into glory. Grace will be sufficient for you, says Christ. You can die with that promise.

JUNE 28

" The end of that man is peace."  Psalm 37:37.

Not everyone has this end, but the man described here does. This is the end given by God to those justified by Him, and not by themselves. Their trust was in Christ while they lived and death was the fulfilment of that life, it led to perfect peace. A person must be righteous before they can practise righteousness ( Heb.11:6). David had his ups and downs in life, like a ship on the ocean of life, but now he is at peace. He was a good example, as we must in this world, but not a perfect one ; this reflects our own life also. We must not judge others ( or ourselves ) by the one slip or the two great mistakes or the three failures, but by the course of that life. The ship can be thrown off course by several factors, and not just by the powers outside the ship eg. there could be a fault in the helm or in the navigation room ( of the soul). 

The question which eternally matters is ' Did the ship, at the end of it all, arrive at the haven ? ' ( Ps.107:27-30) .How did that ship finish ? It is how we end that matters. Was the right course resumed after interruptions ? At present we are perfect in righteousness, by faith in Christ. Soon we shall be perfect in holiness, in heaven. And perfect holiness will be perfect happiness.

JUNE 29

" So Moses...died,...but no man knows of his sepulchre unto this day." Deuteronomy 34:4,5.

His body was buried here while his soul went to be with God. The body waits in the grave until the Resurrection and Christ, when He comes back, knows where the body of Moses is buried, although no-one else does.The Lord knows where to find us, we are not forgotten by Him, although many others will forget us as time passes. Believers may not have a reputation on earth, but they have one in heaven. God marks their graves although no stone may be put up for them. The times of birth, dying, resurrection are all appointed. We did not choose when and where to live here, nor when to die. All was foreordained before we were born. We shall not die too soon or too late, all is planned by God ( Eccles. 3:1-8) - for everything there is a time appointed. Moses, like Paul, had ' finished his course ', he now saw the joy that was set before him, the One who had drawn him towards Him all his life. We know where his soul is, and that is the important matter solved. The body will follow him to that place, no more a hindrance to communion, but finally conformed to His glorious body ( Philipp.3:21). And so he lived happily ever after !

JUNE 30 

" Followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Hebrews 6:12.

Just before he died, a Presbyterian Minister, Christopher Love, wrote to his wife.After commending her and their children to God, he wrote as follows,

" I am now going from a prison to a palace...I have a few practical counsels to leave with thee. Keep under a sound, orthodox, soul-searching ministry. There are many deceivers gone out into the world. Bring up thy children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The mother ought to be the teacher in the father's absence.Pray in the family daily and think not so much on the comforts lacking but on the mercies thou hast. Look rather to God's end [aim] in afflicting than at the measure and degree of thy afflictions. Labour to clear up thy evidences for heaven when God takes from thee the comforts of earth. When thou find thy heart secure, presumptuous and proud,then consider thy corruptions. But when thou find thy heart doubting and unbelieving, then look upon thy graces and not thy infirmities. study the Covenant of Grace and merits of Christ, the Covenant that accepts the righteousness of Another, viz. that of Jesus Christ as if it were our own."