The secret of Christian joy—is the peace of Christ in the heart. Then one is not dependent on circumstances or conditions. Paul said he had learned in whatever state he was, therein to be content. That is, he had formed the habit of happiness and had mastered the lesson so well, that in no state or condition, whatever its discomforts were, was he discontented. We well know, that his circumstances were not always congenial or easy. But he sang songs in his prison with just as cheerful a heart and voice as when he was enjoying the hospitality of some loving friend. His mood was always one of cheer, not only when things went well—but when things went adversely. He was just as songful on his hard days—as on his comfortable days.

Then Paul gives us the secret of his abiding gladness, in the word he uses—”content.” It means self-sufficed. He was self sufficed—that is, he carried in his own heart the springs of his own happiness. When he found himself in any place, he was not dependent on the resources of the place for his comfort. The circumstance might be most uncongenial. There might be hardship, suffering, poverty; but in himself he had the peace of Christ, and this sustained him so that he was content.

There is no other unfailing secret of happiness. Too many people are dependent upon external conditions—the house they live in, the people they are with, their food, their companions, the weather, their state of health, the comforts or discomforts of their circumstances. But if we carry with us such resources that things outside us cannot make us unhappy, however uncongenial they may be—then we have learned Paul’s secret of contentment, which is the Christian’s true secret of a happy life.(By J. R. Miller, 1898)

“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.”–Proverbs 27:8

John Frederick Parker was one of the original officers when the Metropolitan Police Department for Washington DC was established in 1861. He had an undistinguished record, having been reprimanded on more than one occasion for sleeping or being drunk while on duty. Despite his checkered past, Parker was assigned to guard the booth of President Abraham Lincoln during the performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater that Lincoln attended on April 14, 1865.

During the intermission of the play, Parker and several other men left the theater and went to a nearby tavern for drinks. As a result when John Wilkes Booth arrived at the presidential box, there was no security guard to stop him from entering and killing President Lincoln. Confronted later by Mary Todd Lincoln who blamed him for her husband’s murder, Parker said, “I did wrong, I admit, and have bitterly repented.” John Parker failed to stay in the place where he should have been, and tragedy followed.

It is easy for us to find excuses for not being where we should be and doing what we should do but there is great value in diligence and reliability. Instead of being distracted, bored, or tempted by something else, we must be faithful to our responsibilities. This is true in our families, on our jobs, in the church, and everywhere we belong. A man or woman who is where they should be, doing what they should do, is far safer than one who is not. Think of David staying behind in Jerusalem and seeing Bathsheba on the rooftop. While he should have resisted the temptation, if he had been where he should have been, the temptation would never have happened. Don’t wander away from the place where God has put you in search of greener pastures.–Be diligent about fulfilling whatever assignments God has placed in your life—it can literally be a matter of life and death.(From “Daily in the Word”)

— I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again–. John 10:17-18

To use the magnificent words of B.B. Warfield, ‘Jesus dies on the cross, but not of the cross.’ The cross was the means by which He died, but not the reason why He died. He died through being crucified, but not because He was crucified. He was nailed to the tree, but that wasn’t the cause of His dying.

The cause of His dying is precisely because He is there as the substitutionary atonement for the sins of His people. He dies bearing my sins in His body to that tree, so that I might live; so that through His condemnation at Calvary, the Judge in heaven will say to the sword of justice as it hangs over my head for my sins, ‘Do not slay my son. Jesus has been crucified. He has been put to death’; and I am now pardoned through His dying, justified by His blood, saved from the wrath to come. ( Iain D. Campbell)

Let us never forget, it was His love, not the nails, that held Him there! He could have called “more than twelve legions of angels”(Matt. 26:53) to deliver Him from the agony of the cross, but He, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross–“(Heb. 12:2). O Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil– 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Here is counsel that can spare us much pain and provide us with great blessings, but this is more than wise counsel. This is a commandment from our all-wise, ever-loving, Father in heaven. Those who ignore it are living in rebellion—and headed for ruin. We would do well to consider these comments in the daily devotional, “A Good Thing”:

The standard by which we are to accept or reject every idea, emotion, or opportunity is whether it is “good” or “evil.” No middle ground is mentioned.

How do we know what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong? The only infallible benchmark we have is God’s Word, the Bible. We can not make decisions based upon our feelings at the moment, the advice or rationale of others, or society’s changing ideas of what is acceptable.

Nor are we to make decisions only after “trying out” all our options. We are not told to “experiment with everything” but to prove (test) all things. Experience, emphatically, is not the best teacher. Instruction is. And in the Bible we find the instruction we need regarding how we are to live, what priorities we are to hold, and how we are to view the world around us.

Once we have applied God’s Word to any particular issue in our lives, we are then told to whole-heartedly pursue the indicated course of action. If a thing is good, we are to “hold fast” to it, not substituting or selling it for anything. If it is evil, we are to “abstain” from it, not sampling or teasing with it in small doses.

Do you have a decision to make? Test it by the touchstone of God’s Word, and then cling to the good and right path, abstaining from even the appearance or possibility of evil.

—“I will come again—“John 14:3
Remember all the sermons and songs we used to hear about the second coming of Christ? Every revival meeting had at least one night devoted to the subject and some radio ministries were dedicated entirely to the subject, but not anymore. What happened? Why don’t we hear them anymore? There is a strange silence in our land today regarding the return of Jesus. It seems that the scoffers have silenced the saints–or is it sin that has sealed our lips? Whatever the reason, we don’t seem to think much of or about the Lord. The silence is deafening–loud and clear.

Although the Bible declares that this is our “Blessed hope”(Titus 2:13) and means whereby “we comfort one another”(1 Thess. 4:18), from the pulpit to the pew this truth is seldom mentioned. Were it not for a few fleeting references to it at funerals we would never know such a glorious truth existed. Even those acquainted with it don’t seem to anticipate it—at least not in their lifetime. The last prayer of the Bible is, “Even so come Lord Jesus”(Rev. 22:20). So why have we stopped talking about it?

If we lived in the light of this glorious truth it would totally transform us. His return will result in the resurrection, reunion, relief, and rewards for the redeemed. If we hope to overcome to frustrations and fear of perilous times we must focus on that. Jesus said, “–the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not”(Luke 12:40). Could this be that hour? Jesus is coming, are you going?