"Perplexed, but not in despair." 2 Corinthians 4:8

J. C. Philpot


DAILY WORDS FOR ZION'S WAYFARERS

or, THROUGH BACA'S VALLEY
 
Selected from the works of J. C. Philpot by his daughters, 1893

"Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
 who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, ("weeping")
 they make it a place of springs;
 the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
 They go from strength to strength,
 until each appears before God in Zion."
       Psalm 84:5-7

"Perplexed, but not in despair." 2 Corinthians 4:8

Oh! what a mercy, amid every degree of inward or outward perplexity, to be out of the reach of Giant Despair; not to be shut up in the iron cage; not to be abandoned, as Judas or Ahithophel, to utter desperation and suicide, and, after a long life of profession, concerning faith to make dreadful shipwreck! 

Now the child of God, with all his doubts, fears, sinkings, misgivings, and trying perplexities is never really and truly in despair. He may tread so near the borders of that black country that it may almost be debatable land whether he is walking in despair or upon the borders of it; for I believe many children of God have at times come to the solemn conclusion that there is no hope for them, for they cannot see how they can be saved or have their aggravated sins pardoned.

And though this be not black despair, nor such utter, irremediable desperation as seized Saul and Judas, for there still is a "Who can tell?" yet it certainly is walking very near the borders of that dark and terrible land. 

I cannot tell, nor do I believe any can, how low a child of God may sink, or how long he may continue under the terrors of the Almighty; but we have the warrant of God's word to believe that he is never given up to utter despair, for the Lord holds up his feet from falling into that terrible pit, and being cast into that sea to which there is neither bottom nor shore.

RESOURCES THAT ENDURE

By A.W. Tozer


The people of this world have always fussed and argued over this world's resource-hope for life, health, financial prosperity, international peace and a set of favorable circumstances. These resources are good in their own way, but they have a fatal defect-they are uncertain and transitory! Today we have them; tomorrow they are gone.

 It is this way with all earthly things since sin came to upset the beautiful order of nature and made the human race victims of chance and change. We desire for all of God's children a full measure of every safe and pure blessing that the earth and sky might unite to bring them. 

But if in the sovereign will of God things go against us, what do we have left?

 If life and health are placed in jeopardy, what about our everlasting resources? If the world's foundations crumble, we still have God and in Him we have everything essential to our ransomed beings forever! We have Christ, who died for us; we have the Scriptures, which can never fail; we have the faithful Holy Spirit. 

If worst comes to worst here below, we have our Father's house and our Father's welcome!

Only Through Death

By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman       "Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it remains a single grain, but if it dies away in the ground, the grain is freed to spring up in a plant bearing many grains" (John 12:24).       Go to the old burying ground of Northampton, Mass., and look upon the early grave of David Brainerd, beside that of the fair Jerusha Edwards, whom he loved but did not live to wed.       What hopes, what expectations for Christ's cause went down to the grave with the wasted form of that young missionary of whose work nothing now remained but the dear memory, and a few score of swarthy Indian converts! But that majestic old Puritan saint, Jonathan Edwards, who had hoped to call him his son, gathered up the memorials of his life in a little book, and the little book took wings and flew beyond the sea, and alighted on the table of a Cambridge student, Henry Martyn.       Poor Martyn! Why should he throw himself away, with all his scholarship, his genius, his opportunities! What had he accomplished when he turned homeward from "India's coral strand," broken in health, and dragged himself northward as far as that dreary khan at Tocat by the Black Sea, where he crouched under the piled-up saddles, to cool his burning fever against the earth, and there died alone?       To what purpose was this waste? Out of that early grave of Brainerd, and the lonely grave of Martyn far away by the splashing of the Euxine Sea, has sprung the noble army of modern missionaries. --Leonard Woolsey Bacon       "Is there some desert, or some boundless sea,       Where Thou, great God of angels, wilt send me?       Some oak for me to rend, Some sod for me to break,       Some handful of Thy corn to take       And scatter far afield,       Till it in turn shall yield       Its hundredfold       Of grains of gold       To feed the happy children of my God?       "Show me the desert, Father, or the sea;       Is it Thine enterprise? Great God, send me!       And though this body lies where ocean rolls,       Father, count me among all faithful souls."

The volcano

The volcano

(J.R. Miller)

The volcano is quiet and silent for years. No fires and lava pour forth from its crater. Meanwhile, people venture up its slopes, and lay out their gardens, and build their villas, and plant their vineyards. And flowers bloom, and fruits hang in purple clusters, and beauty covers the once fire-swept, lava-furrowed mountain slopes. But has the volcano really been tamed? Have its fires been put out? Is all permanently peaceful in the volcano's heart?

Just so is the heart of a man, who has merely trained himself into good moral and ethical habits. What the best mere self-culture can do for a life — is no more than the planting of flowers and vineyards on the volcano's sides — while all its fires still burn within, ready to break forth again any day in all their old fury! Good manners are not saving religion. The heart must be changed. The heart of stone, must be made a heart of flesh. The heart that hates God, and holiness and purity — must become a heart that loves God, His holy ways, and His holy Word. 

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." Ezekiel 36:26-27 

    ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Titles of the Risen Lord

T. Austin-Sparks 

Square brackets [ ] indicate interpolations, queries or corrections made by the transcriber that were not in the original spoken message.

We are today occupied with the Resurrection side of the Cross, and this afternoon I’m going to ask you to consider with me some of the titles of the Risen Lord: the Resurrection titles of the Lord Jesus. In the Book of the Revelation, chapter one, at verse four: “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His Throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth”. There you have three titles of the Lord in Resurrection. That they relate to Him in Resurrection is quite clear from the context where He Himself says to John: “I am the Living One; I became dead, I am alive for evermore” [Revelation 1:18]. 

Three titles: the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth.

Now it is important to note two things as we advance to this. Firstly, this is the Book of the Revelation, or the Unveiling of Jesus Christ, so the first sentence declares. Secondly, it is the Revelation of Him as exercising authority and judgment: firstly, in the Church; secondly, in the nations, and thirdly, in the kingdom of satan. Those three things comprehend the whole of this book. This authority, which He is here revealed as exercising, is itself based upon three things:
first, what He has proved Himself to be in Person, in Incarnation;
secondly, what He has become in Triumph over death; and thirdly, what He is in Exaltation and Divine Vindication.

At a glance, you will see that those three things are but an exposition of the three titles:
[1] what He has proved Himself to be in Person, in Incarnation: the faithful Witness, taking Him right up to the Cross and into all the experience of the Cross;
[2] what He has become in Triumph over death: the Firstborn of the dead; and
[3] what He is in Exaltation by Divine Vindication: the Ruler of the kings of the earth.

All His authority and judgment is based upon those three things, or upon what He has proved Himself to be in Person.

We take these, as far as time will allow, one by one.

The Faithful Witness

“The faithful Witness” – the testimony in incarnation: that is, in His Person while here on the earth.

Now a witness is the embodiment of the truth – if he is a true witness. If he has the right to be called a witness, he himself should be the very embodiment of the truth. Jesus was THAT! Jesus as the faithful Witness was a, we may say THE, faithful Representation of God’s Mind concerning man. What God intended man to be, what the whole race of men had failed to be, Jesus became THAT: a faithful Representation of God’s Mind in the creation of man. 

That is how we must look at Him while here on the earth: not just following His steps, noting His words and His actions, being interested or even fascinated with His teaching and with His mighty works. But looking deeper, deeper into His heart, into His mind, His whole mentality, His whole Spirit, looking deeper to see what kind of a Man this is. What comes out from the very nature of this Man, all the reactions that He makes to all the play of conditions and trials and sufferings and disappointments. All that He meets in this world, and all that He meets in men, all that He meets in His life circumstances, and how He behaves, and what Spirit He shows. What comes out from the inward Man? What kind of a Man this is?

I think we can sum up the Life of the Lord Jesus here in three ways:

Perfect Love

Perfect Love – perfect Love: perfect Love to God His Father. That is not only seen in things that He says about it, and as to it, but it is seen in His relationship to the Father all the way through – a perfect Love. And, mark you, if He had been other than He was, He might have had some questions about the Father: why His lot should have been what it was – why this and why that – from infancy to the Cross, why He was called upon to do this, to endure this, why He was so tried with the very men whom He said the Father had given Him. He said: “Those whom Thou hast given Me.” 

You know, He might have looked at those men, if you had been other than Christ, and said: “Look what You’ve given Me. Look what You’ve given Me, what I’ve got to put up with. These are what You’ve given Me.” You see what I mean. But at no point, at no time, under no circumstance: suffering, adversity, trial, provocation, disappointment, do you find a cloud coming over His love for the Father.

And what shall we say about His love for them. It needs to be a perfect Love, doesn’t it? But here’s the declaration: “having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them to the end” [John 13:1] – “to the end”: that’s the love that never faileth, that never gives up, that never disappears. It might have broken down many times. Here is perfect Love.

And what about the world? What about the world? I mean the world of sinful, weak, evil, persecuting, mankind – the world. I’m not speaking about the world system, which He positively hated and repudiated, but the world of man – that world that God so loved, that He gave Himself for that world, and in its worst representatives – its WORST representatives, who were exercising their power for His utter destruction, to SLAUGHTER Him. 

No, not too strong a word: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter” [Acts 8:32] – to SLAUGHTER the Son of God. He says: “Father, forgive them” – perfect Love. Here’s a Man that God intended men to be. And here’s the Man to the likeness of whom God will work to have all men in His Kingdom. Perfect Love – “the faithful Witness.”

Perfect Faith

Perfect Faith – perfect Faith.

It’s quite clear that His Life from its very beginning, right on through to the end, was placed deliberately by God upon a basis of faith. In all material and temporal matters, His was a life of faith. But far, far more deeply and testingly than in the temporal, in the spiritual realm His was a life of faith. 

You’ve only to sit down and think for a little while about how far your faith would carry you under the conditions of His life. You will discover, I am quite sure, that you won’t go very far with Him. Your faith won’t stand up to very much of what came upon Him. If we understood all that was going on in this necessity for faith: one Who had, through past eternity, never had to live by faith at all – never had to live by faith. He had all that heaven can give: its riches, its honour, its glory, its servants to wait upon Him to fulfil His behest to the Word – never had to live by faith. It was all sight! It was all possession! And, now, emptied of all THAT!

You know, it’s one thing if you’ve never had anything else. It’s not so difficult, if you’ve never had anything else, to go without. But if you’ve had it all and suddenly found yourself in a position where you just cannot, cannot do what you did before, you haven’t got it to do with. You may not in any case do it – you’re morally bound not to do it. 

You have accepted a life and a course and a ministry which FORBIDS you to draw upon those other resources and COMPELS you to live wholly out from Another, out from God in all things. It’s a big changeover, and this is faith – this is faith! His faith was a perfect Faith. And that is how God meant man to be. It is just at that point that the first man broke down. He did not implicitly trust God.

Perfect Love, and Perfect Faith, and Perfect Obedience.

Perfect Obedience

Perfect Obedience.

We need not dwell upon it. We know how at all times and in all things, having committed Himself to the Will of His Father, He fought right through on that: “Not My will” – “Thy will, Thy will, Thy will” [Luke 22:42] to the end and through all – and what an “all” it was. And Paul is right when he said: “He became obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the Cross” [Philippians 2:8]. Perfect in these three things, and that is how He was the faithful Witness to God’s thought concerning man. He was a perfect Representation of God’s Mind. In that way, He was a “faithful Witness.”

Faithful Witness to the Truth

Then He was a “faithful Witness” to the truth.

It’s a word that was very often on His mouth – on His lips: the truth – truth – truth. “Faithful and True Witness” He is called in another place in this book of the Revelation [3:14]: “faithful Witness” to the Truth.

There was faithfulness about His Witness, His Witness as to the truth of man. He covered up nothing. He made no pretence that man is better than he is. He was faithful in His Witness as to what man is. We might be afraid to do that. Or we might think it not politic. We certainly would know that it would be unpopular to speak the truth about man. But Jesus was faithful in this – in the uncovering and the exposure of the truth about man.

He was faithful to the truth about God. He was faithful in His Witness to the truth about sin – sin. And He was faithful in His witness to the truth about satan. He does not hedge this matter. He does not hesitate to uncover the devil; He exposes him, drags him right out into the light, tells you exactly what he is: ‘he’s a liar from the beginning - he’s a murderer.’ A “faithful Witness” to the truth.

Why? Because He was the Truth. His nature was the Truth. And there we must stay to use more of our time. It is a tremendously important thing, in relation to the power of Resurrection, to authority, to Government, to what is here revealed as to Christ in Resurrection. It is a basic, a fundamental thing that there shall be the Truth – the true Witness.

Look to the Source

By Mary Wilder Tileston

When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
--PSALMS 56:9

SOUL! wouldst thou from the battle shrink,
And flee before the foe?
Dost thou beneath the burden sink,
And in the dust lie low?
Oh! waste not there vain tears and sighs:
The trumpet soundeth clear;
O'ercome, and to My glory rise!
O'ercome, and triumph here!
--THOMAS H. GILL

BE not discouraged because of your soul's enemies. Are ye troubled with thoughts, fears, doubts, imagina.tions, reasonings? yea, do ye see, yet, much in you unsubdued to the power of life? Oh! do not fear it; do not look at it, so as to be discouraged by it; but look to Him! look up to the power which is over all their strength; wait for the descendings of the power upon you; abide in faith of the Lord's help, and wait in patience till the Lord arise; and see if His arm do not scatter what yours could not. So, be still before Him, and, in stillness, believe in His name; yea, enter not into the hurryings of the enemy, though they fill the soul; for, there is yet somewhat to which they cannot enter, from whence patience, faith, and hope, will spring up in you, even in the midst of all they can do.
--ISAAC PENINGTON

Psalm 46

By Henry Law


God's near protection is a stronghold against all fear. The wonders of His mighty hand should excite terror in His foes, and confidence in His people.

1. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Such is the boast of all the sons of faith. Their path is through a land of trouble. Their bark is tossed by raging billows. Their foes are many from within and from without. They flee to God, and are secure to God who is forever near. How safe are they who in this refuge dwell; how strong are they, whose strength is God

2, 3. "Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
Tremendous images here show all nature in commotion. Ocean roars, and is agitated from its lowest depths. Mountains tremble from the lashing of the waves; their heads submerged no longer show their peaks. The scene is earth in the extremity of confusion. We are here taught to view the heart tossed and disturbed by all the violence of troubles--they break like mighty billows, threatening to destroy; but no fears prevail. Amid convulsing elements there is the calmness of serene repose.

4. "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High."

As a river flowing through a city spreads gladness all around, as the refreshing streams bring plenty, and cause health to smile, so the presence of God is constant joy and peace to the believing heart. This heart is the abode of God--the place where He holds dwelling, and manifests His presence. So fears cannot approach, and gladness holds its constant reign.

5. "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God shall help her, and that right early."

How blessed is the state, when God will not withdraw. No trouble can give real alarm. No apprehensions agitate. God will give early help, and His help is perfect peace.

6, 7. "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."

What though mighty powers, with mighty rage, muster their armies; what though extensive kingdoms are in commotion, and all appearances threaten destruction--it gives the Lord no trouble to defeat the adversaries. He only speaks the word, and they sink low in ruin. His voice annihilates, and they disappear as snow when melted by the sun.

The believer gives no place to fear. If armies are all arrayed against him, the Lord of hosts is on his side. He who upheld the fathers of the Church still lives. His covenant of old is verity and truth. He will perform the oath to Abraham, and the promise to Jacob. If we are Christ's, then are we Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

8, 9. "Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He has made in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in the fire."

Our minds are prone to disregard the mighty workings of the Lord. His hand is ever doing wonders, which we fail to notice. But it is our wisdom to observe how He manifests His interposing power to make desolate the regions of His foes. Whatever be the hostile preparations and the stores of ammunition, He can bring all to nothing.

10, 11. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."

Let, then, all disturbing thoughts be banished. Let tranquil patience exert calm sway. God will be manifest as supreme sovereign, curbing the heathen's rage, and exercising unlimited control throughout the earth. Let all His people rejoice evermore, and loudly sing, from realizing hearts, "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge!"

Empty Words

By A.W. Tozer

We Christians owe it to ourselves and to the human race to be above all persons, candid, downright and completely transparent. We must have no truck with fancy, but see to it that our religious talk hugs the facts as tightly as a glove and that our words always have some reality corresponding to them.

Over the years I have been disturbed more than a little by the vague unreality of much that I hear among religious people. This is not a charge of insincerity. I have no doubt of the sincerity of most religious persons. It is the lack of reality that disturbs me. Indeed the gravity of the situation is increased by the very earnestness with which many persons are occupied with unreality.

Religion stands at the top as being among all fields of human interest the one most addicted to words. Nowhere else are there so many words and so few deeds to support them. There is something about a religious gathering, and particularly about a church building, that produces in the worshiper a state of pleasant languor and suspends his critical faculties for the duration of the service. 

The average Christian goes to church expecting to hear certain words and phrases and the average preacher knows what they are. It does not matter too much in what order they occur, and if they should be spoken with a considerable degree of enthusiasm, so much the better; only let them be familiar and harmless. Nothing more is required or expected.