Month: December 2020

God is the ultimate equal opportunity employer. He does not pick some to be   more important than others. That is a choice we make for ourselves. It is true that some seem better positioned in life. They have been born into the right family, they get the better education, they appear to have less hurdles to overcome than most. But that is just the way we see it. Not the way God sees it. John the Baptist had no money, no education and no pedigree. He was not positioned for anything other than service as a humble priest among a corrupt and lost people. Yet Jesus certainly had a very good opinion of John the Baptist, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

To declare that he was the greatest among all humankind is nothing short of a stellar estimation. To consider that the one giving that opinion is the second member of the Godhead adds infinite gravitas to the comment. John was far and away the best there ever was! But the last sentence of that quote puts all of Jesus’ high praise for John in the best perspective; The one who is “least in the Kingdom of heaven” is greater than John. While some have taken that statement to mean every born-again Christian alive today is greater than John, that is not what Jesus was communicating. One must always read what Jesus says in the context of His revealed character. 

Jesus exemplified humility. Taken in that context, one grasps that, “Prominence and greatness in human eyes do not necessarily equate to greatness in God’s eves. God measures greatness by a different yard-stick—the willingness of the heart to yield itself to him and his will, so that his true greatness can manifest itself through the yielded heart. Therefore, the humblest (least) in the kingdom is even greater, by God’s standard, than the great John the Baptizer. Jesus did not intend this to demean John or John’s faith. He intended it, instead, as a parenthetical comment reinforcing the kingdom values that were so difficult for his audience to accept—values that run contrary to the world’s values.”

Later, Jesus will find the disciples still arguing about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. His response affirms the above quote. “He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” So it is not that every born-again believer is greater than John the Baptist. Rather, that the faithful soul who humbles him/herself in complete obedience to God is. For to be faithful is to be great, and to humble yourself in obedience to God allows that He can use you without restriction. With these qualities God can use you in the same way He used John; To call others to Himself, in accordance to who He made you to be and the gifting and anointing He pours out upon you. 

That doesn’t mean we all need to start eating locusts and baptizing people by the river. It means that if we are willing, God can use us to even greater effect than He used John the Baptist! The opportunity is extended to us. The choice is ours to make. 

Humility is not a character trait to develop, it’s the natural by-product of being with Jesus.

Louie Giglio

APPLICATION: Intentionality

Just how ‘great’ we are in eternity is a decision that is left entirely to us in the here and now. The more we yield to Christ, the more He can use us for His glory and the more we will reflect His glory for eternity. 

John the Baptism had an audacious start. While he was still in his mother’s  womb, his  father Zechariah received an angelic visitation. As that happened, Zechariah was at the very pinnacle of his career as a priest. The angel told Zechariah that he would have a son, that his son will be a joy and delight to him, that he should name his son John and that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Even more than that, he was told, “Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  

Subsequently, Zechariah prophesied at John’s birth, “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 

to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven.”  True to form, the Word declares, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.”

John never did a miracle. His preaching was basic fire and brimstone. His prophesies were all centered on Christ, not the nation or people’s futures. His ministry is largely summed up in a single sentence of Scripture, “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” 

One might think that for all the buzz around his birth, John was a bit of a letdown. Yet Jesus testified, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” That is quite a statement. It means Jesus saw John as greater than Abraham, greater than Moses, greater even than David or Solomon. How can that be? 

Matthew Henry enlightens us, “Christ knew how to value persons according to the degrees of their worth, and he prefers John before all that went before him, before all that were born of women by ordinary generation. Of all that God had raised up and called to any service in his church, John is the most eminent, even beyond Moses himself; for he began to preach the gospel doctrine of remission of sins to those who are truly penitent; and he had more single revelations from heaven than any of them had; for he saw heaven opened, and the Holy Ghost descend. He also had great success in his ministry; almost the whole nation flocked to him: none rose on so great a design, or came on so noble an errand, as John did, or had such claims to a welcome reception. Many had been born of women that made a great figure in the world, but Christ prefers John before them.”  

We could argue with Rev. Henry, pointing out that all of Israel followed Moses out of Egypt, or that others too saw heaven open. But we cannot argue that Christ prefers others over them, for His own testimony is, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist,” and neither can we argue that Christ does not know how to value persons according to their worth, for He is God and we are not. His testimony stands. So what sets John the Baptist above all others?

It could only be because John the Baptist was unwaveringly faithful to his calling.  And this is the critical spiritual principle we have to grasp; he one thing that God looks for and values is our faithfulness to Him. All of our gifts and the exercise of our gifts takes a dim second place to our faithfulness with what we have and who we are. 

The real test of our faithfulness to God is in most cases our power to continue steadfastly in one course of conduct when the excitement of conflict is removed, and the enemies with which we have to contend are the insidious allurements of ease or custom amid the common-place duties of life.

Henry D.M.S. Jones

APPLICATION: Intentionality

Have you been faithful to God this past week? Has He and His mission been preeminent in all you’ve put your hands to?

“As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about  John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’” ”

No one accidentally wanders out of their home, leaves town and goes into the wilderness unless they are mentally unwell. Either you are specifically going to see something (or someone you know is there), or you are going to personally find something – like a particular kind of plant or the solitude the desert so famously offers. Jesus’ point is exactly that. Those who went out to see John the Baptist in the desert did not stumble upon him. They went out to see him, and they went out to see him with a very specific purpose in mind. 

The people knew that John was not a regular guy. Matthew has already noted that, saying, “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” Regular folks did not eat locusts and honey as a regular part of their diet. They ate bread. Even the very poor ate bread. Camel hair clothing was quite common in the day, but the style referred to by Matthew likens back to what Elijah wore almost a thousand years earlier. The implication is obvious. John the Baptist was a prophet. He looked like a prophet, ate like a prophet and acted like a prophet (in calling the people back to God). This particular crowd had gone out to see him, and now this crowd was gathered to listen in on a conversation between Jesus and John’s disciples out of curiosity as to the implication of such a meeting. 

Jesus’ point is that this crowd had taken time out of their busy lives to go out to see a prophet. Ironically, there is an implication in that. It is an implication that Jesus is actually making very strongly, because He notes that John was not a regular prophet. John was a prophet who was prophesied to come, meaning He is both the result of prophesy and a prophet himself. That is a very unusual combination – a circumstance that adds weight to the implication Jesus is making. To add even more gravitas, Jesus points out that the prophesy John fulfilled was an exceedingly familiar prophesy that every Jew knew and loved. Malachi 3:1 says, “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.” It is the prophesy of the Jewish hope for Messiah. Every Jew knew that verse as every Christian knows John 3:16. 

Jesus’ implication is that to go see such a prophet would be a once in a lifetime event. An event that should have left everyone significantly changed , because John’s ministry was one of preparation. Going out to see John meant you were going out to see a prophet, so that you might be spiritually prepared to meet Messiah. Hearing John meant you were listening to someone who was the result of a prophesy of the times of Messiah and was now prophesying about Messiah. Having John minister to you in baptism meant you were prepared to recognize Messiah when He comes. So the Jews Jesus is now speaking to should’ve been ready and able to recognize Him as Messiah. 

Unfortunately, oftentimes the preparation is confused with the event to the point that when the event comes, we completely miss our role in it.

We all know the story of Martha and Mary. Martha was so busy preparing to host Messiah that she missed listening to Him. Do we not do the same all too often, in our service for Christ?

Marcus Verbrugge

APPLICATION: Intentionality

Take time today to listen to God. What has He been saying to you? What is He saying right now? 

One of the wonderful things about Jesus is that He is a master teacher. He  knows how to  speak to every audience, and how to contextualize His communication to each individual. One of the wonderful things about the Scripture is that it too is also master teacher, for it demonstrates the way Jesus communicates His teaching points to others:

To His disciples, Jesus simply gives instruction. He knows He has their attention, and He knows they are there to learn. He can give them the goods without any lead up or prelude. So at the beginning of chapter 10, Matthew records, “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions.” Jesus then downloads a lengthy set of verbal dos and don’ts with specific mandates, warnings and encouragements. It is exactly what the disciples need before they are sent off.

To John’s disciples, Jesus points to the physical impact His ministry is making. He knows that they have some doubts and that to simply answer their question with a yes or no will not fully address the matter at hand. He also knows that to state the obvious would come across as condescending. They are well capable of coming to conclusions themselves. Indeed, they will need to do so in order to effectively overcome their doubts. So that the beginning of chapter 11, Matthew records, “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see.” 

While Jesus is speaking to John’s disciples, a crowd gathers. They had seen John’s disciples approaching Jesus and probably were just curious as to what the interaction between the two was going to be about. To Jesus, it is yet another opportunity to bring about the Kingdom of His Father. Best of all, that John’s disciples were just there becomes a teaching point. 

Master teachers always use the immediately present circumstance as a teaching point! Master teachers also know that if they are going to bring a random crowd to a conclusion, they need to first bring their thoughts together. To this point masters use the vehicle of story to catch people’s attention. Matthew documents this, “As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?” 

Jesus gives the crowd a story. The story starts with a question about their personal experience in going out to see John years ago. It includes a point of sarcasm to inject some humor, and a point of wonder to set up the true meaning of the experience they’ve each had. One can see how He progresses quickly to the point He is going to make, but does so in a masterful way that disarms their objections and sets them up to learn while fully engaging them on Himself. 

If we mean to have the impact God means for us to have as Christ-followers, we are wise to emulate His example.

Jesus used illustrative material constantly, but always with a serious message attached. He used stories, events, and other material effectively to draw attention to the truth He was enunciating to His hearers. And His point was seldom missed.

Curtis C. Thomas

APPLICATION: Intentionality

Jesus knew His time with the crowd was limited, so He chose a format and a tactic that allowed for maximum impact in the given time. Are we likewise so purposeful in our communications? 

Jesus is asked by John’s disciples if He is the one to come, or if they should   expect someone else. Jesus’ reply tells us what it looks like when the Kingdom of God dawns upon us; “Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”” 

Even from the very beginning of His work, Jesus understood His ministry was to do exactly these things. Luke recorded when Jesus began; “The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”” Subsequently the blind were made to see in 9:27–31, the lame able to walk in 9:2–8, a leper cleansed in 8:1–4, and the mute able to speak in 9:32. Moreover, a dead person was raised in 9:18–26, and the preaching of this good news was a prominent part of the ministry of Jesus all through that time (4:17, 23, 9:35, 11:1). Taken together with his reading of Isaiah, it is indisputable that Jesus knew and purposefully did all He was doing. So to John’s disciples He merely gave a witness of what was happening. 

The conclusion John’s disciples must have come to is obvious: When we see such things happening, we can know that the Kingdom of God is upon us. 

In this way Matthew challenges his readers: Do we or do we not we see such things in our day? 

Truly, many are the pastors and ministers of the Lord who never see a single miracle in all their days as servants of God. Many are the congregations who faithfully gather – even for generations – but never even hear of such things. Sadly, the question must be asked: “Are we as the global church really bringing about the Kingdom of God if we never hear or see the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the diseased cured, the deaf hear, or the dead raised?” Even sadder is the fact that whole denominations in the Western world have ceased even in proclaiming the Good News –opting instead for ‘inclusivity’ via endorsing sin, and for ‘safety’ via proclaiming only what the secularists already spout. 

There is no doubt that it takes a good deal of courage to do as Jesus and His disciples did – to pray for and minister to others, expecting a miracle. But if we do not even try, we are sure to not even hear of it. John Wimber (who prophesied over Nicky Gumble before Nicky got involved in Alpha) once noted that when he and his team didn’t pray and minister (for miraculous healing), no one got healed. But when they did so for many, some were healed. 

Why do we not do try to do likewise?

When we first started healing services at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, some of our elders were uneasy. We worked in groups of three—one pastor and two elders—and people came forward and sought prayer for physical and mental healing, relationships, and addictions. When we prayed, we knew there would be miracles, but we couldn’t say where or when or how.As time passed, the elders were feeling more secure in praying for healing. They were learning not to be afraid of what looked like a failure, because they realized that prayer is never wasted. Even when we can’t see results. God is at work.

Bruce Larson

If someone you are ministering who is hurting, ask the Spirit for His leading in what to pray for them. Then, knowing God is leading, pray accordingly. 

It is not without purpose that Matthew narrates the question John’s   disciples ask Jesus  immediately after Jesus has commissioned and sent out His disciples. Placed in context, the question demarcates the dramatic difference between a disciple of John and a disciple of Jesus; “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”” 

John’s disciples are not going about healing, delivering, preaching and raising the dead (as Jesus’ disciples were told to do). Rather, they were considering the Scripture, looking at what Jesus was doing and wondering when and how the Kingdom of God was to come about.

One must remember that every Scripture-believing Jew of the day read Isaiah 9 and Psalm 2 and every other prophesy about Messiah (of which there are many) and did not discern a gap between the first coming of Messiah and the 2nd coming of Messiah. For them, Messiah’s appearance was to shortly herald an overthrowing of the Roman oppressor and the re-establishment of the glory and dominance of the Jewish nation. 

With every passing day John’s disciples saw Jesus teaching and healing and delivering. Which meant that with  every  passing  day the less it looked like He would eventually get to organizing God’s people into a fighting force lead them in victory over their oppressors. With their leader in prison and urgently needing a dramatic change in government to throw out the charges against him, they would’ve felt some significant internal pressure to gently prod Jesus into action. In their worldview, it was not up to them to bring about the Kingdom. It was up to Messiah. Their part was to pray for and cheer Messiah on. 

John’s Disciples of John are God-honoring people, but they are not so actively engaged in the mission of Christ. They are waiting for the full manifestation of Jesus’ Kingdom instead of concerning themselves with bringing about the full manifestation of Jesus’ Kingdom. From the viewpoint of the active modern evangelist that seems rather short-sighted, but Jesus does not rebuke them for that. Rather, with His gracious reply to John, He inspires and motivates them to participate. 

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see,” and then tells them of how people are being impacted. Jesus knew that if John would only look at the bigger picture, John would understand that the coming of the Kingdom was firstly and primarily about the restoration of people. The restoration of government could and must wait. It would, of course, eventually happen – for the Word of the Lord is His promise and God does all He sets out to accomplish. But Jesus’ reply is prompts the listener to not wait for the complete fulfillment to see that people were already being impacted in exceedingly positive ways.

The spiritual world had already changed. The Kingdom was here, and at the same time it was also imminent. In essence, Jesus’ reply is that John and his disciples did usher in the new Kingdom. They just needed to open their eyes and sustain their hope. 

As those born again, we live on the fault line of the now but not yet kingdom of God.

Luke Bretherton

APPLICATION: Intentionality

We do not need to wait to be on mission with God in His Kingdom. We can do that today, even as we look forward to the day we do it without restriction, limitation or lack. 

Matthew writes his Gospel with intention and purpose. So on the heals of demonstrating   Jesus’ leadership, he writes of John the Baptist’s struggle. Jesus’ leadership isn’t just to the willing and able. It includes encouraging those who are struggling and unable. 

Matthew had earlier noted that Jesus had moved His base of operations to Capernaum after hearing of John’s imprisonment, “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee.” That was back in chapter 4, before Jesus’ ministry began in earnest. In fact, it was just before His healing ministry took off and the Sermon on the Mount. Which means that John the Baptist would’ve found himself in prison prior to Jesus’ rise in popularity. To that point we can know that John would have known the fulfillment of his own prophesy over Christ, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

All the same, John’s time in prison must at some point to have caused him to second-guess what was really going on. Matthew writes, “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?””  The question tells us much about John’s state of mind pending his execution by Herod. It is a state of mind that Jesus gently turns around. Jesus gives John hope. “Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see.” 

Sometimes the very best leadership is not to those doing the work. It is to those who cannot participate on account of circumstances beyond their control. That doesn’t mean they are excluded from the Kingdom. It means they cannot actively participate through hands-on effort. They can still pray, and on that account they are powerful workers, for prayer is the real work behind any Kingdom-minded effort. 

Recognizing that contribution during this stage in John’s life, Jesus does not leave John without a response. He does not consider John someone who has ‘done his bit’. He does not leave John in the dust of a flurry of activity. Rather, Jesus takes the time to listen to John’s concern and to respond to that concern in a way that He knows John will find encouraging. 

Jesus knows that all He is doing is most effective because of the circumstances that the Father set up for Him, and that includes the shoulders upon which He stands. After all, it was the Father who sent John to prepare the way for Him. Matthew had already recorded that, “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” ” So Jesus does not dismiss John or his disciples or the question. He honors John and pauses to answer the question. 

It is a profound lesson for all of us who labor in the Father’s vineyard: Leadership in the Kingdom of God includes leading those who – on account of their season in life and circumstance – can only follow in prayer.  We do not dismiss them, ignore them or discourage them, because God is near to the suffering, and their prayers are powerful. 

There is a mysterious efficacy in the prayers of men who dwell near to God. Even if they were compelled to keep their beds, and do nothing but pray, they would pour benedictions upon the church.

Charles Spurgeon

APPLICATION: Thanksgiving

Give thanks for those you know in your circles who are in seasons of life where they can and do spend many hours a day in prayer. 

Jesus has just commissioned his twelve disciples to their first short-term mission trip. The charge He gave them is certainly not for the faint-hearted: “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Fortunately, Jesus does more than just send out His disciples. Jesus Himself also goes out. Matthew 11 begins, “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.” It seems like an off-hand comment from the narrator, but it is a key statement in understanding Jesus’ leadership. For as in everything He taught, Jesus first models the appropriate behavior, then teaches it, then commissions others to do likewise. But His leadership does not end there. Jesus also participates in the task with the disciples He just commissioned. 

We do well to learn from His example.

Those we lead need to know we are not just competent, but proficient. Proficiency is demonstrated in modelling the behavior we are teaching, so that those we teach can see and know that we have something worth learning. Leadership without proficiency is like policy without common sense – something everyone knows is disastrous. Without modelling what we are teaching, leadership is only a function of position. 

Those we lead also need to know the pragmatic reality of how to do what we are teaching. That is provided in the actual verbal communication, which re-enforces the lesson modelled. Leadership, like so much of life, is contingent on good communication. In His communication, Jesus consistently used real-life examples and the direct application of God’s Word to present circumstance.   

Leaders also provide a clear mandate. Jesus gave that in two parts. There is His charge to go, which imparts a clear mental picture of what to do, where to do it and when/how long. But there is also the impartation of the spiritual authority to do it, which Jesus gave them even before the verbal charge at the beginning of the prior chapter, “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” 

Finally, those we lead need assurance that they are not being left on their own. To that point Jesus goes out with the disciples, joining them on the same mission He charged them with. They can know that He is close, and that He is experiencing everything they are experiencing. This gives them – and us – courage and hope. 

Our leader is not only competent and proficient, He is nearby.

A true shepherd leads the way. He does not merely point the way.

Leonard Ravenhill

APPLICATION: Intentionality

Jesus’ leadership model included commissioning, impartation of authority, clear mandates and modelling proficiency. Let us strive to do likewise! 

Some preach and teach that you can be transactional in your relationship with God. They tell you that you can use God as a banker; that whatever you give Him, He will ensure is given back to you with accumulated and multipled interest. The name for that kind of teaching is Prosperity Gospel. When pressed for the basis of that belief, they’ll point to various Bible verses which clearly indicate that God will not be any man’s debtor. 

For certain, Jesus did say, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”  That does indicate that God keeps record of even the smallest of things done in His Name, and it does certainly say that God rewards those who act in accordance with His character. 

But it is also true that to become transactional in our relationship to God is nothing short of a gross distortion of His character. God is not a vending machine or a government policy, where if you put the right thing in you get a certain thing out. Even earthly fathers detest their children treating them as bankers. So to make God – in all His magnificence and majesty and glory – into a kind of spiritual banker who is obliged to pay you for what you’ve done is nothing less than highly offensive. The prosperity Gospel is a demonic distortion of God’s character. It requires that one take the verses out of context and apply them with a lather of selfishness. 

When Jesus gave us His teaching about the cup of cold water, He was speaking to His disciples and commissioning them to go out in His Name. Seen in the context of the whole passage, one can see that Jesus’ point was not to change the way we approach God, but to change the way we approach all those made in His image, and especially those who carry His Name. His point was to assign tremendous value to the work of being a true disciple in bringing His Name to others. In fact, there is so much value in involvement with His mission that even those who interact in the smallest of ways with His disciples are blessed.  

We can call that spiritual principle the principle of award. 

The spiritual principle of award is really a mix of the spiritual principles of ripples (that what we do has an ever greater impact as it ripples through time) and compensation (that those who honor God by receiving the ones who do His work will be paid the same as those who did the work) – excepting that in this principle, Jesus attests to a much more diminutive act than receiving the Gospel messenger, or receiving a prophet or righteous man. He notes that even those who bless them with a cup of cold water are rewarded, and that with something of God. 

The fact is that so great is His person and so great is His mission that even the smallest act toward Him is bound to produce a blessing. The blessings of God surround Him like mist from a waterfall – you just cannot approach without getting damp! 

Perhaps you will say, My part is a very small one. Never mind. Do the thing the Lord gives you; it might be only to give a cup of cold water—that would be a very useful thing to a thirsty soul; and the result is increase now and reward by-and-by.

W. T. P. Wolston

APPLICATION: Worship

Praise God that He is who He is, and that in who He is we are so profoundly blessed.