| Christian Life and Doctrine | July 1949 |
“Songs in the Night”
JULY 1
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.—Ephesians 5:8
THE Lord Jesus tells us that if we would be faithful to the light we must let our light so shine as to show forth the praises of our Father in heaven. He forewarns us that many will not appreciate our good works, but will say all manner of evil against us falsely, for his name’s sake. He assures us that the children of darkness hate the children of light, but he admonishes that in these experiences we should “rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.” Such is the sentiment of the children of the light that they will rejoice even in persecution and in tribulation. As they let the light, the truth, shine out, the error will be manifested to those of right understanding and of noble heart.—Z 1915-201 (Hymn 275)
JULY 2
If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.—John 15:10
WE MAY daily and hourly keep ourselves in the Lord’s love by obedience to and a growing love for the principles of righteousness. And we are to rejoice in every experience in life—its trials, difficulties, sorrows, disappointments, etc., no less than in its pleasures, if by any or all of these means the Lord shall instruct us and give us clearer insight into our own deficiencies, and a still clearer insight into that perfect law of liberty and love which he has established, and to which he requires our full and loyal heart submission.—Z 1902-173 (Hymn 80)
JULY 3
Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.—John 4:14
ERRORS, falsities, may satisfy temporarily the craving of those who have never yet tasted of the truth, the water of life, but nothing can give permanent, lasting satisfaction except the truth; and our Lord himself, the Word, the Logos, the message of the Father, full of grace and truth, is the embodiment and representative of this satisfying water of life. Whoever receives the Lord as his Redeemer and Leader and Teacher, through whom all the gracious promises of God are to be fulfilled; whoever receives this water of life receives a satisfying portion, and will never be found looking for truth in other directions. It will satisfy his longings as nothing else could do, and so abundantly as to leave no appetite for strange waters.—Z 1899-27 (Hymn 146)
JULY 4
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.—Psalm 60:4
WE ARE to tell forth this glorious message. We are to tell it in our actions, in our words, by the printed page, by pictorial presentations to the eye, and in every way that the Lord shall give us the opportunity. … If we refrain from telling the glad tidings, the result will be that the fire of God’s Holy Spirit will become extinguished within us. The possession of the truth—God’s message—brings with it great responsibility. Shall we prove faithful to it? Shall we show to our God our deep appreciation of his loving-kindness in granting us the knowledge of his wonderful message of salvation, his glorious plan, with its times and seasons?—Z 1914-198 (Hymn 280)
JULY 5
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before his angels.—Revelation 3:5
THE faithful overcomers watch and keep their garments clean. They have not been willing to have sin contaminate them and to separate them from the Lord, but have quickly applied for and obtained the precious blood to remove every stain. They are so heartily opposed to sin and so earnest about keeping their garments unspotted that the Adversary gets no hold upon them—“That wicked one toucheth them not.” … How gracious is the provision of our God in presenting us with the robe which covers all the repented-of blemishes of the past as well as the unintentional and unwitting imperfections of the present! Under this arrangement it is possible for the Lord’s people to walk so carefully, so circumspectly, as to keep their garments unspotted from the world.—Z 1911-342 (Hymn 82)
JULY 6
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.—Psalm 89:34
THESE words of Jehovah God are very comforting and satisfying to his faithful children. As faith becomes a basis for things hoped for, so confidence and experience constitute a basis for faith to rest upon. The unchangeableness of our God is one of the attractive features of his character: his assurance is, “I am the same, I change not.” Even when the Lord’s word or sentence is against us—as in the case of his pronouncement against sin and sinners—and even though his unchangeableness will not permit him to excuse sin or clear the guilty, this very constancy becomes an assurance to us that as God has been strict and unchangeable in regard to the penalty pronounced, he will be equally strict and equally unchangeable concerning all the good promises and covenants which he has made to us.—Z 1902-341 (Hymn 219)
JULY 7
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.—Matthew 5:10
OUR text is especially appropriate and should always be remembered, not only in severe persecutions but also in the lesser ones, when our names are cast out as evil, when men make all kinds of misrepresentations against us falsely because of our faithfulness to the Lord and to his Word and to the principles of righteousness. Then remember this text, and assure your heart in harmony with it and with other statements of the Lord’s Word that all these experiences of opposition the Lord is willing to overrule for your highest welfare, causing them to work out for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. All who will be of the kingdom of heaven class must pass through some such experiences for the development and testing of their characters.—Z 1905-255 (Hymn 322)
JULY 8
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.—Colossians 3:15
THE peace and joy which surpasseth all human understanding was not given to the world, nor is it given to the nominal Christian professor, nor to the formalist and ritualist, however zealous they may be. It is intended for and can be had only by those who receive riches of grace through the Holy Spirit—those who by obedience to the truth and its spirit grow up into Christ their living Head in all things. Such have peace, deep and abiding, and ever increasing proportionately as they come to comprehend with all saints through faith and obedience the riches of divine grace—the lengths, breadths, heights, and depths of the love of God.—Z 1899-93 (Hymn 244)
JULY 9
I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.—Psalm 71:16
THE tears and sorrows and battlings in strife against the world, the flesh, and the devil are all very necessary in the present time; and we should neither hope nor expect to be crowned as victors without passing through such experiences. In this battle we learn not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; we learn of our own weaknesses and imperfections and our need to walk closely with the Lord, if we would keep our garments unspotted from the world. We learn also to trust his grace, and that our sufficiency is of God.” We learn that “greater is he who is on our part than all they that be against us.” We learn that the victory that overcometh the world is neither the strength and perfection of our flesh, nor merely the strong resolution of our minds, but the latter helped and strengthened by him who assures us that his strength can be perfected in our weakness. It is here that we learn that all things are working together for good to them that love God.—Z 1897-227 (Hymn 266)
JULY 10
He knoweth the way that I take.—Job 23:10
WHILE the more exposed to Satan’s attacks and to severer tests of our hope, faith, and love as we go onward in our narrow way, we will have increasing spiritual joys, peace beyond compare, and will be enabled to rejoice even in trials and tribulations, knowing that these are working out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We will be enabled to endure, as seeing Him that is invisible, as being upheld and led by His hand. We will have the promise of His presence, in every trouble, and that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that all things (even the seeming evils of life) He is able and willing to overrule for our highest good; because we love God and his way and his plan more than self and self’s ways—because we are called according to his purpose and have accepted the call, are in sympathy with its objects and are seeking so far as in us lies to walk worthy of the Lord and his high calling, and thus to make our calling and election sure.—Z 1895-3 (Hymn 87)
JULY 11
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.—Daniel 12:3
THOSE who so thoroughly believe the testimony of God as to yield themselves fully to his will are wise indeed. They have prudently chosen that good part which shall not be taken from them. In this present evil world it is true that, like their Lord, they have tribulation; but if they endure it as good soldiers, faithful unto death, their eternal reward is sure. The reward promised is beyond this vale of tears and the valley of the shadow of death. Then these that suffered here, meekly bearing the reproach of Christ; who took up their cross daily and followed him; who nobly adhered to the principles of truth and righteousness, and faithfully conformed their lives thereto; who delighted themselves in the Lord, and daily meditated his law; who devoted themselves faithfully to the doing of his will—sacrificing their own—these shall by and by shine forth as the sun, as the brightness of the firmament, in the kingdom of their Father.—Z 1896-65 (Hymn 320)
JULY 12
The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.—I Peter 3:12
OUR Heavenly Father is deeply interested in everything that relates to us and ours. What thing is too small for his notice who numbers even the very hairs of our heads? … Fallen creatures though we be, from the noble estate in which we were created, God so loved our race, even while we were yet sinners, as to make provision at great cost for our redemption and restitution and subsequent eternal glory. And therefore it is—because he loves us—that through Christ he extends to us the gracious favor of coming to him as children to a father. … We need have no fear that he is too busy with other matters of greater importance, or that he is weary of our coming to him repeatedly with things of small importance. … It is our privilege to enter into our closets and shut the doors and pray to our Father which seeth in secret, who will reward us openly.—Z 1895-214 (Hymn 293)
JULY 13
The Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.—Deuteronomy 13:3
THE kingdom is designed only for those who by the grace of God shall in heart, in character, become like the Master, in that they will love the Lord with all their heart, with all their soul (all their present capacity), and be able to say: “Not my will, but thine, O Lord, be done.” No other heart condition than this of entire submission to God in Christ can make us acceptable for the kingdom; for no other condition represents full loyalty and full love to God. Let us not forget that all the heavenly glories and blessings, which “eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,” God has prepared only for them who love him supremely—and who prove this love. But his grace will be sufficient for our every need.—Z 1914-264 (Hymn 333)
JULY 14
We know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together.—Romans 8:22
DEARLY beloved of the consecrated household, let us not forget to keep in touch with the groaning creation; to sympathize with its sorrows and its woes; to realize its deep degradation and misery; to remember its frailties, its awful burden of hereditary taints and consequent weaknesses; its present environments of ignorance and superstition, and its long established error of public sentiment; remembering that we too are still in the sinful flesh, and that the motions of sin are still often painfully manifest in us, in some directions, at least, if not in many. And as the cries of the groaning creation come up into the ears of the Lord of hosts with strong and pathetic pleading to his loving heart, so let them come into our ears and gain our sympathies, and quicken our zeal to co-operate with our Heavenly Father’s plan for the establishment of his kingdom of righteousness and peace.—Z 1902-263 (Hymn 38)
JULY 15
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.—Philippians 2:12
THE expression, “work out,” has a peculiar force and meaning. It suggests something that is difficult, that requires time and patience. The decision has already been made, or we would not be of this class. We settled the matter when we first made this determination. We have already presented our bodies living sacrifices. And now we are beloved sons of God; and this that we have undertaken lies before us. We see how our Master laid down his earthly life, and we see from the Scriptures that he is to be an ensample to us. So we are to submit ourselves rejoicingly to all the providences of God—glad to have God’s will done in us, whatever it may cost, whatever it may mean to sacrifice.—Z 1913-264 (Hymn 200)
JULY 16
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.—Proverbs 4:23
THE heart, which is the center and mainspring of physical life, is here used as a symbol of the affections—which are the center and mainspring of the moral nature. Keep the center of the affections right, true, and pure, and the words and deeds and looks and plans emanating therefrom will be good, true, and pure, even though not always perfect. On the contrary, unless the heart is thus fixed, all attempts to otherwise regulate the life will be measurably fruitless and at best only spasmodic. How necessary, then, if we would live consistent Christian lives, moving steadily on in the way of righteousness, that our affections should be centered in God, that our hearts should be as true to him as the mariner’s needle to the pole.—Z 1893-234 (Hymn 198)
JULY 17
He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.—I John 2:6
WHOEVER has our Lord’s spirit, and is controlled by the same will, is a member of the body of Christ, and will seek to walk after this fashion, to do the will of God in all things. This will mean a walk of holiness, of full devotion to God, and of opposition to sin. … We cannot in an imperfect body walk up to all the perfection of Jesus, who was perfect in his flesh as well as in his spirit. But we are to walk as he walked—in the same path, in the same direction, toward the same glorious goal toward which he walked. And so doing, faithful day by day, we shall by his grace attain the same exceeding great reward.—Z 1914-126 (Hymn 301)
JULY 18
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.—Isaiah 43:2
IN VIEW of the fact that all of the called, chosen, and faithful must be required to pass through the school of experience, discipline, and testing with a view to their final approval, how encouraging it is to know that the Lord will indeed be with us in every trouble, that he sympathizes with us in all of our trials, adversities, afflictions, perplexities, etc., and that “behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face.” The waters of affliction, disappointment, perplexity, trouble, will be about us, and we are not to float with the current either, but are to endure hardness as good soldiers. But our source of strength in battling with the current of life is never to be forgotten. The Lord will pull us safely over to the other side, where we shall have life, and that more abundantly, with the glory, honor, and immortality which he will provide for his bride—his elect.—Z 1907-171 (Hymn 93)
JULY 19
Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.—I Corinthians 9:25
IF WE hope to be overcomers and approved of the Lord we must be moderate, temperate, self-denying in all things. It is not only necessary that our whole being should be consecrated to the Lord at the beginning of the race, but it continues necessary all along the way that it shall be continually subject to the new mind, the mind of Christ, which is to dwell in us richly and abound. Otherwise, if we allow the old, fallen nature to rise up and hinder the new mind, the mind of Christ in us—if we permit the will of the flesh thus to come into control again, we may count the race as ignominiously terminated and ourselves as “castaways”; because the mind of the flesh leads to death, but the mind of the new spirit of life in Christ, by which we are begotten through the Word of truth, leads to life everlasting, and through faithfulness to eternal glory.—Z 1897-80 (Hymn 202)
JULY 20
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.—Romans 13:12
CONSIDER the light you have now received—the light of the knowledge of God, of his will, of what to live for, and of what kind of characters they are to whom the Lord will be pleased to grant the reward of eternal life, even the highest form of life. Having all this knowledge, put it on as an armor to protect you. Knowing what God requires, put all this on, not as a robe, but as an armor over the robe. Put on the breastplate of righteousness covering the heart. Realize that nothing but heart purity and absolute loyalty to God may be considered. Realize that God is for us. Take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and all the various pieces enumerated by the apostle. These constitute the “armor of light,” so called because it is obtained from the light of truth.—Z 1915-284 (Hymn 164)
JULY 21
I pray for them … which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.—John 17:9,10
OUR Lord Jesus was always in perfect harmony with the Father; a son who gloriously reflected his likeness; but it has not been so with us: we were sinners and had nothing in us worthy of love. Yes, but we have been washed and cleansed, and however imperfect our earthen vessels may still be, our hearts are perfect in his sight who is able to read the heart. And, as he sees us with a perfect heart—a perfect purpose and intention—striving to overcome the weaknesses and disabilities of our imperfect flesh, and with painful, yet determined, effort to do his will, and humbly trusting in the provisions which he has made for our redemption from the fall, God recognizes in us that which is worthy of his love. And so our Lord Jesus gives us clearly to understand that the Father loves us, even as he loved the Son.—Z 1903-78 (Hymn 165)
JULY 22
The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.—Romans 7:12
COMPLETE happiness and unalloyed bliss can never be secured to anyone except by entire harmony with the perfect law of love—supreme love of God and love of the neighbor as to one’s self. This law is the full expression of God’s will and purpose concerning his creatures. His will is our happiness and peace and joy, and is essential to our fitness to live forever in the possession of his favors. The proper attitude, therefore, of every loyal child of God is not only that of submission to this law to the fullest extent of ability, but also of grateful and joyful harmony with it, and delight in obedience to it and in contemplation of it—Z 1892-326 (Hymn 114)
JULY 23
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.—John 1:29
TO WHAT extent are we each and all zealously using the opportunities which the Lord has put in our power to glorify his name and to bless our sin-sick neighbors, not only by telling them about Jesus and his wonderful words of life, but to what extent are we additionally helping them to come to him? There are various ways in which we may assist—by word, by letter, by invitation to meetings, etc. However, one necessary element in all help is that our own course of conduct must be in accordance with that which we commend to others. If we ourselves have been to Jesus and learned of him and caught some of his self-sacrifice and love, we will be the better able to help others who desire to come to him. They who would be the ambassadors of the Lord in telling men of the forgiveness of sins and the privileges of sonship in the present time must themselves manifest not only a faith in their own forgiveness but additionally, must show a transformation of life in progress, evidencing the fact that they are now the friends of God, that they have been with Jesus and learned of him.—Z 1904-40 (Hymn 76)
JULY 24
I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.—I Corinthians 2:2
EACH consecrated believer should ask himself, “How carefully have I studied that which I recognize as divine truth? How fully capable am I of handling the Sword of the Spirit?” Few indeed are those who can say they have fully digested and assimilated all they have received; and that they have let none of these things slip from memory; that they have so treasured it up in their hearts that it is their meditation by day and by night; that they have a ready answer—a “thus saith the Lord”—for every man that asks them a reason for the hope that is in them concerning any point of doctrine; that they can clearly and intelligently portray the divine plan, quote the divine authority for each successive step of it, and if need be, point out its place in the divine system of types. To gain such proficiency in the Word is the work of a lifetime; but every day should see a closer approximation to that proficiency, and will if we are faithful students and faithful servants of the truth.—Z 1912-195 (Hymn 36)
JULY 25
Let us watch and be sober.—I Thessalonians 5:6
LET us watch in the sense of taking careful notice of all the directions which the Lord our God has given us respecting what would not be acceptable service to him. Let us watch ourselves, striving to walk as nearly as possible in the footsteps of the great High Priest, who was, we are sure, right and acceptable to the Father in every particular. Let us be sober—not only not literally intoxicated with ardent spirits, but let us not be intoxicated with “the spirit of the world,” or the spirit of Babylon, churchianity. Let us have the spirit of Christ, the spirit of a sound mind, the spirit of meekness, the spirit of gentleness, the spirit of love for God, for our fellows, and for all men, seeking as we have opportunity, to do them good. Let us be sober in the sense that we will not be frivolous; that while happy, joyous in the Lord, free from the anxious cares that are upon many others through misapprehension of our Father’s character and plan, we may, nevertheless, be sober in the sense of being earnest, appreciative of present opportunities and privileges in connection with the Lord’s service—not thoughtlessly negligent, letting opportunities and privileges slip through our hands to be afterwards regretted.—Z 1902-242 (Hymn 48)
JULY 26
After ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions.—Hebrews 10:32
THE trial of the justified and consecrated consists in the presenting to them of opportunities to serve God and his cause in this present time when, because of sin abounding, whosoever will live godly and hold up the light will suffer persecution. Those whose consecration is complete and of the proper kind will rejoice in their privilege of serving God and his cause, and will count it all joy to be accounted worthy to suffer in such a cause, and thus to attest to God the sincerity of their love and of their consecration to him.—Z 1903-439 (Hymn 196)
JULY 27
The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation.—Exodus 15:2
THE Lord is our strength; we lean not upon human might—neither of our own or of other men. We hold the Head, from whom not only come the laws which govern us, but from whom come the strength, the direction, the protection, the care, which we need and which we enjoy. The Lord is become our salvation; he has saved us from the condemnation of sin through faith in the blood; he has rescued us from the love of sin. He has not only revived us, but strengthened us, and enabled us to walk in the narrow way, and to do so with joy and gladness and leaping. He is our salvation already— the salvation that is to be brought unto us, and thus to be complete in us, in the first resurrection, is already begun—for we are already passed from death unto life, and have the witness of this in the Holy Spirit.—Z 1902-10 (Hymn 120)
JULY 28
By their fruits ye shall know them.—Matthew 7:20
NONE can know the character of the heart, whether it be a new heart or merely that of the natural man or woman who has learned politeness, morality, etc. The only way in which we are permitted to judge each other is by the outward fruitage. If the Spirit of the Lord dwell within, the fruitage must be good, helpful to others. That human being must be a blessing in his home, in his community, even as Jesus was, whether his character, his goodness, be acknowledged by others in general or not. The fruits of these people of God are the fruits of holiness, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering, brotherly kindness, self-sacrifice in the interest of others and especially in the service of God and his truth.—Z 1914-221 (Hymn 267)
JULY 29
And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.—Genesis 24:58
THIS well represents the question which comes before those called to be of the bride of Christ. They hear that he is the “only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” They hear that he is Lord of all, the inheritor of the “exceeding great and precious promises.” They learn that union with him will mean the pleasures of fellowship forevermore and participation with him in all his great and wonderful future. Such as are rightly exercise to answer, “I will go,” as Rebekah did, with great promptness. … Only a wholehearted love for the Lord and a well grounded faith … will carry us through to the end of the journey, joyful in anticipation to be finally accepted into glory with our Beloved, the King of Glory.—Z 1913-60 (Hymn 87)
JULY 30
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.—John 16:33
THESE words of our Lord should comfort us, as they have comforted his people for the past eighteen centuries. There is no suggestion that we can escape similar tribulation. Indeed, if we escape the sufferings of Christ we will be denied a share in his coming glories. Hence we should not desire to escape tribulation, but rather go on courageously; nevertheless not too boastfully, not too courageously, but in meekness, in fear, in trust of the Lord’s promises that he has overcome and is able to succor us in temptation’s hour, and will do so if we but abide in his love and seek his protection. It is in view of this promised aid that we are exhorted to “be of good cheer.”—Z 1909-185 (Hymn 81)
JULY 31
When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.—Ephesians 4:8
THE events of the day of Pentecost were very valuable to the church at that time, but have been equally valuable to all of the Lord’s members. The Scriptures represent that all who are received into God’s family receive a begetting of the Holy Spirit; and this begetting was what Pentecost means to those waiting ones in the upper room. From that time onward they were sons of God; and “if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” their Lord. And so it is with us who have come into the body of Christ since Pentecost. We do not receive special manifestations of divine power, such as the cloven tongues that came upon those disciples; but we do receive from God the same Holy Spirit which they received.—Z 1916-13 (Hymn 91 )