OUR OUR BIBLE CLASS. UR BIBLE CLASS. BY A. ST. G. C. NUGENT. 233 HAT a multitude of thoughts cross our minds every day! Have we ever paused before God's wonderful fact-"I know their works and their thoughts" (Isa. lxvi. 18; Psa. xciv. 11; Heb. iv. 12)—and thought out something of what it means? David tells of the change in his life, when he thought on his ways, and St. Peter "wept his way home" when he "called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him," and "thought thereon" (Psa. cxix. 59; Mark xiv. 72). When repentance was only in thought, the Lord knew and surely cherished. Can we look up to Him and gladly exclaim, "Thou understandest my thought afar off!" (Psa. cxxxix. 2); or do we still leave His pleading question unanswered: "How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee ?" (Jer. iv. 14; Isa. lv. 7). God speaks strongly about these vain and evil thoughts (Mark vii. 21; Prov. xv. 26; Psa. x. 4). We know that no man can ever see the thoughts of another. It is a divine power (Job xlii. 2; Matt. ix. 4; Amos iv. 13). Thoughts are the beginning of acts, and the more we grow in grace and see that "the thought of foolishness is sin" (Prov. xxiv. 9), the more do we pray with our whole desire, Try me, and know my thoughts" (Ps. cxxxix. 23). We do want each thought to be cleansed and that He should bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (Prov. xii. 5; 2 Cor. x. 5; Rom. xii. 8; 1 Cor. viii. 2). God does not want us to have "anxious thoughts" (Matt. vi. 31, Greek), and He gives us a blessed cure for them when He says to His frightened disciples, "Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see" (Luke xxiv. 36-40); and His promise of "perfect peace" when we stay our thoughts upon Him is true (Isa. xxvi. 3, marg.). "Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established" (Prov. xvi. 3). He comforts in the thoughts which are "too painful" for us (Ps. lxxiii. 16; xciv. 18), and He can keep things that we should remember in our thoughts (1 Chr. xxix. 18). "We have thought of Thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Thy temple" (Ps. xlviii. 9), and that "thought" and every thought of Him is actually recorded in His Book of remembrance (Mal. iii. 16). Oh, see in this the deep love of our Lord, and how He values His children's thoughts. After our highest, deepest, fullest thoughts of all He can do for us, and be in us, it is still His triumph that 234 66 DAILY BIBLE THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think " (Eph. iii. 20). Now let us turn to the glorious fact that God has told us His thoughts. Jesus Christ, who is the "Word," and the written Word, are His blessed revelation of His thoughts. "I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an end and expectation" (Jer. xxix. 11, marg.). "What know we of God's thoughts? One word of gold "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. lv. 8, 9; Ps. xcii. 5; xxxiii. 11). How we all love to be thought of! And His people can joyfully say, " Many, O Lord my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward;" "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God, how great is the sum of them!" (Ps. xl. 5; cxxxix. 17). "Think upon me, O my God, for good!" "Thoughts of peace That stoop in tenderest love; that still increase O pity infinite! O royal mercy free! O gentle climax of the depth and height Of God's most precious thoughts, most wonderful, most strange ! 'For 1 am poor and needy, yet The Lord Himself, Jehovah, thinketh upon me!" " He re CTOBER 1.-Luke i. 72. "His holy covenant." Oct. 2.-Ch. ii. 11. "Tidings of great joy." Listen! DAILY BIBLE THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH. 235 "Unto you is born a Saviour" (Isa. ix. 6). "The anointed Lord " (Acts ii. 36; ch. x. 36). "I have provided Me a King" (1 Sam. xvi. 1-4; Ps. ii. 6). Pardon and Power. "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Isa. xliv. 21; Matt. i. 21; Rom. vi. 14). ? Oct. 3.Ch. ii. 23, 26, 27. Notice how Simeon, "clothed upon" and "taught" by the Spirit, yielded to His leading, and found himself face to face with the living Christ, in His temple. Let us surrender as implicity to His guidance and teaching (1 John ii. 20-27), and we shall not only 66 see Jesus," but, taking Him into the arms of faith, shall find Him the "Power of God," made unto us "sanctification" (1 Cor. i. 30). Oct. 4.—Ch. ii. 52. And the Nazareth home, with its lovely life of perfect subjection, was the scene of His marvellous growth. Let the Master choose His own "workshop" for the "fashioning" of each "vessel of mercy." Then "desert training" (ch. i. 80; Ex. iii, 1), or "home friction" (1 Sam. i. 7, 10, 18; Heb. v. 8) will equally perfect His "designs" of beauty. Oct. 5.-Ch. iii. 2, 3. "The desert training" had done its work. "Strong in the Spirit," and ready to obey when the Word of the Lord came, John went in perfect subjection, not only to "do His Lord's will" (verse 4), but also to "suffer for His sake (verse 20). He "tarried the Lord's leisure," but he answered promptly the Lord's call (Isa. vi. 8, 9). - Oct. 6. Ch. iii. 38. "Adam, which was of God," made in His likeness (Gen. v. 2), yet so fallen, that only Jesus, the Son of God, by humbling Himself to the "death of the cross," could raise him through death to life, resurrection, and glory. Are we "in Adam" dead in sins? or "in Christ," alive unto God? (1 Cor. xv. 22). Oct. 7. Ch. iv. 2-13. "Forty days tempted;" "the devil completed every temptation" (R.V.). We need never fear that in any temptation we can find His sympathy fail, or His power come short (Heb. ii. 18). "I have overcome." is the word, on which resting, we too are more than conquerors, identified with Him, who still "triumphs gloriously" (Heb. iv. 15, 16). Oct. 8.-Ch. iv. 22. "All bare Him witness." Wondrous words to be spoken of Him! He bare witness to the "anointing of the Spirit (verse 18), tracing the River to its Source, and they testified to the truth and grace of the words, which flowed from lips anointed, into which grace had been poured (Ps. xlv. 2; John iii. 34). Oct. 9.-Ch. iv. "For therefore am I sent." See the Captain of our Salvation "under authority," ," "sent of the Father" (John vii. 16), "led by the Spirit" (ch. iv. 1, 14), submitting to the test imposed upon the lowliest of His soldiers. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. viii. 14). Let us daily receive our orders from Himself (Is. 1. 4, 5). Oct. 10. Ch. v. 5. An all-night of toil, tired hands, weary hearts, empty nets, absolute failure! Faith's "nevertheless" brings in the Master Himself, and all is transfigured. Fearless trust, ready obedience, 236 DAILY BIBLE THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH. absolute surrender, overflowing nets! And the result-His glory in the emptied, humbled souls at His Feet (verses 8, 9, 10). re Oct. 11.-Ch. v. 16. "He withdrew Himself." If the Master " ceived not honour from men" (John v. 41), shall His disciples eagerly covet it? It were safer to heed the warning in John v. 44; Rom. ii. 29, and pass on to Him the honour we are too weak to bear. Oct. 12.-Ch. v. 29. consecration (verse 28). joy (Phil. iii. 8; iv. 4). words only of those who and with Him will I abide." "The great feast" followed naturally the entire Oct. 13.-Ch. vi. 8. Notice how the unhesitating obedience to the double command, "Rise up; stand forth" (faith and confession), resulted in complete restoration (verse 10; Job v. 18; Acts ix. 34). "Christ was magnified" in the perfect healing and fulness of power (right hand restored) made visible to all. Oct. 14.-Ch. vi. 21. "Ye shall be filled," is the Master's benediction on the soul-hunger He pronounces "blessed." Praise Him for creating the desire; respond expectantly to the invitation, "Eat, oh, friends" (Cant. v. 1; Matt. xxvi. 26); and obey implicitly the command "Open thy mouth wide" (Ps. lxxxi. 10). Oct. 15.-Ch. vi. 46-48. "Rooted and built up in Him." Is the fair superstructure growing in holiness daily, because entrusted to the Hands of the same Master-builder who "founded it on a rock"? (verse 48; 1 Cor. iii. 11-16). If so, "God's building" will go on unto perfection; "His Hands shall also finish it" (Zech. iv. 6-9). These Oct. 16. Ch. vii. 9. See Christ's exquisite appreciation of the centurion's faith. Though He so "marvelled," that He found no words to answer him, He found many in which to praise him to the crowd that followed. Faith won from Him this glorious endorsement to her petition; "Command ye Me" (verse 10; Isa. xlv. 11; Matt. xv. 28). Oct. 17.-Ch. vii. 24. "A reed shaken with the wind." words are blessedly true of all yielded souls (John iii. 8). The rushing mighty Wind" of the Spirit can work "unhindered" in weak, pliant reeds that bow beneath His touch (Acts ii. 2-4; 2 Cor. xii. 9; Eph. i. 19; iii. 20). And the Breath of the Spirit through bruised reeds makes melody, sweet to the Master (2 Sam. xv. 26 ; 1 Sam. iii. 18). 66 Oct. 18.-Ch. vii. 39. "She is a sinner": therefore the very one the Saviour of sinners was seeking: the very "needs-be" for the invitation accepted to Simon's house! No marvel the result was salvation, when a seeking soul and seeking Saviour meet (verses 48, 50; John iv. 25, 26, 29; 1 Tim. i. 15, 16). Oct. 19.-Ch. viii. 16. "That they which enter in may see the Light; not us, the light-bearers, but the Light, shining through us. Possibly verse 15 here, taken with Phil. ii. 15, 16, illuminates the thought. The Word of Life, embraced-" In Him was Life, and the Life |