Contentment Makes Truly Happy (Pasche, F.E.)

"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."1 Tim. 6:8.

God’ s apostle commands: “ Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have.” A man is content when he is satisfied with what God has apportioned to him, whether it be much or little, and when he is not continually craving things which God has not given him. Such contentment makes one truly happy. For such contented people cheerfully per­ form the labors and duties of the station and calling in which God has placed them and, without perplexing their minds, leave it to God to give the increase. They do not harass their minds with things of the past, which cannot be recalled or altered, or with things of the future, of which they know nothing, but, attending to the labors of the day, they leave past and future in the hand of God.

People who live so contented can nevertheless not enjoy per­ fect happiness, because in this vale of tears they remain surrounded by evils, but they live comparatively happy because they put up with evils and make the best of things that are not just as they would like to have them. Such contentment is indeed great gain.

How can a man acquire such contentment? It does not dwell in man by nature, neither can he acquire it by his own energy; God must give it; it is His gift, and of Him we must ask it. But if we are to ask God for this gift, we must first be able to lift up our eyes to Him with cheerfulness and confidence. We must know that o u t sins are forgiven. No man on earth can have a truly contented and quiet heart unless he knows that he has forgiveness of all his sins, that God has become his gracious and loving Father, and that he shall not be brought into the judgment of condemna­ tion. No man can possess the gift of true contentment unless he is a Christian; but the Christian does possess it. And that is great gain. He can say: “ The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

Prayer.

O beneficent Father, let us not forget that all things we receive come from Thee and are Thine. For this very reason do Thou grant that we may never be dissatisfied with what Thou givest. We pray Thee to ward off from us whatever might render our live­ lihood difficult. Let each one be content and satisfied with his lot, that both rich and poor may recognize Thy power and may praise Thee. Grant that the rich do not place their trust in their wealth, that the poor enjoy the little they have in good health, and that we all may delight in Thy goodness. Amen.

DAILY READINGS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller

February 20. The Shadow of the Cross

"Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him."  Matthew 3:15

One meaning of Christ's words here is that, as man in the place of sinful men, He must take upon Him all the conditions of humanity. He had no sins of His own to confess — and yet He came to John as other men came. He did this because He was in the place of sinners. A little later John pointed to Him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." So we see Jesus coming to be baptized, because "all we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." This baptism with water, however, was but the merest shadow of what the bearing of our sins cost Him.

In Holman Hunt's picture, "The Shadow of the Cross," Jesus is represented at thirteen, standing in the carpenter's shop at the close of the day. He stretches out His arms and the setting sun casts His shadow in the form of a cross on the opposite wall. The artist's thought is that across the soul of the gentle youth thus early fell indeed, the shadow of the cross. No doubt the thought is true. Especially here, however, as Jesus entered His public ministry, did not this shadow fall upon Him.

This baptism by John was but the emblem of the other baptism. This was only with water, and was but symbolic. He had another baptism to be baptized with the baptism of sorrow, of death, and of curse, when He "redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us." We ought never to forget, as we enjoy the blessings of redemption, what it cost our Lord to procure them for us. He endured His unfathomable baptism of sorrow, pain and death — that we might receive the blessings of peace and joy. He tasted death for us — that we might have deathless life!

 

 The Blue Ensign

"Remember now thy Creator . . ." Ecclesiastes 12:1

            The name, Titanic, conjures up magical memories of by-gone days of grandeur and almost miraculous feats of Naval Science and Engineering. The RMS Titanic, the largest ocean-going vessel to ever sail the high seas, was the embodiment of the national pride of the British Empire and of the prestigious White Star Line.

            The Titanic was even given the privilege of flying the Blue Ensign, a blue flag with Union Jack affixed in the upper left field. This grand vessel was touted by her Captain, E.J. Smith, as being “unsinkable.” As a matter of fact, when asked by a news reporter if the Titanic could be sunk, the good Captain responded, “Sir, God, Himself, could not sink the Titanic.” These proved vain and prideful words, for the Master of the Seas presided over the sinking of this glorious idol of the British Empire only four days after these words were spoken. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:19.

            On that fateful night of April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on her starboard bow. Within 2 hours and forty minutes, this vessel sank hard by the bow and slipped beneath the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic as the band played, and the company sang, “Nearer, my God, to Thee.”

            There were many whose lives, though flamboyant, were unremarkable prior to the sinking; however, most of these same souls exhibited rare courage and chivalry in the moments preceding their tragic ending. Many gave up their own life jackets to women and children, some refused to board a life raft so long as there were women and children who required accommodation, and then there was the ship’s band (accustomed to playing at fancy balls), at the moment of crisis, now selflessly playing the funeral dirge for hundreds of perishing souls.

            I have always been fascinated by man’s utter disregard for God and His creatures until the moment in which calamity strikes. Why not live each day as if it were the sinking of our souls? Why not turn to the Master of the Seas and Land, and of all the glittering galaxies of Heaven, while the time is abundant to the purpose?

            The Titanic carried to her Ocean grave, the souls of 1522 men. She went to that Ocean grave with her Blue Ensign neatly tucked away in one of her many compartments. Shall we likewise perish with our life’s ensign neatly folded and tucked away in a bay compartment? or shall we fly our colors gladly as we muster for the daily Battle of Life? Why not?

Jerry L. Ogles
Bishop
Anglican Orthodox Church

 

 

 Lying or Deceiving by God’s Name - F.E. Pasche

 "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith."  Jer. 23:31.

What is meant by lying or deceiving by God’s name ? It means to adorn false doctrine or ungodly life with the Word and name of God. Who is mean enough to do that ? Who is bold enough to venture it? Must he not fear to be found to fight against God? Yet this same thing is done daily by the thousands of false prophets who deny the true faith, preaching their own erroneous specula­ tions, as well as by the millions who live in sin, but would be accounted saints. God surely does not like such as use their

tongues to violate His Word. He says through the prophet Jeremiah that He is against such prophets. They preach false doctrine and yet declare, “He saith.” They deny the true faith and yet seek to gain credence for doing so. They tear down the Word of God, and yet they use the name of God as a veneer to cover their wicked words. They garble Scripture to suit their own purpose, and yet they render themselves attractive and commend­

able to many by twisting Scripture into a seeming agreement with their views.

Is this not the same vile method which their lying master, the devil, employed when he tempted Christ? To this day he is an adept in breeding mischief by false doctrine. Are there not false prophets almost everywhere, perverting and distorting the holy Word of God and yet claiming, “Thus saith the Lord” ? Is there not a bewildering number of sects, each of them deviating from God’s plain Word in some point and yet telling people that they are teaching the pure and unadulterated truth? Remember that you must strictly adhere to the divine Word; then you will not be deceived by them.

However, lying and deceiving by God’s name is done not only by false prophets; it is a very common sin. Every display of piety, all show of holiness, of such as live in sin, who thus adorn their ungodly life with the Word and name of God, is condemned in the Second Commandment.

Prayer.

0 my dear Savior, how much hast Thou endured, what hast Thou suffered for me to redeem such a worm as I am! Accept my thanks, 0 Lord, for all Thy suffering and draw me unto Thee that I may cling to Thee in life and in death, live for Thee alone, and despise and hate sin in every shape and form. 0 Lord, Thou hast said: “This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.” Let me beware of such hypocrisy and be Thine forever. Amen.

Desperate Faith

 Daily Readings in Life of Christ - J. Ogles

Desperate Faith

            Like the story of this dear woman, the salvation stories of great Christians are intriguing. One such story is that of the great and beloved minister and biblical commentator, Matthew Henry. In the early days of the founding of our country, Matthew Henry's Commentary was almost as commonplace in the households of America as the Holy Bible. Born to a Anglican minister of the Gospel at Broad Oak Manor in Wales in 1662, Matthew was an exceptional biblical scholar even at the age of three years and, according to Bickerton's Life of Henry, he could read the Bible with distinctness and observation at that early age. At age nine, he could read Latin and Greek, and was fluent in French. Though he heard his father's sermons each week, his first abiding convictions in religion came with a sermon his father preached on Psalm 51:17: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Though his commentaries cover the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations, it was this single verse by which he was drawn to repentance and conviction. Here is an excerpt of his commentary on this text:

Those who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin. It is a heart that is tender, and pliable to God's word. Oh that there were such a heart in every one of us! God is graciously pleased to accept this; it is instead of all burnt-offering and sacrifice. The broken heart is acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ; there is no true repentance without faith in him. Men despise that which is broken, but God will not. He will not overlook it, he will not refuse or reject it; though it makes God no satisfaction for the wrong done to him by sin. Those who have been in spiritual troubles, know how to pity and pray for others afflicted in like manner. David was afraid lest his sin should bring judgements upon the city and kingdom. No personal fears or troubles of conscience can make the soul, which has received grace, careless about the interests of the church of God. And let this be the continued joy of all the redeemed, that they have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. — Matthew Henry Concise

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.(Matthew 9:20-22)

One of the greatest barriers to faith in Christ is in knowing WHO Christ is. Many today consider Him in the same sense as a genie who grants our every wish, or as a good teacher of ethics and morals; but how many in the modern churches truly know Jesus to be Lord and Savior in more than a mere vocally expressed sense? He is our Lord and King. He is our Savior and Redeemer…and He is God! This last part seems to be the hanging point for many pseudo-religionists. Jesus is literally God the son and acts with the same power and authority of the Father – for both are One with the Holy Ghost!

Jesus has just been conversing with the followers of John the Baptist and reveals to them that He is the promised Bridegroom of the Church whom they seek, but unknowingly: “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” (Matt 9:15) It is unlikely that these disciples understood the meaning Jesus spoke to them until much later. He had, on this same occasion, forgiven the man stricken with the palsy of his sins, and sealed the miracle of forgiveness with His second miracle of physical healing.  We now take up the text:

20 “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment.” We are told more detail of this woman in the Gospel of St. Mark: “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” (Mark 5:25-27) Clearly, this woman, too, had only one hope of healing and that hope was Christ! She wasted away all of her savings on physicians, but grew only worse. Now she will come to the Great Physician who is able to heal body AND soul! How often do we, friends, struggle helplessly with our problems until they grow to immense proportion. Then we run to Christ for our solution! The woman had great difficulty approaching Jesus for the press of the crowd so close to Him on all sides. There were many who rubbed shoulders with Jesus that day, but only ONE who touched Him with faith. Just claiming the name of Christian does not avail to make us Christian unless we have the faith to match our convictions. 21 “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” It is the touch of faith that heals and not the material garment itself.  22 “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Here again, St Mark adds touching details that Matthew omits: “And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:29-30) Jesus felt healing power being transferred to another. His question, “Who touched me?” is profound, for Christ KNEW who touched Him. So many in the crowd had touched Jesus in the bustle of the street, but none with the faith of this poor woman. We may call on Christ in vain if our faith is dead, but if our faith is real – even if small – the touch will bear fruit. Jesus gave comfort, not only to the body, but to the soul of the woman by telling her that her faith had made her whole – whole in every sense of the word. Not just whole in body, but whole in soul as well for Christ does not work half-way miracles. “And the woman was made whole from that hour.”

            What are the most prominent points that we must take from this miracle of healing?

1.     IMPORTANCE OF PREACHING: The woman had, at least, HEARD of Jesus. Unless we hear first, we cannot come by faith to Christ. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) The woman had heard the report and, though she may not have known Christ deeply, she hung onto that faint hope which just the hearing made available to her.

2.     RECOGNIZE OUR DIRE NEED: The woman had a serious health problem but, greater still, is that deadly disease that afflicts every child born of woman – SIN! She recognized her need, and she recognized that the need could be satisfied in Christ! The Woman had spent all of her savings on doctors who had not helped her in the least. The world cannot satisfy our want, but Jesus can. She had only ONE hope left – the Lord Jesus Christ. So do we if we only will admit it.

3.     DREW NEAR TO THE SOURCE OF OUR HEALING AND SALVATION: The woman, though frail and suffering, dragged her diseased body to Christ. She did not come proudly or arrogantly, but fell in behind the crowd seeking to draw near enough as to only touch the hem of His garment. Those nearest to Jesus almost prevented her from approaching, but she allowed no impediment to her coming to Christ. We, too, must have that persistence once we know our need, and the source of its satisfaction in Christ. We cannot worship Jesus from a distance – we must TOUCH His heart with our own hearts.  We must communicate our need in prayer whether by act or word.

4.     HAVE THE FAITH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CHRIST CAN SUPPLY OUR NEED: “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” We do not come to Christ with reservations. There are no if’s involved in faith except the IF expressed by the woman – “If” I can draw so near Him as to touch only His hem, I shall be healed.

5.     NO ONE APPROACHES JESUS IN FAITH WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE: “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. The one in greatest need and want among the crowd was the one whose TOUCH Jesus felt. She came in faith out of her need. Should we all not recognize our own depravity and need in coming to Christ rather than simply walking in His Presence for the benefit of our pride?

6.     IT IS THE WILL OF JESUS TO HEAL US OF OUR DISEASE OF SIN AND ALL OTHERS: There is no delay in granting forgiveness to those who call upon Him with earnest heart. It is the influence of sin that brings sickness and disease upon the world – even among those who are otherwise innocent such as babes and little children.  But if we have no faith in Jesus, He will not heal us. He is our healing medicine. If we do not take Him inot our hearts, how can the medicine have its desired effect? “And the woman was made whole from that hour.”