Jesus Calls to Your Heart Through His Words of Life

     Jesus is inviting you to open the door of your hearts, and let Him in. What are you going to do? Will you search carefully your heart, and see what you indulge in and cherish, that displeases Jesus and keeps the door of your heart shut against the dear Saviour? Is pride, or love of the world, or selfishness in your heart shutting Jesus from you? If it is, keep Jesus out no longer. Turn these things out of your heart. Go alone and pray for grace, overcoming grace. Die to these sins, and make the happy exchange for Jesus, His presence, His love, His power. 

     Says Jesus, “If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with Me.” Have you heard the voice of Jesus? Have you responded to that voice? Has the cutting, saving message taken hold of the soul, and worked a reformation in the life? Or, have you suffered (allowed) this precious voice to be drowned by the confusion of the world? You can hear His voice if you will. You must first listen, then hear His voice, then empty the heart of besetting sins, that room may be made for Jesus, that He may come in and abide there. 

     If you will overcome your besetments, you must pray, and watch yourselves with jealous care. The grace of God is sufficient for you. It is sufficient for the weakest, and the strongest must depend upon the same grace, or perish. To obtain this grace, you must go to your closet (personal place of prayer) and there plead with God. “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Be in earnest, be sincere. Fervent prayer availeth much. When you sincerely feel that without the help of God you will perish, then will He appear for you. Then, as you hunger and thirst for righteousness, Jesus will come in and sup with you, and you with Him. Often will your faith be tested, and be tried; but tire not. Be unwearied in your efforts. Trust God, and your heart will again be joyous with a sense of pardoned sin, and a holy confidence in your Redeemer. 

Our Need For The Bread of Life

The Christian worker must study the Word of God. Many are surprised into the commission of sin because of a failure to study the Scriptures. They were off their guard, and Satan found them an easy prey. The psalmist declares, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” And in Paul’s letter to Timothy we read, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. And by His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as He had spoken it to all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power. Do not rely upon any human agency for your wisdom. Take the Lord at His word, believing you do receive the things you ask of Him. Matthew 28:18-20.

As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the Word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God’s Word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the Word for ourselves. From the Scriptures there is the very instruction you need. “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.”

Yea, the Word of God is the bread of life. Those who receive and assimilate this Word, making it a part of every act, of every attribute of character, will grow strong in the strength of God. It gives immortal vigor to the soul, perfecting the experience, and bringing joys that will abide forever.

Do not allow anything to turn you aside from the path of self-denial. Of those who in ancient times engaged in contests of physical strength, we read, “Every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” As we engage in the great struggle, let us think of what we shall lose if we fail. We shall lose the eternal life purchased for us by the blood of the Son of God. Shall we, then, grudge the toil of eternal vigilance? If we do all in our power to resist evil and surmount obstacles, we shall gain the victory. Vigor will reward the efforts made to press toward the prize of our high calling in Christ.

Worldly attractions will be presented to draw the attention from the Lord Jesus; but laying aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets, we are to press forward, showing to the world, to angels, and to men that the hope of seeing the face of God is worth all the efforts and the sacrifices that the attainment of the hope demands.

“What things were gain to me,” Paul declares, “those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed unto His death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.

“I count not myself yet to have laid hold; but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press toward the goal, unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

“One thing I do.” Paul allowed nothing to divert him from the one great purpose of his life. He did many things. He was a wise teacher. His letters to the different churches are full of instructive lessons. He worked with his own hands at his trade, in this way earning his daily bread. “These hands,” he said, “have ministered unto my necessity.” He carried a heavy burden for the churches and sought earnestly to lead them in the right way. He was always seeking to help them in their difficulties, yet he declared, “This one thing I do.” In the busy activities of life, he never lost sight of his one great purpose—to press on toward the prize of his high calling.

My dear fellow workers, let the great purposes that constrained Paul to press forward in the face of hardship and difficulty lead you to consecrate yourselves wholly to God’s service. Whatever your hands find to do, do it with your might. Make your work pleasant with songs of praise. If you would have a clean record in the books of heaven, never fret or scold. Let your daily prayer be, “Lord, help me to do my best. Teach me how to do better work. Give me energy and cheerfulness. Help me to bring into my service the loving ministry of the Saviour.”

Look upon every duty, however humble, as sacred because it is part of God’s service. Do not allow anything to make you forgetful of God. Bring Christ into all that you do. Then your lives will be filled with brightness and thanksgiving. You will do your best, moving forward cheerfully in the service of the Lord, your hearts filled with His joy. {Lt1-1904.8-18.}

Fellowship With Jesus Christ

     "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

     If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
     But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
     If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
     If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:5-9. 

     We should not try to lessen our guilt by excusing sin.

     We must accept God's estimate of sin, and that is heavy indeed.

     Calvary alone can reveal the terrible enormity of sin. If we had to bear our own guilt, it would crush us.

     But the sinless One has taken our place; though undeserving, He has borne our iniquity.

     "If we confess our sins," God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.

     Glorious truth!--just to His own law, and yet the Justifier of all that believe in Jesus.

Every Piece of Armor

     "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

     Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
     For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
     Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
     Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
     And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
     Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
     And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
     Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
     And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
     For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."  Ephesians 6:10-20. 

     We must put on every piece of the armor, and then stand firm. The Lord has honored us by choosing us as His soldiers. Let us fight bravely for Him, maintaining the right in every transaction. Rectitude in all things is essential to the welfare of the soul. As you strive for the victory over your own inclinations, He will help you by His Holy Spirit to be circumspect in every action, that you may give no occasion for the enemy to speak evil of the truth. Put on as your breastplate that divinely protected righteousness which it is the privilege of all to wear. This will protect your spiritual life.