The word trust is the heart word of faith. It is the Old Testament word, the word given to the early and infant stage of faith. The word faith expresses more the act of the will, the word belief the act of the mind or intellect, but trust is the language of the heart. The other has reference more to a truth believed or a thing expected.

Trust implies more than this, it sees and feels, and leans upon a person, a great, true, living heart of love. So let us "trust also in him," through all the delays, in spite of all the difficulties, in the face of all the denials, notwithstanding all the seemings, even when we cannot understand the way, and know not the issue; still "trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass." The way will open, the right issue will come, the end will be peace, the cloud will be lifted, and the light of eternal noonday shall shine at last.

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December 15 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Unknown

"Where were you wounded?" asked the surgeon of a soldier on Lookout Mountain. "Almost at the top," he answered. He forgot even his gaping wound -- he only remembered that he had won the heights. So let us go forth to higher endeavors for Christ and never rest till we can shout from the very top, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

Finish thy work, then rest
Till then rest never;
The rest for thee by God
is rest forever.

"God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas, but for scars."

Of an old hero the minstrel song--

With his Yemen sword for aid;
Ornament it carried none,
But the notches on the blade.

What nobler decoration of honor can any godly man seek after than his scars of service, his losses for the crown, his reproaches for Christ's sake, his being worn out in his Master's service!

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December 12 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Unknown

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 
Ephesians  5: 25 - 27  (NKJV)
  
Life would be meaningless if the only thing a Christian experienced was justification.  I use the word experienced in the framework of understanding and accepting God's free gift of pardon.  Although Christ's act of justification is performed separate and apart from man's works, yet it cannot be performed separate and apart from a man's feelings an attitudes.  By faith to hear Jesus say, "Your sins be forgiven," brings to the soul a wonderful sense of peace and calm.  So the doctrine of justification can never be understood and accepted without its touching the deepest levels of the soul!

This is why justification becomes the springboard for sanctification.  Out text today begins with justification and ends with sanctification.  "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."  That's justification.  But the purpose of Christ's giving Himself a sacrifice for His people is that He might sanctify them, and the ultimate result is to present a people to His Father without spot or wrinkle!

Justification clears our past record, and sanctification keeps the record clear.  Justification accomplishes a work for us; sanctification accomplishes a work in us.  Justification is our title to heaven;  sanctification is our fitness for heaven.

Many Christians possess only what we might call half-salvation.  Forgiveness for past sins is stressed, while victorious living right now, today, is passed over too lightly.  Man presumes on the love of God when he persists in known sin.  True sanctification builds barriers against sin.  We may fail many times and need forgiveness many times, but there must be an advance in victorious living.  To achieve a daily experience of sanctification, the most intimate association with Jesus Christ is necessary.  We come back to the age-old point of prayer, meditation, study, and witnessing.  Use these tools today in order to gain power over evil.

taken from: First Things First
June 30
by: Bob Spangler

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
Proverbs  15:13  (NKJV)

The effect of the mind upon the body is made obvious by what is consistently seen in facial expressions.  Mrs. Brown may be smiling from face to feet when the pastor calls at her home, but if her smile is a dress worn only on special occasions, sooner or later folks will find out about her tattered, everyday frocks.  The Christian who abides in Christ, and who has endured the pain and agony caused by the most traumatic experience can still have a tranquil expression without takings pills.  Pain and sorrow never make a Christian ugly.

My tiny, aged Grandmother Spangler, with whom I lived after the death of mother when I was 12 years old, was one of life's battle-scarred veterans.  For more than four-score years she lived what some would have considered a dull, boring life.  She was continually involved in sacrifice, sympathy, and concern for others.  If she wrote an autobiography, the exclamation marks used would not be for some thrilling episode or exciting adventure.  Rather, they would emphasize only the tragedies and afflictions she endured.  Yet her face was overlaid by an expression of deep serenity and abiding peace.

How true it is that "the faces of those who are benevolent and sympathetic will shine with the luster of true goodness, while those who do not cherish kindly thoughts and unselfish motives express in their faces the sentiments cherished in their hearts." -- Testimonies, vol 4 p 64

The second part of our text expresses an unalterable truth.  It is a physical, mental, and spiritual law that a sorrowful, gloomy mind will crush the spirit.  From a physical standpoint, "nothing is so fruitful a cause of disease as depression, gloominess, and sadness." -- Testimonies vol 1 p 702

What is the solution to depression?  How can one have a happy outlook on life?  There are many factors involved, but one of the most important is a constant trust in God.  This requires mental discipline and a strict guard on the senses.  Let the prayer of Mary, the mother of Jesus, ever be ours.  "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour"   Luke 1:46,47, Jerusalem).

taken from: First Things First
June 27
by: Bob Spangler

True peace is not the absence of war; it is the presence of God.

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"Our Daily Bread" - December 7, 2009 - Loveless
Phrase

If a troubled world gets you down, look up to Jesus.

copied from:  (not the same as shown)
"Our Daily Bread" - December 4, 2009
Phrase

An eminent Christian worker tells of his mother who was a very anxious and troubled Christian. He would talk with her by the hour trying to convince her of the sinfulness of fretting, but to no avail. She was like the old lady who once said she had suffered so much, especially from the troubles that never came.

But one morning the mother came down to breakfast wreathed in smiles. He asked her what had happened, and she told him that in the night she had a dream.

She was walking along a highway with a great crowd of people who seemed so tired and burdened. They were nearly all carrying little black bundles,and she noticed that there were numerous repulsive looking beings which she thought were demons dropping these black bundles for the people to pick up and carry.

Like the rest, she too had her needless load, and was weighed down with the Devil's bundles. Looking up, after a while, she saw a Man with a bright and loving face, passing hither and thither through the crowd, and comforting the people.

At last He came near her, and she saw that it was her Savior. She looked up and told Him how tired she was, and He smiled sadly and said:
"My dear child, I did not give you these loads; you have no need of them. They are the Devil's burdens and they are wearing out your life. Just drop them; refuse to touch them with one of your fingers and you will find the path easy and you will be as if borne on eagle's wings."

He touched her hand, and lo, peace and joy thrilled her frame and, flinging down her burden, she was about to throw herself at His feet in joyful thanksgiving, when suddenly she awoke and found that all her cares were gone. From that day to the close of her life she was the most cheerful and happy member of the household.


copied from:
December 1 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Unknown

Freedom doesn't give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God.

Our Daily Bread        copied from:  (not the same as shown)
"Our Daily Bread" - July 4, 2009
Phrase

Those who love Christ have a love for the lost.

copied from:      (not the same book as shown)
"Our Daily Bread" - November 25, 2009
Phrase

I do not believe that there is such a thing in the history of God's kingdom as a right prayer offered in a right spirit that is forever left unanswered.

 

copied from:
November 17 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
By "Theodore L. Cuyler"

Intercessory prayer is life's real work.




copied from:      (not the same book as shown)
"Our Daily Bread"
September 29,2009

 There is a poem called "The Changed Cross." It represents a weary one who thought that her cross was surely heavier than those of others whom she saw about her, and she wished that she might choose another instead of her own. She slept, and in her dream she was led to a place where many crosses lay, crosses of different shapes and sizes. There was a little one most beauteous to behold, set in jewels and gold "Ah, this I can wear with comfort," she said. So she took it up, but her weak form shook beneath it. The jewels and the gold were beautiful, but they were far too heavy for her.

Next she saw a lovely cross with fair flowers entwined around its sculptured form. surely that was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were piercing thorns which tore her flesh .

At last, as she went on, she came to a plain cross, without jewels, without carvings, with only a few words of love inscribed upon it. This she took up and it proved the best of all, the easiest to be borne. And as she looked upon it, bathed in the radiance that fell from heaven, she recognized her own old cross. She had found it again, and it was the best of all and lightest for her.

God knows best what cross we need to bear. We do not know how heavy other people's crosses are. We envy someone who is rich; his is a golden cross set with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. Here is another whose life seems very lovely. She bears a cross twined with flowers. If we could try all the other crosses that we think lighter than our own, we would at last find that not one of them suited us so well as our own.

 

copied from:
August 29 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
From "Glimpses through Life's Windows"

PRAISE CHANGES THINGS

Nothing so pleases God in connection with our prayer and our praise, and nothing so blesses the man who prays as the praise which he offers. I got a great blessing once in China in this connection. I had received bad and sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed, but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Just then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: "Try Thanksgiving." I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return. Yes, the psalmist was right, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord."




copied from:
August 4 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Rev. Henry W. Frosts

I recollect, when a lad, and while attending a classical institute in the vicinity of Mount Pleasant, sitting on an elevation of that mountain, and watching a storm as it came up the valley. The heavens were filled with blackness, and the earth was shaken by the voice of thunder. It seemed as though that fair landscape was utterly changed, and its beauty gone never to return.

But the storm swept on, and passed out of the valley; and if I had sat in the same place on the following day, and said, "Where is that terrible storm, with all its terrible blackness?" the grass would have said, "Part of it is in me," and the daisy would have said, "Part of it is in me," and the fruits and flowers and everything that grows out of the ground would have said, "Part of the storm is incandescent in me."

Have you asked to be made like your Lord? Have you longed for the fruit of the Spirit, and have you prayed for sweetness and gentleness and love? Then fear not the stormy tempest that is at this moment sweeping through your life. A blessing is in the storm, and there will be the rich fruitage in the "afterward."



copied from:
July 28 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Henry Ward Beecher

I pray to God this day to make me an extraordinary Christian.

copied from:
July 19 "Streams In The Desert 1" by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Whitefield

Nearly all God's jewels are crystallized tears.

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July 7 "Streams In The Desert 1" by
Mrs. Charles E. Cowan

A life was lost in Israel because a pair of human hands were laid unbidden upon the ark of God. They were placed upon it with the best intent, to steady it when trembling and shaking as the oxen drew it along the rough way; but they touched God's work presumptuously, and they fell paralyzed and lifeless. Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone.

If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than we can help Him. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of Him who prospereth in His way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will.




copied from:
"A.B. Simpson" from
July 6 "Streams In The Desert 1" by
Mrs. Charles E. Cowan

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 
Romans  1:16  (NKJV)

 "What do you believe about Jesus?"  Marilyn Kunz asked her high school English teacher one afternoon.  Using simple words, the Christian teacher, Vera Ehnbom, explained the gospel to Marilyn.  She accepted Christ and began attending the teacher's Sunday school class.


After college Marilyn and her friend, Kay Schell, saw the need for home Bible study and the two women started a neighborhood group.  They developed study guides, and in five years, two hundred groups were meeting in New York City suburbs to study the Bible.


From there, Neighborhood Bible Study spread across the country and around the world.  Eventually Marilyn and Kay's guides were translated into over thirty languages and dialects.  It began when one teacher unashamedly shared the truth about Jesus with a student.


Don't discuss the few words you may share about Christ with an unsaved person.  Because all of heaven's power stands behind your witness, the little you say has the potential to begin an avalanche of blessings.  It did for teacher Vera Ehnbom.  It will for you, also.

Taken from   "Daily Devotions for Women"
                     by Jewell Johnson
                     Day 171

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. 
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah  53: 5, 6  (NKJV)


The plainest and most powerful language in all Scripture describing the substitutionary  death of Jesus is found in these verses.  Read them again and notice the plural pronouns, our, we, and us.   The whole human race stands guilty before god.  Isaiah compares us with sheep, and the comparison is apt.  there is no animal more foolish than a sheep.  One of the flock breaks through the fence and plunges over the cliff, and the rest follow.  Adam broke through the law fence and plunged into the pit of death, and every descendant of his, save One, has followed.  Indeed, we are well likened to foolish sheep.


It is that One who paid our penalty.  He is the One who was wounded, bruised, chastised, and beaten for our sins.  He is the One upon whom His Father has laid all our iniquities.  Sin cost Heaven a price that was actually paid with the blood of precious Jesus.


As we consider the price paid for our redemption, how can we ever complain or grieve over the trials we face?  How can we ever distrust the love of our Father?  Even in the darkest moments of life, how can we refuse to lift up our hearts in gratitude and praise to the One who has delivered us from eternal death?  As we view the cross and see such amazing love, our stubborn hearts cannot but melt and surrender to Him.


To make this text even more personal, read it again and replace all the plural pronouns with singular ones.  He was wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities .... with His strips I am healed.


Could Jesus have done any more?  Could He have suffered a more humiliating death?  He went the limit -- the absolute extreme.  He gave up all -- His own life -- so that we as straying sheep can be brought home to live in peace and safety in the lamb shelter of heaven.  Thank You, Lord, for Your marvelous love!

taken from: First Things First
June 6
by: Bob Spangler

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Romans  5:1  (NKJV)

Several years ago, a rag-covered creature was captured in the jungles of Guam. Underneath the tattered clothing, long hair, and skin scars was a Japanese soldier.  Astonishment swept the island at the thought of a man hiding for twenty-five years after the war ended.  It was difficult to persuade this soldier that the war was ended.  You couldn't blame him for his unbelief, for hadn't he lived under the most miserable conditions for twenty-five long years after the war had ended on September 2, 1945?  He had lived more like an animal than a human being.  Why would he live under such frightful and appalling conditions if the war was over?


The truth is, the poor fellow and others like him who have been discovered from time to time didn't know the war was over.  I've often wondered about this man and how he felt after returning to Japan.  Do you suppose he felt sick when he thought of the horrible years of living under desperate, near-suicidal conditions, when he could have been safe comfortable at home?  Do you suppose he ever became upset to think that for twenty-five years he had been ignorant of the fact that peace had been declared between Japan and America?


Isn't this the story of man today and his ignorance of God's plan for the world?  Think of the multitudes who are wandering around in the jungles of sin, living under horrible conditions, not knowing that peace has been declared between God and man through the Lord Jesus Christ.  They don't know the message of salvation by faith alone!  They don't know that our Lord is soon to return.  They have never heard or understood the special truths for these last days.  Unbelief reigns supreme in the hearts of multitudes while ignorance keeps others from a knowledge of the Saviour.  They don't know that because of God's gift, the war is over.

What a beautiful message we have to tell the world!  A message, known as the three angels' messages, designed by God for the world in these modern times!  Thank God that you know it, and share it at every opportunity.

taken from: First Things First
June 6
by: Bob Spangler

Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
Joshua  7:19  (NKJV)

The story of Achan is well known.  His type of confession is familiar too.  Ellen White says,  "The manner of Achan's confession was similar to the confessions that some among us have made and will make.  They hide their wrongs and refuse to make a voluntary confession, until God searches them out, and then they acknowledge their sins."  Testimonies, vol. 3  p. 270.

The experience of Israel's defeat at Ai proves the importance of voluntary confession.  "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down" (Hebrews 11:30), but when it came to the tiny town of Ai, victory was denied God's people.  Joshua, Israel's leader, "rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads" (verse 6).  The Lord commanded Joshua to stop his lamenting and to rise up, for "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen" (verse 11).

Secret sins existed in the camp, and the Lord made it clear that He would not be with the people unless confession was made.  The method of determining who had committed the sin gave time for Achan to come forth and make full confession.  But the culprit refused to make any acknowledgment until the tribe, family, household, and finally he, the offender, was under the accusing finger of God as Israel's troubler.

Confession of sin is not to be trifled with.  Achan and his family learned this lesson too late for their own salvation.

Now is the time to make full confession of sin.  Now is the time to make things right with our fellow man and with God.  Now is the time to break the power of Satan that has so long held us in blindness.  May God help us to take a determined stand for the right because we have a clear sense of the truth and because we dare not do otherwise.  Confession of sin made promptly and at the right time is acceptable to God.

taken from: First Things First
May 31
by: Bob Spangler

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 
II  Timothy  3:1-4  (NKJV)


How does a person overcome a selfish spirit?  Paul, writing to Timothy, put his finger on the problem of selfishness as the prevalent sin, particularly in our closing moments of history.


Paul emphasizes that "in the last days there will come times of stress."  The King James Version says, "perilous times."  But what makes this time so stressful and perilous?  He begins his answer by unequivocally stating that "men will be lovers of self."  Then he proceeds to expound on this philosophy by listing a dozen and one-half traits of selfishness.  Study each trait mentioned -- "lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful," et cetera.  Then ask yourself, What is the root of them all?  Let's think about it.  Is a covetous person selfish?  What about the boaster?  Why are people proud?  Selfishness leads to conceit, and to loving pleasure more than God.


In short, the cause of every problem in life can be traced to selfishness.  Every case of marital difficulty I have know involves a huge dose of selfishness.  If a couple whose marriage is in jeopardy can solve the selfishness problem, happiness will be inevitably theirs.  If a solution to the worldwide problem of selfishness could be found, our planet would become like heaven.


Amazingly, there is a wonderfully simple solution.  It is the principle and power of the cross of Christ.  The verse that follows our text claims that some hold "the form of religion but deny...the power of it."  Those who accept this power may suffer persecution, but their lives will be rich and full.


In writing to the Corinthian church, "Paul was convinced that if they could be brought to comprehend the amazing sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven, all selfishness would be banished from their lives."  The Acts of the Apostles p.333

Take a fresh look at the cross and see what happens in your life.


taken from: First Things First
April 12
by: Bob Spangler

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm  34:8  (NKJV)

Picture, if you can, two boys about 12 years of age, looking longingly at a tree in the neighbor's orchard, a tree loaded with Golden Delicious apples.  There's a high, barbed-wire fence between them and the tree.  Will they be satisfied to stand and look?  How much would it help to offer them a book on apples, complete with color pictures?  It would not be hard at this point to sidetrack to a homily on temptation.

My point is, a knowledge of God can never take the p;ace of an understanding of god.  An intellectual knowledge will not suffice.  Only as we open our hearts to His presence and enjoy fellowship with Him can we gain a true knowledge of our heavenly Father.  Intellect must be mixed with emotion and experience, or we can never truly know.  We could think of a man's intellect as his sight, and the emotions as the sense of taste.  The emotions are to the spiritual mind what taste is to the tongue.  To go through life with a head knowledge of the doctrine of God but no heart experience of fellowship with Him is like going through life with no sense of taste.

Ellen White, writing to ministers, spoke of this balance that should be maintained in sermons.  "The object of preaching is not alone to convey information, not merely to convince the intellect.  The preaching of the word should appeal to the intellect, and should impart knowledge, but it should do more than this.  The words of the minister should reach the hearts of the hearers."  Testimonies to Ministers, p.62. 

This is why our emotional nature should be carefully guarded in order to keep every emotion tender and responsive.  Satan attacks us on this point, especially rough television, theater and novels.  Horror in our day has become a joke and death a wisecrack.  The Holy Spirit finds it difficult to make impressions upon scarred and callous souls.  Our only safety is to daily "taste...and see that the Lord is good"!  Find refuge in Him!

taken from: First Things First
March 6
by: Bob Spangler

 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 
Romans  5:12   (NKJV)


Our text if full of well-worn terms such as sin, world, men, and death, all of which suggest dry theology.  But no man can have a heart aglow with the love of God until he senses what his nature is really like and what God has done for him.  Freedom from the death penalty means nothing to a person until he understands that he is under the death penalty and can't save himself.  This is why Paul, an earnest evangelist, repeatedly tried to help men see their awful condition and their utter helplessness to do anything about it.  Then he would draw back the curtain and show his hearers the way out through Jesus Christ.


The "one man" Paul refers to is Adam.  It is because of Adam's sin that we are born depraved and subject to sin's penalty -- death.  I have nothing in me whereby I can say to the Lord, "I have my faults, but there is something in my favor that You should take into account when saving me."  It sounds strange, but far too many are, in effect, telling this to God.  When a man compares his guilty, dead-in-sin nature with the righteousness of God, he discerns that he has no righteousness of his own.  It is in this sense that man is totally depraved.  Truly our righteousness is as filthy rags.


If in us there is any good thing that recommends us to God or deserves credit in payment for sin, then salvation is built on another foundation than that of grace alone.  It becomes an impotent mixture of man's work and God's work.


On the horizontal plane -- the plane of man's relationship with his fellow man -- there is a certain kindness and goodness.  Many a godless individual has exhibited greater kindness at times than that seen among Christians.  But all the goodness, all the kindness, all the generous deeds a person performs, cannot be accounted as righteousness.  There is no way through sin, no way around it, no way above it or below it, except the one true way -- Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Christ by Himself, without our help, has rescued man from his frightful plight through the gift of His own life.  Let Him be praised and thanked forever!

taken from: First Things First
                      February 28
                 by: Bob Spangler

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24 (NKJV)


In order to understand what man lost when he sinned, we must understand what he had to lose. He had God but lost Him. God is Heaven and Heaven is God. You have no Heaven without God. Too often we interpret Adam's loss in terms of material things, such as a garden home. The most glorious mansion set in the loveliest environment can have within it fabulously rich people who live in an atmosphere of hell because God is not in their hearts. God's main dwelling is not in a home, but in a person. Before God drove man out of the Garden, man drove God out of his life and heart by sinning. The first sin was nothing less than actual mutiny against God. It was either God or sin, and Adam and Eve chose the latter. It's just as simple as that.


The loss of anything in this world can never be compared with the loss of God. For this reason Paul equated all of his material losses with dung.


The most terrible thing that could ever come upon a man would be the curse of immortality along with everything the world could offer except a relationship with God.


With bowed heads and broken spirits the weeping Adam and Eve left the Garden. But their tears symbolized feelings far deeper than the mere loss of a bit of earthly property. The long walk out of the Garden was a separation from the One who gave meaning to their lives. The only real hope they had was the promise that someday a Redeemer would come. But until then, by faith they could have a partial relationship with the Lord, even as do we who are waiting for His return.


It would be well to remember that it is not correct to talk about the "way back to God." Rather, God stands ready to come back into out lives the moment we open the door. There is no flaming sword between us and God unless we put it there!


The only way to stop god's entrance into our lives is to shut the door. Let's fling it wide open today and always.


taken from: First Things First
February 19
by: Bob Spangler

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

James  1:5  -  KJV

Seated on the ground, her knitting needles clicking, Mary Slessor listened to the arguments of the natives and prayed for wisdom to judge fairly between them.

At Calabar Mission in Nigeria, Africa, where Mary Slessor served as a missionary, the people often asked her to help settle their disputes.  This required wisdom, patience, and tact.  According to native tradition, when a person died, another person was blamed for his death and required to eat a poison bean.  If the person eating the bean lived, he was not guilty of murder.  But if he died from the bean, he was guilty.  This and other evil practices existed, and Mary attempted to arbitrate between tribes and individuals.  Some of the meetings went on for several days.  As a result of her wise judgments, many lives were spared.


You, too, need wisdom for life's decisions.  The Bible speaks of three kinds of wisdom - human, worldly, and godly.  Using human wisdom, your decisions will be based on what you think.  If you operated in worldly wisdom, decisions will be influenced by the ideas of men.  Godly wisdom comes from God and His Word.


Day by day, for big decisions or those with less serious consequences, ask God for His wisdom.  He promises liberal amounts.

Taken from  "Daily Devotions for Women"
                      by  Jewell Johnson
                      Day 112

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Revelation  2:3  -  NIV

Despite the toll of lives, most mission boards of the early 1800s had no problem filling the ranks.  At a camp meeting in New York, Dr. Nathan Bangs, the secretary of a Methodist mission, was handed a note that read,  "A sister ... is willing to give her life as a female teacher if she wanted."


Ann Wilkins was wanted!  She volunteered in spite of knowing upon his arrival in West Africa in 1833, the first Methodist missionary had died of African fever.  Two couples and a single woman were appointed to fill the ranks.  One couple died within three months.  Broken in health, the other couple returned home.  The single missionary endured more than twenty attacks of fever before she also left the field.


Ann, a young widow, described as a "born teacher," sailed for Liberia in 1837.  She established a boarding school for girls and started a school for orphans that eventually became Millsburg Female Academy, the first American Methodist school for girls overseas.  Twice Ann returned to the United States for health reasons.  Despite attacks of malaria, she risked her life and stayed at her post for nineteen years.


The keys to surviving precarious situations are persistence and faith.  And Ann Wilkins had plenty of both!  Dire situations may also be part of your life, but as you persist, God will use these trials for His glory and the good of many.


Taken from  "Daily Devotions for Women"
                      by  Jewell Johnson
                      Day 109

 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;
 by me princes govern,and nobles—all who rule on earth.


Proverbs  8:15-16  -  NIV

Before Victoria was crowned queen of England in 8137, she requested two hours of solitude while she prayed for wisdom and guidance to rule her people.


Was her request granted?  During her sixty-four-year reign, England reached its height of power and enjoyed great industrial expansion at home and abroad.  In Victoria's era, laws were passed to improve the sordid conditions endured by the laboring class.  Education of children became compulsory.  Also during her rule, missionary fervor flourished in Great Britain, and missionaries flowed from her shores to all nations.  Great religious organizations such as the Salvation Army also came into being in England during this time.


Before Victoria's reign, English monarchs received little respect and were often self-indulgent.  This changed with Victoria.  Described as humble and honest, she brought dignity to the throne as she helped the poor and exercised her authority for good.


God uses people to govern the nations.  Because their responsibility is great, the apostle Paul encourages Christians to pray for all in authority (I Timothy 2:1-2).  As we follow God's admonition, we will come nearer to His design for the nations; that we live quiet, peaceful lives in godliness and holiness.

Taken from   "Daily Devotions for Women"
                     by Jewell Johnson
                     Day 110

People can't believe in Jesus
If the gospel they don't hear,
So we must proclaim its message
To the world -- both far and near.

copied from:      (not the same book as shown)
 "Our Daily Bread" - June 30, 2009
Poem - Sper

Keep your eyes on the Lord;
He never takes His eyes off you.

Copied from:     (not the same book as shown)
   "Our Daily Bread" - September 23, 2008

Our children are a heritage,
A blessing from the Lord;
They bring a richness to our lives -
In each, a treasure stored.

copied from:     (not the same book as shown)
  "Our Daily Bread" - June 21, 2009
Poem - Fasick

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”    So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 
Genesis 1:26-27  (NKJV)

Sublime thought!  Almost unbelievable!  Can you imagine, reader, that you and i were created in the image of the omnipotent God?  If only the human race would sense their divine ancestry, their lofty lineage, their affiliation with god, their royal Progenitor, what a difference there would be in our attitudes toward God, ourselves, and everybody else.


Can you imagine what Satan has done and is doing to wipe from men's minds the thought that we are made in God's image?  Man is not a two-legged animal.  Man is not, as Mark Twain said,  "the only animal that blushes, or needs to."  Man is not "a great, mischievous baboon," as Dr. William Harvey, discoverer of the circulation of the blood, calls him.


Rather, man is a special, unique, created being.  Our text today takes away any mysterious conjectures about who and what man is.  It states plainly and unequivocally that man is not an animal and that he is not here by accident.  Rather, he is the product of God's thought, design, and power.  "Man was to bear God's image both in outward resemblance and in character." -- Patriarchs and Prophets.  p 45

God's creation of man in his own image is strictly a Judeo-Christian concept.  Other ancient nations have their corrupted accounts of the origin of man, some of which are vile and ridiculous, but none compare to the Bible's lofty description.

For instance, Buddhism teaches that the original source of all was a nameless being, devoid of all qualities and thus indistinguishable from nothing.  If this be true, what does that make man?  Absolutely nothing!  But man was something -- in fact, everything -- to begin with.  He was made in the image of God!  He was created perfect and upright, with noble traits of character.  This high concept focuses on the whole man, his mental, physical, and spiritual aspects.  No part of man was cast in an inferior mold.  Let this concept be held in your mind constantly.  Your ancestral line is important not because of some earthly blue blood, but because of your heavenly Father's will and design in creating man in His very own image!


taken from: First Things First
                      February 17
                 by: Bob Spangler

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians  6:12  (NKJV)


The reality of the conflict between Christ and Satan over the human soul is a concept that is difficult for most people, including myself, to grasp.  World War II began during the last years of my college experience.  Sensing the reality of that war was not difficult.  The aftermath found millions dead or wounded, cities devastated, and nations agonizingly resurrecting themselves from ruin.


But the idea of spiritual warfare, in which we are all involved, sometimes seems fictitious.  In this battle, we don't feel ourselves being blown up; we hear no bullets whizzing by.  In fact, we can't see the generals or the troops of either fighting side.


For this very reason, Paul says,  "Our fight is not against any physical enemy."  Thus, our warfare is all the more dangerous because of its subtlety and illusiveness.  No one denies the existence or the reality of psychological warfare.  But many deny or ignore the greatest war in the history of the universe, a war that for thousands of years has never ceased for a moment in its fury.


The sun is shining, and the children are dressed in their Sabbath clothes.  Dad has on a new tan suit, and mother wears a lovely summer dress.  A Bible and Sabbath school quarterly are in the hands of both parents and children.  What a lovely sight to behold, as they get into the car and head for Sabbath school and church services!


But tragedy strikes.  No, not an accident. Nobody guns them down.  Dad and mother get into an argument over some silly point, and one finally shouts to the other,  "Shut up!"  Six-year-old Jimmy begins to cry, and older sister Mary is dumb with bewilderment.  Mother and dad glare at each other.  The scars of that spiritual accident will last as long as that family is alive.  "We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world."


You can understand why Paul urges,  "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  Ephesians  6:11 (NKJV)


taken from: First Things First
                      February 7
                 by: Bob Spangler

“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Because your heart is lifted up,
And you say, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
In the midst of the seas,’
Yet you are a man, and not a god,
Though you set your heart as the heart of a god    Ezekiel  28:2  (NKJV)

Some years ago, mind scientists carefully tabulated the number of times mentally ill people used words such as I, me, my and mine.  these unfortunates used one of these words referring to self in every twelve words of conversation.  the same scientists tabulated the speech of so-called normal people.  this tabulation showed that one of these words referring to self was used in every thirty-six words.  The mentally unbalanced referred to self three times more often than those who were normal.  Could it be that much of the mental illness we see today on every hand is a direct result of insecurity brought on by self-will and self-seeking?

It is extremely important to understand that Satan's program of rebellion has suppressed or perverted the historical background of his own existence.  To acknowledge that God was his Maker would naturally have ruined his revolt before it could have gotten started.  Recklessly he made the defiant claim,  "I am God."  The prophet Ezekiel, in our text today, uses imagery that far transcends the prince of Tyre.  He was specifically referring to none other than Lucifer.  Imagine Satan claiming that he was God and that he sat in the seat of God!  Such profane pride is jarring to the Christian  mind!

The gorgeous apparel of Lucifer is described in verse 13 of Ezekiel 28, but note carefully the seven concluding words, "in the day that thou wast created."  And those seven words of the Almighty are supreme proof that the Lord, not Satan, is God!

Everything Satan had before he fell was his only by gift and not through his own works.  In short, Lucifer's existence was his by gift and gift alone.  Satan's only claim to anything was through the loving, creative power of God.  If this was true of Lucifer, how much more is it true of the human race.  Let us talk less about self and more about our Savior.  It is what He can do, not what I can do! 

taken from: First Things First
                      February 10
                 by: Bob Spangler

Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?
Mark  12:24  NKJV


In view of the importance of Bible study, what steps should one take to get the most benefit from his time with the Word?  What can a person do to arouse in his own heart an interest in God's Book?


Step 1 - Attitude:  Before opening the Scriptures, ask yourself the question,  "For what purpose am i studying the Bible?  Am I trying to keep a perfect daily record?  Am I trying to prove some point?  Or am I seeking to know God's will for me?"


One must respect and reverence the Author of the Bible.  You should look for an expression of God's will, not your own.  The Bible is not a mere source book; rather, it is the Book of authority for your life.  Unless you submit to the authority of the Word, the truth will never be made plain to you.  As Joseph Malegue once said,  "All the obscurities of Scripture and all its flashes of light will fall together, dragging each other, on one slope or the other, according to which side your heart is."


Step 2 - Prayer:  "Never should the Bible be studied without prayer.  Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given." - Steps to Christ.  p 91.  The sincere seeker for truth will never approach the Scriptures in his own strength, and when you propose to prsent Scripture truth to others you should be even more solicitous for God's help.


Step 3 - Reading:  Be sure to read the verses preceding and following any particular passage.  You are not at liberty to pick out a text here or there and use it to establish a "truth" unless you know the context of the passage.  Only thus can you be certain you are interpreting it properly.  Too often an otherwise sincere person discovers and propagates a teaching that is really false doctrine....because he failed to understand the setting of a text.


In order to get a complete picture of what the Lord has to say, compare one passage of Scripture with another on the same subject.  Short of that, you may easily get a lopsided view.  A good concordance can give you invaluable help in scriptural comparison.

taken from: First Things First
                      November 17
                 by: Bob Spangler

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy  8:3  NKJV


The lesson God wanted to teach by the manna was that as long as the people trusted in Him and obeyed Him,  He would sustain them.  In other words, man does not live by bread alone, but by believing every word that proceeds out of God's mouth.  How can we believe His Word if we do not personally take time to know it through study?


Several years ago 3,000 church members in one particular area of the country responded to a questionnaire.  One of the attitudes the study revealed was that once a person is baptized, his spiritual welfare depends more upon Sabbath services and fellowship than upon personal devotions.  Half the members responding claimed to derive their prime spiritual uplifts from the Sabbath services, and tragically blamed the minister and his sermons if they felt the lack of spiritual growth.


Little or no Bible study is not only dangerous, but fatal to spiritual growth, and each person is responsible for personal devotions.  If we allow the pressure of our daily programs to steal from us our right to spend time with God daily, who then is to blame?  We alone are responsible for our success or failure in this all-important matter of personal devotions and serious study of the Scriptures.


Those who permit the Bible to gather dust during the most of the week have a slim chance of growing spiritually.  If the Scriptures contain leaves from the tree of life, and if the purpose of the tree of life is the healing of the nations, it becomes obvious that true success in the spiritual life is dependent to a large degree on our personal spiritual development through earnest, Spirit-led Bible study.


How can we experience death to self and life in Christ?  how can we learn experientially  to ask,  "Who is it that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God"  (I John 5:5 RSV)?  What keeps us from falling into the cruel gears of sin?  There is no other way than in and through the Word of God.



taken from: First Things First
                      November 15
                 by: Bob Spangler

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John  6:63  -  NKJV


John Wycliffe, known as the Morning Star of the Reformation, laid the foundation for the great Protestant movement by initiating the first complete translation of the Bible into the language of the common man.  While at college he had an opportunity to read the Word in Latin.  As he studied, he was thrilled to find God's plan of salvation set forth beautifully in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Through his preaching, lights went on one by one in the dark world that had been denied the Scriptures.


One incident in his life shows his determination to rank the Scriptures supreme.  At one time he became critically ill.  His enemies from four religious orders rejoiced and planned to force him to retract his statements against the Roman catholic Church, which had suppressed the Scriptures.  The sick reformer, after listening to their demand, asked for assistance to be raised up in bed.  As he looked at these men who were demanding his recantation, "he said, in the firm, strong voice which had so often caused them to tremble:  'I shall not die, but live, and again declare the evil deeds of the friars.'" -- The Great Controversy, p.88.


The person who loves, knows, and practices the Word has an indomitable power.  You cannot crush the spirit of a man who feeds on the Word.  The Advent Movement came about because our prisoners gave themselves to a study of the Scriptures.  While this movement attains its victorious climax our people will devote themselves to Bible study as intensively as did those pioneers.


We talk and pray and long for Christ to return.  Though we do not know when that event will happen, one thing is certain -- when He comes again He will find His people searching the Scriptures, conforming their lives to its teaching, and sharing their Bible-based faith with their neighbors.  If we are to endure the troublous times ahead and are to be unmoved by the erroneous beliefs and teachings beckoning on every side, we must be daily rooted and grounded in the book of books.


Cling to the Word.  Esteem God's written revelations more than earthly possessions.  It is the only anchor on the stormy sea of life.  Give it up and shipwreck is inevitable.  Hold to it, and victory is yours.


taken from: First Things First
                      November 14
                 by: Bob Spangler

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through god to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of god, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
II  Corinthians  10:3-5  -  NEB


Lindsay A. Semmens, one of my beloved college professors, developed an unusually descriptive interrogative sentence for use when talking about the false religious philosophies of men.  He would hold his hand high in the air and then with a giant swoop would nearly touch the floor while exclaiming,  "Why dive through fifty feet of sewage to get one scintilla of truth?"  that provocative question has stuck with me during my years of preaching the gospel.


With prophetic eye Paul got a  glimpse of our day when he said,  "The weapons we wield are not merely human"  (Verse 4,  NEB).  Foolish speculations, self-centered philosophies, and godless psychology surely form a part of the arsenal of carnal weapons.  The casualty list for professed Christians is extremely high because Satan's methods are so subtle, refined, and appealing to the natural mind of man.  There are certain laws dealing with the mind that, if properly understood and obeyed, can contribute to our success and happiness.  But above and beyond our ability to utilize the mental equipment God has given us is the need of a spiritual power that assures victory over the enemy.


There is only one sure, safe path.  There is only one effective weapon against sin and error.  it is a "Thus saith the Lord."  The power of the Word sealed in a man's heart can "demolish strongholds; ... demolish sophistries and all that rears its proud head against the knowledge of god"  (verses 4, 5, NEB)


God, in prodigal love for His children, has made His Word available throughout the ages.  In these final hours of earth's history He has deluged us with the greatest amount of special revelation any group of truth-seekers has ever known.  the eternal Word, amplified so magnificently by the spirit of Prophecy, is a source of vitamin-packed food for the soul.  Studied and followed earnestly, it will keep one on the track of truth.


taken from: First Things First
                      November 11
                 by: Bob Spangler

The man is the head of the woman, just as Christ also is the head of the church.  Christ is, indeed, the Saviour of the body; but just as the church is subject to Christ, so must women be to their husbands in everything.
Ephesians  5:23, 24  NEB


Just as Jesus is the head of the church and the Saviour of his people, so the husband is to be a saving head and influence over his family.  No wife and family need fear to subject themselves to that kind of home leader.


Christian marriage is not an expedient, nor is it an experiment.  God, the originator of the home, laid down specific principles in the very beginning to safeguard the happiness of both husband and wife.  The Saviour watches jealously over every marriage union, for He knows that each time Satan succeeds in destroying a home he obliterates to a degree the union that should exist between God and His children.  The devil also is well aware of this, and he works tirelessly to bring about dissension and heartache within the sacred confines of the home circle.


Ellen White wrote a special message to a bridge and groom, each 21 years of age, who had been married three months.  May I suggest that husbands and wives read this fine counsel together on a monthly basis.  The concepts are ennobling and practical:


"Live for the glory of God.  Be tender, kind, and courteous to each other.  The happiness of your life will consist in making God your your trust, and in seeking to make each other happy.  Practice self-control.  It is so easy to speak thoughtlessly, words that grieve and wound.  Do not venture to trifle with each other's feelings.  Practice patience, encourage love, discipline yourselves to guard every word and action, and study how you can be a blessing to each other....


"Never make a third person your confidante.  Your private life is sacred; keep the barriers high, that no one may presume to intrude into the sacred circle....


"A word more: do not speak a word in jest that shall injure or reflect upon the other.  Never recount the mistakes, or errors, or faults of each other in the presence of a third person, or in company, be the circle ever so select.  Live for God and for each other."  -- Letter 16a, 1870


taken from: First Things First
                      October 31
                 by: Bob Spangler

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Colossians  3:15  (NKJV)


Is it possible to give thanks in all the adverse circumstances of life?  It seems a bit irrational to expect a bereaved husband or wife to thank God when a loved one is lost.  Can a parent truly give thanks to God when a darling child has been struck down by a brain tumor?  Is it possible to thank Him in the midst of a financial depression with its extreme poverty and woe?  These circumstances do not naturally elicit gratitude.


The only way that we can be thankful under all circumstances is to follow.  Paul's admonition to "pray continually".  Only as the Holy Spirit enters our lives through prayer can we maintain a thankful attitude regardless of outward circumstances.


The truth in our text today is real.  It means exactly what it says.  If we claim to be Bible Christians, then we should not be selective in our response to Scripture.  Here is a gracious command to give thanks in all circumstances on a constant basis.  If we would give more expression to praise and thanksgiving and rejoice in what we do have, it would serve to increase our joy and happiness.  Paul commends gratitude as a way of life.


Being thankful is not always easy, but here are several suggestions that should help.  First, rather than tremble before the instruction, why don't we contemplate the related promises.  Think about this one:  "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full"  (John  15:11)  And, "Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy"  (John  16:20).  And from the Old Testament,  "The Lord hath anointed me to ... bind up the brokenhearted, ... to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness"  (Isaiah  61:1-3).


Second, does it work?  The apostle Paul answers with a resound Yes!  Incredible?  Listen to his testimony.  "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong"  (2 Corinthians  12:10).  Try it all day - this day.


taken from: First Things First
                      September 9
                 by: Bob Spangler

He who touches you touches the apple of his eye.

Zechariah  2:8  RSV

In the jostle and complexity of modern life it is easy to be deeply hurt or to cause pain to someone else, sometimes unintentionally, but often with a he-deserves-it attitude.  We take our frustrations out on those we love the most.  How God must cringe at our sarcastic barbs, our loaded slams, which in reality stem from envious and jealous hearts.  These acts wound Him who is infinite love.


How can we, in the spirit of Christ, handle these deep hurts when they come our way, without becoming bitter, resentful, or calloused?  Here is another practical suggestion my typist shared with me from Thought From the Mount of Blessing page 71:
"The Father's presence encircles Christ, and nothing befell Him but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world."  As she read this, she thought, So that explains why Christ could take so much.  I could too if - and then she continued reading:  "Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us.  He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ.  The blow that is aimed at him falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds him with His presence.  Whatever comes to him comes from Christ.  He has no need to resist evil, for Christ is his defense.  Nothing can touch him except by our Lord's permission."  She told how she woke up as if from a dream.  She read it over and over, using "me" in place of "him."  "The blow that is aimed at me falls upon my Saviour."  All at once she grasped how this could work in her own life.  And it did.  The more she used it the more excited she became - she had found Christ's secret of serenity in trial!  All she had to do was be sure she was abiding in Christ, that her relationship with Him was intact.  Now when someone figuratively "beats" her, she is able to counter it in a safe way:  "Lord, here is an opportunity to reflect Your image.  Please help me not to fail and become defensive.  You are my defense.  You are actually surrounding me!  He thinks he's hurting me, Lord, but he doesn't know the blow is really falling on You and isn't even touching me!  Thank You, Jesus."

taken from: First Things First
                      September 7
                 by: Bob Spangler