Days of Heaven on Earth

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Thursday, March 03, 2011

God seems to love to work by paradoxes and contradictions. In the transformations of grace, the bitter is the base of the sweet, night is the mother of day and death is the gate of life.

Many people want to have power. But, how is power produced? The other day I passed the large powerhouse where the trolley engines are supplied with electricity. I heard the hum and roar of countless wheels, and I asked my friend, "How do they make the power?" "Why," he said, "Just by the revolution of those wheels and the magnetic friction they produce. The friction creates the electric current."

In this same manner, when God wants to bring more power into our lives, He brings more pressure. He is generating spiritual force by friction. Some of us do not like it. Some of us do not understand. We try to run away from the pressure instead of getting the power and using it to rise above the painful cause.

O troubled soul, beneath the rod

Thy Father speaks-be still, be still;

Learn to be silent unto God,

And let Him mold thee to His will.

Scripture
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward—Hebrews 12:11

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, March 02, 2011

God gives to us a power within which will hold our hearts in victory and purity. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. It is the Holy Spirit; and when any thought or suggestion of evil arises in our hearts, the quick conscience can instantly call upon the Holy Spirit to drive it out, and He will expel it at the command of faith or prayer and keep us as pure as we are willing to be kept. But when the will surrenders and consents to evil, the Holy Spirit will not expel it. God, then, requires us to stand in holy vigilance, and He will do exceeding abundantly for us as we hold fast that which is good. He will also be in us a spirit of vigilance, showing us the evil and enabling us to detect it and to bring it to Him for expulsion and destruction.

O Spirit of Jesus, fill us until we shall have room only for Thee.

Oh, come as the heart-searching fire,

Oh, come as the sin-cleansing flood;

Consume us with holy desire,

And fill with the fullness of God.

Scripture
That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost—2 Timothy 1:14

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Tuesday, March 01, 2011

The battle does us good. The conflict educates us, strengthens us, establishes us. It is necessary that we be grounded and settled and finally approved and rewarded.

One of the best results of temptation is that it shows us what is in our hearts. Until temptation comes, we feel strong and self-confident; but when the keen edge of the adversary's weapons have, pierced our souls, we have more sympathy with others and less confidence in our own selfsufficiency. We are humiliated and broken at His feet, poor and helpless. This is the best thing that can happen to us.

Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray. It puts us under fire and compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their potency. It shows us the resources of Christ and the preciousness of the promises of God. It teaches us the reality of the Holy Spirit and compels us to walk closely with Him and hide continually behind His strength and all-sufficiency.

Every victory gives us new confidence in our victorious Leader and new courage for the next onset of the foe, so that we become not only victor, but more than conquerors, taking the strength of our defeated foes and gathering precious spoil from each new battlefield.

Scripture
Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations�John 1:2-4

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Monday, February 28, 2011

We do not always feel joyful, but we are to count it all joy. The word "reckon" is one of the key words of Scripture. It is the same word used about our death to self (Romans 6: 11). We do not feel dead. We are painfully conscious of something that would gladly return to life. But we are to treat ourselves as dead and neither fear nor obey the old nature.

So we are to reckon the thing that comes as a blessing. We are determined to rejoice, to say, my heart is fixed, 0 God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise (Psalm 57:7). This rejoicing by faith will soon become a habit and will bring continually the spirit of gladness and the spontaneous overflow of praise.

Then, although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:17).

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging 'round?

On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found.

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?

Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

Scripture
Count it all joy—James 1:2

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Sunday, February 27, 2011

In taking Christ in any new relationship, we must first have sufficient intellectual light to satisfy our minds that we are entitled to stand in this relationship. The shadow of a question here will wreck our confidence. Then, having seen this, we must make the committal, the choice. That commitment must be just as definite as the planting of a tree in the soil, or the bride who presents herself at the marriage altar. It must be once for all, without reserve, without recall.

Then there is a season of establishing, settling and testing, during which we must stay put until the new relationship gets so fixed as to become a permanent habit. For example, when the surgeon sets the broken arm he puts it in splints to keep it from moving until the bone knits. So God has His spiritual splints that He wants to put upon His children to keep them quiet and unmoving until they pass the first stage of faith.

It may not be easy, but the God of all grace, who hath called you unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, [will] . . . stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Scripture
Stablish, strengthen, settle you—1 Peter 5:10

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Saturday, February 26, 2011

The prayer at the close of the Letter to the Hebrews is beautiful: Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will (Hebrews 13:20-21). The phrase "make you perfect in every good work" literally means, "adjust you in every good work."

It is a great thing to be adjusted-adjusted to our surroundings and circumstances rather than trying to have them adjusted to us. Adjusted to the people we are thrown with. Adjusted to the work God has for us, not trying to get God to help us to do our work. Adjusted to fulfill the very will and plan of God for us in our whole life. This is the secret of rest, power and freedom in every spiritual endeavor.

Oh, fill me with Thy fullness, Lord.

Until my very heart o'erflow

In kindling thought and glowing word,

Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

Oh, use me, Lord, use even me,

Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;

Until Thy blessed face I see,

Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.

Scripture
Make you perfect in every good work—Hebrews 13:21

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Friday, February 25, 2011

How can I take Christ as my Sanctifier or Healer? That is a question that we are constantly asked.

It is necessary first of all that we get into the posture of faith. This has to be done by a definite and voluntary act, and then maintained by a uniform habit. It is just the same as the planting of a tree. You must put it in the soil by a definite act, and then you must let it stay there and remain settled in the ground until the little roots have time to fix themselves and begin to draw the sustenance from the soil.

There are two stages: the definite planting and then the habitual absorbing of moisture and nourishment from the ground. The root fibers must rest until they reach out their spongy pores and drink in the nutriment of the earth. After the habit is established, then by a certain uniform law the plant draws its life from the ground without an effort, and it is just as natural for it to grow as it is for us to breathe.

Lord, help me this day to abide in Thee, and to grow into the habit of drawing all my life from Yours so that it shall be true for me, in [you] [I] live, and move, and have [my] being (Acts 17:28).

Scripture
I am the vine, ye are the branches—John 15:5

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Thursday, February 24, 2011

The secret of Moses' failures was this: The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did (Hebrews 7:19). And this was why his life work also came short of full realization. He saw but did not enter Canaan. The founder of the law had to be its victim, and his life and death well demonstrate the inability of the law to lead any man into the Promised Land. Realizing that Moses lost his inheritance for so slight a fault makes all the more emphatic the solemn sentence of the law. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Galatians 3:10).

But to the glory of the grace of God we can add that what the law could not do for Moses the gospel did; and he who could not pass over the Jordan under the old dispensation is seen on the very heights of Hermon with the Son of man, sharing His transfiguration glory and talking of that death on Calvary to which he owed his glorious destiny.

That same grace we have inherited under the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Scripture
Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace—Romans 6:14

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The secret of a sound body is a sound heart, and the prayer of the Holy Spirit for us is that we may prosper and be in health, even as [our] soul prospereth (3 John 2).

We find Paul in his Letter to the Philippians expressing a sublime and holy indifference to the question of life or death. Indeed, he is in a real strait, whether preferring to depart, and to be with Christ (1:23), or to remain in the flesh.

He would prefer the former, but the latter would likewise be a joyful service. His only object in wanting to live was to be a blessing: To abide in the flesh is more needful for you (1:24).

Having reached this state of heart, he rises quickly to the victorious faith necessary to claim perfect strength and health. Because it is more beneficial to them that he remain in the flesh, he adds, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith (1:25).

Lord, help me today to count not my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:24).

Scripture
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain—Philippians 1:21

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Tuesday, February 22, 2011

What a rest it would be to many of us if we could exchange burdens with Christ and so utterly and irreversibly transfer to Him all our cares and needs that we would no longer feel responsible for them. We would have the assurance that He has undertaken all the care, and that He prays, labors and suffers only for us and our interests.

In reality, this is what He invites us to do. Come unto me, He says, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, and then He adds, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me (Matthew 11:28-29). He takes our yoke and we take His, and we find it a thousand times easier to carry one of His burdens than to carry our own.

How much more delightful it is to spend an hour in supplication for another than five minutes in pleading for ourselves. Are we not weary of carrying our wretched loads?

'Twas for this His mercy sought you,

And to all His fullness brought you,

By the precious blood that bought you,

Pass it on.

Scripture
He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his—Hebrews 4:10

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Monday, February 21, 2011

How tenderly God soothes our fears! How sweetly He says in the introductory verse, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: . . . I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. And yet again, still with tender thoughtfulness, I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee (Isaiah 41:13). He does not say it only once, but He keeps holding our right hand and repeating such promises.

The blessed Lord condensed it all into one single message of eternal comfort spoken to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, It is I, be not afraid. He is the antidote to fear; He is the remedy for trouble; He is the substance and the sum of deliverance. We should, therefore, rise above fear. Let us keep our eyes fastened upon Him; let us abide continually in Him; let us be content with Him.

Let us cling closely to Him and cry, Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea (Psalm 46:2).

Scripture
Be not dismayed; for I am thy God—Isaiah 41:10

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Sunday, February 20, 2011

Satan is continually trying to weaken our faith by fear. He is a great metaphysician and knows the paralyzing effect of fear-the great enemy of faith. If he can cause us to fear, he will stop us from trusting and hinder the very blessing we need. Job found the peril of fear and gives us the sorrowful testimony I feared a fear, and it came upon me (Job 3:25, margin).

Fear is born of Satan, and if we would only take time to think a moment we would see that everything Satan says is founded upon a falsehood. He is the father of lies. Even his fears are falsehoods and his terrors ought to serve as encouragements.

When Satan tells you, therefore, that some ill is going to come, you may quietly look in his face and tell him he is a liar. Instead of ill, goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life. And then turn to your blessed Lord and say, What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee (Psalm 56:3). Every fear is distrust, and trust is the remedy for fear.

Scripture
Fear thou not; for I am with thee—Isaiah 41:10


Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Saturday, February 19, 2011

Be earnest. Intense earnestness, a whole heart for Christ, the passion sign of the cross, the enthusiasm of our whole being for our Master and humanity-this is what the Lord expects. This is what His cross deserves, this what the world needs and this is what the age has a right to look for.

Everything around us is intensely alive. Life is earnest, death is earnest, sin is earnest, man is earnest, business is earnest, knowledge is earnest. God forgive us if we are lax in the white heat of this crisis time.

Oh, for the baptism of fire! Oh, for the living coal upon the burning lips of love! 0h, for men and women God-possessed and self-surrendered, grasping God's great idea and pressing forward

toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).

All the world for Jesus

My prayer shall be,

And my watchword ever,

Himself for me.

All the world for Jesus,

Lord, quickly come,

Bring Thy promised kingdom,

And take us home.

Scripture
As much as in me is, I am ready—Romans 1:15

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Friday, February 18, 2011

How great the difference between the old and the new way of deliverance! One touch of Christ is worth a lifetime of struggling.

A sufferer in a hospital was in danger of losing his sight from a small piece of broken needle that had entered his eye. Operation after operation had only irritated it and driven the foreign substance farther still into the delicate parts of the sensitive organ.

Finally, a skillful young physician thought of a new expedient. He came one day without lancet and probes, holding only a small but powerful magnet which he placed before the wounded eye. Immediately the piece of steel began to move toward the powerful attraction; soon it flew up to meet it and left the suffering eye completely relieved without an effort or laceration.

It was as simple as it was wonderful. By a single touch of power the eye was saved and a dangerous trouble completely cured. In the same way, God delivers us by the simple attraction of Christ's life and power.

Scripture
Christ in you—Colossians 1:27
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Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Thursday, February 17, 2011

Some Christians rise in larger proportion than is becoming. They can tell, and others can tell, how many souls they bring to Christ. Their labor seems to crystallize and become its own memorial.

Other Christians seem to blend so completely with their fellow workers that their individuality can scarcely be traced. Yet, this is the most Christlike ministry of all, for even the Master Himself does not appear in the work of the Church except as her hidden Life and ascended Head, and the Holy Spirit is lost in the vessels that He uses.

The vine does not bear the fruit, it is the little branches which bear all the clusters and seem to have all the honor of the vintage. Even the sap is unseen in its ceaseless flow. And so, the nearer we come to Christ the more we are willing to lose sight of ourselves, and let others be more prominent. We uphold them by the silent ministry of our love and prayer.

Lord, let me be like the veiled seraphim before the throne, who cover their faces and their feet, and hide themselves and their service while they fly to obey Thee.

Scripture
Your life is hid—Colossians 3:3

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
In the consecrated believer the Holy Spirit is preeminently a Spirit of prayer. If our whole being is committed to Him and our thoughts are under His control, He will occupy every moment in communion. We shall bring everything to Him as it comes, and pray it out in our spiritual consciousness before we act it out in our lives. We shall, therefore, find ourselves taking up the burdens of life and praying them out in a wordless prayer which we ourselves often cannot understand, but which is simply the unfolding of His thought and will within us. This will be followed by the unfolding of His providence concerning us.
Unfaithfulness and disobedience to the faintest whisper of His will often hinder some blessing which He meant for us. After a while, we may become so dull and negligent that He will not be able to trust us with His whispers, and we shall stumble on in the darkness and miss His highest thoughts.
Lord, teach us to pray in the Spirit, to pray without ceasing, and to lose nothing of Thy will.
Scripture
We will give ourselves continually to prayer—Acts 6:4

Days of Heaven on Earth
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

How may we enjoy this day? This enjoyment will never come by trying to be happy, and yet there are conditions which, if met, will produce real joy.

1. Be right with God, for gladness [is sown] for the upright in heart (Psalm 97:11). It is His joy that remains in us that makes our joy full.

2. Forget yourself and live for others, for It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

3. When you cannot rejoice in feelings, circumstances or conditions, rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4), and count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (James 1:2).

4. Finally, obey the Lord and be faithful to your trust, and again and again His blessed Spirit will whisper to your heart, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, . . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matthew 25:21).

Not enjoyment and not sorrow

Is our destined end or way,

But to act that each tomorrow

Finds us farther than today.

Let us then be up and doing

With a heart for any fate,

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

From "A Psalm of Life"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Scripture
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus—2 Timothy 2:1

Days of Heaven on Earth
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fire is strangely intense and intrinsic. It goes into the very substance of things. It somehow blends with every particle of the thing it touches.
There are the severe trials that come to minds more sensitive-to minds that have more points of contact with what hurts. The higher the nature, the higher the joy and the greater the avenues of pain that come.
And then there are deeper trials that come as we pass into the hands of God, as we pass from the physical and intellectual into the spiritual. When they first come, we shrink back from their unnatural and fearful breath. We say, "Oh, this cannot be from the hand of a loving Father! This cannot be necessary to me."
And then come the pains and sufferings from God's own hand, when He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver, when He lets it burn until it seems that we must be burned to ashes.
But we can only obtain the victory through faith. The moment we cease to fear the fire, that moment it ceases to harm us. He says, Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee (Isaiah 43:2).
Scripture
He shall baptize you . . . with fire-Matthew 3:11

Days of Heaven on Earth
Saturday, February 12, 2011
For every heart that is seeking anything from the Lord this is a good watchword. That very thing, or the desire for it, may unconsciously separate us from the Lord or at least from the singleness of our purpose toward Him. The thing we desire may be a right thing, but we may desire it in a distrustful and selfish spirit. Let us commit to Him and believe for it; but let us, at the same time, keep our purpose fixed on His will and glory.
Let us claim even His promised blessings, not for themselves or ourselves, but for Him. Then shall it be true, Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4). All other things but Himself God will "add." But they must always be added, never first. Then shall we be able to believe for them without doubt, when we claim them for Him and not for ourselves. It is only when we are Christ's that all things are ours.
Lord, help me this day to seek Thee first, and be more desirous to please Thee and have Thy will than to possess any other blessing.
Scripture
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you—Matthew 6:33
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Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Friday, February 11, 2011
The apostle Paul prays for the Colossians to be strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness. It is one thing to endure and show the strain on every muscle of your face, seeming to say with every wrinkle, "Why doesn't someone sympathize with me?" It is another thing to endure the cross, despising the shame for the joy set before us.
There are some trees in the garden of the Lord which shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit (Jeremiah 17:8). Let us set our faces toward the sun rising, and use the clouds that come to make rainbows.
Not much longer shall we have glorious opportunity to rejoice in tribulation and learn patience. In heaven we shall have nothing to teach us long-suffering. If we do not learn it here, we shall be without our brightest crown forever and wish ourselves back for a little while in the very circumstances of which we are now trying so hard to rid ourselves.
Scripture
Strengthened with all might . . . unto all patience—Colossians 1:11

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Christ life is in harmony with our nature. The other day I was asked by a thoughtful, intelligent woman-one not a Christian, but who had the deepest hunger for that which is right-"How can Christ enter us and we not lose our individuality? This experience will destroy our personality; it violates our responsibility as individuals. "
My response was, "Your personality is incomplete without Christ. Christ was made for you, and you were made for Christ, and until you meet Him you are not complete. He needs you as you need Him.
"Suppose," I continued, "that gas jet should say, 'If I take this fire in, the gas coursing through me will lose its individuality. ' Oh, no; it is only when the fire comes in that the gas fulfills its purpose for being.
"Suppose the snowflake should say, 'What shall I do? If I drop on the ground I shall lose my individuality. ' But it falls and is absorbed by the soil, and with the coming spring the snowflakes are seen in the primroses and daisies."
Let us lose ourselves and rise to a new life in Christ.
Scripture
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live—Galatians 2:20

Days of Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, February 09, 2011

The best evidence of God's presence is the devil's growl. So once wrote Charles H. Spurgeon in The Sword and the Trowel. That little sentence has helped many a tried and tired child of God to stand fast and even rejoice under the fiercest attacks of the foe.

We read in the book of Second Samuel that the moment David was crowned at Hebron, "All the Philistines came up to seek David. And the moment we get anything from the Lord worth contending for, the devil comes to seek us.

When the enemy meets us at the threshold of any great work for God, let us accept it as "a token of salvation" and claim double blessing, victory and power. Power is developed by resistance. The cannon carries twice as far because the exploding power has to find its way through resistance. In the powerhouse, electricity is produced by the magnetic resistance of the revolving armature. Even so we shall find some day that Satan has been one of God's agencies of blessing.

Scripture
None of these things move me—Acts 20:24


Days of Heaven on Earth
Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Not sufficient-all sufficient. These two expressions are the complement of each other. Together they are the key to an effective Christian life.

The discovery and full conviction of our utter helplessness is the constant condition for spiritual supply. The aim of the Old Testament, therefore, is ever to show man's failure; that of the New, to reveal Christ's sufficiency. He has all things for us, but we cannot receive them until we admit that we have nothing.

The very essence, therefore, of Christian perfection is the constant renunciation of our own perfection and the continual acceptance of Christ's righteousness. And as we receive deeper views of our nothingness and evil, it prompts us to claim more of His rich grace. But it is possible fully to realize our insufficiency and yet not take a firm hold of His "all things." This, too, must be done with a faith that will not accept less than all. The prophet was angry because the king of Israel struck the arrows upon the ground only three times. Had he done so five or six times, he could have had all (see 2 Kings 13:14-19). So let us meet God's full requirement. In humility let us receive His greatness and grace.

Scripture
[We are not] sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves—2 Corinthians 3:5

Days of Heaven on Earth
Monday, February 07, 2011
The man who missed his opportunity and met the doom of the faithless servant was not the man with five talents, or the man with two, but the man who had only one. The people who are in danger of missing life's great meaning are the people of ordinary capacity and opportunity who say to themselves, There is so little I can do that I will not try to do anything.
One of the finest windows in Europe was made from the remnants an apprentice boy collected from the cuttings of his master's great work. The sweepings of the British mint are worth millions. The little pivots on which the works of a watch turn are so important that they actually are made of jewels.
God places a solemn value on a single talent. He puts a large responsibility on the humble workers and persons who would try to hide behind the insignificance of trifling opportunities. Our littleness will not excuse us in the reckoning day.
Talk not of talents; what hast thou to do?
Thou hast sufficient, whether five or two.
Talk not of talents; is thy duty done?
This brings the blessing whether ten or one.
Scripture
Faithful in that which is least—Luke 16:10

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Sunday, February 06, 2011
What a priceless bit of counsel! Stop praying so much for yourself; begin to ask unselfish things, and see if God will not give you faith. See how much easier it will be to believe for another than for your own concerns.
Try the effect of praying for the world, for definite things, for difficult things, for glorious things, for things that will honor Christ and save mankind. After you have received a few wonderful answers to prayer in this direction, see if you will not feel stronger to touch your own little burden with a divine faith and then go back again to the high place of unselfish prayer for others.
Have you ever learned the beautiful art of letting God take care of you and giving all your thought and strength to pray for others and for the kingdom of God? It will relieve you of a thousand cares. It will lift you up into a noble and lofty sphere and teach you to live and love like God. Lord, save us from our selfish prayers; give us the faith that works through love and the heart of Christ for a perishing world.
Scripture
Praying always . . . for all saints—Ephesians 6:18

Days of Heaven on Earth
Saturday, February 05, 2011
In the old creation, the week began with work and ended with Sabbath rest. The resurrection week begins with the first day-first rest, then labor.
So we must first cease from our own works as God did from His, and enter into His rest. And then, with rested hearts, we will work His works with effectual power.
But why labor to enter into rest? See that sailing craft-how restfully it glides over the waters, its canvas swelling with the wind and borne without an effort! And yet, look at that man at the helm. See how firmly he holds the rudder, bearing against the wind, and holding her steady to her position. Let him for a moment relax his steady hold and the vessel will fall listlessly along the wind. The sails will flap, the waves will toss the craft at their will, and all rest and power will have gone. It is the fixed helm that brings the steadying power of the wind. And so He has said, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3). The steady will and stayed heart are ours. The keeping is the Lord's. So let us labor to enter and abide in His rest.
Scripture
Rest in the Lord-Psalm 38

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Friday, February 04, 2011
This living Christ is not the person who was, but the person who still is your living Lord.
At Preston Pans, near Edinburgh, I looked on the field where, long ago, armies had been engaged in contest. In the crisis of the battle the chieftain fell wounded. When they saw their leader's form go down, his men were about to shrink away from the field. Their strong hands held the claymore with trembling grip, and they faltered for a moment. Then the old chieftain rallied strength enough to rise on his elbow and cry: "I am not dead, my children, I am only watching you-to see my clansmen do their duty."
And so from the other side of Calvary our Savior is speaking. We cannot see Him, but He says, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Notice how He puts it: "I am"-an uninterrupted and continuous presence. Not "I will be," but the guarantee of an unbroken presence to remain with us forever.
Soon the conflict shall be done,
Soon the battle shall be won;
Soon shall wave the victor's palm,
Soon shall sing the eternal psalm.
Then our joyful song shall be,
I have overcome through Thee.
Scripture
Lo, I am with you always—Matthew 28:20

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Thursday, February 03, 2011
This is true faith. When we can see, it is not faith but reasoning. In crossing the Atlantic by ship, I observed this very principle of faith. We could see no path upon the water or sign of the shore. And yet day by day the helmsman was in a path as exactly as if he had been following a great chalk line upon the sea. And when we came within 20 miles of land he knew where we were as surely as if he had seen it all 3,000 miles ahead.
How had we measured and marked our course? Day by day our captain had taken his instruments, and looking up to the sky had fixed his course by the sun. He was sailing by the heavenly lights, not the earthly lights. So faith looks up and sails on, by God's great Sun, not seeing one shoreline or earthly lighthouse or path upon the way. Often our steps seem to lead into utter uncertainty or even darkness and disaster. But He opens the way, making our midnight hours the very gates of day.
Let us go forth this day, not knowing, yet trusting.
Scripture
He went out, not knowing whither he went-Hebrews 11:8
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Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
The first word here used for service is diakanos, which means minister to others in any usual way or work. The word doulos, however, means a bondservant, and the Lord here plainly teaches us that this is the highest form of service.
Christ made himself the servant of all, and he who would come nearest to Him and stand closest to Him at last must likewise learn the spirit of the ministry that has utterly renounced selfish rights and claims forever.
It is quite possible for us to be entirely loyal to the Lord Jesus, and yet for His sake to be servants and under the authority of those who are over us in the Lord.
The doulos spirit is the spirit of self-renunciation and glad submission to proper authority-service utterly disinterested, yielding its own preferences and interests unreservedly for the glory of the Master and the sake of our brethren. Lord, clothe us with such humility and make us wholly Thine.
Scripture
But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant-Matthew 20:26-27

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Monday, January 31, 2011
More and more we are realizing the supreme importance of getting the right conception of sanctification- not as a blessing but as a personal union with the personal Savior and the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Thousands of people get stranded after they have embarked on the great voyage of holiness. They find themselves failing and falling and are astonished and perplexed. They conclude that they must have been mistaken in their experience. So they make a new attempt at the same thing and again fall. At last, worn out with their efforts, they conclude that the experience is a delusion, or at least that it was never intended for them. Then they fall back into the old way, and their last state is worse than their first.
What people need today to satisfy their deep hunger and to give them a permanent and divine experience is to know not sanctification as a state but Christ as a living person who is waiting to enter the heart that is willing to receive Him.
Scripture
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption—I Corinthians 1:30

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Saturday, January 29, 2011

Nehemiah gives us a graphic picture concerning what took place during the celebration of their glorious Feast of Tabernacles. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared . . . neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

How many there are on every side for whom nothing is prepared! Let us find some sad and needy heart whom there is no one else to think of or care for. Let us pray for someone who has none to pray for him. Let us be like Him who, one Christmas Day, came to a world that would not appreciate Him, to be rejected and finally murdered.

Let us not be afraid to know something even of the love that is unrequited and is thrown away on the unworthy. That is the love of Christ, and God has for such love a rich recompense.

How Christ must weep over the selfishness that meets Him from those for whom He died!

Scripture
Send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared—Nehemiah 8:10

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Friday, January 28, 2011
There is a joy that springs spontaneously in the heart without any external or even rational cause. It is like an artesian fountain. It rejoices because it cannot help it. It is the glory of God; it is the heart of Christ; it is the joy divine of which He says, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full (John 15:11). And your joy no man can take from you. Those who possess this fountain are not discouraged by surrounding circumstances. Rather, they are often surprised at the deep, sweet gladness that comes without apparent cause-a joy that frequently is strongest when everything in their condition and circumstances would tend to fill them with sorrow and depression.
It is the nightingale in the heart that sings at night because it is its nature to sing.
It is the glorified and incorruptible joy that belongs with heaven and anticipates already the everlasting song. Lord, give us Thy joy under all circumstances this day, and let our full hearts overflow in blessing to others.
Scripture
That my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full—John 15:11

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Thursday, January 27, 2011

0ne of Satan's favorite employees is the switchman. He likes nothing better than to sidetrack one of God's express trains sent on some blessed mission and filled with the fire of a holy purpose.

Something will come up in the pathway of the earnest man to attract his attention and occupy his strength and thought. Sometimes it is a little irritation or provocation. Sometimes it is some petty grievance he stops to pursue or adjust. Sometimes it is somebody else's business in which he becomes interested, and he feels bound to rectify. Before he knows it, he is absorbed in many distracting cares and interests that turn him aside from the great purpose of his life.

Perhaps he does not do much harm, but he has missed his connection. He has left the main line.

Let all these things alone. Let grievances come and go, but press forward steadily and irresistibly, crying as you speed toward the goal, This one thing I do!

Scripture
This one thing I do—Philippians 3:13

Inspirational Readings by A.B. Simpson
Days of Heaven on Earth
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Raising rice in the Orient is a beautiful process. The rice is sown on a morass of mud and water ploughed up by great buffaloes. After a few weeks the pale green shoots spring up, appearing above the water. The seed has been sown very thickly and the plants are clustered together in great numbers. The farmer can pull up a score in a single handful. At that point the shoots are ready for transplanting.
So God first plants us and lets us grow very close to some of His children. We may be in great clusters in the nursery or the hothouse. But when we reach a certain stage we must be transplanted or come to nothing. God calls us out by His Spirit and Providence into situations where we have to lean directly on Him. He puts upon us a weight of responsibility so great that we are thrown upon the limitless resources of His grace and have an opportunity to develop.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Scripture
I called him alone, and blessed—Isaiah 51:2