Learn to entwine with your prayers the small cares, the trifling sorrows, the little wants of daily life.
Whatever it is that affects you, be it a changed look, an unkind word, a wrong, a wound, a demand you can’t meet, a sorrow you cannot disclose, turn it into a prayer and send it up to God.
Man may be too little for your great matters; God is not too great for your small ones. Golden Nugget Number 214
(J N Darby – original reference not found)
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The Lord selects lowly material for the testimony. The testimony of the rights of Christ is an important subject and derives its character very much from the kind of material that is taken up to carry it. The blessed God
Charles Coates
is looking for the sort of material that will glorify Him, so He does not call the great, the wise, or the noble, but the calling is marked by a calling of persons of no account. Not that the wise and noble are excluded, because Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:26, “not many mighty, not many noble.” Lady Huntingdon said that she was saved by the letter M. But it is not the character of the testimony, for God chooses the poor of this world. He is looking for persons of broken spirit, of humble and contrite heart – those are the ones who are attractive to Him. That character of persons lends itself to the testimony; what is great and pretentious and proud does not suit the testimony.
Golden Nugget Number 212
(C.A.C. Outline of Luke p239)
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And if Paul has to speak of the enemies of the cross of Christ, he does it weeping. We often become hard in speaking of enemies. We may know a great deal and understand the times of the dispensation and tell people very earnestly that judgment is just about to fall, but it needs nearness to Christ to be able to tell them so with tears. When we see things wrong, we become indignant, and that is right at times, but it is easier to be indignant than it is to weep.
‘And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.‘
J Revell (1852-1900)
In the Gospel of Luke our blessed Lord is presented to us as the perfectly dependent man. In full accord with this He is often spoken of as praying, for prayer is the expression of dependence. In the close of His life, we have this touching word: “He came out, and went, as He was wont, to the Mount of Olives.” The shadows which had surrounded Him during His perfect path of service were deepening into blackness. Man’s cruel rejection of Him was all but complete. The terrible burden of sin, with its abandonment of God, was before His spirit. He had given expression to His love for His disciples in gathering them together to eat with Him the Passover before He suffered. He had set before them also that which they should do for a remembrance of Himself. Now He retires. Even from His chosen disciples, He separates Himself that He may be alone. There He pours out His soul to the Father, divinely measuring all that was before Him, shrinking from it in perfect piety, yet desiring the Father’s will to be done. Deepest anguish was His, yet most absolute submission. Precious, Holy Saviour, who can gaze on Thee there without deepest reverence!
(J Revell. Nugget suggested by an American subscriber as a rare example of a doxology in ministry)
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This Thing is from Me. (Extracted from “The Disappointments of Life”, a tract found in J N Darby’s Bible
This Thing is from Me
(Extracted from “The Disappointments of Life”, a tract found in J N Darby’s Bible)
Hast thou money difficulties? Is it hard to keep within thine income? “This thing is from Me,” (1 Kings 12:24) for I am He who possesseth all things. I wish thee to draw everything from Me, and that thou entirely dependest upon Me.
Art thou passing through a night of affliction? “This thing is from Me.” I am the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (see Isa 53: 3). I have left thee without human support that in turning to Me thou mightest obtain eternal consolation (see 2 Thess 2, 16, 17).
Has some friend disappointed thee – one to whom thou hadst opened thine heart? “This thing is from Me.” I have allowed this disappointment that thou mayest learn that the best friend is Jesus. He preserves us from failing, fights for us our combats – yea, the best friend is Jesus. I long to be thy confidant.
Has someone said false things of thee? Leave that and come closer to Me, under My wings, away from the place of wordy dispute, for I will ‘bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgment as the noon-day‘ (Psalm 37:6). Have thy plans been all upset? Art thou crushed and wary? “This thing is from Me.” Hast thou made plans and then coming asked Me to bless them? I wish to make plans for thee. I will take the responsibility, for it is too heavy for thee; thou couldst not perform it alone (Ex. 18:18). Thou art but an instrument and not an agent.
Hast thou desired fervently to do some great work for Me? Instead of that, thou hast been laid on one side, on a bed of sickness and suffering. “This thing is from Me.” I was unable to attract thine attention whilst thou wast so active. I wish to teach thee some of my deep lessons. It is only those who have learned to wait patiently who can serve Me. My greatest workers are sometimes those who are laid aside from active service in order that they may learn to wield the weapon of prayer.
Golden Nugget No 205
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While many were claiming to have the Lord with them, I just longed for the experience through contrition and repentance, of being with Him in what He is doing currently.
Frederick Raven
The position that confronts each one of us now is what are we to do as involved in the sorrowful scattering and breakdown of a testimony we had so learned to value and love. To find a way out of it, I cannot. I am part of it and contributed to it. But to find a way through it is my whole concern and that Christ may be my object and motive. While not wishing to speak of myself, my experience found me quite alone and cut off from my brethren – my beloved wife and family…I had nothing. But, thank God, in His sovereign mercy and exceeding grace I had Christ – my Lord and Saviour. It is easy to say it, but it has to be proved that therein lies the precious inward secret that alone can make one superior to the most testing of circumstances. It is just, “Thou remainest when all else is gone”…I then remembered that from the divine side there is no failure – the unity of the Spirit remains. Does not F E Raven say that God never rebuilds what has failed but rather falls back on His promises? While many were claiming to have the Lord with them, I just longed for the experience through contrition and repentance, of being with Him in what He is doing currently.
(Extracted from a letter by Brian Deck, NZ 1979) Golden Nugget Number 19
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what is it that will make me exclusive? Love will do it. I know that many people think the opposite of this and that our exclusiveness is anything but love, but I am sure of my ground when I say that nothing but divine love will enable you to be exclusive of what is in man.
Frederick Raven
I shall speak of the idea of exclusiveness. We have been in reproach because of what has been termed our exclusiveness. Now l want to be exclusive of all which Christ would be exclusive. I do not think Christ is exclusive of men. I am sure He desires to receive every man, and would save them all, but men are not willing that He should. I am not exclusive of men, but shall I tell you what Christ excludes? All that is of man. What is in man? Why, the world is in man and Christ will not tolerate it, and nor will I, by grace, go on with it, either. I want to be exclusive of all that He excludes; lust and pride are in man’s heart, that is really the world. Now what is it that will make me exclusive? Love will do it. I know that many people think the opposite of this and that our exclusiveness is anything but love, but I am sure of my ground when I say that nothing but divine love will enable you to be exclusive of what is in man. (F E Raven, Letters p302)
Golden Nugget Number 191
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…we are to “walk humbly with thy God, (Micah 6: 8)”. Never was the word more needed than today, when pride and ambition are even exalted as virtues. We are to bind on humility, and, again, we are reminded of Him–our Lord and Teacher–who humbled Himself as no other ever did or could, and presents Himself as our glorious Model. He ever glorified God in His lowly pathway here, and His word to us is, ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls<‘/em> (Matt 11:26). There is truly rest and joy in following Him.
(W M Brown, Words of Grace and Comfort 1951) – No photo
Golden Nugget Number 188
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And each of us, therefore, is to learn to regard his or her body as something of priceless value, which can be, and is to be, used for the pleasure of God. It greatly dignifies our bodies to regard them in that light, and our lives become sanctified and valuable to God as they are filled out in the light of the possibilities there are of ministering to the pleasure of God in our bodies. If we think of that it makes things practical. We are exorted in the sixth chapter of this epistle to the Romans to yield ourselves to God as those who are alive from among the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness to God. So that it is not to be a theory with us. It is not to be an abstract idea which does not work out in what is practical, our members are to be held as instruments of righteousness to God, that is to say; our hands, what we do; our feet, where we go; our minds, what we think of; our eyes, what we look at. All these things are practical and our members are all intended to be held at the disposal of our God.
A.J. Gardiner
Winnipeg 1959
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The great truth and essence of Christianity is that it takes the heart out of this world, and fixes it on Christ. It makes us live by Christ, on Christ, and to Christ.
But then the life of Jesus is to be manifested in me, and there I get my proper responsibility as a Christian. Since Christ appears in the presence of God for us, we are to appear in the presence of the world for Christ. If He dwells in you, then let us see Him in you.
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p4)
When guilty, you are justified; when you have offended, you are forgiven; and when you are defiled, you are washed. If I look at guilt, I want justification; at offence, forgiveness; at defilement, cleansing.
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p7)
God never told people they were lost, until Christ had died to save them.
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p11)
Are you part of My bride – My body – and you won’t take the cross here with Me? What is crown up there is cross down here.
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p20)
Whoever has the Spirit of Christ is a member of the body, and that we own; though if one be walking inconsistently, and in some actual thing that calls for it, he must be put out. For fellowship, therefore, he must be not only a member of the body, but also a member of the body walking uprightly.
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p38)
“If a man serve me, let him follow me”; that recalls a line I read many years ago, “It is harder to live a Christian than to die a martyr.”
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p45)
The great truth and essence of Christianity is that it takes the heart out of this world, and fixes it on Christ. It makes us live by Christ, on Christ, and to Christ.
(J.N.D Notes and Jottings p67)
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