– – – we should remember the poor- – – Gal. 2:10
Why does God allow so many of his children to be poor? He could make them all rich if he pleased; he could lay bags of gold at their doors; he could send them a large annual income; or he could scatter round their houses abundance of provisions, as once he made the quails lie in heaps round the camp of Israel, and rained bread out of heaven to feed them. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that he sees it to be best. “The cattle upon a thousand hills are his”—he could supply them; he could make the richest, the greatest, and the mightiest bring all their power and riches to the feet of his children, for the hearts of all men are in his control. But he does not choose to do so; he allows them to suffer want, he allows them to pine in penury and obscurity. Why is this? There are many reasons: one is, to give us, who are favoured with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus. We show our love to Christ when we sing of him and when we pray to him; but if there were no sons of need in the world we should lose the sweet privilege of evidencing our love, by ministering in alms-giving to his poorer brethren; he has ordained that thus we should prove that our love standeth not in word only, but in deed and in truth. If we truly love Christ, we shall care for those who are loved by him. Those who are dear to him will be dear to us. Let us then look upon it not as a duty but as a privilege to relieve the poor of the Lord’s flock—remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Surely this assurance is sweet enough, and this motive strong enough to lead us to help others with a willing hand and a loving heart—recollecting that all we do for his people is graciously accepted by Christ as done to himself. (Charles Spurgeon)

Those things, which ye have both learned , and received , and heard , and seen in me, do : and the God of peace shall be with you.–Phil. 4:9

It is well when a man can with advantage be so minutely copied as Paul might have been. Oh, for grace to imitate him this day and every day!

Should we, through divine grace, carry into practice the Pauline teaching, we may claim the promise which is now open before us; and what a promise it is! God, who loves peace, makes peace, and breathes peace, will be with us. “Peace be with you” is a sweet benediction; but for the God of peace to be with us is far more. Thus we have the fountain as well as the streams, the sun as well as his beams. If the God of peace be with us, we shall enjoy the peace of God which passeth all understanding, even though outward circumstances should threaten to disturb. If men quarrel, we shall be sure to be peacemakers, if the Maker of peace be with us.

It is in the way of truth that real peace is found. If we quit the faith or leave the path of righteousness under the notion of promoting peace, we shall be greatly mistaken. First pure, then peaceable, is the order of wisdom and of fact. Let us keep to Paul’s line, and we shall have the God of peace with us as He was with the apostle. (Faith’s Checkbook)

“And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” —1 Samuel 3:8–10

A father once became so engulfed in his work that he neglected his family. Tensions were high as he stormed around home night after night, eating dinner then rushing off to his study. His relationship with his wife suffered and his children felt cut off from him. Their conversations with their father routinely fell on deaf ears and they felt as if he were no longer interested in them. One night his young daughter approached him, “Dad, I have something to tell you, but I’ll talk fast so I won’t bother you.” Realizing the error of his behavior the past few weeks, he replied, “You can talk to me, sweetie. But you don’t have to rush.” His daughter replied, “Then will you listen to me, please?”

Sadly many folks are guilty of hearing without listening. That is especially true when it comes to our relationship with God. We hear the words but we don’t get the message, or we fail to respond. Can you imagine what would have happened to Israel, or David, had it not been for for Samuel? His sensitivity and submission to God’s word made a huge difference in the history of Israel. Because of the prayers of his mother, the wise counsel of the priest, and the obedience of Samuel the course of a nation was changed.

You too can make a difference, and God wants to use you! Listen for His call. Yield to His instructions. I’m not talking about about hearing an audible voice as Samuel did. God speaks today through His Word as it is applied by the Holy Spirit. Look into His Word and listen for His will, then submit yourself. Regardless of how difficult or impossible it might seem, when God calls you to do something He will enable you to do it. The only possibility of failure is on your part. Surrender all to God and you can make a difference in your little part of the world.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger ; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst .–John 6:35

Everyone is searching for something. We are born hungry. With birth comes an appetite. We just naturally long for satisfaction– something the world is unable to provide. That, however, doesn’t stop people from looking there for it. Some search for pleasure, others for possessions, some for a position, others for power,and popularity. Yet they are never satisfied. James Meikle (1730-1799) wrote:

Though I could trace my pedigree through illustrious heroes, and renowned kings, back to the first foundation of kingdoms, this would not furnish my soul with all it would desire. Though I had the knowledge of all educated men summed up in myself, so that the wisest philosophers might come and learn at my feet, still my desire would have its void to fill. Though I had all magnificent titles, honorary epithets, aggrandizing distinctions, and appellations of renown, even these would not fill the extensive blank. Though I had the uncontrolled dominion of the whole universe devolved on me, so that my name were revered in every nation, statues set up to me in all lands, and my fame and glory echoed through every kingdom, still would my desires be making new demands. Though Arabia, as my possession, should present me all her fragrant spices, the Indies, as my inheritance, amass for me all their riches, and all kingdoms, as tributary, send me their wares; though the earth should burst open all her silver veins and golden mines to enrich my treasures; though my throne were of one pearl, and my crown of one diamond; though my guards were kings, my menial servants princes, and my immediate subjects nobles; though the daily guests of my table were thousands and ten thousands of honorable personages; and though, for the entertainment of my table, my flocks should cover every hill, my herds range over every flowery valley, and the fowls of every wing alight around my palace, while the fish of every fin came, when needed, spontaneously ashore; though the fountains should flow with oil, the rivers stream with wine, and the forests drop honey—yet my heart would not say, ‘It is enough!’

He was right dear friend. That which satisfies is not to be found on the earth. There is only One source of satisfaction and that is Christ! Without any of the aforementioned things He is able to satisfy the deepest longings of our soul.  “In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” My desires are complete in him. I can go no further, I can wish no more than he has. Then, for the present, I am happier than the happiest worldling, having a heaven in possession! While a heaven of rapture and delight, floods of ecstasy and bliss, are in reserve for me!

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ– Ephesians 5:20

We are here admonished to give thanks for all things. We know we should give thanks for our daily provisions and for the mercy of God in saving us; but sometimes we don’t take the time or make the effort to truly thank Him, or to consider all the things for which we should be grateful.

The Apostle Paul frequently expressed his thanks to God for the faith, love and work seen in the churches where he had labored. He acknowledged that these godly fruits were because of God’s blessings on them and therefore gave thanks to God. He constantly expressed thankfulness for his godly fellow laborers, but consistently expressed thankfulness to God for even their faithfulness (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 1:3; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3).

Astonishingly, Paul also expressed appreciation for tribulations (Romans 5:3), and even acknowledged that he took pleasure in “infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake” because God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). If God’s sufficiency is displayed in my insufficiency, Paul said, then I am thankful for each opportunity for His strength to be shown in my weakness.

And above all, the Apostle gave thanks for the Savior. He wrote, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). Words are inadequate to describe the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ, but we should continually give thanks for Him and His love for us. –A Good Thing