THE DAY OF CHRIST
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Philippians 2:16
Ye also are our's (our boast) in the day of the Lord Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:14
And what is this "Day" of which the Apostle so often speaks? This "Day of our Lord Jesus Christ"? We speak of "Caesars day" or, "Napoleon's day"; and we all understand by this that it means the day when Caesar or Napoleon held sway, and exercised his will.
So is it now: it is "man's day," (1 Corinthians 4:3) when man is permitted to act according to his own will. But the time is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will have His day: when He will come again and take all His own to be with Himself forever.1 Thessalonians 4.
This is the beginning of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ: but it will include the Judgment Seat of Christ. I think this is the time that the Apostle refers to in Philippians 2. When He sees His beloved brethren from Philippi receive their reward for their faithful walk down here, it will be a boast to Paul, that not in vain he ran, and not in vain he toiled.
And, beloved fellow labourer, you and I have that same bright hope: nor do I mean by that word "fellow labourer" (1 Corinthians 3:9) any special class of persons. A child who seeks to lead a school-mate to the Saviour; the Sunday School teacher who seeks to win the class to Him; the worker who points his companion to Christ: and, perhaps the sweetest of all, the parents who win their own child: these all are "labourers" for Christ: these all may look forward to that same boast the apostle had: if these dear souls continue in the path marked out. Meditations on Philippians - G. Christopher Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 10021
August 1
- There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
- By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this (lame) man stand here before you. (v.10)
- They (council) commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus (v.18).
- But Peter and John answered . . . Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye (v.19).
- For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (v.20)
The council admit defeat, (v.16) and then, calling in the apostles, commanded them (v.18). This command raised the most important question possible: Was God to be obeyed or man? Peter and John answered (v.19,20).
It is to be noted here that the action of the apostles is in no sense opposed to the scripture that enjoins: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers" (Romans 13:1,2) (1 Peter 2:13,14). In the case before us it was not a question of the king or of the civil power,--which the saint ever recognizes as the sword of God put into man's hand,--but of ecclesiastical and priestly arrogance, which has no claim on the conscience for allegiance.
This is a principle of immense importance here, viz., that a child of God is never supposed to disobey God, in order to obey man. The civil power may make regulations which deprive the saint of privileges he would like to enjoy, but the latter must never disobey God, in order to conform to the will of the former. He may have to endure deprivation of a privilege, but never can disobey a divine command. This Peter's action here makes abundantly clear.
(Simon Peter - W. T. P. Wolston)
N.J. Hiebert - 10022
August 2
Looking unto Jesus . . . Hebrews 12:2 (Continued from Gem # 8530)
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS to receive from Him the task and the cross for each day, with the grace which is sufficient to carry the cross and to accomplish the task;
the grace that enables us to be patient wth His patience, active with His activity, loving with His love;
never asking "What am I able for?" but rather: "What is He not able for?" and waiting for His strength which is made perfect in our weakness.
(2 Corinthians 12:9)
LOOKING UNTO JESUS to go forth from ourselves and to forget ourselves; so that our darkness may flee away before the brightness of His face; so that our joys may be holy, and our sorrow restrained;
- that He may cast us down, and that He may raise us up;
- that He may afflict us, and that He may comfort us;
- that He may deprive us, and that He may enrich us;
- that He may teach us to pray, and that He may answer our prayers;
- that while leaving us in the world, He may separate us from it, our life being hidden with Him in God, and our behaviour bearing witness to Him before men.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and at nothing else,
as our text expresses it in one untranslatable word (aphoroontes),
which at the same time directs us to fix our gaze upon Him, and to turn it away from everything else.
Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 10023
August 3
Preach wisely.
Because the preacher was wise, he . . . sought to find out acceptable words. Ecclesiastes 12:9,10. Not rude, loose, and indigested stuff, in a slovenly manner brought forth, lest the carelessness of the cook should turn the stomachs of the guests.
Preach gently.
The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. 2 Timothy 2:24, 25. O how careful is God that nothing should be in the preacher to prejudice the sinner's judgment, or harden his heart against the offer of His grace! If the servant be proud and hasty, how shall they know that the Master is meek and patient?
He that will take the bird must not scare it. A forward, peevish messenger is no friend to him that sends him. Sinners are not pelted into Christ with stones of hard provoking language, but wooed into Christ by heart-melting exhortations.
The oil makes the nail drive without splitting the board. The word never enters the heart more kindly, than when it falls most gently. The word preached comes, indeed, best from a warm heart. "The words of wise men are heard in quiet." Ecclesiastes 9:17
Preach diligently.
All the water is lost that runs beside the mill, and all your thoughts are waste which help you not to do God's work withal in your general or particular calling. The bee will not sit on a flower where no honey can be sucked, neither should the Christian.
The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall (1616 - 1679)
N.J. Hiebert - 10024
August 4
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. Isaiah 40:12
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands. Isaiah 49:16
Jesus said: I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them our of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.
John 10:28-30
One day, deep in the forest, we came upon a rock in midstream scooped by the backwash of immemorial waters to a hollow like the palm of a man's hand. Over this rock fell a crystal sheet of water, and through that moving clearness we saw maidenhair fern growing in a lovely profusion in the hollow of the "hand".
It was not the place where we should have planted a fern; at any moment it might have been tossed, a piteous, crumpled mass, down the shouting river--this is how it seemed to us. But it was safe. The falls flowed over it, not on it. And it was blessed.
When the fern on the bank shrivelled in heat, it was green, for it was watered all the year long by dust of spray. So does our wonderful God turn that which had seemed to be a perpetual threat to a perpetual benediction. Is there anything to fear with such a God? Rose From Briar - Amy Carmichael
Safe am I, safe am I, in the hollow of His hand;
Sheltered o'er, sheltered o'er with His love for evermore.
No ill can harm me, no foe alarm me,
For He keeps both day and night.
Safe am I, in the hollow of His hand. Mildred L. Dillon
N.J. Hiebert - 10025
August 5
THE UNFATHOMABLE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
Behold . . . is any sorrow like unto My sorrow. Lamentation 1:12
Many and various causes of sorrow are presented in the life of our blessed Lord on earth; one coming on another. And sorrow becoming more and more intense, up to the closing scene on Mount Calvary. Suffering, connected with testimony for God; whoever is for God will be sure to suffer in such a world.
Then there was the peculiarity of sorrow, as being the One to solve that problem which seemed so impossible to solve--how God and a sinner could go together. How God could find anyone to show the bearing of divine glory in connection with mercy towards one covered with sin? He did find One Who was to be the perfect measure of what sin was in His presence. That One takes the cup of wrath from God's hand; and in that hour, God cannot look at the One in whom was all His delight. The hour of forsaking, when the "sword" was to awake, only came out at the cross. (Zechariah 13:7) There was but the anticipation of its unsheathing at Gethsemane.
I see there God's estimate of sin when it comes into His presence. That Son of His love had to be treated as if the whole mass of sin was His, and the whole weight of wrath for that sin came upon Him. He had to bear it all there, alone. He may be a Man of sorrows all through His life, but He has God with Him in it. Never till the cross do we find the sense of God's distance from Him--expressed in that cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
He never could taste that before, for only then was He bearing sin in His own body, in God's presence. Not one ray of light came from Him while the Son of His love was there, suffering, the Just for the unjust. (1 Peter 3:18). Man tries to keep sin far away, out of God's presence, but Christ carried it right into His presence. G.V.Wigram
N.J. Hiebert - 10026
August 6
We glory in tribulation...knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed. Romans 5:3-6.
"Knowing", Paul says, that tribulation worketh patience, experience, hope. And another thing we notice is, these tribulations stand in direct relation with the love of God--shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. This is the climx of the passage. He knew what tribulation could do for him, and so he gloried in it; and more than that, he knew that the One who sent the tribulation loved him perfectly.
These two things, the conviction that tribulations are only a blessing in disguise, and that it must be so because the One who permits it all loves us, will enable the weakest saint to glory in them.
Yes, it is the "knowing" what tribulation can work, and the "knowing" the love which is behind it all, that enables us to praise God. As the psalmist says, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: to show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings."
And if God is allowing sorrow after sorrow to enter into your life, and calamities one after another to come upon you just as if they watched and waited, scanning one another's motions, when the first descends the others follow.
He is only adding the strings, which are really your own experience how of He has delivered you and brought you to Himself, of how He loves you, of how He makes all things work together for your good, (Romans 8:28) that thus the music may become more varied, and possess greater harmony.
Angels in White - Russell Elliott
N.J. Hiebert - 10027
August 7
"Looking unto Jesus . . ." Hebrews 12:2 and not at our faith.
The last device of the adversary, when he cannot make us look elsewhere, is to turn our eyes from our Saviour to our faith, and thus to discourage us if it is weak, to fill us with pride if it is strong: and either way to weaken us. For power does not come from the faith but from the Saviour by faith. It is not looking at our look, it is "looking unto Jesus".
Looking unto Jesus as long as we remain on the earth,--unto Jesus from moment to moment, without allowing ourselves to be distracted by memories of a past which we should leave behind us, nor by occupation with a future of which we know nothing.
HENCEFORTH--not unto Themselves. (2 Corinthians 5:15)
OH, the bitter shame and sorrow, that a time could ever be,
When I let the SAVIOUR'S pity plead in vain, and proudly answered:
All of self, and none of Thee.
Yet He found me: I beheld Him bleeding on the accursed tree,
Heard Him pray : "Forgive them, Father;" and my wistful heart said faintly:
Some of self, and some of Thee.
Day by day His tender mercy, healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong, and ah! so patient, brought me lower, while I whispered:
Less of self, and more of Thee.
Higher than the highest heaven, deeper than the deepest sea,
LORD, Thy love at last hath conquered; grant me now my supplication:
None of self, and all of Thee.
Theodore Monod (1874)
N.J. Hiebert - 10028
August 8
And David, went on, and grew great, (going and growing) and the Lord God of host was with him. (margin) 2 Samuel 5:10.
When a believer stops going he cease growing also. There must be obedience to the truth of God, a "going" on in the ways that be in Christ, as they are learned from His Word.
No shirking of the cross that obedience often brings with it, but steady "going and growing" steadily and constantly. They are the happy saints who thus go on growing, and they are fruitful ones too.
They are not toppled over with every wind, for they grow like the cedar in Lebanon, striking down their roots deeper every year, and flourish like the palm tree, evergreen, amid burning deserts.
J. Ritchie
The cedar boughs once touched the grass; but every year they grew
A little farther from the ground and nearer to the blue.
So live that you may each year be, while time glides swiftly by,
A little farther from the earth, and nearer to the sky.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6,7)
N.J. Hiebert - 10029
August 9
". . . Yes Lord . . ." Mark 7:28
"YES LORD" are two words found only once in the Bible: (Mark 7:28) But they were the key to blessing for a person who needed help that only the Lord Jesus Christ could give.
These words are still the key which will open the door to good things in our lives. When we submit our wills to the will of God, we have started in the right direction. God has spoken to us in His word, the Bible.
He loves us and wants us to have His best. He sent His Son into our world to die as a sacrifice for us on Calvary's cross. God raised Him from among the dead and has taken Him back to heaven and placed Him on His throne of grace and power.
Jesus lives today. He is LORD. Submit yourself to Him by faith right now. "YES, LORD" is the key!
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, Thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9
Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) R. Reeves - J-O-Y GOSPEL DISTRIBUTORS
N.J. Hiebert - 10030
August 10
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:13
God's love is very brave. He trusts us not to look back and wonder about things, or wonder about present things either, or fear for future things. Often in our work for Him something happens which seems the most hindering thing possible. It cuts straight across our hopes and plans. The only thing to do then is to take 2 Timothy 1:12 and use it about everything.
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
If we are certain, beyond a doubt, that He whom we have believed is able to keep that precious thing or person which we have committed unto Him, then we have peace. If we hold fast the form of these sound words, they will carry us through any storm. They will lead us straight to those other words in
Isaiah 26:3.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusted in Thee.
The Lord help us to give Him the joy that our children give to us when they loyally and lovingly keep our words. Let us give Him this joy today.
Jesus said . . .If a man love Me, he will keep My words. John 14:23
Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 10031
August 11
The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me. 2 Timothy 4:17
Oh, help me, Lord, to take the time to set all else aside,
That in the secret place of prayer I may with Thee abide. -Unknown
One of the loneliest feelings we can have comes when we face a time of need without having a loving friend to talk to about it. Everyone needs at least one trusted friend in whom to confide. Elisha A. Hoffman, author and composer of more than two thousand gospel songs, gives the following account of the writing of this well-loved hymn.
There was a woman to whom God permitted many visitations of sorrow and affliction. Coming to her home one day, he, found her much discouraged. She unburdened her heart, concluding with the question, "Brother Hoffman, what shall I do? What shall I do?" He quoted from the Word, then added, "You cannot do better than to take all of your sorrows to Jesus. You must tell Jesus."
For a moment she seemed lost in meditation. Then her eyes lighted as she exclaimed, "Yes, I must tell Jesus." As he left her home he had a vision of that joy-illuminated face and he heard all along his pathway the echo," I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus." Hoffman quickly wrote the following words and soon completed the music as well. This text has reminded many believers that they have a heavenly Friend who is always available to hear and help.
I must tell Jesus all of my trials, I cannot bear these burdens alone;
in my distress He kindly will help me, He ever loves and cares for His own.
I must tell Jesus all of my troubles, He is a kind, compassionate Friend;
if I but ask Him, He will deliver, make of my troubles quickly an end.
O how the world to evil allures me! O how my heart is tempted to sin!
I must tell Jesus, and He will help me over the world the vict'ry to win.
Chorus: I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burden alone;
I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone. Elisha A. Hoffman, 1839-1929
N.J. Hiebert - 10032
August 12
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Mark 15:34
Then said Jesus, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Luke 23:34
Christ had been falsely accused by the chief priests and elders, taken to stand trial before Annas and Caiaphas, sent to Pilate and Herod and back again to Pilate. The Roman soldiers brutally beat Him, pulled the hair from His cheeks, and mocked Him. The prophet Isaiah had spoken of this One saying, "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus Christ, bearing His cross and wearing a crown of thorns, was led to Calvary to be crucified.
We stand in awe as we consider the Lord of glory hanging on the accursed tree. We should have been there, and we would have been, had His wondrous love not caused Him to take our place as our blessed Substitute. Christ Himself gave the answer to the question, "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" The Lord Jesus was forsaken by God so that we would never be forsaken. Instead, we know and enjoy the love of God through our Lord Jesus Christ--God's gift to us.
Willful, sinful, callous hands nailed the Son of God to that Roman cross. At any time, He could have called for twelve legions of angels, but He would not. Instead, at this very time, He prayed. He did not pray for help to be delivered from His adversaries, but He prayed for His enemies: "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Unless He would endure the cross, Jesus knew that no one could be forgiven. Justice must be satisfied; Satan must be defeated; the sinner must be reconciled. What wonderful love! Jacob Redekop
N.J. Hiebert - 10033
August 13
I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12
He that abideth in Me, and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me, ye can do nothing. John 15:5
The honeycomb must first be filled by patient industry before it drops. The honey must be gathered from every flower. Such should be the habit of the Christian; learning something from almost everything. But, alas, we too much resemble the butterfly, and too little the bee. The former may be seen hovering over the flower for a little, then flying off without tasting its sweetness, while the latter fastens down upon it, and sucks the honey out of it. Thus her storehouse is filled by little and little.
The word must be carefully studied, and the heart well stored, before the word suited for the occasion lies ready under our tongue. As the fruit of the Spirit, the Lord is refreshed and delighted in finding it so. "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honey comb: honey and milk are under thy tongue. (Song of Solomon 4:11) The dropping of the honeycomb may suggest the idea of a thoughtful selection, in contrast with "the multitude of words" (Proverbs 10:19). Words are like seeds, they germinate, and bear fruit: whether they be sharp and bitter, or good and wholesome words.
How important then, to sow good seed! If we sow tares we cannot reap wheat; and if we sow wheat we shall never need to reap tares. "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7) Oh! to be ever dropping the words of kindness, gentleness, meekness, truth, faith, hope and love. What is purer than milk? What is sweeter than honey? What more nourishing than the one? What more healing than the other? The blessed Lord owns us, and here speaks of the precious fruits of the Spirit which are so delightful to Him.
Song of Solomon - Andrew Miller
N.J. Hiebert - 10034
August 14
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 4:5
God now justifies an ungodly sinner who believes that He has "raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." But this is just what we are, ungodly sinners. We are helpless and ungodly.
One cannot boast over another, for there are no godly sinners; but it was "when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6) God has taken into account all that we really are as helpless and hopeless sinners, and Christ has died for us as such.
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." (Romans 5:7-9)
It has all to do with the death of Christ, and ourselves as sinners, and nothing else. And the moment we bow to what GOD; says in HIS WORD, we have PEACE WITH GOD, being justified by faith.
The Ways of God With Man - W. M. Sibthorpe
N.J. Hiebert - 10035
August 15
Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
We follow on to think of His yoke and His burden. "My yoke, is easy." Let us consider what a yoke is really for. Is it to be a burden to the animal which wears It? Surely not. It is just the very opposite. It is to make its labour light.
The plow, attached to the oxen in any other way than by a yoke, would make the work of plowing intolerable. By means of a yoke, it is light. A yoke is not an instrument of torture; it is an instrument of mercy.
It is not a malicious contrivance for making work hard; it is a simple device to make hard labour light; and the Saviour's yoke never chafes, for, as has been said, it is padded with meekness and lowliness of heart. And then His burden is light. It is such a burden as the wings are to a bird, or as the sails are to a boat.
Here, then, is the two-fold secret of rest. Responding to the Saviour's invitation, we find that the restlessness of the troubled sea gives place to the peace which flows like a river; and by taking His yoke and learning of Him Who is meek and lowly in heart, we anticipate, and experience even now, the deep rest of heart that remains for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9). Then, indeed, do we lie down in green pastures--satisfied.
The Pearl of Psalms - George Henderson
O patient, spotless One, our hearts in meekness train
To bear Thy yoke, and learn of Thee, that we may rest obtain.
Jesus! Thou art enough the heart and mind to fill;
Thy patient life--to calm the soul; Thy love--its fear dispel.
N.J. Hiebert - 10036
August 16
And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him. Matthew 14:31
I have been feeding on the comfort of this word "immediately"; it has been speaking to me, as sometimes God's words do, by its quick lovingness. How many seconds lie between a man's beginning to sink and his sinking? Any of you who have been out of your depth in water before you could swim, or, being able to swim, were somehow powerless, will know that a single second or less sees one who is beginning to sink under water. How swift, then, was the movement of love.
The use of the word "immediately" in the Gospels makes a Bible study of hours. I must leave all that, and end with this one that has been more than ever life and peace to me of late. They were troubled, those poor men in the boat. "But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: for they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them." We know what He said. He has said it to us often. "Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid." (Mark 6:49,50).
How needless their trouble seems to us as we read. Do ours seem as needless to the heavenly watchers? (Psalm 91:11) Do they wonder about us, as we do about those men, how there could be room for trouble in a ship that was under His command? (It was He who had constrained them to go to the other side. It is He who directs our boat now, to the Other Side.) But there is nothing of this wonder in the sweetness of the words of our Lord Jesus when He immediately talked with them. He understood.
We, who know how upholding dear and loving words can be when a friend who understands does not blame, but just understands even the trouble that need not be, and comforts it, can enter into this most lovely story and find honey in this honeycomb word, immediately. Thou Givest...They Gather - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 10037
August 17
THE BELOVED UNSEEN
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8
Walking with a little four-year old, I said something about loving Jesus. "But how can I love Him," she asked, "when I can't see Him?"
Thus she posed a problem which has occupied not a few grown-ups. Peter had seen Jesus. He was writing to Christians who had not. Yet they loved Him, anyway, and though now they saw Him not, yet believing, they rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
We cannot see Him, but He lives and we can believe. And if we trust Him the Spirit makes Him real and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. And we make our way through this evil world in love with One we have never seen.
We are not infatuated with a hero of fiction, a memory or an ideal. We love a Living Person who was and is, and we shall be like Him, for one day we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2)
Yes, we can love Him though we cannot see Him.
Day by Day With Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 10038
August 18
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above.
Colossians 3:1,2
Many years ago, when airplanes were just becoming a safe way to travel a famous British pioneer aviator, Mr. Page, was flying his motorized aircraft in India. As he flew a few hundred feet above the flat plains of that part of India, he became alarmed by a strange sound coming from inside his aircraft's control panel. Though the motor made a loud noise, the pilot was still able to hear the alarming sounds and realized that he very likely had a very unwelcome passenger in his airplane.
The scratching sounds were coming from some animal and Mr. Page assumed that the animal was probably the very unwelcome but very common India rat. By the sounds he was able to detect that the creature was actively moving around inside the area where there were many delicate wires, cables and hoses containing oil which allowed him to control the aircraft.
Knowing the normal activity of the rat was to gnaw on things he became increasingly alarmed for though he could hear the rat's movements, it was out of his sight and his reach. Nor could he see any convenient place to land the aircraft on the ground below, so that he could get rid of his unwelcome guest.
Now, very alarmed because he knew that the rat, by his gnawing abilities, could easily damage the cables and hoses causing him to lose control of the aircraft and have a terrible disaster, he desperately thought about what he might do.
It was then Mr. Page remembered that the India rats were common to the plains but never found at the higher altitudes of the mountains due to the thinner air. Immediately he lifted the nose of the aircraft and quickly gained altitude. He flew the plane up to several thousand feet--the highest his aircraft could fly. As Mr. Page kept the aircraft at that altitude, the noises inside the control panel lessened and before long completely stopped. After the noises had long ceased Mr. Page was able to land his aircraft, and a short time later removed a very large dead rat. The Christian Shepherd - May 2012
N.J. Hiebert - 10039
August 19
And they that passed by reviled Him. . . saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God. Matthew 27:39-43.
The greatest demonstration of God's power is seen in the cross. God, who is a consuming fire, and who is described in Nahum 1:2 as "God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies." was silent at the cross, and did not suddenly punish those who mocked God Himself.
They dared God, saying that if He did not deliver the Lord as He hung on the cross, this would mean that the Lord Jesus was rejected by Him. Not only did they affront God but they blasphemed and wickedly abused and mocked the Lord Jesus, of whom God the Father had said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).
Does it not surprise us that God the Father as a jealous God, as a consuming fire, did not act suddenly to destroy these evil ones?
In this we see the omnipotence of God and His love for His enemies. "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16); "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." (Ezekiel 33:11) He, "Who will have all men to be saved," (1 Timothy 2:4) gave His Son to provide reconciliation and forgiveness for man. If He would have acted, if He had saved the Lord from the cross, and if the Lord would have come down from the cross, we would be condemned. Indeed, by His great power God has saved us. Albert Blok
N.J. Hiebert - 10040
August 20
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. James 5:7
We are always waiting for the Lord, if we really understand our position; but whatever may be our desire, we cannot command the Lord to come, nor know when He will come. And blessed be His name! the Lord is patient; as long as there is yet one soul to be called by the gospel, He will not come. His whole body, His bride, must be formed; every member must be present, converted and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Then He will come and take us. Christ Himself is seated on the Father's throne. He also is waiting for that moment, with more desire surely than we are; and therefore the patience of Christ is spoken of: this is the true meaning of Revelation 1:9. Thus also in Revelation 3:10, "because thou hast kept the word of My patience;" also in 2 Thessalonians 3:5, "the patience of Christ."
We are taught also in Hebrews 10:12, that Christ is seated at the right hand of God, waiting till His enemies shall be made His footstool. We may well wait if Christ is waiting; but we wait in suffering and conflict. He is waiting to reign, and then He will cause full blessing to flow forth for His own, whether in heaven or on earth, and will banish evil from both.
Thus we need patience, that neither self-will nor weariness of the conflict should take possession of our souls; but in the confidence that the time that God wills is best (for it is that which divine wisdom and His love for us have ordained) let us fix our affections on the Lord and on things above, because we wait for Him with desire of heart, with broken will, and unwavering faith, leaving His return to the decision of God.
Not only in fact we cannot retard it but the heart has entire confidence in His love, assured that the Lord waits for us with greater love than we for Him, calm in confidence, patient in the wilderness-journey. How sweet to wait for Christ--for the fulness of joy with Him! Thanks be to God, He says, "it is at hand." J.N. Darby
N.J. Hiebert - 10041
August 21
THE PRAYER IN THE NIGHT
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instructions. Job 33:15,16
Sometimes I wake with dark and quiet around me,
And swift across my vision, like a light,
Flashes the face of one I know who suffers,
Or one whom sorrow newly touched last night.
Perhaps, for just that moment and that purpose,
There lacks a link in God's great chain of prayer;
So, lest the chain be weakened by my silence,
Or break because I fail to do my share,
I shape the link, and know the Spirit's fire
Will forge it into place and weld it there.
Annie Johnson Flint
N.J. Hiebert - 10042
August 22
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
John 20:16
The One whom Magdalene called "Rabboni" was coming agin, her unchanged and gracious Lord. He whose voice had so often stilled the fears of His troubled disciples, as He spoke peace or pardon to their hearts, was coming back again. There was unmeasured consolation to the wondering "men of Galilee," (Acts 1:11) when the angels assured them that He who was in heaven, and He who was returning for them again, was the same Jesus.
How marvellous that the Christ of the glory is the Christ of the carpenter shop! How transcendently precious that the Christ of Bethesda, and of Sychar's well, is still the very same. He has the same love, the same longsuffering, the same goodness, though now he sits on the throne of God. The One who cheered us on our pathway, the One who cared for us as a Shepherd for His sheep, is coming back again.
And He will come "in like manner" as He went. Our Lord went away, "while they beheld"; when He returns "we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). With their own eyes they gazed intently upon Him as He went up; with our own eyes we shall see Him without a veil between, when He comes again. It will be a cloud that will bring Him back to this earth as well: (Revelation 1:7).
We read, "And when He had spoken these things" (Acts 1:9). He talked with them as He left them, and how sweet will be His voice when we hear it audibly for the first time: A Plant of Renown Leonard Sheldrake
"Oh, the blessed joy of meeting, all the desert past!
Oh, the wondrous words of greeting, He shall speak at last!
He and I in that bright glory, one deep joy shall share,
Mine to be forever with Him, His that I am there." Francis Bevan
N.J. Hiebert - 10043
August 23
"Then said they unto Jonah, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm? . . . And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea. . . . So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging." Jonah 1:11,15.
I have little doubt that it was a solemn moment on board that ship, as the prophet prepared to die, and the sailors were compelled to carry out that sentence of death on the very man that had first told them of the true and living God, and who had been the means of turning them to Him from their idols. It may well be that a strong bond of love had sprung up between the prophet and the seamen during their stormy passage together. They well knew that he was voluntarily going down into death in order to save their lives.
The result--what was it? It was two-fold; first, "The sea ceased from her raging;" then "The men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows." For these heathen men the result was a complete and entire turning to the true and living God. Jonah could say of himself, "I fear the Lord." The Spirit of God records of the sailors, "The men feared the Lord exceedingly." Then they offered a sacrifice. That tells us of approach to God in God's own way--also, of thanksgiving and worship.
How lovely to trace the work of the Spirit of God in the hearts of these men! First, they were "afraid" of the storm, verse 5, and crying to their gods; then, they were "exceedingly afraid" as they heard for the first time, of the God of the heavens, Who had made the sea and the dry land. Thirdly, they cried to the Lord, instead of to their gods; acknowledged His greatness and power, and bowed in submission to His will. Fourthly, they feared the Lord exceedingly--a very different thing from being "exceedingly afraid." Fifthly, they came into the Lord's presence with a sacrifice, God's own appointed way, and bowed before Him in worship and thanksgiving; and finally, they made vows-- a public acknowledgement of the debt that they owed to the great God whom they had so lately learned to know. G. C. Willis.
N.J. Hiebert - 10044
August 24
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
God is; and another scripture says, "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6). I have first of all to get in my soul the sense that God is. You may say, I do not know Him. That is quite true, and the question is, how can you know Him? You cannot learn Him from nature; but He reveals Himself by His Son and by His Word. (Hebrews 1:1,2)
The great thing to get hold of is this, that God has spoken. What you and I have to do is to listen, and I am certain of this, if you listen, you will believe, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
If you listen to God's Word, it will have an effect upon you, it will produce a deep, real mark upon you--a mark which reason will not produce, because reason may turn a man away from God, and often does; but faith, the fruit of the reception of the Word of God, always leads a man to God.
Man's heart naturally sets itself against God, but faith accepts His testimony. Very striking that! You must receive first of all what the Lord says of you. "He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." (John 3:33). There I believe you get the real definition of what faith is.
God hath spoken by His Son the Lord Jesus, and the man that receives His testimony, "Sets to his seal that God is true." That is faith. Ask any person who is a believer how they first really got to know that they were saved and they will tell you, by giving God credit for speaking the truth, by taking Him at His word, which is faith. Human reasoning and wisdom of words cannot manufacture faith; it comes by hearing the Word of God.
Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston
N.J. Hiebert - 10045
August 25
His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Jeremiah 20:9
In many forests, fires burn more fiercely and with greater devastation because brush and brambles and undergrowth become established around the trees. A very clear picture of this is given in Judges 9:15: "And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon."
Lightning also frequently strikes trees that stand out in exposed sites on ridges or open country. If a tree has dead or dry wood it may be set ablaze. Green, vigorous, luxuriant trees are not so apt to burn, though they may be scarred or split or shattered by the electrical discharge that goes to the ground.
The likelihood of such a calamity befalling a strong, green vigorously growing tree is much less than for one which is dried up, diseased, or cumbered with dead wood. The rich, dense foliage of a healthy cedar, moreover, so shades the soil beneath it that it precludes brush and brambles from encircling it. So the chances of its being burned are more remote.
Is my life cluttered with the "underbrush" of the world? Lord, let Thy fires cleanse me! Songs of My Soul - Phillip Keller
Living for Jesus, a life that is true, striving to pease Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free, this is the pathway of blessing for me. Thomas Chisholm
N.J. Hiebert - 10046
August 26
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5
When the children of Israel were in the wilderness they questioned God by asking: "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?" (Psalm 78:19). This was an act of pure unbelief in their case. God had provided them with a stream of water gushing from the rock and had supplied "angels' food," manna from heaven.
The Lord always prepares a table for His people. In the Shepherd Psalm we see that a table was prepared for King David in the presence of his enemies. We should take note of this because the Lord has spread for us a table as well--the Lord's Table. It is wonderful that we can have fellowship together in all the Christian privileges that flow from the sacrifice of Christ. The Lord's Supper is the highest expression of our fellowship, for it is not an individualistic thing at all--it is the expression of the fact that we are all "one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
The Lord's Supper is celebrated (and the Christian life is lived) in the presence of our enemies--they are onlookers. Paul writes that we "show (proclaim) the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The word "proclaim" literally means to preach. We are to declare the death of Christ in the very world that crucified and rejected Him--we are on enemy turf. In the Lord's Supper we proclaim, in the presence of the enemy, that the One who has redeemed us has also bought the world. It is His by right and His by purchase and He will yet claim it at His coming!
But not only this. Christ has sealed us with the Holy Spirit and marked us out as His own; He has anointed our heads with oil. But our joy and prosperity is not to be kept exclusively for ourselves but it should be overflowing in gracious testimony to all who are willing to bow the knee to Christ--even to His enemies. Is your cup running over? Brian Reynolds
N.J. Hiebert - 10047
August 27
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exodus 16:4.
The day's portion in its day: Such was the the rule for God's giving and man's working in the ingathering of the manna. It is still the law in all the dealings of God's grace with His children. A clear insight into the beauty and application of this arrangement is a wonderful help in understanding. Now one, who feels himself utterly weak, can have the confidence and the perseverance to hold on brightly through all the years of his earthly course.
A doctor once asked by a patient who had met with a serious accident; "Doctor, how long shall I have to lie here?" The answer, "Only a day at a time," taught the patient a precious lesson. It was the same lesson God had recorded for His people of all ages long before: The day's portion in its day.
It was, without doubt, with a view to this, and to meet man's weakness, that God graciously appointed the change of day and night. If time had been given to man in the form of one long unbroken day, it would have exhausted and overwhelmed him; the change of day and night continually recruits and recreates his powers. As a child, who easily makes himself master of a book, when each day only the lesson for the day is given him, would be utterly hopeless if the whole book were given him at once; so it would be with man, if there were no divisions in time.
Broken small and divided into fragments, he can bear them; only the care and the work of each day have to be undertaken,--the day's portion in its day. The rest of the night fits him for making a fresh start with each new morning; the mistakes of the past can be avoided, its lessons improved. And he has only each day to be faithful for the one short day, and long years and a long life take care of themselves, without the sense of their weight ever being a burden. Abide in Christ - Andrew Murray
N.J. Hiebert - 10048
August 28
TRUSTING JESUS, THAT IS ALL
And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. Luke 12:29.
Our Lord had much to say about taking no anxious thought for our lives, food, drink, or raiment. He spoke of the birds and the lilies as examples of God's care. He said, ". . . be ye [not] of doubtful mind" Luke 12:29.
He told us that the Gentiles worry about such things and, since Christians belong to another race and nation as children of God, we should not worry as they do about such matters. Paul wrote, "Be careful for nothing . . ." (Philippians 4:6).
When we doubt or fear or worry we are not believing. Christ lives within us and He never worries. Faith is the opposite of fuming and fussing. All doubt is sin for it denies God's Word. "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29).
It takes some of us a long time to stop trying and begin trusting. Some never do. The greatest adventure in this life is to quit merely reading it, talking about it, praying about it, and reach that point where we can actually sing:
Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all. (E. Page)
Though I Walk Through the Valley - Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 10049
August 29
Joseph said unto his brethren. . . be not grieved, God sent me before you to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45:4-7.
THE RELIEF FROM ANXIETY
As to the future no care or anxiety need cloud their horizon, for Joseph can say, in the message he sends to his father, "Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near to me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and all that thou hast, and there will I nourish thee" (v.10).
THE REALIZATION OF LOVE
Thus with marvellous skill and infinite love, Joseph makes himself known to his brethren, dispels their fears, delivers them from self-occupation, and relieves them from anxiety, by filing their vision with himself and his glories, and engaging their thoughts with his gracious words. "Behold," says Joseph, "your eyes see. . . that it is my mouth that speaks unto you." (v.12)
Fear dispelled, grief assuaged, cares banished, love can flow without hindrance,--"He kissed all his brethren; and after that his brethren talked with him." (v.15). But their** eyes have seen his glories, their ears have been charmed with his words of grace, their hearts have been warmed with his love and, in the warmth of love, they are set free to talk with him. No shade remains to hinder the communion of love between Joseph and his brethren.
"Perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:8). All this foreshadows the yet future dealings of Christ with His earthly people who rejected Him in the days of old. But more, the story tells us the way Christ takes to teach us the evil of our hearts, and then dispel all fear by making Himself known in the love of His heart. Joseph - Hamilton Smith
N.J. Hebert - 10050
August 30
But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Job 35:10
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Acts 16:25
What man arouses to sing in the dark of night? Night is the time when we are more apt to be obsessed with doubts and fears that do not beget songs. Even a song bird does not sing at night. but God has something for man beyond the bird: a capacity to commune with his Maker--and in this communion his Maker gives him a song . . . even in the night.
Throughout the hours of darkness dim, still let us watch and raise the hymn;
And in deep midnight's awful calm pour forth the soul in joyful psalm.
REDEEMED
I think of my blessed Redeemer,
Who cares for me all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose Word I delight,
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.
Fanny Crosby
N.J. Hiebert - 10051
August 31
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life. Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I lay there, unable to move...realizing how very real my situation had become. Unbelievable actually...I asked the Lord, really? Are you sure...?? In the wee hours one morning in the ICU, I struggled..."Lord, is this really gong to be the sum of my life?...Really??..."
A still small voice in my heart said "Mike, it was never yours alone...Remember? You asked me into your heart? It is our life, I only ever wanted to live in you, with you, through you...I wanted to partner with you. I wanted us to live together." I have little time left but I know for sure, I want to live it with Him..."
Happiness is a choice.... Accepting that depending on others is a privilege and is critical to a happy life for me now. I can embrace it and enjoy peace and happiness, or I can let this situation overwhelm me...
When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song.
Embracing your inability is a prerequisite to God showing you His ability.
There is so much that we do not see, but we see Him.
Musings From My Journey: Mike O'Brien "A brother beloved."
Mike continues to suffer serious disabilities and has spent many years depended on the care of others.
N.J. Hiebert - 10052
September 1
About midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; and sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Acts 27:27-28
Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, but the ship became caught in a major storm. The sailors, in the dark, sensed land was near, so they used a "Fathom" line to measure the depth under the keel. This was a process of heaving a lead weight as far out in front as possible. The line attached had a knot every six feet (two meters). Counting the knots when the weight touched bottom revealed the depth; in this case, 120 feet, shoaling quickly to 90 (27.5 m).
The account in Acts tells us that Paul had direct assurance from God that, although the ship would be lost, every one aboard would arrive safely on land. This suggests that as we see the world situation getting darker, we rely more and more on the promise that all believer will get safely to heaven.
If the water were much deeper, the leadsman would holler, No bottom! meaning, beyond measurement. And this meaning has been used by our hymn writers to describe the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross as unfathomable. One example is mentioned in the hymn where the Lord is nailed to a tree: Unfathomable wonder! And mystery divine! The voice that speaks in thunder says, "Sinner, I am thine! " William Cowper
Another synonym, appearing in the Psalms and elsewhere, is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable, and Ephesians 3:8 Unto me...is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The hymn writer (J. Kent - 1827) describes the grace of God this way.
Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding...'tis a deep that knows no sounding...!
Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 10053
September 2
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter...and he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Exodus 15:23,25
That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9
Marah is but a picture of this world as a wilderness wild with its bitter waters, under curse due to men's sins. "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Death is depicted by the bitter waters. What then is the solution?
"The Lord showed him a tree." The tree had to be shown to Moses through his crying before God. Apart from God's kind intervention, Moses could not see the tree. The tree reminds us of Christ as here in flesh for the will of God, and of the cross. Likewise, unless the Lord shows us His cross, we will never see its profound significance. Not until then can we truly see who our blessed Lord is. May the Lord show us His cross. May we, through His cross, contemplate Him as never before.
The cure of the bitter waters relied on the tree cast into those waters. He was violently and mercilessly "cast" into the place of death so that sweetness might be yielded at the end. Oh, what had He done to merit such a harsh treatment from God? "So that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man" (or "everyone"). Oh, what an unfathomably bitter taste He fully experienced on the cross! Blessed, adorable Lord and Saviour! F.S.W.
The cross! the cross, oh, that's our gain,
Because on that the Lamb was slain:
'Twas there the Lord was crucified,
'Twas there for us the Saviour died.
Miss C. Taylor - 1742
N.J. Hiebert - 10054
September 3
