Holiness is . . . an entire surrender of the will to God;
it is
living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God;
it is doing
the will of our heavenly Father;
it is trusting God in trial, in
darkness as well as in light;
it is walking by faith and not by sight;
it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence,
and resting in His
love. SD155

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he
had and bought that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold
everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46

The parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls has a double
significance: it applies not only to men as seeking the kingdom of heaven, but
to Christ as seeking His lost inheritance. Christ, the heavenly merchantman
seeking goodly pearls, saw in lost humanity the pearl of price. In man, defiled
and ruined by sin, He saw the possibilities of redemption. Hearts that have
been the battle- ground of the conflict with Satan, and that have been rescued by
the power of love, are more precious to the Redeemer than are those who have
never fallen. God looked upon humanity, not as vile and worthless; He looked
upon it in Christ, saw it as it might become through redeeming love. He
collected all the riches of the universe, and laid them down in order to buy
the pearl. And Jesus, having found it, resets it in His own diadem. "For
they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His
land." Zechariah 9:16. "They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts,
in that day when I make up My jewels." Malachi 3:17. (Christ Object Lessons Pg 118)

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to lay aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
to lay aside his crown for my soul.

The value of something is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for it.

This Psalm has been God's Word to me over and over again this week....
He is mighty to save and I praise Him for His goodness to me!

Psalm 34

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my
mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and
be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name
together.

I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my
fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all
his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth
them.

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in
him.
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their cry.
The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of
all their troubles.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth
such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth
him out of them all.
The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in
him shall be desolate

The very first step in the path of life is to keep the mind stayed on
God, to have His fear continually before the eyes. A single departure
from moral integrity blunts the conscience, and opens the door to the
next temptation.

To dwell upon the beauty, goodness, mercy, and love of Jesus is
strengthening to the mental and moral powers, and while the mind is
kept trained to do the works of Christ, to be obedient children, you
will habitually inquire, Is this the way of the Lord?

I set out
to study Psalm 104 this mo rning, but I got no further than the first verse as
there was so much to think about – what a glorious picture of God it is!

Ps
104:1  Bless the Lord, O my soul.  Thou art very great, Thou art clothed with
honour and majesty.

Bless the
Lord, O my soul:  When you bless someone
you benefit them, you do good to them, the focus is on them and you do it out
of love for them.  In this context bless
could also mean praise and appreciate. 

What do I
admire about God and what causes me to praise & appreciate Him?

-        
His
faithfulness in all things – in calling me, caring for me, keeping His promises
to me.

-        
His
unconditional love to all people, but also for me – it is just always there for
me no matter what I have done, He still loves and forgives me!

-        
His
patience and perseverance in drawing all people to Himself – and the fact that
every day He keeps calling me and drawing me to Himself – He never gives up on
me.

-        
His
kindness and goodness to all people – and to me for daily He pours out so many
blessings in my life both physically and spiritually!

-        
His
wondrous wisdom and ways which are always perfect and beyond my imagination.

What do you
admire about God and why?

Thou art
very great:  He is the Creator,
Sustainer and Saviour of all.  He is the
King above all Kings, His greatness is unsearchable and beyond our
comprehension!

He is
clothed with honour:  He is a person of
integrity and righteousness –  I admire
that so much and I can just imagine Him clothed in these characteristics.  And the praises of His people wrap around
Him like a garment.   Can you picture
it?

And
majesty:  If something is majestic, it
is usually beautiful, awesome, inspiring admiration and wonder.  Everything about God is pure, righteous,
holy, beautiful, perfect, awe inspiring, admirable, glorious.

Did you
catch a glimpse of Him?  Are you
inspired by who He is?  Don’t you long
to be more like Him? The amazing truth is that it is our privilege to become
more and more like Jesus.  By beholding
Him we are changed into His image – this is not an if or a maybe but a
certainty – what a wondrous gift!  So
where are you going to focus today?  I
want to focus on Him and living for Him!

Turn your
eyes upon Jesus,
Look full
in His wonderful face
And the
things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the
light of His glory and grace.

Job 22:21-30

21 “Now acquaint yourself with Him,
and be at peace;
      Thereby good will come to you.

 22 Receive, please, instruction
from His mouth,
      And lay up His words in your heart.

 23 If you return to the
Almighty, you will be built up;
      You will remove iniquity far from your
tents.

 24 Then you will lay your gold
in the dust,
      And the gold of Ophir among the
stones of the brooks.

 25 Yes, the Almighty will be
your gold
      And your precious silver;

 26 For then you will have your
delight in the Almighty,
      And lift up your face to God.

 27 You will make your prayer to
Him,
      He will hear you,
      And you will pay your vows.

 28 You will also declare a
thing,
      And it will be established for you;
      So light will shine on your ways.

 29 When they cast you
down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’
      Then He will save the humble person.

 30 He will even deliver
one who is not innocent;
      Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of
your hands.”

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. Romans 12:2.

By beholding Christ we become changed. If the mind dwells
upon temporal things constantly, these things become all-absorbing, affecting
the character, so that God's glory is lost sight of and forgotten. The
opportunities that are within reach for them to become conversant with heavenly
things, are overlooked. Spiritual life dies. . . .

Make God your entire dependence. When you do otherwise, then
it is time for a halt to be called. Stop right where you are, and change the
order of things. . . . In sincerity, in soul-hunger, cry after God. Wrestle
with the heavenly agencies until you have the victory. Put your whole being
into the Lord's hands soul, body, and spirit, and resolve to be His loving,
consecrated agency, moved by His will, controlled by His mind, infused by His
Spirit . . . then you will see heavenly things clearly.

If we would permit our minds to dwell more upon Christ and the heavenly
world, we should find a powerful stimulus and support in fighting the battles
of the Lord. Pride and love of the world will lose their power as we
contemplate the glories of that better land so soon to be our home. Beside the
loveliness of Christ, all earthly attractions will seem of little worth.

Last night before I went to sleep I was impressed to read
the last chapter in the book "The Practice of the Presence of God."  It is a short account of the life of Brother
Lawrence written by his dear friend Joseph de Beaufort, and sprinkled
throughout I found some of these inspiring thoughts:

*******

God then allowed him to perceive the nothingness of the
pleasures of the world and touched him with a love of heavenly things.

*******

Meditating on the promises of the Lord and his love for
Jesus Christ changed him into another man.

*******

The grace of Jesus Christ sustained him in everything that
was unpleasant or tiresome.

*******

Meditating on the character loving-kindness of God molded
Brother Lawerence's character.

*******

“People seek for methods of learning to love God.  They hope to arrive at it by I know not how
many different practices; they take much trouble to remain in the presence of
God in a quantity of ways.  Is it not
much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to make use
of all the labours of one’s state in life to show Him that love, and to
maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His?"

*******

"My God, since You are with me, and since, by Your will, I
must occupy myself with external things, please grant me the grace to remain with
You, in Your presence.  Work with me, so
that my work might be the very best. 
Receive as an offering of love both my work and all my affections.”

******

Brother Lawrence called the practice of the presence of God
the easiest and shortest way to attain Christian perfection and to be protected
from sin.

*******

"It is only faith that makes me know Him as He is.  By means of it I learn more about Him in a
short time than I would learn in many years in the schools."

*******

“The greatest glory one can give to God is to entirely
mistrust one's own strength, relying completely on God's protection.”

*******

"Thou knowest well that it is not Thy gifts that I seek and
desire, but Thyself, and I can be content with nothing less."

******

And then a Hymn for the Sabbath  - one of my favourites:

Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart,
Draw me, my Savior—so precious Thou art!
Fold me, oh, fold me close to Thy breast.
Shelter me safe in that Haven of Rest,
Shelter me safe in that Haven of Rest.

Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring,
Naught as an offering to Jesus, my King;
Only my sinful, now contrite heart.
Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.
Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.

Nearer, still nearer, Lord, to be Thine!
Sin, with its follies, I gladly resign,
All of its pleasures, pomp and its pride,
Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified.
Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified.

Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last.
Till safe in glory my anchor is cast;
Through endless ages ever to be
Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee;
Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee!

May you walk closer with Him today...

Whatever
we do, even if we are reading the Word or praying, we should stop for a
few minutes - as often as possible - to praise God from the depths of
our hearts, to enjoy Him there in secret. Since you believe that God is
always with you, no matter what you may be doing, why shouldn't you
stop for awhile to adore Him, to praise Him, to petition Him, to offer
Him your heart, and to thank Him?

This doesn't mean you must leave the duties of the world
forever; that would be impossible. Let prudence be your guide. But I do
believe that it is a common mistake of spirit-filled persons not to
leave the cares of the world from time to time to praise God in their
spirits and to rest in the peace of His divine presence for a few
moments.

(from "The Practice of The Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence)