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<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">“<b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Tel:
<a href="tel:253-517-9195" target="_blank">253-517-9195</a> - Email:
<a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com" target="_blank">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><b>Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/" target="_blank">www.2rbetter.org</a></b></p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">January 24, 2012</p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">
<br></p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER">
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</p><p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><b>WEEK
53 - DEC 30-31 - JOSHUA & MATTHEW</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="CENTER"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>DEC.
30. Joshua 1:8-9 (1:1-9) GOD’S COMMISSION TO JOSHUA. </b></font><b>
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you
shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your
way prosperous, and then you will have good success. </b><font style="font-size:8pt" size="1"><b>9</b></font><b>
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you
wherever you go” </b><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>(</b></span></font><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration:none">ESV).
</span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">The
whole Bible, especially the New Testament according to Hebrews 8:6,
is today involved in this. Man shall not live be bread alone, but by
</span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">every</span></u></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). In Acts 20,
the Old Testament according to Paul’s revelation of the 27
mysteries of God, was committed to the Ephesian believers. If the Old
Testament contains types and shadows, and yet is called the word of
God’s grace; how much more is the New Covenant? </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">Meditation</span></u></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
was one of the 3 key conditions that brought to Joshua God’s two
promises. </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none"><b>Hallowed
be your :name!</b></span></i></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="text-decoration:none">DEC
31. Matthew 6:33 (6:19-34) ALWAYS KEEP GOD FIRST. </span></font><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration:none">
“But seek you first his :kingdom, and :righteousness; and all these
</span></font><font size="3"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">things</span></i></font><font size="3"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
shall be added to you.” </span></span></font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">“God,
I’m going to put you </span></span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">first</span></u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
and keep you </span></span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">first</span></u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
every hour of every day of my life. I’m going to study and </span></span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">meditate</span></u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
constantly in your word, and do exactly what it tells me to do,
trusting completely in you to supply every one of my needs.” This
is a quotation f</span></span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">rom</span></span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
“Trust God for Your Finances”, by Jack Hartman. The principles
for success outlined in this book are illustrated by finances, but
could easily be illustrated by any other fifty needs. </span></span></span></font><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><i><span style="text-decoration:none">Your
:kingdom come!</span></i></font></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;text-decoration:none">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u>NOTE</u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">:
</span></span></font></b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">Ivan
Panin’s Bible Numeric “Outlined Interlinear New Testament” is
about to be published. The Printers have put it into a format that
makes </span></span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u><span style="font-weight:normal">meditation</span></u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-weight:normal">
much easier.</span></span></span></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal">
<font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">These
brief “Through the Bible in a Year” daily devotional readings are
also conducive to </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">.
Let us start our day off with these brief readings, and then pick up
from above the New Testament readings.</span></span></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none">
<font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2">George
Muller lived the first 20 years of his life in a most ungodly manner.
Then following his conversion for next 10 years he did better, but
not too profitably.</font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal">
<font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">When
he was 30, he ran across a biography on the life of George
Whitefield, which majored on “</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>Bible
Meditation</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">”.
George Muller immediately incorporated this into his daily devotions.
It transformed his life. Because God is no respecter of persons, it
can do the same for you and me. Following is his testimony</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
when he was 36</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">which
even is an improvement on George Whitefield.</span></span></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="CENTER">
<font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>SOUL
NOURISHMENT FIRST - George Muller (p. 152, his autobiography)</b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="CENTER">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">It
has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have
not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more
clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which
I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.
The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve
the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my
soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For
I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to
benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distresses, I might in
other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this
world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished
and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be
attended to in a right spirit. Before this time my practice has been,
at least for ten years previously, </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">as
a habitual thing, to give myself to prayer after having dressed
myself in the morning. Now I saw that the most important thing I had
to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to
</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditate</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned,
reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God,
while </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditating</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
on it, my heart be brought into experimental communion with the Lord.</span></span></b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">I
began therefore to </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditate</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
on the New Testament from the beginning early in the morning. The
first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s
blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditate</u></span><i><span style="text-decoration:none">
</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">on
the Word of God, searching as it were into every verse to get
blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the
Word, not for the sake of preaching on what I</span></span></b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><b><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">meditated
upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result
I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few
minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to
intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, as it
were, give myself to prayer, but to </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer. When thus
I have been for a while making confession or intercession or
supplication, or have given thanks, I go on to the next words or
verse, turning all as I go into prayer for myself or others, as the
Word may lead to it, but still continually keeping before me that
food for my own soul is the object of my </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">.
The result of this is, that there is always a good deal of
confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with
my </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
</span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">and
that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and
strengthened, and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am
in a peaceful if not happy state of heart. Thus also the Lord is
pleased to communicate unto me that which, either very soon after or
at a later time, I have found to become food for other believers,
though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the word
that I gave myself to </span></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span></font><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
but for the profit of my own inner man.</span></span></font></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">With
this mode I have likewise combined the being out in the open air for
an hour, and hour and a half, or two hours, before breakfast, wal</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">k</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">ing
about in the fields. In the summer sitting for a little on the
stiles, if I find it too much to walk all the time. I find it very
beneficial to my health to walk thus for </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
before breakfast, and am now so in the habit of using the time for
that purpose, that when I get into the open air, I generally take out
a New Testament of good size type, which I carry with me for that
purpose, besides my Bible; and I find that I can profitably spend my
time in the open air, which formerly was not the case for want of
habit. I used to consider the time spent in walking a loss, but now I
find it very profitable, not only to my body, but also to my soul.
The walking out before breakfast is, of course, not necessarily
connected with this matter, and everyone has to judge according to
his strength and other circumstances. The difference, then between my
former practice and my present one is this: formerly, wh</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">en</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all
my time till breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all
events I almost invariably began with prayer, except when I felt my
soul to be more than usually barren, in which case I read the Word of
God for food, or for refreshment, or for a revival and renewal of my
inner man, before I gave myself to prayer. But what was the result? I
often spent a quarter of an hour, or half hour, or even one hour on
my knees, before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort,
encouragement, humbling of soul, etc., and often after having
suffered much from wandering of mind for the first ten minutes, or
quarter of an </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">h</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">our,
or even half an hour, I only then began really to pray. I scarcely
ever suffer now in this way. For my heart being nourished by the
truth, being brought into experimental fellowship with God, I speak
to my Father and to my Friend (vile though I am, and unworthy of it)
about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word.
It often now astonished me that I did not sooner see this point. In
no book did I ever read about it. No public ministry ever brought the
matter before me. No private intercourse with a brother stirred me up
to this matter. And, yet now, since God has taught me this point, it
is as pla</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">i</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">n
to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do
morning by morning is, to obtain food for his inner man. As the
outward man is not fit for work for any length of time except we take
food, a</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">nd</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should
be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as everyone mu</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">st</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
allow. Now, what is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the
Word of God; and here again, not the simple reading of the Word of
God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs
through a pipe, but considering what we read, </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>pondering</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
over it, and applying it to our hearts. When we pray, we speak to
God. Now, prayer, in order to be continued for any length of time in
any other than a formal manner, requires, generally speaking a
measure of strength or godly desire, and the season, therefore, when
this exercise of the soul can be most effectively performed is after
the inner man has been nourished by </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
on the Word of God, where we find our Father speaking to us, to
encourage us, to comfort us, to instruct us, to humble us, to reprove
us. We may therefore profitably </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditate</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
with God’s blessing, though we are ever so weak spiritually; no,
the weaker we are, the more we need </span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
for the strengthening of our inner man. Thus there is far less to be
feared from wandering of mind tha</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">n</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">
if we give ourselves to prayer without having had time previously for
</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><u>meditation</u></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">.
I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense
spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived
from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly beseech all my
fellow believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God, I
ascribe to this mode the help and strength which I have had from God
to pass in peace through deeper trials, in various ways, than I had
</span></span><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">ever
had before; and after having now about fourteen years tried this way,
I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it. In addition to this
I generally read, after family prayer, larger portions of the Word of
God, when I still pursue my practice of reading regularly onward in
the Holy Scriptures, sometimes in the New Testament and sometimes in
the Old, and for more than twenty-six years I have proved the
blessedness of it. I</span></span></b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="LEFT"><span style="text-decoration:none">
<font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b><span style="font-style:normal">take
also, either then or at other parts of the day, time more especially
for prayer.</span></b></font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="LEFT">
<font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b>How
different, when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the
morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the
service, the trials, and the temptations of the day come upon me.</b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none" align="JUSTIFY">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in" align="JUSTIFY"><font face="Palatino Linotype, serif"><font style="font-size:11pt" size="2"><b><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">May
9</span></span><sup><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">th</span></span></sup><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none">,
1841.</span></span></b></font></font></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.01in;margin-bottom:0in;font-style:normal" align="LEFT">
<br>
</p>
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</p>
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