Category: Devotion of the Day

LOVE AND LABOR

Lovest thou me?…Feed my sheep.
John 21:16

Our Lord joins love and labor. Our service for Him is a “labor of love” (I Thess. 1:3), a labor growing out of love. We should feed not only the sheep He has, but other sheep that He seeks we should help to bring into the fold.

Our Lord never thought of relationship to Him that does not issue in fruitfulness for Him. If we abide in Him we shall bring forth much fruit (Jno. 15:5). He that is with Him gathers with Him. He had no thought of fellowship without fruitfulness. We are married to Another, that we might bring forth unto God (Rom. 7:4).

There is no place in Scripture for this type of church member who sings, “O How I Love Jesus,” but feeds no sheep; who sings, “Rescue the Perishing,” but does no rescue work himself.

“He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.” “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Because we love we labor.

TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT

Let God be true, but every man a liar.
Romans 3:4

“Abraham believed God.” The essence of faith is simply taking God at His Word. “What more can he say than to you he hath said?” “He hath said…so that we may boldly say.” We are thrown back upon revelation, not reason. God has spoken and holy men recorded it. Back of everything stands the record. If we are to believe the Living Word we must accept the Written Word. Jesus accepted the Old Testament as the Word of God. And He told us that His words were spirit and life. “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus” – but how do we trust Him? The next line has it, “Just to take Him at His word.”

Not “a feeling fond and fugitive,” not a frame of mind strenuously maintained, but a calm reliance on, “It is written,” that is it. For “these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Take His Word for it!