PREFACE

Older sheep need better feeding than younger ones ( Hebrews 5:12-14 ) ; we cannot live on milk all of our life ( although many attempt it ). The old disciples are fast approaching a time when they shall almost be in view of Home, and their concern is to be ' ready to depart ' ( Philipp.1:23 ). The old are aware of a decline in many areas of their life, but there is no necessity for spiritual decline. These Readings are written to encourage elderly believers, to help lift the mind onward and upward, - a comfort which only God can give with His Word. May the Spirit work with His Word in us.

None of us knows if we are on the last page of the last chapter of our life in this world, and from that perspective these readings are profitable for all ages.

Rev J.Clark. BA(hons.) MA. BSc(hons) MSc. MEd. MTh.

MARCH 1

" I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren." 1 Thessalonians 4:13,14.

Paul is explaining what happens after death and also when Christ comes again. We live among those who shall exist forever, many of whom we shall never see again. In eternity we shall only see those who are going to the same place as ourselves. There is an unbroken chain between grace and glory ( Ps.84:11), and between unbelief and eternal banishment from God ( 2 Thess. 1:8. Heb.3:19. The reaping always depends on what is sowed.

In His resurrection Jesus showed that He had opened the door of eternity to sinners. In faith they were to follow Him through it. There is an unbroken chain between the work of Christ for and His work within us ; it shall be finished also ( Philipp. 1:6 ). " The idea of immortality has given rise to the greatest emotions which it is possible for men to feel. Believers refuse to believe in any specious argument which tells them that life shall end here. " ( P.Brooks) God has not left us in ignorance, " therefore comfort one another with these words." ( vs.18)

MARCH 2

" His compassions fail not, they are new every morning." Lamentations 2:22,23.

Each day there are thoughts to deal with, tasks to put what effort we have into. Our comfort in our feebleness is that He knows and understands. There are spiritual foes to resist today also, but He knows, He permits. We are not able to keep His law, our resolutions fail, He knows that too. Each day in our journey on the path leading out of this world is much like any other. We have fewer visitors than previous years, and His visits are much appreciated in our dullness. Sometimes He visits us with greater strength for that day, sometimes with greater trials ; this is what Job also found ( Job 7:18). There may be anger at our foolishness but still " His compassions fail not. It is an everflowing stream from the " Father of mercies ". There is a kindness,patience and gentleness in God which only a child of His can experience. He has never and never shall deal with us as we deserve, it is all of grace ( Ps.103:10). " My cares are monotonous, my employments are poor, but every morning God's mercies are new... Am I deficient in thankfulness ? " (A.Smellie)

MARCH 3

" My soul is even as a weaned child." Psalm 131:2.

The weakness of old age ought to be a help in developing this childlike spirit in the believer. However, many of those who profess to be the children of God have little time for their Father ! Self, the world and others still dominate their thoughts ; they are not weaned from them. As we grow older we ought to become more dependent on God, not less. David encourages us by his own example, and we know he did not find it easy. But by God's grace he recovered from the folly of his middle age, and learned that he dare not trust himself. Now he was more childlike. His dependence and confidence was in God, and he prayed ( and sang ) accordingly. The Lord taught us that we must become as little children ( not childish but childlike ) if we would be with Him in heaven ( Matt.18:2,3). How difficult it is to grow small in our own eyes ! But, like John the Baptist, our aim still is, " He must increase and I must decrease." This is the way of contentment and patience, of quietness and confidence. Are we not glad that He treats us as children, His children ?

MARCH 4

" This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Lamentations 3:21.

Despairing minds often recall bad experiences to deepen their gloom but, like Job, Jeremiah can sit down in the dust and say, ' I still have God, and God still has me ! ' Memory ' strikes a match in the darkness.' ( Spurgeon ) Jeremiah saw that the visible church was in ruins and that there were few believers left, as in the days of Noah and Elijah. It would be easy to slip into pessimism at such a time, especially when we see no repentance in the church to restore it to Biblical doctrine, worship and practice. But faith has an optimistic quality about it. Christ reigns over all all, and can change things. He can give new hearts and when He does He keeps them ' faithful unto death.' He can overcome our weaknesses. Meanwhile, " Trust in God and do what's right," as the old Covenanter said. His church may be almost dead ( Rev.3:1), but Christ is alive, and His people with Him.

MARCH 5

" Fight the good fight of faith." 1 Timothy 6:12.

This is how the Christian life is described, a fight ! And things do not get easier as we get older. The lack of outward activity may give the impression that all is peaceful below the surface but that is not the case, the fight goes on ( Galat. 5:17). Our spiritual foes do not go into retirement. The fight cannot be done in our own strength ( Philipp.4:13), and we cannot put off our armour ( Ephesians 6 ) until we leave this world. Only in heaven is there no fighting because no enemies are there. We cannot rest yet, must continue to ' watch and pray '. It is a command for each day, " Fight the good fight of faith.". There is resistance on the journey to heaven, all the way.

" Faith has the chief interest in this fight. In it there will be use for all the graces, the doing and suffering graces ; yet the fight has its name from faith, as that which has the chief hand in it. " ( T. Boston)

MARCH 6

" Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 1 Corinthians 15:32.

This is the language of those who seek distraction from the inevitable and awful reality awaiting them. To be without Christ is to be without hope, despite lifelong searching for it ( Ephes.2:12). Despair reigns over the earth and the only temporary antidote is distraction. The slogan of today's media is " Watch, listen, escape ! " But no-one can be constantly busy with other thoughts ; thoughts of death return, they cannot be annihilated. The people of despair think only of the end, they see no future beyond it. But the people of God have a future, and it is with Christ, our life and hope of glory ( Coloss.3:4 & 1:27). " The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in Him." ( Lament. 3:24). God has taught us how He sees the world and ourselves, and soon we shall leave the land of the dying to go to the land of the living ( Ps.116:9).

MARCH 7

" The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong." Ecclesiastes 9:11.

The swiftest runner is not guaranteed to win the race, not the largest army to win the battle. It may be in slow motion but we still get through the day, which is all anyone, young or old, can accomplish. The weak also win the battle, not because they win one victory after another, but because they continue in the battle when many do not ; they do not turn back. The victory won by Christ is assured and we run on, battle on to reach it ( Gen.49:19).

We have come through another day - what did we get out of it ? Did we learn something, did we profit from an experience ? Asking ourselves such questions is good for the memory, for the mental exercise and processing of information. Just as the body needs exercise, so does the mind. The portion of the race run and the battle fought each day should give us thoughts to ponder. We go on learning from our falls in running and wounds in battling. We still go forward, are carried onward by God each day. Time is an instrument used by God to bring us into Eternity. " How long, O Lord ? "

( Rev.6:10).

MARCH 8

" Like as a Father pities His children." Psalm 103:13.

The relationship which the Father holds to His child is emphasized, not that of the child to his Father. In every family there are children who are more or less obedient to their father, but they are all equally loved. Sadly, this is not always the case in human families, where their works often influence parents to favouritism. But this is not the case in God's family. Works do not come into it ; they were unchangeably loved before they were born, before they could do any works ( Ephes.1:4,5), and adopted into His family. He pities them in their sinful condition, something they are born into ( because of Original sin. Ps.51:5 ), and He is determined to bring them out of that condition by a new birth ( John 3 ). They shall not die in the guilt of their sins ( John 8:21). He has great patience and pity, with an indestructible love for them. These who are pitied by God the Father worship Him in fear ( reverence ); this shows that they belong to Him. His love is to the uttermost,a love that will not let them go ( Ps.89:30-34). Soon all the prodigals shall come Home, and what a welcome from the Father !

MARCH 9

" We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. " Hebrews 4:15.

Christ has pity on us as we face temptations in our life here, as He also faced them. As a High Priest He prays for us to be kept by His power as we pass through them, just as He prayed for Peter ( John 17. Luke 22:31,32). We are tempted to sin everywhere. " Through all these weary years which it tires us to think of, there have been so many[ temptations],..not one that ever lived did not meet this persistent, intrusive enticement to sin." ( P.Brooks). Jesus knows the intensity of the battle, He was tempted more than we are. Our tempted lives are always in His sight ; He is not ignorant of our personal battles, nor is He indifferent. Satan attacks but Christ defends His people, although it may not feel so at the time. Peter fell by the subtlety of the devil, but was restored by the power of God. Satan attempts us to change for the worse, but Christ will always bring us back to the better. He kept Himself and He will keep us for Himself. Satan will not have us, although he does ask for us, just as he asked for Peter. There is an invisible world with all kinds of activity going on, good and bad, but Christ rules over all. It is a matter of trusting ourselves to Him, to His care. In the end this is what saved Peter from the tragedy of Judas.

MARCH 10

" I am come that they might have life." John 10:10.

This means that none of us have it already. We are not born with eternal life in us, it has to be put in us. Activity is a sign of natural, physical life, a life which ends in death. This life was not in Adam at the creation, that life in his innocence could be lost. But this life comes by grace in Christ Jesus, and cannot be lost. This eternal life in the Spirit of Christ, grows ' more abundantly ' until it is glorified by the sight of Christ in glory. The Source of this life is Christ. It is not the result of great human effort but is a free Divine gift. Not everyone has it, but those who do have it have to resist oppositions to it. There is a ' Book of Life ' with names written therein by the Lamb.Those alive in Christ are like a rock in the sea, battered by the waves but still standing at the end. The outward man decays, but the inward life does not ( 2 Corinth.4:17), although it may appear or feel to do so. It is the life of Christ in the soul of man, and we live for as long as He does, forever. " Hold out faith and patience ! "

MARCH 11

" He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25.

This is a precious promise, and given to a family recently bereaved. Christ has attended many gravesides since the world began, and his promises to the living have not changed. No-one else could have made such a promise as no-one but He has the power to fulfill it. A bereavement would be a time of dark despair without such a promise. Christ came to speak of life after death, and life by faith in Him before death." The just shall live by faith." When this hope is grasped by us our first thought is how dead we have been until then. Now we have Someone to live for, now we know what we have been made for. At last all makes sense. Eternity opens before us with all its vast capacity. We pity those who watch the dying with only dying hopes. We die with living hope, and speak to others of this hope. If we cannot speak, may they see it in our life, and also in our death ; our aim is to glorify God in both. This life shall enable us to go where He has gone.

MARCH 12 

" A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.  Psalm 51:17.

We say " forgive us our debts " so often that there is always a danger of making it a ritual confession of sin. Anyone can use these words like reciting part of a creed you agree with, while the heart is far from God. The words are prepared, but the heart must be prepared also. Not that we have the depth of feeling all the time. David no doubt had never felt the depth of his sinfulness before as he did that day he wrote down these words ! The lesson for us is that faith must be mixed with our confession. It is not the quantity of the words but the quality of the confession that matters. Do we bring Christ into this business, as David did ? - ' Do Thou with hyssop sprinkle me ! I shall be cleansed so ' ( vs.7 Metrical ). There was the greatest desire for change that day in David, the greatest depth of discernment after his sin,the greatest love for his Saviour by his experience.

" Grant me this broken and contrite heart, Lord my God.

 By sorrows and joys break and straighten my will.

 Bring it more and more into harmony with Thyself.

 By Thy Spirit cast out of me all that is displeasing to Thee.

 While I live bring me daily to thy mercy,

 when I die bring me Home to Thee."   ( Anon.)

MARCH 13 

" He weakened my strength in the way." Psalm 102:23.

The old Christian knows what to expect when depression comes ( and also how others can mistake it for incipient dementia). He has learned to accept and endure the feeling of mental emptiness. There is also the physical effect of this, the lack of strength in the back and the sluggishness in the legs. It is difficult for others to understand this cyclical condition of some of God's pilgrims ' in the way.' While the mind is struggling on in this blank condition it is vulnerable to the intrusion of strange thoughts, to temptations to think that God has abandoned us. No, we are still in the way. The devil is repeating the same temptation as he did to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4 vs.1-4. He says to us,' God has abandoned you, and that is why you are suffering in this wilderness ! ' But in this response, this attack by the devil proves that we are children of God. If we were not, he would let us sleep on. His attacks on our faith reinforce our sense of weakness and it drives us closer to Christ in our dependence. It will make us lean on our Beloved more, and so we shall come up out of this wilderness ! ( Song of Sol.8:5). We are still ' in the way.'

MARCH 14

" Grace to you and peace." 1 Thessalonians 1:1.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ brings peace, peace with God and in our conscience. There cannot be peace otherwise. The death of Jesus was necessary to reconcile God with us and us with God. Grace is God's lovingkindness in action, going out to sinners with the Divine power of the Holy Spirit, bringing them back to Himself through the mediation of His Son, Christ Jesus. Few today believe that the death of Christ was necessary for this reconciliation with God. They forget that God's love is a holy love, and that a God without justice, who tolerates all kind of sin without revulsion, is no God at all ( 1 Peter 1;17). This is why Peter tells believers, " To you who believe, Christ is precious " ( 1 Peter 2:7 ), because if Christ had not come to suffer for sin and open our eyes to it, we would have gone on deluding ourselves that we could sin and God would ignore it ( and find out the truth too late !).

But Christ's blood-bought peace puts an end to our mutual enmity ( Coloss. 1:20), and this peace brings joy to the soul. The world has nothing to do with this peace and joy ; they did not give it and they cannot take it away. Grace and peace, inseparable from Christ, and inseparable from us also.

MARCH 15

"...and forget not all His benefits." Psalm 103:2.

We have so much to be thankful for, and yet we need this reminder daily. We try to remember other things, but what about this matter ? He has redeemed us and forgiven us. In addition to the Word He has given us the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper lest we forget. Every hour of our journey to heaven there is something to give thanks for. There is food for body and soul received, there is strength to hold fast our Biblical beliefs in the midst of widespread decline. There is the ability to remember the life and death of Christ, what Christ has done for us. Also to think of where He is now and what He is doing for us. Our thanksgiving here is a preparation for heaven ; no-one forgets Him there. We have Someone to remember and what He has done for us shall never be taken away from us, even if with advancing age we forget the finer points. We remember Him and so we call upon Him in prayer. He shall not forget us, and this is what matters eternally. Let us stir up the memories of others also. Things are not as bad as they seem, and also not as good as they shall get later.

MARCH 16

" They shall be Mine...in the day that I make up My jewels." Malachi 3:17.

We must regard retirement not as the end of something but as the beginning of something else. Those who bind their identity to their job lose all, those who are bound to Christ gain more ; they know now that they are now on the last stage of their journey. Society does not regard old age positively ; it is regarded as a burden and no longer interesting. But " God is not exclusively youth-oriented "( Oswald Sanders), as even many churches are. But old believers are not less precious to God, they are His ' jewels.'

 " From conception, birth, present time,

  Even before - in the plan of God

  I have been on that path that leads to Him,

  Though oftentimes it did seem odd.

  What myself thought I needed or to lose,

  Was often not the wisdom found in Him.

  The depths of sufferings, the heights of joy,

  This was planned for my growth within." ( an old believer )

MARCH 17

" The Lord direct your hearts...into the patient waiting for Christ." 2 Thessalonians 3:5.

How are we not to wait ? Not with impatience and murmuring about why He doesn't take us out of the condition or place where we are ! It should be a comfort to us that we are in the place where He has put us. There is an overruling Providence, and we are to believe and work on, with whatever strength we have, and as cheerfully as we can. It's as if we have one eye on this world and one eye on the door to the next, waiting for it to open suddenly. We are citizens of both worlds at present, but that shall soon change ; we are only temporarily here, permanently there. To wait well is to do well. We must pray that we will wait patiently and work on faithfully. If the Lord directs our hearts into this, with His power, then the waiting will not seem long, nor the work hard.

 " The end is not yet, but we move on ;

  Use the means and not the dreams.

  Get through the days, get through the nights,

  And pick up where you left off."   ( Anon.)

MARCH 18

" Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his ! "Numbers 23:10

Balaam was a highly gifted and famous man, but had no grace. Sometimes God brought the truth out of His enemies' mouths ( as in John 11:4 9-52. Luke 15:2)He knew there was a difference in the way that people die. They would die either righteous or unrighteous. As we are unable to keep God's law we cannot be righteous that way. It must be by receiving the righteousness which God gives, the righteousness received by faith ( Romans 3:20-24 ). Balaam could talk about Christ in these chapters from the Book of Numbers, but knowing about Christ and knowing Christ are two different things. It is God's blessing, God's gift if we know Christ ( Ps.89:15-17. Ephes.2:8). To die without this saving knowledge is to die under God's curse. Balaam knew something of this but he did nothing about it. He could not die the death of the righteous because he did not have the life of the righteous, the life that is in Christ. It was a beautiful desire he expressed, but it was an unfulfilled desire, because he did not desire Christ - he had other things on his mind.

" But Balaam's wish was vain, his heart was insincere ; He thirsted for unrighteous gain, and sought his portion here ! " ( J. Newton)

MARCH 19

" And who is sufficient for these things ? " 2 Corinthians 2:16.

With increasing weakness in mind and body this is often the question we ask ourselves as time goes on. The answer is, ' Not us, not on our own, not without help, and with more than human help.' This sense of need turns us to prayer, and that is the aim, to make us look away from ourselves to God all-sufficient. We are to think more of Him than of our own insufficiencies. All along the way to heaven we are made to feel our own insufficiency and to be confident only in His power ( John 15:5). "The Christian is ever conscious of his dependence on God. He realizes that he is always surrounded by God's love and that therefore, although he is not able to achieve anything worthwhile in his own strength, he has all that he needs.This knowledge will keep him...always in the spirit of prayer...which is fellowship with God." ( Leon Morris).

MARCH 20

" And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly...Who also will do it."  1 Thessalonians 5;23,24.

These words tell us that the work of sanctification in us will go on, even when we are not consciously attending to it ( as we cannot 24 hours a day). The work shall be completed at our death, or if the Lord comes before then ( vs.23). " Has He said, and will He not do it ? " ( Numbers 23:19). Paul has been urging the Thessalonians to practise the Word of God, but also emphasizes that it is only in God's strength that they will be able to do this. This is a comfort to us, that He will give us the strength to do what we need to do. True peace can only come from Him, and He will maintain it despite the disturbances to our peace from our own sins. The Spirit will overcome the opposition within us to His ongoing work. He will restore our souls ( Ps.23) and thus our peace. Heaven is a happy place because it is a holy place. Thus we can only have foretastes here while our sanctification is incomplete. But He has given us great promises ! " The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.Thy mercy, O LORD, endures forever. " ( Ps.138:8)

MARCH 21 

" The kingdom of God for which you also suffer." 2 Thessalonians 1:5.

As members of the kingdom of God your suffering is for a purpose, it is not aimless. Paul reminds us that the fact that we suffer for being devoted followers of this King does not disprove but proves that God is working out His righteous purpose for us. He uses suffering to develop qualities in our character and teaches us valuable lessons, about Himself and ourselves. It cannot be avoided as it is part of our ' conformity to His Son ' ( Rom.8:29).

This world is dominated by non-Christian ideas and the suffering which comes to us for cleaving to God's Word in the midst of it proves the reality of God's Being ; His goodness and holiness. We are seeing the perfections of God reflected in His Word. This proves we have the Light of the Spirit ( 2 Corinth.4:6 ) while the world, in the darkness of their minds, sees nothing. Moreover, the fact that we are enduring under this suffering which the world directs at us proves that God's power is at work in us, as it was in the Thessalonians and other faithful Christians. with such power ' for us ' there can be no doubt that we are on the winning side ! ( Rom.8:31).

MARCH 22

" All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. " Job 14:14.

Job thinks of his present and he thinks of his future; his promised future is worth waiting for. His faith looks forward and sees a great contrast with his present ! Job is looking forward to a change, not a change which he can or will carry out, and not a change which only affects our life in this world ( as most changes do). It often takes present misery and distress to raise our thoughts to that place where everything is better, and forever. Our appointed time here, with all its circumstances, is mainly a warfare with rests in between battles. Whether we would wish our time here were longer or were shorter, it is a vain wish. It is better to pray that God would bring us safely through the life which has been appointed here for us. It is wisdom to know the things that we cannot change, but must endure. We may suffer disappointments among God's appointments, but it will all work out for the best in the end ; we have His word for that ( Rom. 8:32). Waiting is never easy, but it helps if we keep the mind on the future experience of the blessed promise of God that we are waiting for.

MARCH 23

" Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.  Ecclesiastes 12:7.

We return from attending yet another funeral. We perceive a long procession of those who go to the grave in this world. There are fewer left from our own generation.We are in the line somewhere,probably near the front. The Bible advises us to ' love not the world ', as it is only something that lies between us and somewhere else. The beast does not look up to the future, and there is always a danger in having that kind of worldly mentality ( Ps.73:22). Bunyan pictures the man of the world as raking the ground and not looking up to a heavenly crown, so engrossed is he with the things of this world. For the believer there is no separation from Christ at death, when soul and body go their temporary separate ways. The question is, what kind of " return to God " shall this be ? The obituary says that he/she " died peacefully " - but was it peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ? ( Rom.5:1)

MARCH 24

" because our testimony to you [ from God ] was believed." 2 Thessalonians 1:10

The difference between going to heaven and going to hell was, on the face of it, simple. Believing what God said made all the difference. Is that all ? Yes, it is the difference between respecting God's Word and making Him a liar. When you put it that way ( and this is what God says, John 8:55. 1 John 5:10 ), you can see how important the difference is ! Paul suffered because he received this testimony from God to pass on ( Acts 9:15,16 ) ; he thus became a witness for Christ, as the Thessalonians did, as every believer did. The consequences of believing are everlasting ( 2 Thess.1:6-10). Believers shall radiate Christ's glory eternally, unbelievers shall be banished from God eternally, by Christ the Judge. This is an aspect of Christ's character which, again, many do not believe. To be safe, we must believe what Christ told us to believe. This keeps the matter simple, and as we get older we want this increasingly - " the simplicity that is in Christ ." (2 Corinth.11:3 ). Paul emphasizes this theme throughout his second Epistle to Timothy, that we are to ' hold fast ' what Christ said.

MARCH 25

" But I will hope continually. " Psalm 71:14.

Amidst the infirmities of old age David kept his hope, because God kept him in his hope ( as He did Abraham Rom.4:18-21). Hope is strengthened by thinking upon God's promises ; this is why faith and hope are always seen together. As he grew older David felt his afflictions more, the sense of them penetrated his consciousness more deeply ; his armour seemed to be a bit thinner. It took more effort when coping with antagonistic circumstances and people. Facing opposition, as he did nearly all his life, also drained him more than it used to, and he needed more time for recovery. Following the Lord's example he would withdraw from others for a while and busy himself in meditating on Scripture, especially in the Psalms ( which are so full of experiences ). Although unbelief always cast its shadow, there were daily reminders of God's faithfulness. Sometimes the fact that he was strengthened to get through that day was one of them ! Daily sin was met with daily forgiveness, daily worship was met with reminders for hope. The promises are our crutches for the journey,as they were for Mr. Ready-to-halt, the pilgrim who sent these crutches back to his family when he crossed over to that land where all hopes are fulfilled.

MARCH 26

" As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."    Joshua 1:5.

Moses had died and Joshua wondered how he would cope without him. When he thought about it he felt afraid. He had been in Moses' company for 40 years, and was not used to acting alone. God reminds him that he is not alone, and that Moses accomplished all he did only because God was with him. Now God reassures Joshua that He will not leave him either, He will be with him. For God to be with us means everything ; " Immanuel ", God with us. God deals with us as individuals, " with thee " He says. We have our own personalities, our individual weaknesses, our personal fears. God promises us He will be with us as we go on towards the ' Promised Land ', Heaven.  Moses made two notable mistakes in his life, one as a young man, one as an old. Joshua would make more. God's Presence with us on the way to the Promised Land (Heaven) does not mean that we shall be sinless on the journey. But it does mean that the forgiven shall never have to face the eternal consequences of their sins - Christ has dealt with that. It is because He has done this that the Father makes this promise to us, as he did to Joshua and those of like faith ( 2 Peter 1:1-4).

MARCH 27

" I have waited for Thy salvation, O LORD." Genesis 49:18.

Jacob was now an old man and this was his posture - staff in hand and looking forward to going. But he thought of his family also and he spoke to each one of them of God's promises for their future. There were few in Egypt who could die with the same confession of faith as Jacob, and sadly not all his family could either ( yet). Salvation is all about mercy. Those who feel they have done something to deserve salvation, a place in heaven, thereby exclude themselves. These people have a subtle form of unbelief, as they do not want to go to heaven on God's terms ie. it is all of grace through Christ. 

Salvation is all about delivering us from the guilt of sin and bringing us to Christ in heaven. We are not our own saviours, nor can we help Christ in this matter ; He has already finished the work, " It is finished ! " Jacob would enter heaven as the Publican ( Luke 18 ), as Manasseh, as the dying thief - received into the everlasting arms of mercy. Mercy excludes any merit. Like Jacob, we trust and wait. Every day brings us nearer Home. Mercy built the house and mercy brings us in ( Luke 15:18-24).

MARCH 28

" And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psalm 23:6. 

God's people are described as living in tents here, as shepherds and pilgrims do. Paul was a tentmaker but the eyes of his faith were looking for a house ( 2 Corinth.5:1 ff.) He says that while living in these ' bodily tents ' we groan ( vs. 2,4), and we have reason to. There are discomforts, storms, and vulnerability for those who live in tents. We feel our limitations more and more as time goes by. The groaning expresses a longing for the house revealed to us by the Lord and also the frustrations of being ' burdened ', feeling weighed down as we journey towards it.

David in this Psalm speaks also as a sheep looking for shelter. Any shelters we find here are temporary, and we have to move on from one resting place to another. These are pauses wherein we find ' times of refreshing ', but soon another change comes to set us moving again. All is planned by God to keep us from settling down in this world. Soon the pegs will be removed and the tent wrapped up for the last time ( 2 Peter 1.13,14 ). Who needs a tent when you have a house ? A house where the Lord awaits His weary travellers. Blessed are they who believe this house is there for them !

MARCH 29 

" Father I will that they also whom Thou hast given to Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory."       John 17:24.

Every time a Christian dies, it is the effect of this prayer of Christ ; it goes into action. It is a great wonder, but a fact that He has revealed to us, that Christ desires to have these chosen ( gifted to Him by the Father ) sinners to be with Himself forever. It is not that He needs them but He delights to fulfill their need of Him. When they do see Him in His glory a change happens to them, it is the final transition for them into the eternal state. They need to see Him in order to finally be like Him ( 1 John 3:2 ). This vision has an effect on them. The glory which He radiates in heaven will cover them also ; they are glorified in Him and with Him. They are now adapted for the heavenly life, His eternal company. It is appropriate that we pray for this too. Prayer should be based on the purpose and promises of God, as revealed in the Bible ( vs.8). Meanwhile, Christ prays for their preservation while they are in the world ( vs.15 ) until it comes His time appointed to take them out of it. Whether it be before conversion, after conversion, and after death, we need to be in His prayers ; no-one else's will suffice ! It is a blessed thing to have a place in the intercession of Christ.

MARCH 30 

" Thou who hast showed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again."   Psalm 71:20.

Troubles are easily remembered. Indeed they seem to be recalled more often and more easily than the good times in life. The memories of troubles make us sigh, if not shudder when we remember the effect they had on us. Our imagination may also make us groan when we think of how much worse it could have been ! David writes of this in his old age ( vs.18). There is much to lament but also to drive us to thanksgiving. God had kept David alive despite these great troubles. When we look back from old age, we are amazed at what God has brought us through. Truly fact is stranger than fiction. We had been in the " depths " ( vs.20) and could not rise again by our own strength, but He showed Himself " mighty to save." How foolish we were to get into some troubles and how foolish to doubt His protecting power, even in the worst cases. We still remember ( not by choice ) the bad days, but there is no pain in heaven, no troubled sleep, no sense of insecurity, no sighs and groans. There ' the weary are at rest ', says Job. There is ' comfort on every side ', says David ( vs.21).

MARCH 31 

" Set your affections ( thoughts ) on things above."  Colossians 3:2.

We are encouraged to think more of where Christ is and what He is doing, both in heaven and on earth. We are not to think of Him as inactive,as if heaven were some kind of static painting to gaze upon. In heaven Christ commands, sends out angels, leads the worship and the learning of the church etc. Moreover, He still gives His full attention to His people on earth.His Divine decrees are fulfilled on earth according to His mind ( and not ours), and we often find that His ways are not our ways, as He said. He is to be the centre of our attention and all else in the universe revolves around His pre-eminence. He is everywhere and at all times, besides being in eternity. There is surely much here to exercise our thoughts upon. We must be heavenly minded if we are going to be of earthly use, both in God's service and to those around us whose thoughts are earthbound only. The heavens still declare the glory of God ( Ps.19:1), and the Scriptures still declare the glory of Christ ( John 5:39).