Truth for Life - June 20, 2016
June 20
Immediately
And immediately they left their nets and followed him. - Mark 1:18
When they heard the call of Jesus, Simon and Andrew obeyed at once without hesitation. If we did likewise and punctually with resolute zeal put into practice what we hear immediately, then our attendance at the means of grace and our reading of good books could not fail to enrich us spiritually. He will not lose his loaf who has taken care to eat it immediately; neither can he be deprived of the benefit of the doctrine who has already acted upon it. Most readers and hearers become moved to decide to take action; but sadly, the proposal is a blossom that has not flowered, and as a result no fruit comes from it; they wait, they waver, and then they forget, until, like the ponds on frosty nights, when the sun shines by day, they are only thawed in time to be frozen again.
That fatal tomorrow is blood-red with the murder of good resolutions; it is the slaughterhouse of the innocents. We are very concerned that our little book of "Evening Readings" should not be fruitless, and therefore we pray that readers may not be readers only, but doers of the Word. The practice of truth is the fruit of profitable reading.
Should the reader be impressed with any duty while perusing these pages, let him be quick to fulfill it before the holy glow has departed from his soul, and let him leave his nets and all that he has rather than be found rebellious to the Master's call. Do not give place to the devil by delay! Act while opportunity and desire are working in happy partnership. Do not be caught in your own nets, but break the meshes of worldliness, and go where glory calls you. Happy is the writer who will meet with readers resolved to carry out his teachings: His harvest will be a hundredfold, and his Master will have great honor. We can only pray that this might be our reward from these brief meditations and hurried hints. Grant it, O Lord, to Your servant!
Family Bible reading plan
verse 1 Isaiah 52
verse 2 Revelation 22
Held in Honor
Held in Honor is a rich collection of 50 insightful quotes on marriage, carefully selected from church history dating all the way back to the first century. Each quote is accompanied by a Scripture-based devotional designed to encourage married couples or couples contemplating marriage.
The historical quotations in Held in Honor provide a collection of wisdom from the ages. Although the union of a man and woman my look different in any given time or place, there are common challenges that transcend culture, age, ethnicity, and context. This devotional invites couples to the common experience by drawing upon wisdom from the past.
Held in Honor brings together voices from Ignatius of Antioch to Elisabeth Elliott to Charles Spurgeon. Regardless of where couples are in the journey of marriage, these insights from the past are designed to draw couples closer to God and to remind couples of the roles God intended for both husbands and wives. (Available in soft cover or as an e-book)
Click here to learn more about Truth For Life
From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.
