My dear readers,

(Extracts from Daily Remembrancer by Pastor James Smith, edited by Dr SH Tow)

1.  "Kept by the power of God" 1 Pet 1:5 (April 28 EVENING)

GOD’S SALVATION PLAN IS COMPREHENSIVE AND COMPLETE. He not only saves us, but He keeps us until we finally arrive home. All God’s people need God’s keeping, and therefore they pray to be kept. But it is not enough that we pray for keeping, we must believe also the promises, expect their fulfilment, and seek for divine keeping in faith. Believing, we grasp the promise, keep near the throne, walk with God, and are kept in dangers and death. Unbelief departs from God, questions His promise, wanders from the throne, and we fall into folly and sin. "Take heed, therefore, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." God will not keep you as brutes, but as rational beings; He will not hold you in with bit and bridle as horse or mule, but He will lead you as beloved children, and keep you as loyal disciples. His power is necessary: it is pledged to you. But it is only pledged to believers, to believers as exercising faith, hope, and prayer.

See the power of God to save!
Jesus' grace in me admire;
Kept like Peter on the wave,
Kept like Shadrach in the fire;
Rescued from the lion's teeth,
Safe within the jaws of death.

2.  "Blessed are they that keep my ways" Prov 8:32 (July 22 EVENING)

THE LORD'S WAYS ARE BLEST WAYS. Though varied, they all lead to glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life. There is the way of salvation, the way to be delivered from the guilt, power, and consequences of sin. The way of peace, the way to obtain, enjoy, and maintain peace of conscience. The way of holiness, in which we acquire and increase in godliness. The way of truth, the way to learn, experience, and practise it, by which we recommend our walk with God, and benefit our fellow-men. There is no entering upon, or walking in either of these ways, but by faith. We are saved by grace through faith. By faith we have peace with God. Purifying our hearts is by faith. The truth of God must be believed, or it will never be practically known. Faith worketh by love. Here is the commendation, "Blessed are they that keep my ways." They keep the eye on them, the heart toward them, and the feet in them. They keep them with care, with fear, with constancy. Such are blessed, for they perceive correctly, they choose rightly, they walk safely, they live happily, they progress steadily, and they end gloriously in the heavenly home, simply because “they keep my ways.”

Teach me Thy Way, O Lord,
Teach me Thy Way!
Thy guiding grace afford -
Teach me Thy Way!
Help me to walk aright,
More by faith, less by sight,
Lead me with heav’nly light -
Teach me Thy Way!

3.  “Beware lest thou forget the Lord” Deut 6:12 (May 7 EVENING)

“THE LORD WHICH BROUGHT THEE OUT OF EGYPT.” Remember Him: remembrance is the hallmark of gratitude.   We are prone to forget God especially in times of prosperity. We forget our infinite obligation to Him, our absolute dependence upon Him, our accountability to Him. To make use of the knowledge we possess, we should daily remember to acknowledge Him in all things: to apply to Him for all we need, under all we suffer; to commit ourselves and our cause unto Him; to endeavour in all things and by all means to please Him; to expect His promised interposition in trials, and supplies in need, let us henceforth beware lest we forget the Lord, for it dishonours Him - it deeply grieves Him. It is injurious to us, for it causes backsliding or hardness of heart, insincerity or worldliness; ingratitude and self-righteousness. To prevent this crying sin, let us begin each day with solemn prayer and devout meditation on a portion of God's word; let us cultivate the habit of unceasing prayer; let us always endeavour to have some appropriate subject ready at hand for meditation, some portion of Scripture, or some attribute of God, or some office of Christ, or some mercy received - lest we forget the Lord.

Forget the Lord! and can it be
That I should so ungrateful prove?
Alas! I have forgotten Thee
Too long, too oft, Thou God of love.
For my neglect forgive Thou me:
Give me more grace, send from above.

4.  "Remember the Lord" Neh 4:14 (August 16 MORNING)

WE REMEMBER HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST REMEMBERED US. He is also the great author of your faith, and the only proper object of your love and worship. Remember the promises He has made, the deliverances He has wrought, the blessings He has conferred, the invitations He has given, and the relations He now fills. Remember Him in calamity, to trust Him; in prosperity, to praise Him; in danger, to call upon Him; in difficulty, to expect His deliverance. Remember to obey His commands, to attend to His exhortations, to keep His company, to seek His blessings, and to aim for His glory in all you do. Remember Him, for it is your duty, your privilege. Remember Him in order to strengthen your faith, as an antidote to your fears, as a source of encouragement to your soul, and as a preventive against sin. Remember He is holy, just, and good; and He will be glorified in them that draw nigh unto Him. Whatever or whoever you forget, always "Remember the Lord." He is your life, your strength, your portion, your God, your all. Remember Him for He never forgets you; cleave to Him for He will never forsake you.

O may I e’er from sin depart!
A wise and understanding heart
To me, dear Lord, be given!
And let me through Thy Spirit know
To glorify my God below,
And fix my eye on heaven!

God bless you dear readers.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service,
Dr SH Tow, Founding Pastor