DAILY READINGDS IN LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

March 14. True Worship

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

God loves to be worshiped — to have the praise, the adoration, and the homage of His children. In the olden days, burning incense was the symbol of worship; its fragrance rose up toward Heaven, and God smelled a sweet savor. What the fragrance of flowers coming up from dew-anointed fields and gardens is to us — the breath of true worship as it ascends from earth's believing hearts is to God. God is well pleased with it. He is not satisfied with bare, cold obedience. What parent would be content with mere dutifulness, such as a slave might render to a master — without affection, confidence, regard? God cannot be pleased with the most scrupulous external obedience if there is no heart in it. We must obey Him — because we love Him.

This word tells us also how we may worship God, if our worship is to be acceptable. It must be spiritual worship which we render Him. Stately forms please Him not in themselves. The music of splendid choirs and the repeating of creeds and prayers, do not make worship. Worship is heart-adoration, and the only true homage that rises from an assembly or from a private closet where one bows alone — is just the love and praise and prayer and devotion of hearts ascending in the words of human lips. No mere forms of worship are acceptable; the form must be breathed full of love and life. No offerings or gifts avail in worship — unless they are the expression of holy affections.

The teaching is not that we are not to use forms of worship; we cannot worship well without forms. The most basic ritual and the simplest ceremony will be pleasing to God — if heart's love fill them. But the most magnificent ritual will be empty of real worship, and will be an abomination to God — if there is no true worship of the spirit in it. All depends upon what we put into the forms.

Which Is the True Visible Church?

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Matt. 28:20.

It is not immaterial which one of the numerous visible churches we join; we must belong to the true one. Which is the true visible Church? God would have all men belong to the right one. We should not enter into union with false believers. Christ says: “Beware of false prophets!” His apostle warns: “Avoid them!” To be right and God-pleasing, a church union must follow Christ’s rule: “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed” and: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

Which, then, according to what we have now heard, is the true visible Church on earth ? It is the Church which teaches the entire doctrine of the Word of God. It is the Church which observes all things that Christ has commanded us to teach. But does the so- called Christian Church of to-day teach the whole Word of Christ pure and undefiled? Although all the various denominations pro­ fess that they do, yet we find that in most cases their statement is not true. They have to a great extent rejected the true doctrine of the Word of God.

But — praise and thanks to the gracious God! — there is

a Church that teaches all the doctrines of the Word of God in their

God-given purity and duly administers the Sacraments according

to Christ’s institution. This is our dear Lutheran Church. Our .

teaching and preaching is based solely upon the Word of God. The

Scriptures rule supreme in our Church. When we thus speak of

the Lutheran Church, we mean the Church as it has laid down its

Creed in the Symbolical Books of the Lutheran Church. In so far

we have a right to speak thus of our Church. In our Confessions

our doctrinal position has been laid down with such extreme care

that no one has yet succeeded in pointing out to us any doctrinal

deviation from the Bible. Especially do we accept the doctrine of

justification alone by grace.

Prayer.

O Thou God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, graciously bless Thy Church upon earth and endow Thy servants with the gifts of Thy grace that they may rightly dispense Thy Word and Sacraments to all the people to the strengthening of their faith in Thee and the increase of love toward all men. Clothe Thy Church with the beauty of holiness and peace. Let no weapon prosper that is formed against her. Encourage the hearts and strengthen the hands of Thy faithful people in every place. Amen.

Lord Jesus, help, Thy Church uphold, 

For we are sluggish, thoughtless, cold; 

Indue Thy Word with power and grace 

And spread its truth in every place.

O keep us in Thy Word, we pray;

The guile and rage of Satan stay;

Unto Thy Church grant, Lord, 

Thy grace, Peace, concord, patience, fearlessness. 

 In the Visible Church There Is Much Rubbish.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." Matt. 18:47-48.

The kingdom of heaven, that is, the Church, is likened by our Lord to a net cast into the sea. The net spoken of is a hauling-net, which was sometimes half a mile in length. A net of such dimen­ sions will naturally enclose fish of all sizes and kinds, some bad and others good. And so it is with the net of the Gospel. It is a large draw-net; it is not merely let down into one stream or river, but it dips the ocean, the wide and open sea of the world, and its threads are so strong, so well knitted together, that scarcely a single fish can escape. In other words, we have here a picture of the all-embracing Church of Christ, the preaching of the Gospel to every nation. But as the divine fishermen, the ministers of Christ, cast their net and enclose an abundance of human fishes, they find that not all are of the same quality; it is a mixed and motley multitude.

Behold, then, such is the outward appearance of the Church upon earth. Where the true Church is established, there you will find the sad effects of Satan’s pernicious work. You will find wicked people among the good, godlessness developing alongside of piety, vice cropping forth on the very side of virtue, and children of the Evil One standing next to the children of God. This has always been the case, and thus it will be to the end of the world. Was there not a Judas among the disciples of Christ? Do we not find divisions in the congregations of the early Church, much quar­ rel and angry controversy among the members, injustice, a wrong use of the Lord’s Supper, false prophets, men denying the doctrine

of the resurrection, even a man who had committed incest? Is there a congregation or a whole church-body which has arrived at the stage of perfection? There is no such congregation or Church on earth; and why ? Because Satan will always corrupt the divine Word; and our hearts, corrupted by sin, are always susceptible of all that is evil.

Prayer.

O almighty God, I come to Thee laden with sin and confess that I have deserved eternal damnation, being not only by nature a child of wrath and sold under sin, but having times untold trans­ gressed all Thy commandments. But I take refuge in Thy bound­ less mercy and humbly pray Thee, enter not into judgment with me, but for Thy name’s sake pardon mine iniquity. O Lord, here on earth Thy Church is polluted with many offenses; but at the end of the world a great change will come. Then a separation will take place. The good will be gathered into heaven, but the bad will be cast into eternal darkness. I submit to Thy will; do Thou as it seemeth good unto Thee; for Thine I am and would remain. Amen.

DAILY READINGS IN. LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890) 

March 13. A Living Spring

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life!" John 4:14

The soul was made for God, and when it returns to God — it finds peace and satisfaction. It is not meant, of course, that the Christian has no more natural desires; for longing is the very condition of more blessedness. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." If there is no thirst — there really is no life. 

The dove that flew away from the ark went on weary wing everywhere — but found only a wide waste of desolate waters, with no place to alight. Then she flew back to the ark, and was gently drawn inside, where she found warmth, safety, and rest.

The story of the dove illustrates the history of the soul that wanders everywhere seeking rest, at last returning to God. How much better if men believed this truth of universal experience — and went at once to God! An immortal soul, from its very nature, cannot find what it needs anywhere, except in God Himself.

This word of Christ tells us also what true religion is. It begins in the heart. It is not something external — a mere set of rules or laws to be obeyed, a guide to be followed, an example to be copied. It is new spiritual life in the soul. It is Christ Himself coming into the heart and dwelling there. It is a fountain of life, not a mere cistern — but a living spring open and ever flowing. It is fed from Heaven, and no matter then how dry this world may be — this living fountain in the heart shall never be exhausted, for its connection is with the river of life, which flows out from under God's throne. 

Wherever we go — we have our religion with us, in us — if we are true Christians. We are not dependent upon circumstances. Trouble does not destroy a Christian, because the fountain of his joy is within. This new fountain of life when opened in the soul — is the beginning of eternal life!

FOR FURTHER STUDY (JLO)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Rev 21:6)

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Rev 22:1-2)

            Jesus Christ is clearly the Fountain of Living Waters. He is not altogether the River of Life referred to in Revelations 22, but rather the Great Source of that River. His Word, proceeding in an abounding flood from His Heart and Mind, are the means whereby we may be granted, by His Grace, eternal life. The poor servant girl, Hagar, fleeing her mistress (Sarah) in the wilderness was found by the Lord by the preserving Fountain of Water. When we are helpless to govern our own path, as a poor servant girl, the LORD is always near as a Fountain of Water. And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. (Gen 16:7) But when she was freed of her servitude and again in the midst of the wilderness, the Lord found it necessary to open her eyes to see the Fountain that was at hand. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. (Gen 21:19) Christ is always near at hand for those who, even being blind, seek Him.

            Life is full of wilderness places. Sometimes those wilderness experiences come as a result of illness or death of a loved one, a financial tragedy, or the unrequited love of a dear soul upon whom we have set our heart and all of our love. It is at such wilderness places that we may benefit the most from opening our eyes to the beautiful Fountain of Living Waters (our LORD Jesus Christ) that stands at the ready by our sides to replenish our souls that have fallen vacant of love. He knows our circumstance and feeling for He has often showered His love on many from whom such love was not immediately reciprocated, and sometimes, NEVER!

            His is the Source of all the Waters of Life and of the Light of Heaven. He is the LIGHT only whereby we can SEE light. How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalms 36:7-9)

            How constant is that Fountain of Waters to those Elect who are privileged to have it? It is a Continual supply to those who love Him and KNOW Him. And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11) Our nourishment is two-fold: it is the Water of Life (the Word of God), and the Bread of Heaven (the Person of Christ). We cannot have our own water, but His. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13) All of the wells and fountains of water hewn out by the hands of men cannot suffice. They will fell in due season when the waters are most needed; but the Waters of Life supplied by the Lord are a contiunual and overflowing stream.

            We may read of two places that our names may be written down by the Lord: 1) the Book of Life in Heaven. If our names are not written there, then they are, of necessity, written in the earth. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8) O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. (Jeremiah 17:13) Perhaps it was the names of those accusers of the woman taken in adultery that the Lord wrote upon the ground in the 8^th chapter of the Gospel of St John, and the next writing He made was perhaps the names of some other accomplices in the sin of adultery by their names. This would have definitely dispersed the accusers beginning at the eldest even unto the youngest.

            In speaking with the Samaritan woman at Jacob¡¯s Well, Christ gently informed her that it was not the water from Jacob’s Well that she needed most, but the Living Water that he could give her. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (John 4:10) When our hearts are possessed of THAT WATER, they will be too small to hold the overflowing floods of life that spring there from. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38) When we truly possess that Living Water of Christ, we cannot contain the whole. Our hearts will overflow with such profusion of love and truth that all around us will marvel. Do you have that Living Water, and does it overflow to all around?

(Bishop Ogles' Commentary-2012)

 

 

 GETTING THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST

    Two artists were asked each to make a copy of a famous painting. The one made mathematical calculations and produced a technically correct copy.

    The other studied the painting, entered into the spirit of the artist, and produced not merely an imitation, but a picture which glowed with warmth and life. 

    We are not, as Christians, simply to copy Christ, but rather to become possessed of his spirit and so reflect his life in our lives. Let us aim to become possessed of the spirit of Christ, and so model his life and Spirit.