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English » Meditations » 18 February

“This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise”.
(Isaiah 43:21)

Life is: to confess Christ and to let this confession ensue from the faith of the heart. The world is in need of this. And it is the will of God!

It might well be that you see how poor the world is. The world is wicked and guilty, but it is very poor as well, because it seeks it here below, whereas everything exclaims: it is not here! Actually, everything is a disappointment to a man who lives and dies without the Lord Jesus Christ – everything will appear to be a disappointment to him. On the other hand, the very best thing is that you can retire from the world; the world of your family, your relatives and your acquaintances. This, that you confess that in Jesus Christ is deliverance, eternal salvation!

“Cast thy bread upon the waters;” – do it under God’s providence; do it with rest in your soul; do it and it shall be blessed – “For thou shalt find it after many days” (Eccl. 11:1). This is God’s Word, His promise. Likewise in Song of Solomon 4:2 and 6:6: “There is not one barren among them.” (The congregation is compared here with a flock of sheep). The Church of Christ is fruitful through the Word, and that is why it received from the Lord Jesus this command: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark. 16:15-16).

Make use of the Bible regularly and seriously. Read the Bible, read and search the Scriptures. When making such search, take advantage of the commentaries to the Dutch Staten Bible; these are excellent annotations. And ponder over what you read, and pray without ceasing. Do not wait until you feel the need of prayer. Therefore do not say: “Ah, you say: ‘pray without ceasing’, but man cannot pray”. That is not being spoken in humility, but in haughtiness.

Through the grace of God be simple-minded. Never theorize about the truth. Have no desire for these things. Do not argue about the truth. Let others hear something about the truth, if you are able to do it. Give no-one an unfriendly look. Greet all men. And again, if you are able to do it, speak a word. If it is accepted, then God has used you; if it is not accepted, “your peace shall turn to you again” (Luke 10:6).

(From: Meditations, 18 February. Sermon on Ephesians 5:8, 17 November 1938 in Rotterdam.)