How is Your Zeal?

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Based upon Reprint 1159 (from Zion’s Watch Tower):

AN ALLEGORY

I sat down in my arm-chair, weary with my work; my toil had been severe and protracted. The church wore an aspect of thrift and prosperity; and joy and hope and courage were the prevailing sentiments on every hand. As for myself, I was joyous in my work; my brethren were united; my sermons and exhortations were evidently telling on my hearers; my church was crowded with listeners; the whole community was more or less moved with the prevailing excitement; and so the work went on. I had been led into exhausting labors for its promotion.

Tired with my work, I soon lost myself in a sort of half forgetful state, though I seemed fully aware of my place and surroundings. Seemingly a stranger entered the room, without any preliminary tap, or “Come in.” I saw in his face benignity, intelligence and weight of character; but though he was passably well attired, he carried suspended about his person measures and chemical agents and implements, which gave him a very strange appearance.

The stranger came toward me, and extending his hand said, “How is your zeal?”

I supposed, when he began his question, that the query was to be for my health; but was pleased to hear his final word; for I was quite well pleased with my zeal, and doubted not the stranger would smile when he should know its proportions. Instinctively I conceived of it as a physical quantity, and putting my hand into my bosom, brought it forth and presented it to him for inspection.

He took it, and placing it in his scale, weighed it carefully. I heard him say, “One hundred pounds!”

I could scarce suppress an audible note of satisfaction; but I caught his earnest look as he noted down the weight; and I saw at once that he had drawn no final conclusion, but was intent on pushing his investigation.

He broke the mass to atoms, put it in his crucible, and put the crucible into the fire. When the mass was thoroughly fused, he took it out, and set it down to cool. It congealed in cooling, and when turned out on the hearth, exhibited a series of layers or strata; which all at the touch of the hammer fell apart, and were severally tested and weighed; the stranger making minute notes, as the process went on.

When he had finished, he presented the notes to me, and gave me a look of mingled sorrow and compassion, as, without a word, except, “May God save you!” he left the room.

I opened the note and read as follows:

“Analysis of the zeal of Junius, a candidate for a crown of glory: weight, in mass, 100 lbs., of which, on analysis, there proves to be, viz.:–

Bigotry           – 10 parts
Personal ambition                       –   23     ”
Pride of talent – 14 ”
Love of praise –    19    ”
Pride of denomination    –    15     ”
Love of authority                            –    12     ”
Love of God                                      –      4     ”
Love of man                                     –      3     ”

I had become troubled at the peculiar manner of the stranger, and especially, at his parting look and words; but when I looked at the figures my heart sank as lead within me. I made a mental effort to dispute the correctness of the record, but was suddenly startled into a more honest mood by an audible sigh, almost a groan, from the stranger, who had paused in the hall, and by a sudden darkness falling upon me, by which the record became at once obscured and nearly illegible. I suddenly cried out, “Lord, save me!”

I knelt down at my chair, with the paper in my hand, and my eyes fixed upon it. At once it became a mirror, and I saw my heart reflected in it:–The record is true!–I saw it; I felt it; I confessed it; I deplored it; and I besought God, with many tears, to save me from myself: and, at length, with a loud and irrepressible cry of anguish, I awoke.–Selected.

* * *

Since all of God’s consecrated saints are his ambassadors, ministers of his truth, and members of the royal priesthood, this allegory may be of profit to all. Love of God and love of our fellow-men are the only elements of real zeal in the above analysis. All the other parts are detestable dross in God’s sight and will be in ours, as we take God’s standpoint of criticism. Let each servant who desires to stand approved of God, examine his own heart, analyze his own zeal, his own motives.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (KJV):-

¹⁴For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁵Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
¹⁶That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
²⁰Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
²¹Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

URL: https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/10/06/how-is-your-zeal/

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Consolation

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“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray,
and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice”
(Psalm 55:17, KJV).

WHEN thy pathway straitened lies, beloved,
Call on Me;
Ever fix on Me thine eyes, beloved,
Follow Me;
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,
Lean on Me!

When with trials sore beset, beloved,
Come to Me;
Calvary’s hour do not forget, beloved,
Think on Me;
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,
Trust in Me.

When the dark night darker grows, beloved,
Cry to Me;
When the cold stream colder flows, beloved,
Cling to Me;
I will never leave thee, but will take thee
Home with Me!

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ 6 So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’ ” (Hebrews 13: 5-6).

Reference:

Poem from “Poems of Dawn.”

Further Suggested Reading:

Just a Word—https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/08/06/just-a-word/
Our Trial—https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/11/10/our-trial/

The URL for this post:
https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/25/consolation/

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WILLINGLY & CHEERFULLY DOING GOD’S WILL: WHY, WHEN, HOW…

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Acquiescing to GOD’s will is the only way to get true PEACE in the spiritual mind of the New Creation in CHRIST.

To acquiesce means to be at rest; to be yielding and not resisting no matter how severe the trial our Heavenly Father may permit to melt us, humble us, mould us, teach us how to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21, NIV) and sacrifice for the good of others, knowing it will lead to the greater good and which will bring glory and honour to GOD and which is centered upon RIGHTEOUSNESS – as this is THE ONLY STANDARD our Almighty Heavenly Father accepts, and it can be achieved through our intentions being reckoned as righteous thanks to Jesus Christ’s ransom sacrifice on Calvary once for all, for the sins of ALL humanity.

Our plans being frustrated is GOD’s better choice for us.

Consider the Apostle Paul…

About the “thorn in my flesh”, Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 wrote, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘MY GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.“

Do we fully TRUST OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’s tender-hood?

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Let us consider faithful Job, (who may have lived before Abraham and probably Moses received the book of Job from times before him) :-

GOD allowed Satan to test Job’s faith …Here is an account of Job’s FIRST TEST, Job 1: 6-22 (ESV):-

^“6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” ⁸And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” ⁹Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? ¹⁰Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” ¹²And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan Takes Job’s Property and Children

¹³Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁴and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, ¹⁵and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁶While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁷While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” ¹⁸While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, ¹⁹and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

²⁰Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. ²¹And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²²In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.”

FAITH can hold the hand of the Heavenly Father even when we cannot trace Him during our trials. Blessed be the name of the Lord GOD, because our Heavenly Father WILL TURN HUMAN DISAPPOINTMENT INTO HIS APPOINTMENT TO WORK out from each and every experience, an outcome that will result in the GREATER GOOD, EVEN IF IT RESULTS IN ONE’S DEATH.

If we wish to know how to DO GOD’s WILL WITH JOY then let us consider our Heavenly Father’s relationship with His Son and the World’s Redeemer, our Master and King JESUS CHRIST, who said:

⁵“Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not have, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me.

⁶In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.

⁷Then said I, ‘Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God.’”

⁸Above when He said, ‘Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings, and offering for sin Thou wouldest not have, neither hadst pleasure therein’ (which are offered in accordance with the law),

⁹then said He, ‘Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God,’ He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.

¹⁰By this will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:5-10 (KJ21)

Job’s second test was that of GOD allowing the Adversary to afflict him “with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.” (Job 1:7). Even his wife told him to “curse GOD and die” (Job 2:9) from all his mental pain and fleshly agony, yet here too, we read in Job 2:10 – “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” Despite Job wishing that GOD would allow him to die from the extent of his misery and pain (Job 6:9, Job 7:15), he still had this consolation – “my JOY in unrelenting pain – that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.”(Job 6:10). Job even became a “laughingstock” (Job 12:4) to his three friends – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar – who came to comfort him. Despite all, Job was still able to say:

“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10, NIV)

“Though He slay me, yet will I HOPE IN HIM.” (Job 13:15, NIV)

Can we say this too when disaster, or extreme agony of the mind or flesh “hit’s home”?

YES WE CAN! Because when our aim is to only want to do what the Heavenly Father would desire through our existence, then we have LET GO to what would weigh us down and to what would draw us away from running the race set before us to endure the battle of suffering and shame, knowing that “those who suffer with Christ shall reign with him.”(2 Timothy 2:12). This battle against sin is a daily one, until death (Revelation 2:10) and the strict discipline and serious training in the principles of righteousness becomes one that helps develop the true Christian into a mature member of the Royal Priesthood, a peculiar people, whos’ aims, intentions and desires are “NONE OF SELF and ALL OF THEE, HEAVENLY FATHER”. It is the fiery trials that are counted as “pleasing incense” to our Heavenly Father when there is willingness and patient, cheerful endurance exercised.

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have” – 2 Corinthians 8:12 (NIV).

* THE AIM OF EXISTENCE is:
TO PLEASE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER YAHWEH, OUR EL-SHADDAI,
through His Son Jesus Christ.

“But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children…” – Psalm 103:17

“The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7 (ASV)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8

During this Gospel Age (extending 6000 years for the permission of evil that is soon to end) when a Bride of 144,000 members (see Revelation 7 & 14) for Christ is being called out and tested, the consecrated unto the LORD GOD, are given the privileged opportunity in unfavourable circumstances to develop the heart character to make GOD’s will central in their lives.

“Nothing can harm these, except as the Heavenly Father sees that the earthly injury or disadvantage would prove profitable to the individual new creature or the Lord’s general cause.” (R4926:6)

“Even if GOD should permit him to use his judgment in a way that afterward appeared not have been the best, nevertheless the Father may use it to bring some profitable lesson.” (R5212:6)

Our Heavenly Father wishes to give us the good things. Sometimes He sees best that we wait before getting an answer to our prayers. (R5480:4) Few lessons are harder to learn than this one—that GOD supervises the affairs of all who are truly His. (R5264:)

The consecrated shall have all needful instruction, grace, comfort, discipline, training and care; and such measure of temporal good as will be most conducive to highest spiritual and everlasting blessing. (R1396:3)

Sometimes our Heavenly Father sees best that we wait a long time before getting the answer to our petitions; at other times he may give us a speedy answer to our prayer. (R5480:4) “There shall no evil befall thee.” (Psa. 91:10)

“He who has buried his own will completely in the will of the Lord
can know no disappointment;
but in every affair of his life
he sees by faith divine appointment or supervision.” (R2412:6)

* HOW DO WE DO GOD’S WILL & WHY?

* IS DOING GOD’S WILL ENOUGH?

* DO WE DO GOD’S WILL CHEERFULLY & WITH PATIENT ENDURANCE, UNCOMPLAININGLY, JOYFULLY, NOT RELUCTANTLY, UNMURMURINGLY?

* WHO IN THE BIBLE DID GOD’S WILL?

These questions and others are discussed in the following video : “Acquiescing to GOD’s will”.

May it motivate, encourage and stimulate the New Mind in Christ in acquiescing to GOD’S will. GOD BLESS YOU.

“TRUST in the Lord with all your heart, and
do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6(ESV)

I Love Thy Will

I love thy will, O God!
Thy blessed, perfect will,
In which this once rebellious heart
Lies satisfied and still.

I love thy will, O God!
It is my joy, my rest;
It glorifies my common task,
It makes each trial blest.

I love thy will, O God!
The sunshine or the rain.
Some days are bright with praise, and some
Sweet with accepted pain.

I love thy will, O God!
O hear my earnest plea,
That as thy will is done in heav’n,
It may be done in me.

Hymn #114 from “Hymns of Dawn”

References:

Pastor Charles T. Russell – for quoted passages from the Reprints (R) of the Original Watchtower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.

BibleTruth411 (YouTube) – Video: “Acquiescing to God’s Will” by Bro. Stephen Suraci.

Hymns of Dawn – http://www.htdbv8.com/index.html

URL: https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/23/willingly-cheerfully-doing-gods-will-why-when-how/

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Do Not Rush In – (…Where Angels Fear to Tread.)

Gradually, Jehovah God, reveals to us his plan,
Of all the wondrous things he’ll do, to raise up sinful man;
How often in the past we’ve seen, so many rush ahead,
And lose out on the blessings that they could have had instead.

We do recall the bowl of stew that Esau rushed to eat,
And thereby lost the birthright-he cast it to his feet;
Saul rushed ahead of Samuel, offered up the sacrifice,
And so doing, lost the Kingship-he valued not the price.

Judas the betrayer, he rushed in to “meet the sword”
For thirty silver pieces, he so surely sold the Lord;
And Peter he did rush to say, “My Lord I’ll ne’er deny,”
But later begged with deep regret, forgiveness from on high.

And even Lot’s two daughters, rushed ahead to found the seed,
Lacking faith in God, who would, provide the One we need;
And not forgetting Moses, who rushed in and struck the rock,
The Promised Land was never his, for God held key and lock.

And though King David was a man after God’s own heart,
He rushed ahead-against God’s will-a census he did start;
Then, looking at Bathsheba, he did steal Uriah’s wife;
And the price, he had to pay, was his offspring’s life.

Ananias and Sapphira-rushed in and lived a lie,
They grieved God’s holy spirit, and so they had to die;
Achan hid the garment, the silver and the gold
He was stoned for disobedience, back there in days of old.

So many lessons we can learn, by looking to God’s Word,
For waiting on God patiently is much to be preferred…
To rushing in, where even…all God’s angels fear to go,
So, let’s follow their example, all God’s people have below.

A poem from “Where Eagles Gather” – Rosemary Page, Blackpool, England

The URL of this post:

https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/21/do-not-rush-in-where-angels-fear-to-tread/

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STUDY 3: The Tabernacle Construction: The Holy & The Most Holy

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The directions given to Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle are found in Exodus chapters 25 to 27, and the account of the performance of the work, in Exodus chapters 35 to 40.

Acacia Wood

The Tabernacle was a house constructed of a series of boards of shittim (acacia) wood, “overlaid” or plated with gold, set on end into sockets of silver, and firmly fastened together by bars of the same wood, also covered with gold.
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Measurements

The Tabernacle proper was 10 cubits (15 feet; 4.5m) wide, 10 cubits high and 30 cubits (45 feet; 13.5m) long, with it’s opening (entrance) on the east side.

NOTE: Bible Measurements are calculated in cubits.
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The Boards

The boards of the Tabernacle proper were put as near together as possible. They were mortised into the sockets, and moisture would swell the joint and tighten it. The fact that they were joined in the same way in the Most Holy as they were in the Holy, illustrates that the union and fellowship which we now enjoy are a counterpart and foretaste of what we will have when united with our Lord.

There were 20 boards on the north side, and 20 on the south side; plus there were six boards in the back of the Tabernacle, as well as two corner boards—so a total 48 boards making up the Tabernacle proper. Each board was set in two sockets of silver, so we have 96 sockets of silver. Plus four sockets of silver for the pillars that held up the vail giving a total of 100 sockets of silver in relation to the Tabernacle Proper.

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Calculating the Tabernacle Proper

The outside length of the structure is calculated from the figures respecting the side boards in Exodus 26:16-18 which says each side contained 20 boards, each 1½ cubits wide, yielding 30 cubits overall for the Tabernacle’s outer side measurement. The inside width of the Tabernacle was 9 cubits, judging by verse 22 which says the back end of the Tabernacle contained 6 boards, presumably spanning the interior width between the two side walls. But as the Temple measures are given as 60 cubits long and 20 cubits wide in 1 Kings 6:2 (presumably exterior measurements), the inference from the proportions is that the Tabernacle would have been 10 cubits wide (exterior measurement), as the Tabernacle floor plan was half the size of the Temple of Solomon. Thus the boards were evidently ½ cubit thick.

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(Diagram: The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, Nov./Dec. 2002, “The Holy,” Br. David Rice).

Exodus 26:33 tells us the interior was divided by a vail (“curtain”—NIV) hung under the golden taches (“hooks”—NIV) connecting the two parts of the white linen tapestry forming the ceiling of the Tabernacle proper (Exodus 26:1).
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Exodus 26:2-3 explains that each of the two parts of that tapestry was composed of five strips, with each strip measuring 4 cubits wide and 28 cubits long. Five strips would be 20 cubits wide. When the two five-strip sections were joined together with golden taches, the length would be 40 cubits. This covering began at the front of the Tabernacle structure, which means the taches fell 20 cubits from the entrance of the structure. Under these taches the vail was hung. Thus do we reason that the Holy was 20 cubits long.

(Diagram: The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, Nov./Dec. 2002, “The Holy,” Br. David Rice).

The Number Two (2)

The Gospel Age is often represented by the NUMBER 2, or its greater magnitudes 20, 200, 2,000. A 20-cubit length for the Holy fits the symbolism. Perhaps two is used because the fruits of this age of the spirit are nourished by the two sources of instruction, the Old and New Testaments.

The following examples of two in the Bible all relate in one way or another to the Gospel age, or to the nourishment and care of the saints during it :-

two fishes (Matthew 14:17)
two pence (Luke 10:35)
20 years oppression by Jabin (Judges 4:3)
20 years of Samson (Judges 15:20)
20 years of the ark at Kirjath-Jearim (1 Samuel 7:2)
200 pennyworth of bread (Mark 6:37)
200 cubits to shore (John 21:8)
2,000 cubits from the ark to the Israelites (Joshua 3:4)

The Crossbars

In both Exodus 26:26-29 and Exodus 36:31-34, we read of the instructions God gave Moses regarding the making of crossbars that held the boards together for the three frames of the Tabernacle. Here is an illustration of this:

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As illustrated above, on three sides of the Tabernacle’s frames there were two bars end to end spanning the length on the upper side, two on the lower side, and one bar went end to end in the middle. Thus five bars altogether on each of the three frames/sides, which equals a total of 15 crossbars.

The Number Five

The NUMBER 5 in the Bible represents the Church, (the new creation) because it depends on the two elements indispensable for its development, the spirit (two) and blood (three).

Here are several instances where five is symbolic of the new creation: the five wise virgins in Matthew 25, Christ feeding 5000; in the time of Joseph the proportion of grain stored was one part in five (Genesis 41:34); in Numbers 31:27-31 the Lord’s share of the goods collected by the Israelites was 1 part out of 50 or out of 500 depending on the circumstance. As with the 2, 20, 200, and 2,000 discussed earlier, this number also appears in various orders of magnitude: 5, 50, 500, and 5,000.

The Number Fifteen (15)

The NUMBER 15 appears to symbolize deliverance, with the associated ideas of restoration, restitution, and healing. Here are some other Biblical examples of this:

Hosea 3:1-5—Fifteen pieces of silver were paid by Hosea for the deliverance of the woman who represents the nation of Israel.

2 Kings 20:1-6—Hezekiah’s prayer was answered, his life was spared, and God granted him fifteen additional years of life.

John 11:18—When Lazarus was raised from the dead, the distance between Bethany and Jerusalem was mentioned as “fifteen furlongs” symbolizing the journey of mankind from the misery of sin to the deliverance of Peace.

Genesis 7:20—The waters of the Great Flood covered the tallest mountains by fifteen cubits reminding us that the flood of knowledge in the kingdom covering everything will effect the full deliverance, healing, and restoration of mankind by destroying every imperfection of sin. Genesis 7:24 says “the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days”—ten times fifteen. Ten often symbolizes earthly wholeness or completeness. Perhaps this one hundred fifty indicates the complete deliverance of Noah and his family.

Genesis 31:41—Jacob served Laban fourteen years as debt for acquiring Laban’s two daughters as wives. Thus the fifteenth year was one of final deliverance from this debt to his father-in-law.

Leviticus 23:6, 34—The Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles both commenced on the fifteenth day of the month (Nisan 15 and Tishri 15).

Ezekiel 40:22, 31—In Ezekiel’s Temple, there were fifteen steps to the Sanctuary of the House of the Lord—the place of deliverance, healing, and restoration.

Numbers 33:3—Israel’s deliverance from Egypt occurred on Nisan 15.

Micah 5:5—the deliverers of Israel when the “Assyrian” attacks are seven shepherds and eight principal men (princes)—a total of fifteen deliverers.

Esther 9:18—the Jews celebrate their deliverance from the enemy on the fifteenth day of the twelfth month.

Often symbols of the sacrifice of Jesus are implicitly associated with the number fifteen.

Let us now go back to our original verses from Exodus 26 and 36 concerning the fifteen crossbars in total. This may beautifully represent how love binds the church together.

“The love of Christ constraineth us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

The crossbars, covered with gold, represent the divine love Jesus has for the church, the same love expressed by those in the church. That there were fifteen bars suggests deliverance.

Perhaps the most dramatic deliverance effected by love is deliverance from fear. Love delivers from fear and substitutes trust.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18).

The Tabernacle proper represents the two conditions of all who undergo a change of nature from human to spiritual. There are 2 phases or stages of the new life to which we are begotten by the holy Spirit. The tabernacle was composed of 2 compartments (see Exodus 26:33):

The Holy (Leviticus 16:17, 20, 23)

7. THE HOLY.jpg

The Holy was 10 cubits wide x 20 cubits long. It was the first compartment of what is sometimes termed the “Tabernacle of the congregation” (Exodus 38:8, KJV) or “Tent of Meeting.”

The Holy represents the present condition of all those begotten of GOD through the Word of Truth (James 1:18) who FULLY consecrate their human nature to death, that they might become partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

During the Gospel age, such are called to consecrate and sacrifice their human nature in God’s service, and to inherit instead the spiritual nature—as members of the Body of Christ. These enjoy the inner light of the golden candlestick, while others are in outer darkness; these eat of special spiritual food, represented in the unleavened bread of presence, and offer incense at the golden altar, acceptable through Christ Jesus.

The spiritually-minded creature in the Holy BY FAITH looks forward through the rent vail into the Most Holy, catching glimpses of the glory, honor and immortality beyond the flesh; which HOPE is—as an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast, entering into that which is beyond the vail. (Hebrews 6:19; 10:20)

Only those of the Levites who were consecrated to the work of sacrificing (the Priests only) had access to the Tabernacle; so only those of the household of faith who are consecrated to WILLINGLY SACRIFICE, even unto death, enter the divine conditions represented in the Tabernacle.

Only those whose consecrations have been accepted “in the Beloved” are represented as being in this Holy condition.

If we would attain the prize of the high calling which is of God in Christ Jesus, and enter through the Holy into the Most Holy, we must follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our Leader and Head—the High Priest whom we confess (Hebrews 3:1 NIV). Here are the ways in attaining the prize and please our Heavenly Father:-

(1) By faith in Christ’s ransom-sacrifice, represented in the Brazen Altar, we enter through the gate to the Courtyard—the veil of unbelief and sin is passed. This step is one which our Lord Jesus never took, because not being of Adamic stock, but holy, harmless, separate from sinners, he never was outside the Court condition.

(2) Renouncing our justified human wills, and all our human aspirations and hopes, we pass the first vail, or veil of human-mindedness—counting the human will as dead; henceforth consulting not it, but the will of God only. We now find ourselves as “new creatures” in the Holy—in the first of the “Heavenlies” or Holies (Ephesians 2:6—see Diaglott), and begin to be enlightened by the golden candlestick (God’s Word) respecting spiritual things, “the deep things of God,” and to be refreshed and strengthened daily with the Truth, as represented in the shew-bread, lawful for only the Priests to eat (Matthew 12:4). Thus enlightened and strengthened, we should daily offer up sacrifices at the golden altar, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ—a sweet perfume to our Father (1 Peter 2:5).

The Most Holy

THE MOST HOLY.jpg

The Most Holy was a perfect cube measuring 10 cubits on all sides—the only part of the tabernacle that was BALANCED, which represents the condition of divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

We attain to the Most Holy by faithfully overcoming in the Gospel Age. We enter there, beyond the second veil, through death. These, after having completed their consecration in death, are fully changed, born from the dead in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:6, Hebrews 10:20, 1 John 3:2).

The volume of the ark of the covenant (the only furnishing within the Most Holy) was 5.625 cubic cubits (1½ x 1½ x 2½). The volume of the interior of the Most Holy was 810 cubic cubits (9 x 9 x 10). Dividing this volume of the Most Holy by the volume of the ark of the covenant produces a significant number: 144, a number relating to the church.

Revelation 14:1 describes a group of 144,000 standing upon symbolic “Mount Sion” with the symbolic “Lamb.” This refers to the overcoming Bride of Christ. Since the ark represents the Church that will gain the prize of the high calling in the condition that the Most Holy represents (the presence of God, the divine nature), the appearance of 144 does not seem accidental. The number 144 is not 144,000, for the scale of the Tabernacle does not permit the building of a Most Holy containing 144,000 arks. However, the factor of 1,000 is contained in the picture, since the exterior dimensions of the Most Holy were 10 cubits by 10 cubits by 10 cubits or 1,000 cubic cubits.

The (second) vail (as discussed in Study 9 of “Beauties of the Tabernacle” on this website and titled “The Gate. The Door. The Vail.”) was “a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it” hung “with gold hooks on 4 posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on 4 silver bases.” .” (See Study 4 of “Beauties of the Tabernacle.”) It was hung “from the clasps.” (Exodus 26:31-33, NIV)

The (second) vail represents Christ (as do the gate and door).

Passing through this second vail into the Most Holy, involves “the death of the HUMAN body” (Tabernacle Shadows, p.22). Both the fleshly mind and fleshly body must be left behind before we can enter into the “holiest of all.” We will then be in the spirit realm, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50).

References

Br. Charles T. Russell—Tabernacle Shadows.
Br. Anton Frey—Notes on the Tabernacle.
Br. David Rice—The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom Magazine (Nov/Dec 2002 Edition).
Br. David Stein—The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom Magazine (Nov/Dec 2005 Edition).

Suggested Further Reading

STUDY 1: An Introduction To The Tabernacle And It’s Purpose

STUDY 1: An Introduction to the Tabernacle and It’s Purpose

STUDY 2: The Pillar of Cloud By Day And The Pillar of Smoke By Night https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/09/study-2-the-pillar-of-cloud-by-day-and-the-pillar-of-smoke-by-night/

STUDY 4: The Court (“Holy Place”)

STUDY 4: The Court (“Holy Place”)

STUDY 5: The Camp. The Israelites.

STUDY 5: The Camp. The Israelites.

STUDY 6: The Levites

STUDY 6: The Levites

STUDY 7: The Priests. The Day of Atonement.

STUDY 7: The Priests. The Day of Atonement.

STUDY 8: The Tabernacle Coverings

STUDY 8: The Tabernacle Coverings

STUDY 9: The Gate. The Door. The Vail.

STUDY 9: The Gate. The Door. The Vail.

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STUDY 3: The Tabernacle Construction: The Holy & The Most Holy

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STUDY 1: An Introduction to the Tabernacle and It’s Purpose

“LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” – Psalm 26:8 (KJV)

1. 1 - TABERNACLE - WITH BORDERS.jpg
A Definition of the Tabernacle

The Lord said to Moses, “…let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). “I will put My tabernacle in your midst, and My soul shall not loathe you” (Leviticus 26:11).

The Tabernacle (which in Hebrew is: מִשְׁכַּן‎‎, mishkan and means “residence” or “dwelling place”), is also referred to by Yahweh God as the “Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 40) and comprised of both a “Holy” and “Most Holy” place which was surrounded by a fenced court area.

The Tabernacle represents how the plan of God proceeds during the age of sacrifice (the Gospel Age), as distinguished from the Temple of Solomon, which represents how the plan of God proceeds during the Millennium.

Length of Time of Operation

When was the Tabernacle first set up?

The Tabernacle was first set up “on the first day of the first month in the second year,” nearly a year after the nationwide exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 40:2, 17).

The Isaelites departed Rameses “in the first month, on the fifteenth day” (Numbers 33:3), that would be Abib 15, 1445 BC. The Tabernacle was set up Abib 1, 1444 BC.

Abib is the month later named Nisan, as in Nehemiah 2:1, after the Babylonian captivity, deriving from the Babylonian month name Nisanu.) Abib/Nisan falls somewhere within our months of March and April. It changes in relation to our months because the Jews use a lunar calendar (months of 29 or 30 days), with an extra month inserted in the year periodically to maintain the seasons.

How long was the Tabernacle in use?

The Tabernacle and all its furnishings and surrounding court equipment was transported by the 3 clans of Levites (Kohathites, Gershonites and Merarites—see Numbers chapter 4) on their 40 year journey through the wilderness to the promised land.

It continued in use during the period of Judges for an unknown period of time. 1 Samuel 1:9 suggests that some other temporary structure may have been used by the time of Eli, the high priest.

The most sacred article of the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant. This was captured by the Philistines during the time of Eli, who tumbled backward on hearing the news, and died at the age of 98 (1 Samuel 4:14-18). Four generations later, Solomon built a temple as the dwelling place of God.

When the ark had been captured by the Philistines it remained in their control for seven months (1 Samuel 6:1). Because of the plagues it caused them, the Philistines returned the ark to the Israelites, ultimately residing at Kiriath Jearim (1 Samuel 6:21). Twenty year later the Philistine oppression was broken by God under the leader of Samuel (1 Samuel 7:2 and following).

Solomon’s Temple superseded the Tabernacle. It was founded “in the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel in the month of Ziv” (1 Kings 6:1).

{Note: “Ziv” in Hebrew meaning “light” or “glow” and after the Babylonian Exile, the name of this month was changed to being called “Iyar” and falls in April-June on the Gregorian calendar.}

The Temple was founded in 966 BC. It was part of seven years in building, and when complete the ark was moved into the Temple (1 Kings 8).

The Purpose of the Tabernacle

“The Tabernacle was necessary as a way to define Israel’s obedience to God, to unify them as a nation, and to bring organization to their daily life” (“Approaching God,” Bro. Regis Liberda. The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, Nov.-Dec. 2002 ).

Most importantly, the Tabernacle served as a place where the Israelites could be reconciled to God.

The most sacred time of offerings was the annual Day of Atonement. On that day the high priest made atonement for the sins of himself, of the other priests, and for the transgressions of all the Israelites. On that day only, the high priest went into the Most Holy. With him he brought the blood from a bullock, and subsequently the blood of a goat. (Refer to Study 7 of “Beauties of the Truth” on this website titled “The Priests. The Day of Atonement.”) We read about this in Leviticus 16:30:

“God said, ‘For it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord.'”

In the book of Hebrews, the apostle Paul indicates that our access to the privilege of the Most Holy and the presence of God was not available until the blood of atonement was brought to the mercy seat. The blood of bulls and goats, apostle Paul points out, was a picture of a higher reality. This greater reality was the sacrifice of Christ, an offering which needed no annual repetition, as the type, but was given once, efficacious for all time.

“Therefore, brethren, [we have] boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19, 20).

Further confirmation comes from apostle Paul’s second epistle to Timothy. There it says that our new spiritual privileges are “Now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

Thus everything surrounding the Tabernacle arrangement pointed towards the Messiah, Christ Jesus, our anti-typical high priest who entered into the greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not made with hands and not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood. Jesus entered the anti-typical Most Holy place (the Divine Realm, Hebrews 9:24) once for all, having obtained eternal redemption for us—the spirit begotten (Hebrews 9:11-14; 27-28).

(While in the flesh, the difference between the Bride of Christ Class and the Great Company Class is not distinct, as it is when the judgment is completed at the end of the age).

260px-Stiftshuette_Modell_Timnapark Above is a model of the Tabernacle in Timna Valley Park, Israel

A Copy and Shadow

In Hebrews 8:5 (NIV), the apostle Paul wrote that the Aaronic priests “serve at a sanctuary [the Holy and Most Holy compartment] that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’”

The Tabernacle which God commanded the people of Israel to construct in the Wilderness of Sin, and in connection with which all their religious services and ceremonies were instituted, was, the apostle Paul assures us, a shadow of good things to come.

In Colossians 2:17 we read, “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

In fact, the entire nation of Israel, it’s laws, religious services and ceremonies were typical. Our understanding of God’s plan and work of salvation is enhanced by carefully studying those “shadows” which the Israelites were caused to repeat year by year continually until the Gospel age introduced their antitypes—the realities.

1 Peter 1:10-11 (ESV) reads, ^“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.”

Furthermore, the apostle Paul explains, “1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. ²Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. ³But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.⁴It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:1-4, NIV).

GOD’s DETAILED PRECISION

We see how God requires SERIOUS DETAILED PRECISION in ALL our works that we do for Him as ‘PITS’ = ‘Priests In Training’ through how God instructed Moses to make the Tabernacle.

In Exodus 25:40 (NKJV) God tells Moses “And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”

Every detail in this work was to be performed exactly as God instructed, in the type, because it illustrated something greater and more important to come afterward.

So that the people might not become careless in performing this work exactly how God instructed, the usual penalty for any violation was death.

Let us look at some of the PRECISE instructions the Israelites had to adhere to:-

Exodus 28:42-43 (NIV) – “Make linen undergarments as a covering for the body, reaching from the waist to the thigh. Aaron and his sons must wear them whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants.”

Numbers 4:15 (ESV) – “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.”

1.2 - CARRYING ARK.jpg
Numbers 4:19-20 (NAS) – “But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”

Numbers 18:7 – “But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain (Vail). I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary (the Holy and Most Holy) is to be put to death.”

2 Samuel 6:6, 7 (KJV) – “And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.”

Leviticus 10:1, 2 (NIV) – “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. ²So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

Realizing God’s care in making the “shadow” gives us confidence in its correctness, that not one jot or tittle of it shall fail until all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:18), and awakens in us so great an interest in God’s plan leading us to examine closely and search carefully for the meaning of those shadows. And this, with God’s promised blessing, we now purpose to do, assured that “he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:8).

Hebrews 9, 27-28.jpg

The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle too makes known
God’s mighty plan, so vast, so real;
The bullock and the goat are shown;
What sacrifice these types reveal!

The altar and the laver stand
Within the Court, by sacred Word,
Then Altar, Table, Lamps so grand,
Within the Holy of the Lord.

Oh wondrous thought! We here can dwell!
To holiest place we can draw nigh;
And these great things so sacred, tell
Of heavenly joys we’ll have on high.

So while the Harvest still is here,
And ere descends the pall of night,
We have the peace that knows not fear,
And praises God for Truth’s glorious light.

—Poems of the Way (page 108)

Acknowledgement

We wish to thank Br. David Rice for his great zeal in the Lord’s work and patient endurance in the editing and sharing of content for this post in the “Beauties of the Tabernacle” series on http://www.BIBLEStudentsDAILY.com

References

Special thanks to Br. Regis Liberta for source material from his article “Approaching God,” (The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, Nov.- Dec. 2002).

Further Suggested Reading

STUDY 2: The Pillar of Cloud By Day And The Pillar of Smoke By Night https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/09/study-2-the-pillar-of-cloud-by-day-and-the-pillar-of-smoke-by-night/

STUDY 3: The Tabernacle Construction: The Holy and The Most Holy https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/09/14/study-3-the-tabernacle-construction-the-holy-the-most-holy/

STUDY 4: The Court (“Holy Place”)

STUDY 4: The Court (“Holy Place”)

STUDY 5: The Camp. The Israelites.

STUDY 5: The Camp. The Israelites.

STUDY 6: The Levites

STUDY 6: The Levites

STUDY 7: The Priests. The Day of Atonement.

STUDY 7: The Priests. The Day of Atonement.

STUDY 8: The Tabernacle Coverings

STUDY 8: The Tabernacle Coverings

STUDY 9: The Gate. The Door. The Vail.

STUDY 9: The Gate. The Door. The Vail.

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STUDY 1: An Introduction to the Tabernacle and It’s Purpose

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A Little While

JAMES 5, 7-8.jpg

How long, O Lord, till I am meet
To hold with Thee communion sweet?
How long until Thine eyes shall see
The Spirit’s fruits complete in me?

When shall I come to Thee, my Lord,
As promised in Thy blessed Word?
When shall I see Thee as Thou art,
And satisfy my longing heart?

Ah, then, how mean will seem these toys,
These transitory, earthly joys!
How short appear this dreary way,
When night hath turned to endless day!

Then, peace, my soul, be strong, my heart,
And bravely strive to do thy part;
“A little while,” He soon shall come,
And say, “Enough, my child, come home!”

Gertrude W. Seibert (1914)

https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/08/10/a-little-while/

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Just a Word

1 PET. 5, 7 - C&C

Just a word of cheer, brothers and sisters, as you onward press,
Weary, but undaunted, through this wilderness.
Just a word of comfort as the way seems long,
and the sullen shadows around about you throng.

Just a word of hope, brothers and sisters, when your feet are sore,
and the road seems ever rougher than before;
Faint not, for our King Jesus trod the self-same way,
and you know it leads you to the realms of day.

Just a word of caution when before your sight
stands the subtle tempter in a garb of light.
Hold no parley with him, now give way to fear;
at the name of Jesus he will disappear.

Just a word to tell you, brothers and sisters, not to dread
what the world in anger pours upon your head,
and should persecutions come your cup to fill,
then be like the Master – suffer and be still.

Just a note of joy, brothers and sisters as you near the goal,
and the sounds of Jordan beat upon your soul.
He who all your journey proved a faithful guide –
He will see you safely to the other side.

from ‘Poems of the Way’ – Compiled by Bro. Martin C. Mitchell

Just a Word

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Gratitude & Courage

Our hearts o’erflow in prayer and praise
To thee most gracious Lord,
That thou hast opened up our eyes
To understand thy Word.
That thou hast sought us out to run
This narrow heavenly way.
O lead us by thy Spirit, Lord,
For this we daily pray.

We’re thankful for our blessings too.
We never should complain,
For even trials are stepping stones
That bring us lasting gain.
Sometimes discouragement comes in
To hide our face from thee.
“Tis then, we pray, grasp tight our hand
That we may closer be.

Give us fresh courage to go on,
For in OUR strength, we’re weak.
We “need thee every hour,” dear Lord,
Thy will alone we seek.
With gratitude and courage then,
O let us follow on.
By faith we see the prize in sight
As we behold the dawn.

(from “Poems of the Way” – compiled by Br. Martin Mitchell)

I Need Thee Every Hour

https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2016/07/21/gratitude-courage/

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The Expanse of Divine Love – 3 poems

THE EXPANSE OF LOVE DIVINE

He loves me! Oh how much the thought entails,
Love that is perfect, love that never fails.
That strengthens me in sorrow or in strife,
Soothes all the trials and the cares of life.

Higher than highest Heaven; so sublime
This love that lifts me up to heights Divine,
Enfolds me, fills my grateful heart with praise,
And lights my pathway with its golden rays.

So high it overlooks man’s dreadful sin
And plans the fallen race to save, and win
Mankind for righteousness. To give them life
And free them from the bonds of sin and strife.

A love so deep that nothing can molest
The calm and stillness of its perfect rest;
So deep the very lowest of our race,
In Time shall feel His power and know its grace.

Not e’en the silent shadows of the grave
Can hide from Him the soul He seeks to save;
For in due time He’ll call them back again,
Reveal His love, mankind shall serve Him then.

Its length? It teaches out through endless ages–
This love that’s sung by prophets and by sages–
The love that never fails, knows no cessation–
Eternity its limit of duration.

So broad, this love, it takes the whole world in.
It sees the vast extent of human sin,
Yet knows no barriers of blood or race
But reaches all with its unfailing grace.

It fills the universe, it lights the stars.
No selfishness its perfect beauty mars.
Increasing–as the need for it increases–
It knows no limits, varies not, nor ceases.

Lord let me lose myself in that great love,
Knowing Thou watchest o’er me from above.
Oh let me feel the Everlasting Arms
That shield from all that threatens or alarms.

Then shall the earthborn shadows flee away
And self shall be absorbed in love’s pure ray.
Thine image on this faulty tablet trace
And every earth stain from my heart efface.

Till love like Thine I may–in measure–know
And daily like the perfect pattern grow.
Then, by Thy grace, I’ll hear Thy sweet “Well done.”
Life lived in love, eternity begun.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, NIV).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, ESV).

[Note: “supplication” is the action of asking or begging for something earnestly and humbly.]

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4 ).

————

THE STRONGER LOVE

All earthly love is a thread of gold,
Most fair but what the touch of time may sever:
But His is a cable sure, of strength untold
O, His love, it lasteth ever!

And this great love he will on thee bestow
The fullness of his grace make known,
Earnest of glory grant thee here below
If thou wilt be his own!

————

“For GOD so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

*******

LOVE DIVINE

Yahweh God to us in Christ hath given
The proof and pattern of a love divine,
And human love above, though nobly striven.
God’s love is greater far than thine or mine.
For Christ came down from heights unknown to us,
And thus did show to God and man a love–
A love maintained through trial torturous;
A love beyond all loves, save God’s above.

*******

God Is Love

1 John 4:7-21 (ESV) reads,

7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from GOD, and whoever loves has been born of GOD and knows GOD. 8Anyone who does not love does not know GOD, because GOD is love. 9In this the love of GOD was made manifest among us, that GOD sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

10 In this is love, not that we have loved GOD but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if GOD so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen GOD; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of GOD, GOD abides in him, and he in GOD.

16So we have come to know and to believe the love that GOD has for us. GOD is love, and whoever abides in love abides in GOD, and GOD abides in him. 17By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love GOD,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love GOD whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves GOD must also love his brother.