‘And in the last days, it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. — Acts 2:17
In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter quoted the latter part of this prediction by the Prophet (Joe 2:28). Not much is known of this prophet, who probably lived in Judah during the reign of Uzziah. But his anticipation of the outpouring of the Divine Sp... more‘And in the last days, it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. — Acts 2:17
In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter quoted the latter part of this prediction by the Prophet (Joe 2:28). Not much is known of this prophet, who probably lived in Judah during the reign of Uzziah. But his anticipation of the outpouring of the Divine Spirit had its fulfillment in those memorable scenes in which the Christian Church was born.
Before the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit had descended only upon the elect souls of the Hebrew race—upon Abraham and Moses, Samuel and Elijah, and Isaiah and others of the prophets. This supreme gift of God was reserved in those days for the spiritual aristocracy of Israel, for the men who were called to eminent office and responsibility as kings, prophets, or leaders. But Joel said that the time would come when the Holy Spirit, who had been reserved for the few, was to be poured out upon the many—the young men and maidens would prophesy; even the enslaved people and the most despised classes of the community would partake of the Divine experience.
Whatever Pentecost means—it is open to the reception and enjoyment of us all, “Every one of you,” said St. Peter, “shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” To you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Act 2:38-39). Let us take this to heart.
Some years ago, electricity was the perquisite of the few, but now the poorest girl or lad may utilize it and be carded along in the electric car. Our scientists and inventors boast that they can bring the benefits of their discoveries within the reach of the most needy amongst us. And Pentecost resembles this, in that the forces and gifts of the Eternal Spirit are now within the grasp of the feeblest hand which is stretched out to appropriate them. But there must be first the putting away of evil, the emptying of our hearts, the hunger and thirst of the soul for righteousness, before God can give us our share in the Gift which was made once for all to the Church, but must be claimed by each successive believer.
Prayer
Let Thy Holy Spirit dwell in me continually, and make me Thy temple and sanctuary. Amen.
In the same way, therefore, not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. — Luke 14:33
Three times over in this chapter, our Lord says these solemn words: “he cannot be My disciple.” There are three conditions of discipleship. First, we must be prepared to put first things; second, we must be willing to suffer daily crucifixion; third, we must be detached from all things because we are attached to Christ. The conditions seem severe but must be fulfilled to ... moreIn the same way, therefore, not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. — Luke 14:33
Three times over in this chapter, our Lord says these solemn words: “he cannot be My disciple.” There are three conditions of discipleship. First, we must be prepared to put first things; second, we must be willing to suffer daily crucifixion; third, we must be detached from all things because we are attached to Christ. The conditions seem severe but must be fulfilled to enter Christ’s School.
Disciple stands for the learner. Our Lord is prepared to teach us the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but it is useless to enter His class unless we have resolved to do as He says. Put first things first. When our Lord uses the word hate, He means that the love we are to have for Him is to be so much greater that, comparatively, our natural affection will be as if it were hate. No one could have loved His Mother more than our Lord did. In His dying agony, His particular thought and care were for her, but on three different occasions, He put her aside. We are sometimes called to set aside those who are nearest and dearest if their demands conflict with the claims of Christ.
The Daily Cross. There is the self-principle in each of us, and there is a perpetual necessity to deny self. Some talk about bearing the cross in a glib fashion, but its true meaning is shame, suffering, and sorrow, which no one realizes but God and which perhaps strikes deeper down into the roots of our being as we grow older. There is an opportunity in your life, in respect to some person or circumstance, for an ever-deepening appreciation of union with Christ in His death, and for which you must be daily prepared to surrender your way and will.
Renunciation. It may be necessary to surrender all we have for Christ, or it may be that He will ask us to hold all as a steward or trustee for Himself and others. No one can lay down the rule for another. The main point to decide is this: “Am I willing to do what Christ wants me to do, to yield my will for Him to mold it, and my life for Him to work through it?” If so, all else will adjust itself.
Prayer
O Lord, save me despite myself. May I be Thine; wholly Thine, and, at all costs, Thine. In humiliation, in poverty, in self-abnegation, Thine. Thine in the way Thou knowest to be most fitting so that Thou mightiest be now and ever mine. Amen.
Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” — Matt 18:21
The religious teachers of Christ’s day taught that four times was the extreme limit of forgiveness. Peter exceeded this in his estimate, but how far did he fall short of the divine ideal? Seven was to the Jews the number of perfection so that no expression could more forcibly convey the impression of ever-renewed, eternal repetition than “seventy times seve... moreThen Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?” — Matt 18:21
The religious teachers of Christ’s day taught that four times was the extreme limit of forgiveness. Peter exceeded this in his estimate, but how far did he fall short of the divine ideal? Seven was to the Jews the number of perfection so that no expression could more forcibly convey the impression of ever-renewed, eternal repetition than “seventy times seven!.” What comfort there is for each one of us here! If God expects man to forgive his brother thus, how may we not count on His forgiveness?
This parable shows the great wrong we do to ourselves, as well as to our brother, when we fail to forgive. Here was a man who had been forgiven the enormous debt of two million sterling but was not softened and chastened by its remission, for he went immediately from his Master’s presence to lay violent hands on an unfortunate fellow servant who owed him less than a five-pound note. He is deaf to the reasons that had filled his mouth previously and oblivious to everything except that this debt should be paid instantly.
Are we not all tempted to abuse God's forgiving love and be judgmental, vindictive, implacable, and unforgiving? If you want to be the reverse of this, consider how much you have been forgiven! Sit down and count up your enormous debt to God and how freely He has forgiven you. Only the forgiving are forgiven—“If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” If we are unrelenting, slow to recognize merit, quick to observe faults, cherishing ill will and resentment for injuries inflicted, perhaps years ago, and if we cling to and nourish this spirit, we may be sure that we have never been forgiven.
How can we attain the state of mind that forgives so often and can win the most wayward? The parable teaches us that we must receive God’s pardon in the right spirit, that we must remember our failures and sins, and that we must ever be willing to cast the mantle of forgiving love over the sins and failures of those around us.
Prayer
O Lord, may we hear Thee say to us: Thy sins which are many are all forgiven; Go in peace; and may we, in turn, forgive as we have been forgiven, and may the sun not go down upon our wrath. Amen.
GC John Kelmy
KLT, Priory of St. Michael the Archangel
We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. — 1 John 3:14
It is a great comfort to find that the Apostle does not regard Love as merely an emotional or sentimental matter for every reference point to action! The love of God was manifested in the laying down His life, and we are to be willing to follow in His steps (1Jo 3:16). The injunction is that we should love in our deeds. We are not to shut up our ... moreWe know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. — 1 John 3:14
It is a great comfort to find that the Apostle does not regard Love as merely an emotional or sentimental matter for every reference point to action! The love of God was manifested in the laying down His life, and we are to be willing to follow in His steps (1Jo 3:16). The injunction is that we should love in our deeds. We are not to shut up our hearts in compassion but to help our needy brothers and sisters. If we begin with doing kind and loving actions, we shall end by feeling the same. Often, when people come to me, saying that love has completely died out of their life towards some other person, I have bidden them to go back again and act with love, making the other one the center and object of helpful ministry, the invariable result is the refreshing and rekindling of the hot geyser-springs of affection.
Do not wait to feel love, but begin at once to show it because it is right and your duty, and as you step out in simple faith, you will find that God will make this to abound towards that also abound in grace you may this good work. Love of such kind is self-giving and the gift of the Spirit of God. This exotic bloom cannot flourish on our wintry soil; man's heart cannot furnish it. There may be a few wild growths, but they bear small comparisons to their beautiful flowers and fruit. Love is of God. It proceeds from His Nature and is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us. “The fruit of the Spirit is love,” and as we are united with Christ by faith, the love of God will be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and we shall be able to love with God’s love.
We know that we have been born from above as soon as we find ourselves willing to put the interests of another before our own, not because we have a natural affection or affinity for him, but because he and we belong to God. If there is hatred or dislike in our hearts towards any, let us beware! We must uproot it by generous action, or it will bring darkness into our lives (1Jo 2:9-11).
Prayer
Enable us, O God of patience, to bear one another’s burdens and to forbear one another in love. Oh, teach and help us all live in peace and love truthfully. Subdue all bitter resentments in our minds, and let the law of kindness be in our tongues. Amen.
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16
As children, we read “Alice in Wonderland,” but at the end of life, we shall still find ourselves in Wonderland! Perhaps there is a more profound truth than we know in describing old age as a second childhood because the child spirit ever lives in a Paradise of mystery, questioning, and wonder!
There are causes for wonder in the small c... moreFor this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16
As children, we read “Alice in Wonderland,” but at the end of life, we shall still find ourselves in Wonderland! Perhaps there is a more profound truth than we know in describing old age as a second childhood because the child spirit ever lives in a Paradise of mystery, questioning, and wonder!
There are causes for wonder in the small compass of this verse! The first is that God loved and loved the world. We are not surprised to learn that He made the world because—except where men have spoilt it—it is so beautiful. Or that He has a name for it, because He calleth them all by name, as He bringeth out their hosts by number. So small is our world amid the myriad constellations, but it is belted, environed, encompassed by the Love of God!
The second Wonder is that the Only Begotten Son came to dwell with us. Is it not excellent that the Son of God should have passed by all other worlds and come to this? That this earth was trodden by His blessed feet; that He has incorporated its transfigured dust into the texture of His Divine Nature—this is all so excellent that we are disposed to believe that our world must be the pivot of the universe—its nursery, college, and training ground.
The third wonder is that Eternal Life is within the reach of whosoever. God gives us not quantity but quality of life. Time is a method of thought necessitated by our human limitations, and therefore, someday, it will come to its end. Eternal Life is an ever-present NOW—of Love and Life and Light, enjoyed in fellowship with God. And this is for Whosoever! We may insert their name in the blank and say, “I may have eternal life.” It is so wonderful that the thought could not have been invented or suggested by the wit of man. It bears the imprint and seal of God Himself, who made us in His image, and after His likeness, that we might become the partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust (Gen 1:26; 2Pe 1:4).
Prayer
The world is dear unto Thee, O Heavenly Father; Thou didst send Thine Only Son to save it, and Thy Spirit to comfort and renew. May He brood over the chaos of this distracted world, and may order and peace and love reign among men. Amen.
GC John Kelmy
KLT, Priory of St Michael The Archangel
