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March 7 |
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Morning Reading |
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Evening
Reading |
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"Have faith in God." |
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Mark 11:22 |
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Faith is the foot of the soul by which it can
march along the road of the commandments. Love can make the feet move more
swiftly; but faith is the foot which carries the soul. Faith is the oil
enabling the wheels of holy devotion and of earnest piety to move well; and
without faith the wheels are taken from the chariot, and we drag heavily.
With faith I can do all things; without faith I shall neither have the
inclination nor the power to do anything in the service of God. If you would
find the men who serve God the best, you must look for the men of the most
faith. Little faith will save a man, but little faith cannot do great things
for God. Poor Little-faith could not have fought "Apollyon;" it needed
"Christian" to do that. Poor Little-faith could not have slain "Giant
Despair;" it required "Great-heart's" arm to knock that monster down. Little
faith will go to heaven most certainly, but it often has to hide itself in a
nut-shell, and it frequently loses all but its jewels. Little-faith says,
"It is a rough road, beset with sharp thorns, and full of dangers; I am
afraid to go;" but Great-faith remembers the promise,
"Thy shoes shall be
iron and brass; as thy days, so shall thy strength be:" and so she boldly
ventures. Little-faith stands desponding, mingling her tears with the flood;
but Great-faith sings,
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with
thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:" and she fords
the stream at once. Would you be comfortable and happy? Would you enjoy
religion? Would you have the religion of cheerfulness and not that of gloom?
Then "have faith in God." If you love darkness, and are satisfied to dwell
in gloom and misery, then be content with little faith; but if you love the
sunshine, and would sing songs of rejoicing, covet earnestly this best gift,
"great faith." |
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Evening Reading |
Go to Morning Reading |
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"It is better to trust in the Lord, than to
put confidence in man." |
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Psalm 118:8 |
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Doubtless the reader has been tried with the
temptation to rely upon the things which are seen, instead of resting alone
upon the invisible God. Christians often look to man for help and counsel,
and mar the noble simplicity of their reliance upon their God. Does this
evening's portion meet the eye of a child of God anxious about temporals,
then would we reason with him awhile. You trust in Jesus, and only in Jesus,
for your salvation, then why are you troubled? "Because of my great
care." Is it not written,
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord"?
"Be careful
[anxious] for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication make known your
wants unto God." Cannot you trust God for temporals? "Ah! I wish I could."
If you cannot trust God for temporals, how dare you trust him for
spirituals? Can you trust him for your soul's redemption, and not rely upon
him for a few lesser mercies? Is not God enough for thy need, or is his
all-sufficiency too narrow for thy wants? Dost thou want another eye beside
that of him who sees every secret thing? Is his heart faint? Is his arm
weary? If so, seek another God; but if he be infinite, omnipotent, faithful,
true, and all-wise, why gaddest thou abroad so much to seek another
confidence? Why dost thou rake the earth to find another foundation, when
this is strong enough to bear all the weight which thou canst ever build
thereon? Christian, mix not only thy wine with water, do not alloy thy gold
of faith with the dross of human confidence. Wait thou only upon God, and
let thine expectation be from him. Covet not Jonah's gourd, but rest in
Jonah's God. Let the sandy foundations of terrestrial trust be the choice of
fools, but do thou, like one who foresees the storm, build for thyself an
abiding place upon the Rock of Ages. |
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