COMMITMENT

101. Noah preached to the old world for 120 years, but only eight souls were saved. Lot preached to the cities of the plain, but only three souls were chosen from them. Six hundred thousand men, besides women and children, passed through the Red Sea, but only two entered the Promised Land. (Ex.12:37) Gideon went to fight the Midianites with 32,000 men, but only 300 were allowed to participate in the victory. "Many are called but few chosen."

102. Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers other lives to bring?
Who will leave the World's side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord's side? Who for Him will go?

Not for weight of glory, not for crown & palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for Love that claimeth lives for whom He died:
He whom Jesus nameth, must be on His side.

Jesus, Thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with Thine own life-blood, for Thy diadem:
With Thy blessing filling each who comes to Thee,
Thou hast made us willing, Thou hast made us free.

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King's Own army none can overthrow:
Round His standard ranging, vict'ry to secure;
For His Truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
--Francis R. Havergal

103. To understand the whole work of the Master is not in my power, but to do His will, written in my conscience, that is in my power, and that I know without a doubt. And when I do this, then undoubtedly I am at peace.

104. There's the story of the black boy during WW1 who was sent with a message through enemy territory. To prevent being shot, be was told to "zig-zag". When he returned all wounded & shot up, his officers asked him what happened, & the boy responded, "Well, suh, I guess I musta' ZAGGED when I shoulda' ZIGGED & ZIGGED when I shoulda' ZAGGED!"--Dad

105. Enthusiasm is essential to the triumph of truth.

106. I want my religion like my tea--hot!

107. Zeal is as needful for a Christian as salt for the sacrifice or fire on the altar.

108. For the early Christians "fellowship" was not the frilly fellowship of the church-sponsored bi-weekly outings. It was not tea, biscuits & sophisticated small talk in the Fellowship Hall after the sermon. It was an unconditional sharing of their lives with the other members of Christ's body.

109. Before Pentecost the disciples found it hard to do easy things; after Pentecost they found it easy to do hard things.

110. If it were possible to put the Holy Spirit into a textbook of pharmacology I would put Her under the stimulants, for that is where She belongs.

111. Those whom God will employ are first struck with a sense of their unworthiness to be employed.

112. Until a man is nothing God can make nothing out of him.

113. Christ can never be known without a sense of awe & fear accompanying the knowledge. No one who knows Him intimately can ever be flippant in His presence.

114. Enemy-occupied territory--that is what the World is.

115. Every responsibility is a privilege, & every privilege a responsibility.

116. I will stay in prison till the moss grows on my eyebrows rather than make a slaughterhouse of my principles.--John Bunyan

117. Of what use is it to have many irons in the fire if the fire is going out?

118. I reckon him a Christian indeed that is neither ashamed of the Gospel nor a shame to it.

119. If your Christianity is comfortable, it is compromised.

120. There is no such thing as an easy Christianity. If it is easy, it is not Christianity; if it is Christianity, it is not easy.

121. The proper temperature of Christianity is red-hot.

122. Christianity is the faith for men who are prepared to swim against the stream, the religion for radicals.

123. Christianity is life under sealed orders.

124. "Crucified" is the only definitive adjective by which to describe the Christian life.

125. If you are in Christ, & Christ is in you, then the world should see nothing else but Him!

126. The Christian's task is to make the Lord Jesus visible, intelligible & desirable.

127. It is not great talents that God blesses, so much as great likeness to Jesus.

128. You & I were created to tell the truth about God by reflecting His likeness. That is normality. How many lies have you told about God today?

129. When no mark of the cross appears in our discipleship, we may doubt the ownership. We should be branded for Christ.

130. We don't GO to church; we ARE the church.--Dad

131. Attachment to Christ is the secret of detachment from the world.

132. The more any man loves Christ, the more he delights to be with Christ alone. Lovers love to be alone.

133. A dungeon with Christ is a throne, & a throne without Christ is a hell.--Martin Luther

134. To please Christ is to live a life in such deep fellowship with Him that our walk is characterised by an eagerness to explore His every wish.

135. God finds pleasure in us when we find pleasure in Him.

136. To be little with God is to be little for God.

137. I can afford to lose everything except the touch of God on my life.--Willard Cantelon

138. Christian evangelism is the only reason for our being on Earth.

139. The Lord is King! Who then shall dare
Resist His will, distrust His care,
Or murmur at His wise decrees,
Or doubt His royal promises?
--Josiah Conder

140. In the North of Scotland, where the main railway line crosses a gully--bridged by a viaduct--one night a fearful storm raged, and the little burn under the viaduct became a raging torrent.
A young shepherd, a Highland laddie, sheltered his sheep as best he could for the night, and in the morning, long before dawn, he set out to see how they fared. As he made his way up the hillside he noticed, to his dismay, that the central column of the viaduct had gone, and the bridge was broken. He knew the mail train was due and, if not warned, would be dashed to pieces and many lives lost. He made his way up as best he could, wondering if he would be in time. As soon as he reached the rails he heard the pound of the mighty engine. He stood and beckoned wildly, but the engine-driver, making up time, drove on. The train drew nearer, and still he stood, beckoning it to stop. At last it came to where he stood, and he flung himself in front of the engine. The driver applied the brakes and managed to stop the train in its own length. The stop was sudden and the passengers, awakened, came to see what was the matter. The driver said, `It has been a close shave this time. We might all have been lost. Come and I'll show you the one who saved us tonight.'
A little way along they saw the mangled remains of the shepherd laddie who gave his life for them, dying that they might live. (1Thes.5:10; Tit.2:13,14)

141. "God first! My interests must always come second to His, never first."
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God."

Dr. Graham Scroggie was one time speaking along these lines, and at the close of the service he was approached by a young woman a professing Christian, who had been greatly stirred.
"And why don't you yield?" inquired Dr. Scroggie.
"I'm afraid I should have to do two things if I did," responded the girl.
"What are they?" asked Dr. Scroggie.
"I play the piano in a concert hall, and I fear I would have to give it up," she replied.
"And the other?"
"I am afraid God would send me to China as a missionary."
Opening his Bible at Acts 10:14, Dr. Scroggie explained to the young woman the absurdity of Peter's answer. A slave never dictates. And to say, "Not so," and then use the word "Lord" was impossible.
"Now," said Dr. Scroggie, "I want you to cross out the two words, `Not so' and leave the word `Lord'; or else cross out `Lord' and leave `Not so'."
Handing here his pencil he quietly walked away. For two hours she struggled. Then he returned. Looking over her shoulder, he saw a tear-stained page, but the words "Not so" were crossed out. With a glad light in her eyes she left and went home, repeating over the one word, "Lord". No longer would she dictate. She was now His disciple and He her Lord and Master. (Acts 10:14,36; Col.3:24; 1Pet.3:15)

142. First, plant five rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness, and Prayer. Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash Gossip, Squash Criticism, and Squash Indifference. Then five rows of lettuce: Let us be Faithful, Let us be Unselfish, Let us be Loyal, Let us be Truthful, Let us Love One Another. And no garden is complete without turnips: Turn up for Fellowship, Turn up with a Smile, Turn up with Determination.

143. A mule makes no headway while he's kicking; neither does a man.

144. This is a true story about a teacher named Mary who taught in an Indian school. There was another teacher in the school that Mary did not like and one day Mary felt something inside her telling her that this bad feeling was wrong. Mary had learned to listen to this "inner voice" because she knew it came from God, so she decided to obey it. "But what can I do?" she wondered.
"Give her an egg," was the thought which came.--But that seemed like a foolish idea to Mary. Just one egg! The teacher might feel insulted at such a present! A dozen eggs, now that would be different, but just one egg! She put the thought out of her mind and went off to her day's teaching.
But when she came home in the evening, there on the chair in her room sat a hen. It cackled and flew down; and there was an egg. Mary remembered her thought about giving an egg to the other teacher.--And here God had even supplied the egg to give her! So, somewhat reluctantly, she picked it up and set off for the other teacher's house.
This other teacher was married and had several children, and one of them, a little boy, was outside the house when Mary reached it. She was glad to see him--it was easier to give the egg to him. "Will you give this egg to your mother, please?" she asked, "It is for her."
The next day the other teacher came to Mary. "What made you give me that egg?" she asked. "It was so nice and fresh!" So Mary told her about being sorry for her bad feelings and about the thought she had had of what to do about them, which she felt had come from God.
"Yes, that is just like God," said the other teacher. "He must have known that we had so little food in the house that when everyone had had some, there was none left for me. And then your egg came! I was so happy and satisfied when I had eaten it!"

145.It costs to be faithful. It cost Abraham the yielding up of his only son. It cost Esther the risk of her life. It cost Daniel being cast into the den of lions. It cost Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego being put in a fiery furnace. It cost Stephen death by stoning. It cost Peter a martyr's death. It cost Paul his life. Does it cost you anything to be faithful to your Lord & King? (Mat.25:31; Luke 19:17; 1Cor.4:2; Rev.2:10)

146. Some people ask the Lord to guide them; then they grab the steering wheel.

147. "Yield yourselves to God'; `Present your bodies a living sacrifice."

A certain preacher had two daughters, one of them older than the other. One Monday morning the minister was sitting in his study in London, feeling that the previous day had been a bad day, without blessing--and he was very unhappy. Mummy was making the breakfast downstairs, and suddenly turned to the children and said, "Run upstairs and tell Daddy breakfast's ready!" So they both ran upstairs; but the big one outran her little sister, dashed into the study, jumped on to daddy's knee, put her arms round daddy's neck and kissed him, and said, "Daddy, breakfast's ready!" The little one came puffing and panting, and looked somewhat crestfallen as she took in the situation. And big sister said something rather catty to little sister: "I've got all there is of Daddy today!" And Daddy looked at that little girl, and held out to her his arm that was free--and she ran into the study and jumped on to the other knee, and he hugged her and put his arm right round her. And that little girl looked at her big sister and said, "You may have all there is of Daddy; but Daddy's got all there is of me."
Listen. You have got all there is of Jesus. Has He got all there is of you? (Rom.6:13; 12:1)

148. It was advertised in one of our large cities that a great violinist would play on a violin worth a thousand dollars. The theatre was packed. Many came as much to see the fine violin as to hear the music. The violinist came out and played, and the people were enraptured. But suddenly he threw the violin down and stamped on it, crushed it into matchwood and walked off the stage. The people were shocked, and thought the man must have lost his mind to destroy such a lovely and costly instrument. Then the manager came on and addressed the audience, saying, `Friends, the violinist has not been playing on the thousand-dollar violin yet. The instrument you have heard he bought at a second-hand store for 65 cents. He will play on the thousand-dollar violin now.'
And so he did, and there were few people in the audience who could tell any difference. He simply wanted to show them that it is the violinist rather than the violin that makes the music. You may be a 65-cent fiddle, but the Master will make music upon you if yielded to Him. (Acts 4:13-14; Rom.12:1,2)

149. `Why am I not happy?' inquired a wealthy lady as she stood beside the missionary, Dr. Goforth of China, in her home.
`Have you surrendered all?' enquired the man of God, quietly.
`Yes, as far as I know, I have surrendered all,' responded the woman.
`Are you sure?' insisted Dr. Goforth, `that your all is on the altar?'
`My all is on the altar, I believe,' answered the woman again.
`And you are willing for God to take your little girl here and send her to China?" asked the missionary, placing his hand on her head.
`God take my daughter, and make her a missionary in China! I should say not. I want her with me,' exclaimed the mother.
`And yet you tell me you have yielded all, and you haven't even given your own child to God. How can you expect God's blessing and peace and joy? You stand as it were between God and His will for your daughter, and you say to Him, "Thus far shalt Thou come and no farther. You can have my home; You can have my money; You can have me, but--don't touch my daughter." Madam, do you call that surrender?' (Mark 12:44; Rom. 12:1; Phil.3:8)

150. A Christian in great perplexity prayed but found no relief in prayer. Looking up from where he knelt, his eye alighted on a card, "Try Thanksgiving! He did, & the Lord gave him peace & removed his cares. (Phil.4:6; 1Tim.2:1)

151. Like the old story about the Christian camp meeting where they put up signs: "Girls, no slacks allowed!"--And they all came out in shorts! They obeyed the letter of the law but not the spirit thereof.--Dad.

152."May I have those pearls?" He questioned,
Knowing that I prized them so--
"If you love Me, will you lay those
At My feet?" I answered, "No."

But He looked so disappointed;
The I cried, "O though it grieves,
Take them, Master, take them, take them!
Yea, I love THEE `more than these.'"

Yes, He took my pearls, just cheap things
That could last but for a day,
But He gave me back some REAL ONES--
PRICELESS! JOYS for aye--FOR AYE!
--Edith Mapes

153. I'm feeling very rich today,
For Jesus holds my purse.
I need not count its scanty store
As the only assets at my door;
Behind it stands a wealthy name,
And vast resources I may claim
Since Jesus holds my purse.

My Cashier never lets me want
Since He controls my purse:
Debit and credit always meet.
I marvel at His counsel sweet
Concerning purchases I make,
Or money given for His dear sake
While He controls my purse.

I'd face the world in great alarm
If Judas held my purse.
He'd call the gifts of humble love
Naught but a waste, treasure above
Uncertain quantity and poor.
My life would barren be, I'm sure,
If Judas held my purse.

And thus I live a carefree life
Fore Jesus holds my purse.
Since money is a sacred thing,
Both joy and sorrow it may bring
According as we do His will,
Or find our hearts rebellious still.
Let Jesus hold your purse.

154. As long as there's a little dark unyielded corner of your life that you're not willing to yield to the Lord, if there's one little part of it, the Enemy can get at you there, like the camel's nose, & he can bother you in that one little thing, plague you with that one little thing. Like the guy who said to the rich man who'd bought the whole village except his cottage:
"Remember, Huddersfield belongs to thee & to me!" In other words, the Devil can say, "Aha, see! He's yielded everything except this one little thing! So even though he belongs mostly to Thee, a little bit still belongs to me!"--Some little thing.--Dad

155. Fellowship with God means warfare with the world.

156. I fear not the tyranny of man, neither yet what the Devil can invest against me.--John Knox

157. It costs to follow Jesus Christ, but it costs more not to.

158. Jesus promised His disciples three things--that they would be completely fearless, wonderfully happy & in constant trouble.

159. A disciple is a person who learns to live the life his teacher lives.

160. Discipleship is more than getting to know what the teacher knows. It is getting to be what He is.

161. The making of a disciple means the creating of a duplicate.

162. Who escapes a duty, avoids a gain.

163. When a Christian presents the Good News about Jesus he is preaching treason in the Devil's kingdom.

164. Anyone who witnesses to the grace of God revealed in Christ is undertaking a direct assault against Satan's dominion.

165. It is impossible to save a life from burning & avoid the heat of the fire.

166. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, & the nearer we get to him the more intensely missionary we must become. --Henry Martyn

167. True religion is keeping one's heart clean & hands dirty--in human service.

168. A religion that does nothing, costs nothing, suffers nothing--is worth nothing.

169. The hardest job that people have is to move their religion from their throats to their muscles.

170. Always stand for the right; then you win even if you lose.

171. No man can truly stand erect until he has first bent the knee to Almighty God.

172. Those who go against the grain of God's law shouldn't complain when they get splinters.

173. God holds us responsible, not for what we have, but for what we could have; not for what we are, but for what we might be.

174. Man is responsible to God for becoming what God has made possible for him to become.

175. No man can be at peace with God without getting into an argument with the Devil.

176. Some people are willing to serve God, but only as His consultant.

177. Satan doesn't care what we worship, as long as we don't worship God.

178. We cannot do everything we want to do, but we should do everything God wants us to do.

179. A conscience is a safe guide only when God is the guide of the conscience.

180. No person can fully & completely discharge his debt to Almighty God, but surely he can make regular payments on it.

181. Oh, there are heavenly heights to reach
In many a fearful place,
While the poor, timid heir of God
Lies blindly on his face;
Lies languishing for light Divine
That he shall never see
'Til he goes forward at Thy sign,
And trusts himself to Thee.
--Rev. C.A. Fox

182. The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy Throne,
And worship only Thee.

183. We mutter & sputter,
We fume & we spurt.
We mumble & we grumble,
Our feelings get hurt.
We can't understand things,
Our vision grows dim.
But all that we need is
Surrender to Him!

184. I carefully laid my every plan:
The future seemed so bright.
My hopes and dreams they towered high--
I saw no trace of night.

And then at closing of the day
I knelt in usual prayer,
And prayed: "Dear Lord, bless every plan--
All that I hope and dare."

But day by day my plans all failed,
My hopes came tumbling down.
All my ambitions disappeared,
And FAILURE was my crown.

Perplexed--I could not understand;
Had I not knelt and prayed?
Why then was every plan and hope
Discarded and waylaid?

Then in the stillness of the night,
Out from the shadows dim,
I heard a sweet persuading voice
That called me close to Him:

"Why don't you let ME make your plans?
I know just what you need.
Just leave the future in MY hands,
And let ME take the lead."

I put my future in His hands,
And felt Him draw so near,
That I couldn't doubt He'd work things out
Throughout the coming year!

185. At the close of an address by D.L. Moody, a highly-educated man said to him coldly, "Excuse me, but you made eleven mistakes in your grammar tonight." Mr. Moody replied, "I probably did. My early education was very faulty. But I am using all the grammar I know in the Master's service. How about you?" (Acts 4:13; Col.3:17,23,24)

186. I said, "Let me walk in the fields."
He said, "No, walk in the town."
I said, "There are no flowers there."
He said, "No flowers, but a crown."

I said, "But the skies are black;
There is nothing but noise and din."
And He wept as He sent me back;
"There is more," He said; "there is sin."

I said, "But the air is thick,
And fogs are veiling the sun."
He answered, "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."

I said, "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say."
He answered, "Choose to-night
If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given.
He said, "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town;
He said, "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light divine
The path I had feared to see.
--George Macdonald

187. A poem written by someone who met an old negro in charge of an ancient paddle steamer on the Great Lakes. Asked why he kept the brasswork so bright, the negro said, "You gotta get a glory."

O you gotta get a Glory in the work you do,
A Hallelujah Chorus in the heart of you.
Paint, or tell a story, sing or shovel coal,
O you gotta get a Glory, or the job lacks soul.

O Lord, give me a Glory--is it much to give?
For you gotta get a Glory, or you just don't live.
The great, whose shining labours make our pulses throb,
Were men who got a Glory in their daily job.

The battle might be gory, and the odds unfair,
But the men who got a Glory never knew despair.
Or Lord, give me a Glory--when all else is done.
If you've only got a Glory, you can still go on.

For those who get a Glory, it is like the sun,
And you can see it glowing through the work they've done,
O fame is transitory--riches fade away--
But when you've got a Glory, it is there to stay.

O Lord, give me a glory, and a workman's pride,
For you gotta get a Glory, or you're dead inside.

188. He who wants anything from God must approach Him with empty hands.

189. You must die while you live before you can live after you die.

190. If you don't surrender to Christ, you surrender to chaos.

191. If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley--but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush, if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush, be a bit of the grass,
And some highway happier make;
If you can't be a muskie, then just be a bass--
But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do & there's lesser to do
And the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway, then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun, be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail--
Be the best of whatever you are!

192. Bondslave of Jesus Christ, Thine, Thine alone;
Whom have I else in Heaven, or earth ,or sea?
Naught that I have, my Lord, I call mine own:
All that I am, O God, I pledge to Thee.

Against the doorposts of eternity,
The high and holy place of Thine abode,
Pierce through mine ear the sign of slavery
And point me any service, any road.

A slave! I would not question, would not choose.
Man's praise or blame no more can trouble me;
Even my right to self to Thee I lose,
And in that bondage find that I am free.
(Exod.21:1-6; Rom.12:1)

193. We are not storerooms but channels;
We are not cisterns but springs,
Passing our benefits onward,
Fitting our blessings with wings,
Letting the water flow outward
To spread o'er the desert forlorn;
Sharing our bread with our brothers,
Our comforts with those who mourn.
(Neh.8:10; John 7:38)

194. God has a wireless to everywhere:
We call it the Word of God and prayer.
And every one may daily win
God's choicest gifts by "listening in."

First you must shut out every sound
From the heedless world that throngs around.
Vanity fair makes a deafening din
On purpose to hinder "listening in."

The devil will use his utmost power
To keep you from having this quiet hour.
He knows that you can be freed from sin
Always and only by "listening in."

But when you prayerfully read God's Word,
The still small voice is clearly heard.
And wondrous peace and power within
Daily results from "listening in."

God longs to give His best to you
To keep you loyal and strong and true.
If you haven't begun, today begin
To prove the joy of "listening in."

195. The life of the believer is a conducted tour, & the skilful guide is Abraham's guide & ours. He knows the end of the journey which is in view, & he knows the best way to arrive there.

196. LIVINGSTONE, ON SACRIFICE

PEOPLE TALK of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt we owe to our God be called a sacrifice? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter?
"Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say, rather, it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink, but let this be only for a moment.
"All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk when we remember the great sacrifice which was made by Him who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself to us."

"MY JESUS, MY LORD, MY LIFE, MY ALL,
I AGAIN DEDICATE MY WHOLE SELF TO THEE."

The above words were found in Dr. Livingstone's diary under date of the day Stanley left him after failing to persuade him to take the only possible opportunity of returning home.

197. It's pretty hard for the Lord to guide a man if he hasn't made up his mind which way he wants to go.--The path of obedience or disobedience.

198. The Lord calls for us to stand, though not always to understand.

199. God's main problem with the labourers in His vineyard is absenteeism.

200. If God is small enough for us to understand, He isn't big enough for us to worship.