April 28 "THE REAL HUMAN"

THE REAL HUMAN

1Co_13:1-13

Love is a fire. It burns out the impurities, puts warmth in the heart and a gentle glow in the life, and tempers all to the best. God is love. Man is love, too, when true to the image in which he was made.

Jesus is love in human garb. To let Jesus in as a passion, the burning passion, is to have selfishness, with all its brood, burned out, and the true ideal made real. Then we live the life that blesses other lives.

...

April 27 "UNCONSCIOUS GREATNESS"

UNCONSCIOUS GREATNESS

Luk_22:24-30

True greatness never finds out that it is great. It is too much taken up thinking of others. When it finds out that it is great it ceases to be great. If you have discovered that you’re humble, then you may know that you’re not humble. For humility is so absorbed with the dear God, and with others, that it never knows it is humble. But we’ll never understand this till we’ve seen the face of Jesus.

...

April 26 "LOVE IN THE FIRE"

LOVE IN THE FIRE

Mat_20:20-28

Human love needs seasoning and tempering, refining and broadening, by the higher, deeper original love, the love of the heart of God. The stronger the human love, like a mother’s, the truer this is. So it gets the clearer vision, the stronger purpose, the finer sacrificial traits of the God-love. And so whatever selfishness may have crept in, sometimes unconsciously, is burned out, and the love is sweeter yet when it gives instead of asking.

...

April 26 "SELFISHNESS"

THE ONLY CURE FOR SELFISHNESS

Mrk_9:43-50

Selfishness is so ingrained in the human fiber that its cure takes fourfold treatment: a knife, a fluid, a fire, and salt. The knife of a strong purpose to cut it out; the blood of Jesus to wash it out; the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn it out; and the salt of the Book brooded over, and of the Spirit’s indwelling, to spoil the soil so it has a hard time sprouting again.

...

April 25 "SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY"

SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY

2Co_3:9-18

The eye is the soul of the face. The whole man looks out through the eye. You look into the man through his eye. Give Jesus your eye with nothing between you and him— no sin, no self-will, no prejudice, no selfseeking, no doubting, a full glad giving of the whole self daily in the fresh look Up into his face—and he will come anew into you, and make you over into his own likeness.

...

April 24

A ROUGH SPELLING-LESSON

Mrk_9:30-42

Selfishness is the smoother way of spelling Satan. That sounds a bit rough; but it’s true. The inner core of Satan is preferring himself to yes, even to God; wanting everything for himself. Selfishness may be cultured and scholarly and polished (it’s surprising how a coarse thing takes a high polish). Or, it may be coarse and brazen and open. But scratch it; and you always find underneath the hooked Satan fingers reaching and holding.

...

April 22 "WHEN THE MAN IS THE PRAYER

WHEN THE MAN IS THE PRAYER

Jas_5:13-18

Emergencies call for intense prayer. When the man becomes the prayer nothing can resist its touch. Elijah on Carmel, bowed down on the ground, with his face between his knees, that was the prayer—the man himself. No words are mentioned. Prayer can be too tense for words. The man’s whole being was in touch with God, and was set with God against the powers of evil. They couldn’t withstand such praying. There’s more of this embodied prayin

...

April 21 "LIVING A PRAYER"

LIVING A PRAYER

2Ki_4:27-37

When prayer takes hold of all there is of you, you can take hold of all you will through prayer. But prayer isn’t saying religious words with your eyes shut and a terminal “amen” attached. Real prayer is a life. It begins as an act. It grows into a habit, then into a mental attitude. Then it becomes your very life. Then the man becomes the prayer. Such prayer can raise the dead, even now, into real life.

...

April 20 " School of Prayer"

LET’S GO TO SCHOOL DAILY

Luk_9:30-37

Prayer-touch with the Father—daily, open- hearted, honest, unhurried, intimate, reverent touch—this is the secret of every needed thing. If we’d go to school daily to God, with the open Book, and learn how to pray, confidently, intelligently, like a child in simplicity, like a man in maturity, nothing could resist our touch. The life would be transfigured, and the service marked with God’s own subtle, fragrant touch.

...

April 19 " Jesus never fails"

Mrk_9:19-29

But Jesus never failed anybody yet. The evil spirit fled like a whipped cat at his word. The demonized boy was released from his sore bondage. The broken-hearted father, relieved, overjoyed, hurried home with the boy to his mother. The critical, sneering crowd was forced to recognize the unmatched power of Jesus. It was the close touch with his Father, insisted upon, that turned the disciples’ dismal failure into sweeping victory.

...

April 18 "ARE WE FAILING SOMEBODY?"

ARE WE FAILING SOMEBODY?

Mrk_9:11-18

People expect much of Jesus’ followers. They class us with him. What he did we can do, they think. They come to us expectantly, when we least think it. Without saying so, they bring their needs to us, their difficulties, temptations, hungry hearts, themselves. They expect something. They have a right to, too. Are we failingailing them? and Jesus? and ourselves? Then they quit expecting if they find we haven’t anything. That’s the worst fa

...

April 17 His Glory

THE STEADYING LOOK

Mrk_9:2-10

Jesus was thinking of the sore test ahead for his disciples when he would go to the cross. So now he quietly drew aside the garment of his humanity and let the God within look out into their faces. And they never forgot. Peter denied, but he came back. John went in “with Jesus” that terrible betrayal night. James was among the first to give up life for his Master. We, too, need to see Jesus’ glory.

...

April 16 DON’T STRADDLE

DON’T STRADDLE

Mat_10:32-39

Whenever the issue is distinctly drawn, then always line up with Jesus, winsomely, steadily, decidedly, unmistakably. This is what “confessing” means. In home and shop, in social gathering and church, even though your dearest loved ones and friends and acquaintances stay on the other side of that line, or straddle it, yet you get and stay over on the Jesus side. And when in doubt—give Jesus the benefit of the doubt.

...

April 15 LIVE IT!

LIVE IT!

Mrk_4:1-6; Mrk_4:14-20

Jesus taught. But he lived what he taught. And he lived it first before he taught it. And he lived it most, more than even he ever could teach it. On the human side here was the great power of his teaching. He will teach us. We need it. We need it daily. But we must live it as we learn it; then we can teach it to others. This is the first rule in Jesus’ school.

...

April 14 THE HIGHEST REWARD

THE HIGHEST REWARD

Mat_19:23-30

Partners with Jesus—daily, friendly touch with himself, being taken into his confidence, knowing something of his plans, being sent on errands for him, hearing his quiet voice of approval—could there be greater, sweeter reward than just this? Yet there is. There will be need of trained, trusty workers in the coming Kingdom-time. Those who have learned how, even a little, now, will be the trusted ones then. Yet we’ll be thinking more of the Mas

...