a y e a r w i t h SPeci a l ly se l e ct e d T houg h t s, writings and teachings
Copyright CWR 2011 Published 2011 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK. Registered Charity No. 294387. Registered Limited Company No. 1990308. This selection of the writings of Selwyn Hughes taken from previously published material. See back of book for list of publications. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR. See back of book for list of National Distributors. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV), copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Other versions used: Amp: The Amplified Bible 1987, Zondervan and the Lockman Foundation. AV: The Authorised Version Moffatt: The Moffatt Translation of the Bible, 1987, Hodder & Stoughton NKJV: New King James Version, 1982, Thomas Nelson Inc. Phillips: J.B. Phillips The New Testament in Modern English, 1960, 1972, 1977, J.B. Phillips, Fount Paperbacks RSV: Revised Standard Version, 1965, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America The Message: Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. TLB: The Living Bible, 1971, 1994, Tyndale House Publishers Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR Cover image: istockphoto.com/vetta Printed in China by 1010 Printing ISBN: 978-1-85345-618-3
INTRODUCTION One of the favourite items in many people s music collections is a best of album or CD. Whether it s Beethoven or the Beatles or Britney, a compilation of their greatest hits is nearly always a bestseller. Sometimes we forget just how much we loved an individual track, but after only a few bars we are singing along to the familiar words rich in emotion and often personal meaning. Indeed some people these days even pay others to download a selection of their much loved artists onto an ipod. Selwyn Hughes was the founder of CWR and author of the daily Bible-reading notes, Every Day with Jesus. Selwyn was also a gifted pastor, counsellor, preacher and author. His work is still read and loved by Christians throughout the world from America, Africa and Australia to New Zealand and Zimbabwe. At CWR we have taken the time to revisit many of the books Selwyn wrote over forty years of ministry and compile our own selection of some of his greatest work. We have chosen a wide variety of passages from twenty-three of his books, including his autobiography, My Story, and his magnum opus, Christ Empowered Living. The Bible is a timeless piece of literature as it is inspired by a timeless, eternal God. Because Selwyn wrote about its timeless truths, his writings still have the power to encourage, inspire, comfort, challenge and teach us today. The diverse subjects covered include prayer, evangelism, revival, Psalm 23, marriage, the Holy Spirit and keys to enjoy the presence of God, as well as many others. Selwyn s simple expositional style combines anecdotes, humour, illustration and a deep understanding of Scripture, in a way that helps us apply God s Word to everyday life and relationships. Through it all, Selwyn s love of Scripture and of his Saviour shines out from his writings as light and heat light for our minds and passion for our hearts. This compilation truly represents some of the best of Selwyn!
Each selection has been adapted, with the inclusion of a relevant heading and Bible reference, into 365 individual passages. This makes the book ideal as a resource for daily scriptural reading and meditation throughout the course of a year. To those of you who have read Selwyn s work before I believe you will enjoy reading some of his familiar and much loved themes. To those of you who are new to Selwyn s writings, I hope you will find much to inspire as you join over one million Christians throughout the world who benefit from the writings of Selwyn Hughes. Mick Brooks May 2011
The grace of God January 1... God s abundant provision of grace... Romans 5:17 Whatever else you may lack in the coming years, I can assure you in the name of Him who sits upon the throne that there is one thing you will not lack, and that is the gift of grace. No year has yet dawned that has not brought difficulties and problems. Yet you can be sure that whatever happens in your life, grace will be there to sustain you and support you. You may run out of many things but you will never run out of grace. One observation I have made is that Christians can be divided into two categories: those who appear to be thriving and those who are merely surviving. You must have noticed this yourself some believers seem to travel faster along the path of Christian discipleship than others. We grow old at the same rate but we do not all seem to grow in the spiritual life at the same rate. Some people, even though they have been on the Christian pathway for fifty years or more, appear to have progressed at a snail s pace, while others have covered the same distance in five. Why is this? There are many possible answers but I am sure that one of the chief ones is this: they have appropriated for themselves what is described as God s abundant provision of grace (Rom. 5:17). They have opened themselves to it and thus they stride along the Christian pathway at speed becoming pacesetters people who set the pace for others. Reflection: Tell the Lord now you want to receive His gift and get back in the race again, moving forward with the most ardent believers you know. Grace The marvellous gift of God
January 2 What is grace? Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up Acts 20:32 Usually grace is defined as God s unmerited favour. Grace, says one writer, is shorthand for God s redeeming love. Grace as undeserved favour is a concept that is still used in the business world. Companies sometimes say concerning a claim: We do not accept liability for this claim, but we will make an ex gratia [out of grace] payment. They acknowledge no liability, but out of goodwill they make a token payment. And agreements sometimes contain a grace period in which one party freely gives another party time to rectify a fault. One person made this memorable comment: Grace always has a stoop in it. Love reaches out on the same level, but grace reaches down to pick us up. The best definition of grace I have come across, though, is this: Grace is the strength God gives us which enables us to live or do as Jesus would do were He in our situation. However, we should not think of grace merely as unmerited favour or the loving kindness of God. It is important to recognise also that it is the inner strength He lends to men and women like ourselves, who need a power other than their own to cope with the various issues and problems that life brings. Nothing can happen in your life today for which divine strength will not be given. Through God s grace we can face anything that comes providing, of course, we avail ourselves of it. Reflection: The problem is never God s unwillingness to give His grace, it is always our unwillingness to receive it. Grace The marvellous gift of God
Joy now But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace Galatians 5:22 January 3 We cannot absorb Christ s joy without it affecting our own joy. I have told you this, that my joy may be within you and your joy complete, says Moffatt s translation of John 15:11. Our Lord s joy completes our joy. The idea that Christians will one day discover that joy in heaven instead of having a joy that supports us while we are still on earth is false. Some Christians may be heading for glory but there s nothing of being on the glory road about them right now! Let s look at some more Moffatt translations of Scripture about joy.... let us enjoy the peace we have with God... (Rom. 5:1). Some have peace with God but don t enjoy it. we enjoy our redemption... (Eph. 1:7). To be redeemed and not enjoy it is a contradiction in terms. we enjoy our access to the Father in one Spirit (Eph. 2:18). we enjoy our confidence of free access (Eph. 3:12). These scriptures show us that joy is overflowing because of peace, redemption and access to the Father. Your situation may be dark and dismal but if you meditate on the fact that God is your heavenly Father, Jesus is your Saviour, the angels are your companions, heaven is your home and you have free access to the throne of God I guarantee that joy will spring up in you. It must. Joy to a Christian is a necessity not a luxury. Joy is for now not just for eternity Reflection: Read John 15:5 17 and use what these verses say about the conditions for being able to experience complete joy. Getting the Best from the Bible
January 4 Get close to God in prayer Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 Do you pray? There is no way we can build a close relationship with God if we scrap the disciplined practice of prayer. Dr John Stott says, The thing I know will give me the deepest joy, namely to be alone and unhurried in the presence of God, aware of His presence, my heart open to worship Him, is often the thing I least want to do. I can identify with that. And so, I am sure, can you. Most Christians know that to develop their spiritual life they must spend time with God in prayer, yet there is something within them that resists that responsibility. That is why we must make a daily appointment with God a specific time when we meet with Him for such an important thing as prayer cannot be left to the vagaries of feeling. If you come to think in terms of having a daily appointment with God, then you are more likely to keep it even when you don t feel like it. A regular prayer habit will soon build itself into your life, and will come to have the regularity and naturalness of other daily responsibilities. You should not, of course, limit your praying to that early morning prayer time. You can pray anywhere and at any time. But let those prayers be extras. Growth in the Christian life demands discipline, and so whatever you do, be firm with yourself about a fixed period of daily prayer. Reflection: Determine now with God when you will make that daily appointment early morning is a good time when you are fresh and rested and ready for a new day. Sharing your Faith
Listen for God s voice January 5 Speak, Lo r d, for your servant is listening. 1 Samuel 3:9 I am astonished at the number of books that are written on the subject of prayer that make no mention of cultivating the art of active listening. Prayer is not just talking to God: it involves listening as well. Prayer has been defined as conversation with God. All polite conversation is a two-way thing. It is the same with prayer. We talk to God and He talks to us. After you have talked to God, before you rise from your knees, spend a minute or two letting God talk to you. How do we learn to recognise the voice of God when He speaks to us? The alert and courageous soul making its first venture upon the spiritual life is like a wireless operator on his trial trip in the Pacific. At the mercy of a myriad electrical whispers the novice at the receiver does not know what to think. In the same way the Christian who waits and listens for the voice of God must learn to disentangle His voice from the other voices that clamour for his attention the ghostly whisperings of the subconscious, the noise of traffic in the street, the sounds of children at play. To learn to keep one s ear true in so subtle a labyrinth of sound is indeed a venture. It doesn t come easy but the more we practise it the more we will be able to detect the voice of God when He speaks to us. Reflection: With practice it is possible for us to distinguish God s voice speaking to us. 15 Ways to a More Effective Prayer Life