Devotions by Ralph Chambers

Lamb of God and the Resurrection

BEHOLD: THE LAMB OF GOD

There is an old but true story of a man who was traveling in Germany. He went to see a church in a certain town. As he looked up at the tower he saw the carved figure of a lamb near the top. He was told the following: One day when the church was being built a workman fell from the high scaffold about the tower. The men working with him reached the ground as quickly as possible, expecting his body to be dashed to pieces. To their great surprise, their companion was virtually unhurt.

A flock of sheep was being driven by and he had fallen on one of the lambs. The lamb was crushed to death, but the man was saved. The carved figure was placed on the tower, not only to commemorate the event, but to remind all of the Lamb of God who came to die for every sinner that would receive Him.

Throughout Lent we will be thinking about Christ, the Lamb of God, and how God laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (yours and mine included). There is one great difference between the lamb of our illustration and the true "Lamb of God." The lamb of the illustration just happened to be in the right place at the right time to save the life of the workman. His death was unknowing and unwilling. Christ deliberately chose to give His life to save us. His life was not taken from Him; He freely gave it.

Will you not look to Him as your sin bearer and be saved?

Ralph Chambers

March 1, 1972

THE WAY ACROSS

She was, only a tiny girl, unused to traveling, and it happened that in the course of the day her train was obliged to cross two branches of a river and several large streams. The water seen in advance always awakened doubts and fears in the child. She did not understand how it could be safely crossed. As they drew near the river, however, a bridge appeared and furnished a way over.

Two or three times the same thing happened, and finally the child leaned back with a long breath of relief and confidence. "Somebody has put bridges for us all the way!" she said in trusting content. That is how it is in life-God has built bridges for us all the way through life's problems.

Jesus has assured us that "Ye will not be tempted above that ye are able to bear but with the temptation, I'll make a way of escape." Easter and the resurrection of Christ is the way across the chasm of doubts and fears surrounding the mystery of death for Christ conquered death, hell and the grave for us and assures us that "As I live ye shall live also." "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory thru our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ."

March 23, 1972

KNOWLEDGE VS FAITH, OR KNOWLEDGE PLUS FAITH

In last week's daily paper someone wrote to ask Billy Graham why an intelligent college professor would not believe in God, but would spend his time in classes constantly making fun of Christians.

I am sure we all know intellectuals who refuse to believe; those who say Christianity is simply something thought up by mankind so they will have someone stronger to whom they can turn in times of trouble. One of my biology professors in college was such a person. He announced early in the school year that he was an atheist and panned the "whole religion bit". The next Spring, I helped teach a Vacation Bible School in which his young daughter was a student. We asked each child to bring a Bible to the class. The professor's daughter marched in the next morning and stated that "she don't have a bible in our house".

We shake our heads at this and say how terrible such people are. These people are indeed using their fine minds in the wrong way. Yet, many of us may be just as guilty in another way. We may  believe, but we do not want to develop our minds so that we may learn more of our Heavenly Father and thus serve him better. We are self-content. We do not want to even study our Sunday School lessons, let alone read and study other articles and books that might let a little Light and Truth break in on our darkness.

May 25, 1976