R. M. McCeyne’s DAILY BREAD portions:
MORNING:
1 Chronicles 26-27 (family); Micah 4 (secret)
EVENING:
2 Peter 1 (family); Luke 13 (secret)
A CHRISTIAN CATECHISM:
Q74. How do Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become spiritually helpful?
A74. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become spiritually helpful, not from any virtue in them, or in him who administers them, but only by the blessing of Christ and the working of the Spirit in those who receive them by faith. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7; 12:13; 1 Peter 3:21
Q78. What is the duty of such as are rightly baptized?
A78. It is the duty of those who are rightly baptized to give themselves up to some particular and orderly church of Jesus Christ, that they may walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. Luke 1:6; Acts 2:47; 9:26; 1 Corinthians 14:40; 1 Peter 2:5
CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST DEVOTION:
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
As fleeing youthful lusts was a commandment to the young pastor from the aged apostle, this command is not merely for pastors or leaders within the ministry. As the pastor is “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12), then by his example is the flock also shown the living Word that is alive in the believer.
Certainly, all of God’s people are commanded to flee from particular sins, such as fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18), idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14), and the love of money (1 Timothy 6:11-12), yet, fleeing youthful lusts, is something that we should heed very earnestly because youthful lusts will keep us from maturing as it is far away from, and quite in the opposite direction of, righteousness, faith, love, peace, and a pure heart that calls out to God.
What might these youthful lusts be? These are desires and longings that may still remain in the will of one that is new in the faith; desires that still have a tendency toward the flesh rather than the Spirit; desires that may have a tendency toward the temporal rather than the eternal. As an infant craves feeding and fondling rather than education and edification, so also the new creature, born from above in Christ, may be more prone to desire the blessings from God rather than the blessing of God Himself.
Believers that have been growing for some time may come to a roadblock in their faith because of youthful lusts that they have not escaped. Because Christ is holy, righteous and full of mercy, &etc., we will desire to have those attributes in our lives; nevertheless, if we are not steadfast in the Word and ever at the Cross of Jesus Christ in prayer, we will develop a desire and longing for holiness itself, righteousness itself, compassion itself, for the attribute’s sake; and these things will hang about our necks like a millstone, keeping us from the true and original desire: to be pleasing to the Master, for His sake and His glory alone. These attributes can become youthful lusts that are as far from true righteousness, faith, charity, peace, and purity as idolatry is from pure worship of Jehovah God.
As with any sin, we must flee youthful lusts in whatever way we can, with whatever it takes to move in the direction of pure discipleship in Christ. Realizing that youthful lusts are in the opposite direction from true godliness in Christ, it means repentance at the foot of the Cross; yet, however the Spirit of Christ brings about our purging, our cleansing, our plucking out of the offending eye or cutting off of the offending hand, it will always be anchored in the truth of God’s Word, fleeing from those lusts unto Jesus our Lord.
MORNING:
1 Chronicles 26-27 (family); Micah 4 (secret)
EVENING:
2 Peter 1 (family); Luke 13 (secret)
A CHRISTIAN CATECHISM:
Q74. How do Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become spiritually helpful?
A74. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper become spiritually helpful, not from any virtue in them, or in him who administers them, but only by the blessing of Christ and the working of the Spirit in those who receive them by faith. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7; 12:13; 1 Peter 3:21
Q78. What is the duty of such as are rightly baptized?
A78. It is the duty of those who are rightly baptized to give themselves up to some particular and orderly church of Jesus Christ, that they may walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. Luke 1:6; Acts 2:47; 9:26; 1 Corinthians 14:40; 1 Peter 2:5
CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST DEVOTION:
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
As fleeing youthful lusts was a commandment to the young pastor from the aged apostle, this command is not merely for pastors or leaders within the ministry. As the pastor is “an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12), then by his example is the flock also shown the living Word that is alive in the believer.
Certainly, all of God’s people are commanded to flee from particular sins, such as fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18), idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14), and the love of money (1 Timothy 6:11-12), yet, fleeing youthful lusts, is something that we should heed very earnestly because youthful lusts will keep us from maturing as it is far away from, and quite in the opposite direction of, righteousness, faith, love, peace, and a pure heart that calls out to God.
What might these youthful lusts be? These are desires and longings that may still remain in the will of one that is new in the faith; desires that still have a tendency toward the flesh rather than the Spirit; desires that may have a tendency toward the temporal rather than the eternal. As an infant craves feeding and fondling rather than education and edification, so also the new creature, born from above in Christ, may be more prone to desire the blessings from God rather than the blessing of God Himself.
Believers that have been growing for some time may come to a roadblock in their faith because of youthful lusts that they have not escaped. Because Christ is holy, righteous and full of mercy, &etc., we will desire to have those attributes in our lives; nevertheless, if we are not steadfast in the Word and ever at the Cross of Jesus Christ in prayer, we will develop a desire and longing for holiness itself, righteousness itself, compassion itself, for the attribute’s sake; and these things will hang about our necks like a millstone, keeping us from the true and original desire: to be pleasing to the Master, for His sake and His glory alone. These attributes can become youthful lusts that are as far from true righteousness, faith, charity, peace, and purity as idolatry is from pure worship of Jehovah God.
As with any sin, we must flee youthful lusts in whatever way we can, with whatever it takes to move in the direction of pure discipleship in Christ. Realizing that youthful lusts are in the opposite direction from true godliness in Christ, it means repentance at the foot of the Cross; yet, however the Spirit of Christ brings about our purging, our cleansing, our plucking out of the offending eye or cutting off of the offending hand, it will always be anchored in the truth of God’s Word, fleeing from those lusts unto Jesus our Lord.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“In ev’ry condition— in sickness, in health,
“In ev’ry condition— in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home or abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow,
For I will be with thee, thy trials to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
“The soul that on Jesus hath lean’d for repose,
“The soul that on Jesus hath lean’d for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”
“How Firm a Foundation”
John Rippon’s A Selection of Hymns
“How Firm a Foundation”
John Rippon’s A Selection of Hymns
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