If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbour bar, full of delight, but always moored; you have to get out through the harbour bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.

When you know you should do a thing, and do it, immediately you know more. Revise where you have become stodgy spiritually, and you will find it goes back to a point where there was something you knew you should do, but you did not do it because there seemed no immediate call to, and now you have no perception, no discernment; at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-possessed. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to go on knowing.

The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you work up occasions to sacrifice yourself; ardour is mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfil your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is a great deal better to fulfil the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. "To obey is better than sacrifice." Beware of harking back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been. "If any man will do . . . he shall know."

One of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of temperament. We make our temperament and our natural affinities barriers to coming to Jesus.

The first thing we realize when we come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatever to our natural affinities. We have the notion that we can consecrate our gifts to God. You cannot consecrate what is not yours; there is only one thing you can consecrate to God, and that is your right to yourself (Romans 12:1).

If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed. The one mark of a saint is the moral originality which springs from abandonment to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing wellspring of original life all the time; the Spirit of God is a well of water springing up, perennially fresh.

The saint realizes that it is God Who engineers circumstances, consequently there is no whine, but a reckless abandon to Jesus. Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.

If you abandon to Jesus, and come when He says "Come," He will continue to say "Come" through you; you will go out into life reproducing the echo of Christ's "Come." That is the result in every soul who has abandoned and come to Jesus.

Have I come to Jesus? Will I come now?

Someone has said very pertinently, “There was no rudder to Noah’s ark.” It was hardly necessary. He had obeyed God and now was shut in, with God only to steer his ark, for he was on God’s errand.

The man who could endure what he endured for more than a century, while preaching the Word amidst a hostile people, did not have any fears as to where he was going. The fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the deluge must have confirmed a faith already strong.

It is a delightful experience when we really believe that God is steering our little bark over life’s tempestuous sea. Only supreme and absolute abandonment to the will of God will give perfect rest of soul. It is this that enlarges the soul. Fenelon says: “If there be anything that is capable of setting the soul in a large place it is absolute abandonment to God. It diffuses in the soul a peace that flows like a river and the righteousness which is as the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).

If there be anything that can render the soul calm, dissipate its scruples and dispel its fears, sweeten its sufferings by the anointing of love, impart strength to all its actions, and spread abroad the joy of the Holy Ghost in its countenance and words, it is this simple and childlike repose in the arms of God.

God could give to Abraham because he had made such a wide opening into his life. God can give only into an open hand. This hand was opened wide. This door swung clear back. God had a free swing, and He used it. He could, and He did. He always does. Let this be our rule: “Give all He asks; then take all He gives.” And the cup will be spilling joyously over the brim.

S. D. GORDON

Beware of every hesitation to abandon to God!

Why are we saved ? We are saved in order to be sacrificed. There is a striking lesson in God’s saving certain of the clean beasts and clean fowl at the time of the flood. At God’s direction, Noah brought these, as well as other beasts and fowl that were not clean, into the ark of salvation.

These clean creatures were favored above those that were lost in the flood. It must have been a wonderful experience to step out from the ark onto dry land again. But what happened then?

“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it” (Genesis 8:20).

Thus it appears that certain of these creatures were saved in order to be sacrificed after their salvation was complete. If this surprises us, have we realized that we who believe in Christ are saved for exactly that purpose?

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).

This is acceptable unto God, and it is our reasonable service.

Noah’s sacrifice of the clean animals brought great blessing to the earth, as the record goes on to show us; and the “living sacrifice” of God’s children brings great blessing to mankind.

Let us thank God, indeed, that we are saved to be sacrificed.

Lend Me thy body , our Lord says. For a few brief years, in the body that was prepared for Me I delighted to do My Father ’s will. By means of that body I came into contact with the children of men—diseased, weary , sin-sick, heavy-laden ones. Those feet carried Me to the homes where sorrow and death had entered; those hands touched leprous bodies, palsied limbs, sightless eyes; those lips told of My Father ’s remedy for sin, His love for a prodigal world.

In that body I bore the world’ s sin upon the tree, and through its of fering once for all My followers are sanctified.

But I need a body still; wilt thou not lend Me thine? Millions of hearts are longing, with an indescr ibable hunger , for Me. On that far-off shore are men, women, and little children sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death—men who have never yet heard of My love. Wilt thou not lend Me thy body, that I may cross the ocean and tell them that the light after which they are groping has at last reached them; that the bread for which they have so often hungered is now at their very door?

I want a heart, that I may fill it with Divine compassion; and lips, purged from all uncleanness, wherewith to tell the story that brings hope to the despairing, freedom to the bound, healing to the diseased, and life to the dead. Wilt thou lend Me thine? Wilt thou not lend Me thy body? J. GREGOR Y MANTLE

All that we own is Thine alone, A trust, O Lor d, from Thee.

Without faith it is impossible to please him.—So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.—The Lord taketh pleasure in his people.

This is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

If, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.—The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, . . . is in the sight of God of great price.

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.—I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

I beseech you, . . . brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: to shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.

I beseech you, . . . brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Jesus . . . that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.—Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.

He hath made us accepted in the beloved. As lively stones, . . . built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.—I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. Love is strong as death.—Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.—In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

Ye are washed, . . . ye are sanctified, . . . ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.—Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.—I beseech you . . . brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I beseech you, . . . brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Thou shalt . . . make a laver of brass, . . . and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; . . . they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not.

Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

In my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.

There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.

I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.

He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.

God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister.

I beseech you . . . brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.—I beseech you, . . . brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.—In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.—This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.—Ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.

Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.