Camouflage

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                        ". . . why feignest thou thyself to be another?"  1 Kings 14:6

     The wife of the wicked Jeroboam was practicing the art of camouflage.  Her son was sick and she desired help from the aging prophet of the Lord, Ahijah.  But she did not want the prophet to know who she was, for fear the prophet would rebuke her for their wickedness and disobedience.  So she pretended to be someone else  (1 Kings  14:6).  She thought she could disguise herself and fool the blind prophet, but the Lord had warned the prophet of her coming, and before she could even practice her deception the prophet heard her footsteps and said,  "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another?" Her cleverness was discovered and her disguise had failed.

     The sinner is like this woman.  He too tries to camouflage himself and pretends to be something else than what he really is.  Adam started the practice of camouflage when he tried to conceal his nakedness with aprons of fig leaves.  Jacob practiced it when at the suggestion of his mother he impersonated his brother with the skins of goats on his hands and neck.

     Abraham Lincoln is credited with the saying,  "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."  No one can deceive God any of the time!  Camouflage is deception; it is hypocrisy.

     A group of students in an eastern university sought to confuse their professor in biology.  They took the body of a moth, put on the it the legs of a grasshopper, the wings of a dragon fly, and the head of a locust. They took it to the professor and asked him what kind of a bug it was, firmly convinced that he would be baffled.  Without a moment's hesitation, however, he replied,  "This is a humbug."  Are you pretending to be something you are not?  Your fig leaves will not do.  Today, be genuine, be true, be "clothes with humility." Don't be a humbug!

"Bread For Each Day"

A Discouraging Way

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

  " . . . and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way."  Numbers  21:4

     Because the hostile people and unfriendly land of Edom barred the approaches to Canaan, the children of Israel had to go on a long, roundabout march that was not at all pleasant.  Their passage was accompanied by much discomfort.  For one thing, their route was extremely stony, hot, and sandy; and for another, the water was scarce.  Yet they should have realized that the Lord who had led them with a mighty hand out of Egypt and provided them with daily manna from heaven would certainly guard and keep them as they traveled this new and difficult way.  Their faith, however, was weak, and soon they fell to murmuring and complaining and were much discouraged.

     Can we not see in this picture of the weary and fearful Israelites in our own silhouette in bold relief?  Often the way to Heaven too seems roundabout and long.  In the wilderness of this world we find dry, arid stretches, rough going, and many hostile foes.  Yet, if we look back to the greatness of our salvation and ahead to the vastness of the glory which is our destiny, should we not be ashamed of our discouragement? Our most trying afflictions here are "light" and but "for a moment" when compared with the exceeding and eternal weight of glory that awaits us at the end of the road  (2 Corinthians  4:17).  If God is leading and our steps are of His ordering; if our very hairs are numbered, and He has assured us that He will supply every need  (Philippians  4:19), then we have no right to murmur or to be disheartened.  Let us lift up our eyes and, seeing the Shekinah glory going on before, let us trustingly move forward and be of good courage.  In spite of the difficulties and roughness of the way, this is the right road Home!

"Bread For Each Day"

Psalm 38

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


1.  Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3.  Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and fed on his faithfulness.
4.  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6.  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy justice as the noonday.
7.  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked schemes to pass.
8.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9.  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
10.  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yeah, thou shalt diligently look for his place, and it shall not be.
11.  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12.  The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
13.  The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
14.  The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15.  Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.
16.  A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17.  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
18.  The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19.  They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20.  But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs; they shall consume; into smoke shall consume away.
21.  The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22.  For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23.  The steps of a good man are established by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
25.  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26.  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27.  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28.  For the LORD loveth justice, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29.  The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30.  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of justice.
31.  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slip.
32.  The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33.  The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
34.  Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35.  I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36.  Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37.  Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
38.  But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
39.  But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40.  And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Psalm 18:16

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Revelation 21:4

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Practical Christianity

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

        "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
                                                                                                               James  2:26

     Dorothy C. Haskin tells of a testimony meeting held in the south by a visiting Methodist minister.  At this service a woman arose and began to relate how much comfort her "religion" gave her in times of trouble.  "That's fine, sister," commented the visiting evangelist.  "But how about the practical side?  Does your 'religion' make you strive to prepare your husband a good dinner?  Does it make you keep his sock darned?"  Just then he felt a yank at his coattail; looking around he discovered it was the local pastor seeking to get his attention.  There was a smile on his face as he whispered hoarsely,  "Press dem questions, Doctor, press dem questions!  Dat's my wife!"

     Yes, we all need to "press dem questions" home to our own hearts.  The grace of God should do more than make us happy and satisfied, it should energize us to service and good works.  For instance, when God comforts us He does not do it just to make us comfortable, but rather to make us, in turn, comforters  (see  2 Corinthians 1:4).

     Faith alone is like a zero in arithmetic: no matter how often it is repeated, it represents nothing; however, when there is added to it the units of our good works, then our faith becomes meaningful to others and has practical value.

     Rev. J. A. Methuen once asked a simple Christian whether he thought it was possible for a child of God to live an ungodly life; he received the following answer:  "Mr. Methuen, if I pour boiling water into a cup, it makes the outside hot as well as the inside.  So, too, sir, when the Gospel once gets into a man's heart, the new life will soon show itself."

"Bread For Each Day"

The Old Rugged Cross

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

       " . . .  he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."     Philippians  2:8

     The cross was a symbol of shame, humiliation, and disgrace.  It was reserved only for the worst criminals, who were guilty of the most dastardly crimes.  It was a pagan instrument of torture and execution.  The cross itself was a crude, unfinished piece of rough timber, hastily nailed together from almost any branch or piece of wood.  It was a rugged cross, and symbolized entire disgrace and deepest humiliation.  Few people think of the cross in that way; instead, they conceive it to be a beautiful stick pin, or as something to be worn on the lapel of one's coat.

     Man has tried to remove the shame and horror of the cross by beautifying it, covering it with gold, plating it with silver, or setting it with precious stones.  It is even covered with luminous substances, so that it glows in the dark.  All these attempts to beautify the cross are totally foreign to Scripture.  It was not a beautiful, gold-plated, luminous thing of beauty, but only a rough, unembellished piece of wood.  It was indeed the "old rugged cross."  But man seeks to avoid the "offence" of that kind of a cross and so he adorns it and makes it an inoffensive ornament.  Even more unscriptural is the crucifix - a cross with a dead Christ upon it.  We glory not in the crucifix with a dead Saviour upon it, but in the "empty cross" of One who is risen again from the tomb.  Jesus told us to "bear His cross," but foolish man has changed it to "wear the cross."  Just wearing a cross means nothing until we understand the real meaning of the crude, unadorned, unfinished, rugged cross on which Jesus died.  We are never told to wear the cross - but to bear it.  Then, and then only, will we know the meaning of "His" cross.  The cross is the place of death.  To bear His cross means to die to self and to live for Him.

"Bread For Each Day"