February 7

The word of our God shall stand for ever. — ISAIAH xl. 8.

Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. — MARK xiii. 31.

WHO could speak thus but a man who was God? The words cover everything that Jesus ever said. His doctrines can never pass away. Human philosophies may go out of date, the words of Jesus never; neither can the law which he declared. The Sermon on the Mount will never be toned down to the level of human morality; and the warnings of Jesus abide in force. Men may ignore them, if they like, or explain them away; but this will make no difference. They shall not pass away. But we need not stop with this. This mighty assurance covers also all the promises of Jesus. How many and how precious they are! — "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out;" "I am with you alway;" and "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." Truly such promises as these are royal, godlike! so great that faith often finds it hard to believe them. But he abideth faithful. We feel that we can depend on the rising of the sun and the nightly shining of the stars and the order of the revolving year; yet he assures us these are not so certain as the fulfilment of his words. Let us then hold fast the doctrine of Jesus, obey his law, heed his warnings, and joyfully rest in his promises; and in the end we shall confess with Israel, "Not one good thing hath failed us of all that the Lord our God hath spoken."


Wide as the world is thy command,

Vast as eternity thy love;

Firm as a rock thy truth must stand,

When rolling years shall cease to move.

WATTS.