Simpson Devotional

Simpson Devotional - Saturday, October 11, 2008

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Holy Spirit becomes to the consecrated heart the Spirit of intercession. We have two Advocates. We have an Advocate with the Father, who prays for us at God's right hand. We also have the Holy Spirit, the Advocate within who prays in us, inspiring our petitions and presenting them, through Christ, to God. We need this Advocate. We know not what to pray for and we know not how to pray as we ought, but He breathes in the holy heart the desires that we may not always understand, the, groanings which we could not utter. God understands, and He, with a loving Father's heart, is always searching our hearts to find the Spirit's prayer and to answer it. He finds many a prayer there that we have not discovered, and answers many a cry that we never understood. And when we reach our heavenly home and read the records of life, we shall better know and appreciate the infinite love of that Divine Friend who has watched within as the Spirit of prayer and breathed out our every need to the heart of God.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God
Romans 8:2

Simpson Devotional - Friday, October 10, 2008

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can kill us and keep us dead. Many Christians try to do this disagreeable work themselves, and they are going through a continual crucifixion but can never accomplish the work permanently. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, and when we really yield ourselves to the death, it is delightful to find how sweetly He can execute the sentence. They tell us that by the touch of the electric spark life is extinguished almost without a quiver of pain. However this may be in natural things, we know the Holy Spirit can touch with celestial fire the surrendered thing, after it is really yielded up to the sentence of death, and slay it in a moment. The yielding is our business, and it is God's business to execute the sentence and to keep it constantly operative. May we not live in the pain of perpetual and ineffective suicide, but reckoning ourselves dead indeed, let us leave ourselves in the hands of the blessed Holy Spirit. He will slay whatever rises in opposition to His will and keep us true to our heavenly reckoning and filled with His resurrection life.

If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live
Romans 8:13

Simpson Devotional - Thursday, October 09, 2008

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Peace be unto you. These words are a type of Jesus' first appearing to our hearts when He comes to bring us His peace and to teach us to trust Him and to love Him. But there is a second peace which He has to give. Jesus said unto them again, Peace be unto you. There is a "peace," and there is an 44 again peace." There is a peace with God, and there is the peace of God, which passeth all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is the deeper peace that we need before we can serve Him or be used for His glory. While we are burdened with our own cares, He cannot give us His. While we are occupied with ourselves, we cannot be at leisure to serve Him. Our minds will be so filled with our own anxieties that we would not be equal to the trust which He requires of us. Before He can entrust us with His work, He wants to deliver us from every burden and anxiety. Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within. Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed? To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

Peace be unto you
John 20:21

Simpson Devotional - Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Some day even you, trembling faltering one, shall stand upon those heights that Joshua knew. As you look back upon all you have passed through, all you have narrowly escaped, all the perils through which He guided you, the stumblings through which He guarded you and the sins from which He saved you; you will shout, with a meaning you cannot understand now, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb (Revelation 7:10). Some day He will sit down with us in that glorious home, and we shall have all the ages in which to understand the story of our lives. He will read over again this marked old Bible with us, He will show us how He kept all these promises, He will explain to us the mysteries that we could not understand, He will recall all the finished story. Then I am sure we will cry: "Blessed Christ! you have been so true, you have been so good! Was there ever love like this?" And then the great chorus will be repeated once more-There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken; . . . all came to pass.

There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken
Joshua 21:45

Simpson Devotional - Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

How much grace it requires to bear a misunderstanding rightly and to receive an unkind judgment in holy sweetness! Nothing tests the Christian character more than to have some evil thing said about us. This is the file that soon proves whether we are electroplate or solid gold. If we could only know the blessings that lie hidden in our lives, we would say like David, when Shimei cursed him, Let him curse; . . . It may be the Lord will . . . requite me good for his cursing this day (2 Samuel 16:11-12). Some people get easily turned aside from the grandeur of their life work by pursuing their own grievances and enemies. Soon their lives become one little whirl of petty warfare. It is like a nest of hornets. We may disperse the hornets, but we will probably get terribly stung and get nothing for our pains, for even their honey is not worth a search. God give us more of Jesus' Spirit. When he was reviled, [he] reviled not again; . . . but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously (1 Peter 2:23). Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself (Hebrews 12:3).

He opened not his mouth
Isaiah 53:7

Simpson Devotional - Monday, October 06, 2008

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

It is a great thing to learn to take God first. Then He can afford to give us everything else without the fear of its hurting us. As long as you want anything very much, especially more than you want God, it is an idol. When you become satisfied with God, however, everything else so loses its charm that He can give it to you without harm. Then you can take just as much as you choose and use it for His glory. There is no harm whatever in having money, houses, lands, friends and children if you do not value these things or ones for themselves. If you have been separated from them in spirit and become satisfied with God Himself, then they will become to you channels to be filled with God and to bring Him nearer to you. Then every little lamb around your household will be a tender cord to bind you to the Shepherd's heart. Then every affection will be a golden cup filled with the wine of His love. Then every bank, stock and investment will be but a channel through which you can pour out His benevolence and extend His grace.

Epbraim, he hath mixed himself
Hosea 7:8

Simpson Devotional - Sunday, October 05, 2008

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:00:00 GMT

God calls us to victory. Have you given up the conflict, have you surrendered? Have you said, "This thing is too much?" Have you said, "I can give up anything else but this?" If you have, you are not in the land of promise. God intends that you accept every difficult thing that comes into your life. He has started with you, knowing every difficulty, and if you dare to let Him, He will carry you through not only to be a conqueror but "more than conquerors." Are you looking for all the victory God has for you? God gives His children strength for the battle and watches over them with a fond enthusiasm. He longs to fold you close and say to you, "I have seen thy conflict, I have watched thy trials, I have rejoiced in thy victory; thou hast honored Me." Remember what he told Joshua at the beginning, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Joshua 1:5). And again, His word to us is, Fear . . . not, for I am with thee (Isaiah 41:10).

He that triumphed gloriously
Exodus 15:1