Gems from February 2010

February 1

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
(Matthew 11:29)

The godly Macarius of Optino was once told that his spiritual counsel had been helpful.

"This cannot be," Macarius wrote in reply. "Only the mistakes are mine. All good advice is the advice of the Spirit of God; His advice that I happen to have heard rightly and to have passed on without distorting it."

There is an excellent lesson here which we must not allow to go unregarded. It is the sweet humility of the man of God who was enabled to say, "only the mistakes are mine."

He was fully convinced that his own efforts could result only in mistakes and that any good that came of his advice must be the work of the Holy Spirit operating within him.

Apparently this was more than a sudden impulse of self-deprecation, which the proudest of men may at times feel; it was rather a settled conviction that gave set and direction to his entire life. His long and humble ministry which brought spiritual aid to many reveals this clearly enough.

It is our belief that the evangelical movement will continue to drift farther and farther from the New Testament position unless its leadership passes from the modern religious star to the self-effacing saint who asks for no praise and seeks no place, happy only when the glory is attributed to God and himself forgotten! (A.W. Tozer - Renewed Bay By Day)

N.J. Hiebert - 3966

"When He had given thanks, He broke it (bread), and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me."
(1 Corinthians 11:24)

Doing is an active thing. Symbols are only representations. So at the Lord's Supper, the Lord Jesus graciously emphasized the doing. The symbols, though precious, are not the essence of the matter. Why then, "This do"? It is to help us to remember Him. The Lord realized that our minds, though now willing and loving, are apt to be feeble and forgetful and so He instituted the precious feast, not as an end in itself, but to help us to remember Him in His death on the cross. Do you love the remembrance feast as you should? (Choice Gleanings - Mark Fenn)

Only bread, and only wine, but to faith the solemn sign;
Of the heavenly and divine. We give Thee thanks O Lord!
(Horatius Bonar)

N.J. Hiebert - 3967

February 2

"Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 18:3)

This is what is wrought in a soul when it is converted: there is a new life given, even Christ. Hence there is much more than a change. That would be very far short of the truth as to a Christian. Of course the Christian is a changed man; but then the change is because of something still deeper. A Christian is a man born again, possessing a life now, that he possessed not before. I do not mean merely that he lives after a new sort, but that he has a new life given to him which he had not before. It is in this way that he becomes a little child. Then this new life has to be cultivated and strengthened. Our natural life as men develops, or it may be checked and hindered by various circumstances. So it is with the spiritual life. (William Kelly - Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew)

N.J. Hiebert - 3968

February 3

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days."
(Ecclesiastes 11:1)

If we literally throw bread into the water, can we expect to find it again? Certainly not! It may seem to us just as useless to give the bread of life, the gospel of God's grace, to the world that is like the troubled sea. But this is far from useless. God tells us, "Be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). If we faithfully give the gospel to souls, even if we see no results all our lives, there will be results, though those "many days" may take us to the judgment seat of Christ. (The Lord is Near)

N.J. Hiebert - 3969

February 4

"Cease to do evil; learn to do well."
(Isaiah 1:16,17)

Do you seek to pursue the steady, onward, upward path of pure and elevated discipleship. And, whether or not you thereby condemn others, is no concern of yours. "Cease to do evil." This is the first thing for the true disciple to do. When he has yielded obedience to this golden precept, he may expect to "learn to do well." "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."

When God speaks, I am not to turn round to see how my obedience to His voice will affect my neighbours, or to consider what they will think about me. When the voice of the risen and glorified Jesus fell upon the ear of the prostrate Saul of Tarsus, he did not begin to enquire what the chief priests and Pharisees would think of him were he to obey. Surely not. "Immediately," he says, "I conferred not with flesh and blood." (Galatians 1:16) "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision." (Acts 26:19) This is the true spirit and principle of discipleship. "Give glory to God, before He cause darkness, and your feet stumble upon the dark mountains."

Nothing can be more dangerous than to hesitate, when, divine light shines upon the path. If you do not act upon the light, when you get it, you will, assuredly, be involved in thick darkness. Hence, therefore, as another has said, "Never go before your faith, nor lag behind your conscience." (C.H. Macintosh - Vol. 2)

N.J. Hiebert - 3970

February 5

"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts."
(Hebrews 4:7)

It was a wild night for our family. At 11:30 p.m., I got a call from my son Steve. "Dad, I'm going to Iraq." "Right now?" I asked in disbelief. "Yes, I'm ready to go." Earlier that day, our navy corpsman (medic) son had told me he thought it would be several months before he would go.

We talked a little more until he had to hang up. Then family phone calls followed as we let his sisters know what was happening. They called him to wish him well and pray for him - and that was it.

A couple of restless hours later, Steve sent a text message: "We're not going. We're headed back." A helicopter ride to another state and back was the extent of Steve's trip that night, but it was still a valuable experience. It tested their readiness. The military had to know that when the call came, the corpsmen would be mentally ready to go.

When it comes to being ready for eternity, we won't get that kind of practice. No one knows when we will depart this earth through death or to be called home at Jesus' return.

If you were called into eternity today, would you be prepared to meet God face-to-face? Have you opened your heart to Him? (Hebrews 4:7). Are your sins forgiven? Are you ready to go? (Dave Branon)

Ready to speak, ready to warn,
Ready o'er souls to yearn,
Ready in life, ready in death,
Ready for His return.
(Tillman)

God's call may come at any time - so be ready all the time!

Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright 1982, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.

N.J. Hiebert - 3971

February 6

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
(Hebrews 11:1)

It is often a source of sorrow to the heart to mark how the children of God dishonour Him, and as a consequence, lower themselves before the world by losing the sense of His sufficiency for every emergency. So long as we live in the realization of the truth that all our springs are in God, so long shall we be above the world in every shape and form. There is nothing so elevating to the whole moral being as faith: it carries one entirely beyond the reach of this world's thoughts; for how can the men of the world, or even worldly-minded Christians, understand the life of faith? Impossible.

The springs on which it draws lie far away beyond their comprehension. They live on the surface of present things. So long as they can see what they deem a proper foundation for hope and confidence, so long they are hopeful and confident; but the idea of resting solely on the promise of an unseen God, they understand not. But the man of faith is calm in the midst of scenes in which nature can see nothing. Hence it is that faith ever seems, in the judgment of nature, such a reckless. improvident, visionary thing. None but those who know God can ever approve the actings of faith; for none but they really understand the solid and truly-reasonable ground of such actings. (C.H. Macintosh)

N.J. Hiebert - 3972

February 7

"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."
(Acts 1:11)

"I will come again."
(John 14:3)

When General Douglas McArthur left the Philippines for Australia in mid - 1942, in advance of approaching Japanese forces, he said, "I will return." He kept his promise on October 22, 1944. Those were the words of a mortal. Believers, however, have the written words of the eternal Son of God. He said, "I will come again". With keen anticipation we await the summons to the skies. Instantaneously, we will be glory bound and His promise will be kept. What a day that will be! (Arnot P. McIntee)

Christ the Lord will come again, none shall wait for Him in vain,
I shall then His glory see: Christ will come and call for me.
(J. Swain)

N.J. Hiebert - 3973

February 8

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."
(Hebrews 10:22)

FAITH AND TROUBLE

Faith does not always change our circumstances but it does change us.

Many have entered the Christian experience expecting quick rewards in health, position, and possessions. They have been led to believe by certian detached Bible verses skillfully manipulated by immature enthusiasts that faith easily smashed all barriers, insured against trouble, and led invalids to abounding health and beggars to riches. They grabbed at faith as a sure-fire result to visible rewards and earthly prosperity - and they have been disappointed. They still are poor, sick, or troubled, and very disillusioned.

Spiritual salvation does not mean temporal safety. It is no vaccination against trouble, nor does it immunize us against adversity. Sometimes we have more hardship after we set out to live the Christ life than before. Jesus promised His disciples persecution. Ananias was told in regard to the newly converted Paul, "I will show him how great things he must suffer for my names sake." God does not guarantee robust health, financial fortune, and earthy success to those who believe. It is well that He does not, else faith would become a cold business proposition and cease to be faith. (Vance Havner)

(Continued under Gem # 3975)

N.J. Hiebert - 3974

February 9

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."
(Hebrews 11:3).

Faith and Trouble # 2
(Continued from Gem # 3974)

Faith does not promise ideal circumstances. It does master every outward condition and move mountains as Jesus said it would, but it changes them by changing us. It builds in us a spirit that no outward condition can bother, and when a man is victorious within, the without does not matter. Objective realities may be what they were before, but the man is different; his attitude has changed, and for him that changes everything. It is not things themselves but our way of looking at them that matters. Faith gives him the right perspective, and when he sees things as they really are thy lose their terrors.

- Fanny Crosby had a sublime faith, but she remained blind all her life.
- Spurgeon kept his gout.
- Sydney Lanier's tuberculosis continued.
- Paul was not saved from hardship (2 Corinthians 11:23).
- Adoniram Judson, the great missionary, lived in adversity until death.

Their faith gave them sturdy souls that no outer circumstances could quench; carried them through their troubles to victory beyond. We know now that they were real successes here and are hereafter.

Many believers continue to have reverses. Sickness is theirs and grief and hardship. They lose their loved ones, banks close with their money, storms devastate their fields, and dark, dismal days threaten their faith. But if they are well grounded they will not whimper and whine. They will know that circumstance is purely incidental; that reality is not what we see but how we see it; that if we look at life from Christ's point of view no adversity can disturb us.

I pity the man whose faith can be swamped by one thunderstorm or one funeral. He still is a creature of circumstance, governed by earth's shifting moods. How much he needs "the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). (Vance Havener - February 15, 1931)

N.J. Hiebert - 3975

February 10

"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."
(Matthew 6:22)

If it is so with you there is sure to be light in the path - light not for ten
years hence but for this one step that is before you, and then for the next.
(J.N. Darby)

N.J. Hiebert - 3976

February 11

(In waiting,) "I waited, for the Lord."
(Psalm 40:1)

Waiting is much more difficult than walking. Waiting requires patience, and patience is a rare virtue. It is fine to know that God builds hedges around His people - when the hedge is looked at from the viewpoint of protection. But when the hedge is kept around one until it grows so high that he cannot see over the top, and wonders whether he is ever to get out of the little sphere of influence and service in which he is pent up, it is hard for him sometimes to understand why he may not have a larger environment - hard for him to "brighten the corner" where he is. But God has a purpose in all HIS holdups.

"The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord," reads Psalm 37:23 On the margin of his Bible at this verse George Mueller had a notation, "And the stops also." It is a sad mistake for men to break through God's hedges. It is a vital principle of guidance for a Christian never to move out of the place in which he is sure God has placed him, until the Pillar of Cloud moves. (Streams in the Desert - Sunday School Times)

N.J. Hiebert - 3977

February 12

Gems from January 2010

January 1

Something New Tomorrow

"Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
(2 Peter 3:13)

The year ends with a world in turmoil, sudden destruction possible. Peter tells us of a coming catastrophe that sounds like an atomic holocaust. How up-to-date, ". . . the elements shall melt with fervent heat . . ." (2 Peter 3:10)! But the Christian is looking not just for a new year but a new age - new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells. "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be. . . . diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless" (2 Peter 3:11,14). While the world drinks and dances into the New Year to spend tomorrow with a hangover, let the Christian meet it on his keens and meet tomorrow with a hallelujah! (All the Days by Vance Havner)

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January 2

"His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night."
(Psalm 1:2)

Many of our New Year's resolutions may actually accelerate our pace of life instead of helping us to slow down. In our quest for greater productivity and efficiency, we over schedule our days, then rush through meals, drive impatiently, and wonder why the joy of living eludes us.

Slowing down can positively affect our lives at work and at home. Rushing can cloud our judgment and cause us to overlook important things and valuable people. We should slow down and even consider the radicle idea of welcoming red traffic lights and using the waiting time to meditate.

In Psalm 1, there is no hint of a frenzied pace. It describes a person who enjoys the blessing of God. Instead of thinking and acting like those who rarely consider spiritual matters, "His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." (v.2) The result is a fruitful life and a well-nourished soul (v.3).

Isaiah wrote, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusted in Thee." (Isaiah 26:3). Just for today, try thinking about that verse whenever you have to wait. Isn't it time for all of us to slow down and live? (Adapted)

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January 3

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Be bold in what you stand for - and be careful for what you fall for.

***

"For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again."
(Proverbs 24:16)

If you fall seven times stand up eight.

***

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
(Hebrews 12:1)

Running with patience is perseverance in the long run.
(Selected)

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January 4

"And He touched his ear, and healed him."
(Luke 22:51)
"Ye are complete in Him."
(Colossians 2:10)

In a moment of passion, Peter had drawn his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. We are sure that the Jewish authorities would have loved to have arrested and charged Peter as well as the Lord. However, they lacked evidence. Doctor Luke tells us that the high priest's servant's ear was restored to pristine condition - not even a scar to indict Peter. Spiritually, we have been healed and forgiven completely through the same wonderful Physician. God sees no evidence of our scars when we are seen in Christ. What a salvation! What a Saviour! (Brian Russell)

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January 5

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

I have often had people come to me and say, "Oh, I do long for the assurance of my salvation. I have come to Christ, I have asked God to save me. I do believe that Jesus died for me. But I am so miserable about my sins. I have no assurance, I have no peace, I have no realization that God has accepted me." I say to people like that, "Don't you fear, dear friend; no natural man seeks after God. The fact that you are going through all these exercises is, in itself, a proof of your regeneration."

Take a corpse lying here and put 500 pounds of lead upon the breast of that corpse. There is not a sign of distress. Why? Because the man is dead. But if you put the 500 pounds upon a living man, what then do you have? Groans of anguish, crying for deliverance. Why? Because there is life there.

That is why people are so troubled about their sins. Because there is life there, divine life. God has already begun to work. Therefore, if that is your case, thank God that His Spirit has begun to work in your soul, and be persuaded that, "He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ."

Now take God at His word, believe what He has said about His blessed Son, and receive the peace that is rightfully yours. No natural man receives the testimony of God, but "He that hath received His testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." That is faith - nothing more nor less than believing that God means what He says. (Gospel of John - H.A. Ironside)

N.J. Hiebert - 3940

January 6

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2:15)

George Mueller was asked what was the secret of his service? There was a day when I died, utterly died: Died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends, and since then I have studied only to show myself approved to God!

May we be able to say:
The service of Christ is the business of my life.
The will of Christ is the law of my life.
The presence of Christ is the joy of my life.
The glory of Christ is the crown of my life.
(Selected)

N.J. Hiebert - 3941

January 7

"Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."
(Revelation 22:7)

The first thing that His near return should effect in our hearts is renewed obedience to His precious Word. How sad it would be if when the Lord returns in the clouds to rapture His redeemed, they were found walking in sin and disobedience to His precious Word. He told His disciples (and tells all believers) in John 14:15; "If ye love Me, keep My commandments". Thus our Lord's first promise to come quickly is connected with our obedience to Himself through His Word.

We should expect Him to come at any moment. What a wonderful motive for obedience. Oh! that when He comes He will find His beloved saints walking obediently. "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Psalm 119:11). (TCS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3942

January 8

"Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high."
(Hebrews 1:3)

All power in heaven and in earth is His, but the way He manifests that power is by His word. For instance, when He came up to the tomb of Lazarus - Lazarus had been lying there corrupting for four days. As the Son of God (Jesus) approaches that tomb, the power is all there, but it is the word that makes it effective. The word that said, "Lazarus, come forth," was in itself that which gave that carcass to be suddenly transformed into life - real, pulsating, human life - and come forth into light and life and joy, and association with the best that this world had - back to his loved ones, back to his home, and back to the side of the Son of God.

It was the power manifested by the word. Is that not wonderful? Someday that same power is going to be manifested on behalf of every one of us who knows the Saviour. Oh, yes, it is going to work in you mightily, and when it works in you it is going to take you right up into the glory of God (heaven); and you will inhabit that place for ever and ever with him. (C.H. Brown - 1944)

N.J. Hiebert - 3943

January 9

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14)

A born again Christian need never be disappointed by this world. Do you ask, How? Never expect anything from it. Always remember that it is the same world - even the polite and amiable part of it — that crucified your Saviour. The Apostle Paul was never disappointed by it. He said, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (P.Wilson)

N.J. Hiebert - 3944

January 10

"I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you."
(1 Corinthians 15:1)

Did you ever notice how quickly things get old or outdated?

I thought about this the other day as I taught my class at a Christian college. They're on the cutting edge by providing a laptop computer for each student. It wasn't too long ago when it was innovative for a college to have computers for students in the library. Then it was cutting edge to provide them for dorm rooms. But someday even personal laptops will become obsolete as well.

Everything man creates will eventually go out of date. Everything, that is, but the gospel. The gospel is over 2,000 years old. . . . the gospel is still as relevant today as it was when it was written.

The gospel is this: (1 Corinthians 15:1)
- Jesus Christ came to earth.
- Jesus Christ lived a perfect life.
- Jesus Christ gave up His life by being sacrificed on a cross.
- Jesus Christ was buried in a borrowed tomb.
- Jesus Christ was raised from the dead 3 days later.

Because He took our punishment for sin on Himself, He can forgive our sins and make us children of God if we put our faith and trust in Him (Acts 13:38-39).

Let the greatest story ever told make you brand-new - forever. It's the story that never grows old. (Adapted)

N.J. Hiebert - 3945

January 11

"Let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee!"
(Psalm 5:11)

Do we hold dear the Lord's name? The apostle found joy in declaring and suffering for His name. The early church enjoyed fellowship in the name of Jesus Christ. Bearing the Lord's name is not easy! Paul was selected to suffer for Christ's name. The Lord warned His disciples that they would be hated because of His name, but it they continued praying in His name, that His joy would abide in them. The Lord chose not to make a name for Himself in His first advent. Let us endeavor to joyfully make a name for Him now. What a privilege to communicate the very name on earth which the Father has already exalted above all in heaven! (Warren Henderson)

Name of Jesus! Highest Name!
Name that earth and heav'n adore!
From the heart of God it came,
Leads me to God's heart once more. (G.T.)

N.J. Hiebert - 3946

January 12

"And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
(Acts 11:26)

Antioch in Syria (not in Pisidia) is where the name "Christian" was coined. This was a Gentile city and the location of an early assembly composed of believers from among the Gentiles. The city was notoriously famous for witty or scurrilous nicknames, and the name "Christians" was one of reproach and contempt. These followers of the Man whom the world crucified were a despised lot. In those days it cost something to be Christians, and they were indeed a marked and separated people. As soon as mere professors came into the ranks, and it became less odious to be named a follower of Christ, the real truth of what a Christian is was lost.

It is no longer a reproach in so called Christian countries, to be called a Christian, because professed Christianity and the world are almost indistinguishable. King Agrippa used the name when he addressed Paul (Acts 26:28). Peter in his first epistle says that to "suffer as a Christian" is a cause for thanksgiving (1 Peter 4:16). May our thoughts of what a Christian is be formed by the Word of God, and may we be more marked as a people separated from the world that crucified Christ Jesus our Lord. (Christian Truth - Vol. 22 - July 1969)

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January 13

"Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
(Matthew 16:18)

You cannot see the foundation, but that is what determines how long a building will stand.

******

"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
(Matthew 4:4)

The study of God's Word for the purpose of discovering God's will, is the secret discipline which has formed the greatest characters.

******

"The Pharisees which were with Him - said unto Him, are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, if ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, we see; therefore your sin remaineth." (John 9:40,41)

The blind with their hand in God's can see more clearly than those who can see who have no faith.
(Selected)

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January 14

". . . the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

There is but one supreme and paramount authority, and that is the Word of God. Scripture is all-sufficient. We want absolutely nothing in the way of guidance and authority beyond what we possess in the holy Scriptures - that peerless, precious volume which our God has written for our learning.

No doubt it is only by the Holy Spirit we can understand, appreciate, or be guided by Scripture; and moreover, God may use a human voice or a human pen to help us; but Scripture is divinely sufficient. It can make a child wise unto salvation; and it can make a man perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Now, having such a guide, such an authority, what becomes us as Christians - as children of God and servants of Christ? Why, clearly to submit ourselves absolutely and unreservedly to its teachings in all things; we are bound, by every argument and every motive which can possibly sway the human heart, to test everything in which we are engaged, or with which we stand associated, by the Word of God; and if we find aught, no matter what, which will not stand that test, to abandon it at once and forever. (C.H. Macintosh )

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January 15

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."
(Philippians 2:15)

We can see the reality of this New American Famine all around us. Our culture - and the Christian subculture - has lost touch with Biblical knowledge and values.

What has been the result of this Biblical illiteracy? We are experiencing a kind of spiritual lethargy and disorientation caused by lack of nourishment. Unhealthy and unsatisfying cultural junk food - drugs, sensuality, moral relativism, non-theistic humanism and New Age ideas, to name a few - have moved in to fill the void. Unfortunately, this is occurring not just in the society at large, but in churches and Christian families as well. The question is no longer, "What do we believe?" but "Do we really believe in anything anymore?"

The tragic irony is that all of this is happening at a time when there are more Christian books, magazines and broadcasters than ever before. As another has said, "We're over-preached and under practiced." The real application of Biblical principles in daily life needs to be brought center stage once again. But where do we begin?

We begin with you and me. It isn't enough for us to shake our heads at this "crooked and perverse generation." We need to examine ourselves. How committed are we? Is God's revealed truth the central reality of our lives? Or have we, too, been numbed to its power? (Selected - CNL March - April 1992)

N.J. Hiebert - 3950

January 16

"But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat . . . then appeared the tares also. . . . He said unto them, an enemy hath done this."
(Matthew 13:25,26,28)

It is evident that the tares were sown almost immediately after the good seed. No matter what the work of God is, Satan is always close upon its heels. When man was made, he listened to the serpent, and fell. When God gave the law, it was broken even before it was committed into the hands of Israel. Such is always the history of man. (W. Kelly)

N.J. Hiebert - 3951

January 17

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." (Colossians 3:23)

With God

To talk with God no breath is lost; - Talk on!
To walk with God no strength is lost; - Walk on!
To toil with God no time is lost; - Toil on!
Little is much, if God is in it;
Man's busiest day not worth God's minute:
Much is little every where,
If God the business doth not share.
So, work with God, - then nothing's lost;
Who works with Him does well and most.
(Submitted by a reader)

N.J. Hiebert - 3952

January 18

"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."
(John 10:11)

It is not enough when I wring my heart when I see Christ the Son of God becoming Son of man to bear all that He bore down here? And then He went back to God. Can I see Him here and see Him there, and not fall down and worship? Oh, what a revelation of God in the Nazarene! Can I know Christ and not know God? Impossible! And that Christ is my life, and the keeper of it. He is my anointed Saviour. I belong to Him. Is it in the sheep to keep itself? No, but in the Shepherd. (Gleanings From the Teaching of G.V. Wigram)

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January 19

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)

If we act upon the Word, and nothing else, we shall find God with us. It will be called bigotry; but this is part of the reproach of Christ. Faith will always appear proud to those who have none; but it will be proved in the day of the Lord to be the only humility, and that everything which is not faith is pride, or no better. Faith admits that he who has it is nothing - that he has no power nor wisdom of his own, and he looks to God. May we be strong in faith, giving glory to Him! (William Kelly)

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January 20

"Let your life so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
(Matthew 5:16)

Norman Angell once introduced a friend in this way.

"This is Harold. He doesn't do anything. He just is."

We shall be remembered more for what we are than for anything we do. Deeds are always the product of our nature, and accurately reflect what is in us. When we are judged by our deeds, it will be because the deeds wrongly done reveal the lack of Christian content in ourselves and not because of the deeds themselves. In a very real sense what we do is an indication of what we are.
(Traveling Toward Sunrise)

A Christian never is - he is becoming.

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January 21

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think . . ."
(Ephesians 3:20)

God - Thou hast made the world so beautiful!
A flock of birds on pinions fleet and strong,
Then - though it were not yet enough to soar -
Gave to them a song.

God - Thou hast made the world so beautiful;
A bower of June with roses gay abloom,
Then - though it were not yet enough to grow -
Gave them perfume.

God - Thou hast made the world so beautiful;
A million beings, soul their priceless gem,
Then - though it were not yet enough to live -
Gave love to them.
(Theodosia Pearce)

All the wealth brought to earth from heaven above is yours as the gift of Christ's love.

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January 22

"He . . . carried them all the days . . ."
(Isaiah 63:9)

The picture of Jesus with the little ones in His arms is very beautiful. Jesus takes a child in His arms is very beautiful. Jesus takes a child in His arms; there is love, tenderness, protection. The bosom is the place of warmth, of affection, of intimacy, of confidence. The encircling arms imply safety, support, shelter. He lifted up a child and held it in His arms; so he carries His people through this world. He does not merely tell them how to go, but He takes them on His shoulders, carrying not their burdens only, but themselves. Thus He bears them on through life and through death. (J.R. Miller)

Instead of trying to escape from our problems,
let us try encompassing them with God.

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January 23

"I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand."
(1 Corinthians 15:1)

Some time ago a poor weaver in Scotland preached a brief sermon on three texts:

- (1) "The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin." He said: "That's ma sin awa."

- (2) "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God. Ye are of more value than many sparrows." "That's ma cares awa."

- (3) "We shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air." "That's masel' awa."
(Heaven's Cure for Earth's Care - George Henderson)

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January 24

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
(Matthew 5:16)

Annie Johnson Flint had no sympathy with those who made great profession of believing the whole Bible and yet were constantly manifesting a spirit contrary to all its deepest teaching. Her thought of the Bible was to have it transfered into the life that it transfigures. In one of her poems on "The World's Bible", she says,

We are the only Bible
The careless world will read,
We are the sinner's gospel,
We are the scoffer's creed,
We are the Lord's last message,
Given in deed and word.
What if the type is crooked?
What if the print be blurred?
(Annie Johnson Flint)

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January 25

"Grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Wisdom and philosophy never found out God; He makes Himself known to us through our needs; necessity finds Him out.

The sinner's heart — yes, and the saint's heart too — is put in its right place in this way. I doubt much if we have ever learned anything solidly except we have learned it thus.

We never ought to be discouraged, because the Lord we trust in never fails, nor can. It is just in 2 Timothy, when all was in ruin and declension, that Paul looks for his dear son to be strong in the faith: there never is so good a time for it, because it is needed, and the Lord always meets need.

I have learned at the cross what God was to me as a sinner; and now I have to learn how He meets my wants as a saint, by feeling my need and bringing it to Him. To be hungry is not enough, I must be really starving to know what is in His heart towards me. When the prodigal was hungry he went to feed upon husks; but when he was starving, he turned to his father's house, and then learned the love of the Father's heart. (Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - JND)

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January 26

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you."
(2 Peter 1:2)

In grace and peace we have the Greek and Hebrew forms of greeting combined. But can we not also view them as cause and effect? Our Christian life only began when we came to know "the grace of God in truth," receiving "the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Then were our hearts thrilled with joy and filled with peace, a peace which put a new complexion on life and delivered us from fear of judgment. Have you experienced grace? Do you have peace? (W.P.W. McVey)

Grace is the sweetest sound
That ever reached our ears;
When conscience charged and justice frowned,
'Twas grace removed our fears.
(T. Kelly)

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January 27

"And whatsoever ye do, do it HEARTILY, as to the Lord, and not unto men." (Colossians 3:23)

Integrity is more than not being deceitful or slipshod. It means doing everything "heartily as unto the Lord."

A year or so ago, a picture appeared in a magazine of the Statue of Liberty . . . taken from a helicopter and it showed the top of the statue's head. I was amazed at the detail there. The sculptor had done a painstaking job with the lady's coiffure, and yet he must have been pretty sure that the only eyes that would ever see this detail would be the uncritical eyes of seagulls. He could not have dreamt that any man would ever fly over this head. He was artist enough, however, to finish off this part of the statue with as much care as he had devoted to her face and her arms and the torch and everything that people can see as they sail up the bay. . . . When you are creating a work of art, or any other kind of work, finish the job off perfectly. You never know when a helicopter, or some other instrument not at the moment invented, may come along and find you out. (TCNL - March / April 1992)

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January 28

" . . . ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus; that ye put off concerning the former . . . put on the the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
(Ephesians 4:21-24)

Nothing is more blessed than to have sympathy with Christ in His thoughts - to be able to say, "I know what Christ cares about, and that which is the care of His heart shall be the care of my heart." He is caring about a testimony on earth for God; and if I am only little enough in my own eyes, He will say, "I can bring out a ray in you, and place you exactly where it can shine." Christ has present thoughts about His sheep, - if rays of light shine on them, it is that they may shine from them. You may have very little light, but the glimmer of a glow-worm shines out brightly in a dark night. (Gleanings From the Teaching of G.V. Wigram)

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January 29

" . . . 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)

Those on board the ship, now having regained some hope after their seemingly hopeless ordeal, begin to show an interest in their progress. This ought to be found in the life of one who is restored. That is, there will be an increasing interest in where I am in my life - a concern as to whether I am making real spiritual progress. Where before, there was only a desire for freedom and liberty to do my own will, real desire to make progress in my Christian life will be evident. (The Journey of Life - Reflections on Acts 27 - DN)

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January 30

"The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment."
(Proverbs 12:19)

Truth cannot be killed with the sword nor abolished by the law.

****

"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)

God listens to our hearts rather than to our lips.
(Selected)

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January 31

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
(Matthew 11:29)

The godly Macarius of Optino was once told that his spiritual counsel had been helpful.

"This cannot be," Macarius wrote in reply. "Only the mistakes are mine. All good advice is the advice of the Spirit of God; His advice that I happen to have heard rightly and to have passed on without distorting it."

There is an excellent lesson here which we must not allow to go unregarded. It is the sweet humility of the man of God who was enabled to say, "only the mistakes are mine."

He was fully convinced that his own efforts could result only in mistakes and that any good that came of his advice must be the work of the Holy Spirit operating within him.

Apparently this was more than a sudden impulse of self-deprecation, which the proudest of men may at times feel; it was rather a settled conviction that gave set and direction to his entire life. His long and humble ministry which brought spiritual aid to many reveals this clearly enough.

It is our belief that the evangelical movement will continue to drift farther and farther from the New Testament position unless its leadership passes from the modern religious star to the self-effacing saint who asks for no praise and seeks no place, happy only when the glory is attributed to God and himself forgotten! (A.W. Tozer - Renewed Bay By Day)

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Gems from December 2009

December 1

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

Sir Thomas Lipton, the English sportsman, won many yachting prizes, but he never could capture the the American cup. One day, showing a friend his glittering collection of trophies, he suddenly said, with a wave of the hand, "And I'd give then all for the one I didn't get!" So, however many of earth's awards and crowns we may gain, if we miss the reward of God's approval, the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, we shall feel at the close of our day that we would gladly give them all for the one we missed. Woodrow Wilson spoke of "being defeated by one's secondary successes." Verily, we are cheated when we choose our own way, whatever we may attain in it, if we miss the purpose of God. (THE BEST OF VANCE HAVNER)

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December 2

"To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me."
(Matthew 26:8-10)

A man may pursue a quiet, humble, lowly path of service, unknown and unnoticed. His name may never be heard, his work may never be thought of; but what has been done, has been done in simple love to Christ. He has wrought in obscurity, with his eye on his Master. The smile of his Lord has been quite enough for him. He has never thought for one moment of seeking man's approval; he has never sought to catch his smile or shun his frown; he has pursued the even tenor of his way, simply looking to Christ, and acting for Him. His work will stand. It will be remembered and rewarded, though he did not do it for remembrance or reward, but from simple love to Jesus. It is work of the right stamp - genuine coin which will abide the fire of the day of the Lord. (CHRISTIAN TRUTH - FEBRUARY 1967 - VOL. 20)

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December 3

Snapshots of Time

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

The designers of an innovative Web site call their creation a "snapshot" of our world. Every hour, computers monitor international news sources, select the most frequently occurring words and pictures, then display them as an interactive image. Over time, these hourly snapshots compose a mosaic of unfolding world events.

If a computer could track our words and and actions, what would a snapshot of yesterday reveal? Over the weeks and months, what patterns would emerge? And what theme would dominate the final mosaic of our lives?

Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses the man of God, is a powerfully honest look at the brevity and significance of life. The writer compares an entire lifetime to a dream or a blade of grass, and cries out to God: "So teach us to number our days , that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Our days often seem so insignificant, yet they add up to so much. The Message renders verse 12: "Teach us to live wisely and well." It is a prayer for the snapshots of life with the final image in view.

When all the pictures of our life are laid on the table, they will reveal our recurring words and actions. What story will they tell? It's worth considering as we make our choices each day. (DAVID McCASLAND)

God has given life abundant -
Live it fully every day:
Though our time on earth is fleeting,
He goes with us all the way. (HESS)

It's not how long you live that counts, but how you live.
______________________________________________________________
Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright 2007, Grand Rapids, MI, Reprinted permission

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December 4

"And He took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when He had taken him in His arms, He said unto them . . . "
(Mark 9:36)

The little boy might have been shy, standing alone among thirteen grown-up men, perhaps strangers. Most children would be. But there is nothing too small for the love of our Lord Jesus to understand and to remember. Before he spoke words that would naturally cause the men to look at the little boy, thus making him feel observed and uncomfortable, He took him in His arms.

Perhaps this day is going to hold some especially trying things. There are sure to be things that we would not wish to have to face. Before they happen - if we are little enough to let Him do it - our Lord Jesus will do for us just what He did for that child long ago. We need never stand alone among our troubles. We need never be lonely at all. We need need never be afraid. (AMY CARMICHAEL - WHISPERS OF HIS POWER)

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December 5

"A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards." (Proverbs 29:11)

The heart of a fool is in his mouth - but the mouth of the wise man is in his heart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)

Real love stories never have endings.
--------------------------------------------------

"Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins."
(Proverbs 10:12)

Love reduces friction to a fraction.
----------------------------------------------
(SELECTED)

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December 6

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)

When we know that it is God who works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, ought there not to be fear and trembling, and a solemn feeling - not on the ground of what we are, but of what God is doing in us? If He has taken me up for Christ, and is blessing me and working in me, to make me like Christ, there ought to be a very practical feeling in my soul as to walk. (G.V. WIGRAM - GLEANINGS)

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December 7

"Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me."
(Luke 22:42)

What anguish in Gethsemane drew the blood-like sweat from the Man of Sorrows as He contemplated "this cup." Peering into its sable depths, He knew it's loathsome consequence, to be "made sin." In that cup, He "saw the place afar off," the "land not inhabited" where He must go to bear away the sin of the world. This was not a battle of two disparate wills, but the blending of two individual wills, eternally in perfect and holy harmony, to fulfill the divine purpose, "I come to do Thy will, O God." (J. BOYD NICHOLSON)

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December 8

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think . . . be glory . . . throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
(Ephesians 3:20,21)

Many gaze in wonder at the pyramids of Egypt. Contemplate with wonder and amazement this Scripture pyramid:

Ask
All that we ask
All that we ask or think
Above all that we ask or think
Abundantly above all that we ask or think
Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think
Able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.
My heart rejoices in God's will, 'tis ever best - I do not doubt;
He may not give me what I ask, but gives me grace to do without.
O blessed, hallowed will of God, to it I bow with heart devout.
(TCNL)

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December 9

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will."
(Proverbs 21:1)

"Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?"
(Proverbs 20:24)

There is no monarch so great that he can act in independence of God. Whether He owns it or not, Jehovah is controlling him as He controls the flow of the water brooks. He who "hath His way in the whirlwind and the storm" can make the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrain the remainder thereof.
(H.A. IRONSIDE NOTES ON PROVERBS)

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December 10

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

The whole business of Christian education is summed up in two brief sentences: Count on God for your children, and, train your children for God. The first without the second is lawlessness; the second without the first is legality; to take both together is sound, practical Christianity.

It is the privilege of all Christian parents to count upon God for their children with all confidence. There is, however, in the government of God, an inseparable link connecting this privilege with solemn responsibility as to training. For parents to speak of counting on God for the salvation of their children and for the moral integrity of their future career in this world while the duty of training is neglected is simply a miserable delusion.

We press this solemnly upon all Christian parents, especially upon those who have just entered upon the relationship. There is great danger of shirking our duty to our children, shifting it over upon others, or neglecting it altogether. We do not like the trouble of it; we shrink from the constant worry. But we shall find that the trouble, worry, sorrow, and heart-scalding arising from the neglect of our duty will be a thousand times worse that all that can be involved in the discharge of it.

To every true lover of God there is deep delight in treading the path of duty. Every step taken in that path can always count upon the infinite resources that we have in God when we are keeping His commandments. We have simply to take ourselves, morning by morning, hour by hour, to our Father's exhaustless treasury, and there get all we want in the way of grace and wisdom and moral power, to enable us to discharge aright the holy functions of our responsibilities as Christian parents. (C.H. MACKINTOSH)

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December 11

"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies." (Psalm 119:59)

Seeing God's work in our lives puts a new song on our lips.

As we draw near to Christ we are drawn near to each other.

No one is beyond the reach of God's love.

If you're searching for nuggets of truth, the Bible is a gold mine.

We don't need more of the Spirit; the Spirit needs more of us.

Living daily for Christ requires dying daily to self.

If God didn't have a purpose for us, we wouldn't be here.
(SOME THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER - R.K.)

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December 12

"The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."
(Psalm 46:7,11)

"The God of Jacob." Why not the God of Israel? "The Lord of hosts" gives us the sense of His power; "the God of Jacob" tells us the kind of people He shows mercy to, and the omnipotence of that mercy. None but God could have gone on with Jacob, and at the last brought him to worship as, in the weakness of death, he leaned upon his staff.

"The God of Jacob." How it appeals to us, for is there not something of Jacob in each of us? Scheming, plotting, covetous man! As Jacob, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to commend him. He took advantage of his brother's dire need to deprive him of his birthright. He deceived his blind old father to secure it. His aftercourse was marked by intrigue and weakness. And yet the psalmist at a later date could write, "The God of Jacob is our refuge."

Was it that God condoned Jacob's plotting and wickedness? Far be the thought. And if we find, even as Christians, the tendency to evil within and constant failure that only our God knows, is it that He can go on with sin? We may be outwardly irreproachable in conduct; but how many, nay, all of us, mourn over our weakness and inconsistency? How, then, can God be the God of Jacob - our God?

Is it not that He breaks down the Jacob in us? Do we not all halt upon our thighs more or less? Step by step God weakened Jacob till at length, in the very weakness of death, he could, leaning on his staff, worship.

And so "The God of Jacob" deals with us.

May we trust "The Lord of hosts" more - may we submit to the way of "the God of Jacob" with us, and blessing will result. What a God is ours! How perfect are His ways! (A.J.P.)

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December 13

"He shall stand upon the earth."
(Job 19:29)

Greater Than Walking on the Moon

Colonel James Irwin, related how he stood on the moon seeing Planet Earth suspended in space, glowing like an iridescent jewel. He said that as he walked on the surface of the moon his thought was - "Man walking on the moon - this is the greatest event of human history!" But at that very moment he heard an inner voice quietly speak to his heart; "I did something greater than that - I WALKED ON THE EARTH!"

Colonel Irwin returned from the moon a different man - not with a desire to be a celebrity but to walk as a servant of the Lord of the universe - the Lord Jesus Christ - who came from glory and walked on earth.

The greatest event this world has ever experienced is the incarnation - God manifest in flesh in the Person of the Son. The fullness of the Godhead clothed in the garb of humanity. The infinite becoming the humble Servant. The Sovereign becoming the Saviour. Another expressed: "The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world is the most stupendous event of human history."

"He shall stand upon the earth" (Job 19:29). This remarkable declaration of Job, anticipated centuries in advance of our Lord's coming to earth, was for Job his great hope. It enabled him to endure and maintain his faith amid the fiercest of trials as God lovingly dealt with His dear child.

What a grand realization! Our redeemer has come to earth and given His life a ransom for many. Because He came, died on the cross and rose again the third day, we can say with even greater confidence than Job, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:26). (ANON, ADAPTED - TCS - DECEMBER 2008)

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December 14

"When they were come unto the place called Golgotha. . . they crucified Him." (Matthew 27:33,35)

Golgotha: the place of the skull. If one approaches this holy, awful place with human reasoning alone, the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus would seem to be the most mindless act of all time. But for those whose hearts having been opened by the Spirit of God, we can see that through this greatest miscarriage of justice ever enacted, our sins were put away - in perfect justice. As we draw near to Golgotha today, may our hearts be open to the Spirit of God and may we worship in spirit and in truth. (DREW CRAIG)

Can it be true that Thou didst bear, upon the accursed tree,
My load of sin, its curse, its sting, its stripes, instead of me?

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December 15

"All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over Me."
(Psalm 42:7)

Here is profound truth for the heart and conscience of a believer. "All God's billows and waves" passed over the spotless Person of the Lord Jesus when He hung upon the cross; and, as a most blessed consequence, not one of them remains to pass over the person of the believer. At Calvary, we see, in good truth, "the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven opened."

"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts." Christ drank the cup, and endured the wrath perfectly. He put Himself, judicially, under the full weight of all His people's liabilities, and gloriously discharged them. The belief of this gives settled peace to the soul. If the Lord Jesus has met all that could be against us, if He has removed out of the way every hindrance, if He has put away sin, if He has exhausted the cup of wrath and judgment on our behalf, if He has cleared the prospect of every cloud, should we not enjoy settled peace? Unquestionably. Peace is our unalienable portion. To us belong the deep and untold blessedness, and holy security, which redeeming love can bestow on the righteous ground of Christ's absolutely accomplished work. (C.H. MACINTOSH)

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December 16

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

You who have put your faith in the Saviour, are you still going on for Christ? Have you been distracted by the things of this world and thus now find yourself floundering in the Sea of Life, discouraged and distracted? It's time for a fresh look at the Saviour. Even after he witnessed the Lord's resurrection, the apostle Peter turned back to fishing and his old ways. With a fresh look to the Saviour he turned his eyes from this earthly scene and went on in the Lord's work again - stronger, more steadfast and unmovable. (JERRY PROCTOR)

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December 17

The Eraser of Confession

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." (1 John 1:9)

From the time that Joseph Dixon (1827-1869) began producing the pencil during the US Civil War, the only substantial change in its design has been the addition of an eraser. Consider for a moment this unique little writing stick. At one end is a hard black point and at the other a small rubber tip. This simple instrument can be used to scribble, sketch, compute complicated formulas, or compose lofty poetry. But it can also quickly correct an error, change a figure, or start all over.

Each day the Christian inscribes words and deeds on the record of his personal history. But as he reflects upon what he's said and done, he becomes aware that some of what's been written is not of the quality that will please the Saviour. He remembers attitudes and actions that should never be part of a believer's life. Yet these sins are forgiven and fellowship with God restored through honest confession and repentance.

In John's first epistle, he told us how to walk uprightly and enjoy fellowship with Christ and with one another. But John was a realist, knowing that some of the pages of our composition would be marked by daily flaws and failures. That's why 1 John 1:9 is such a blessed promise. It tells us we can use the eraser of confession and start over. (DENNIS DE HAAN)

We're thankful, Lord, that when we fall
We can begin anew
If humbly we confess our sin,
Then turn and follow Thee.
(SPER)

Confession is the soil in which forgiveness flourishes.

Our Daily Bread, RBC ministries, Copyright (2006), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.

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December 18

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
(Psalm 91:1)

There is no short cut to the life of faith, which is the all-vital condition of a holy and victorious life. We must have periods of lonely meditation and fellowship with God. That our souls should have their mountains of fellowship, their valleys of quiet rest beneath the shadow of a great rock, their nights beneath the stars, when darkness has veiled the material and silenced the stir of human life, and has opened the view of the infinite and eternal, is as indispensable as that our bodies should have food. Thus alone can the sense of God's presence become the fixed possession of the soul, enabling it to say repeatedly, with the psalmist, "Thou art near, O God." (F.B. MEYER - DAILY MEDITATIONS FOR PRAYER)

Conscious nearness to God, entering into the inner sanctuary where His glory shineth, is both the inestimable privilege and the indispensable
essential of true prayer. To pray without a consciousness of God, without fellowship with Him is to make prayer empty and powerless.

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December 19

" . . . all things work together for good to them that love God."
(Romans 8:28)

Fanny Crosby in her autobiography comments concerning the doctor who unwittingly caused her blindness as follows: "I have heard that this physician never ceased expressing his regret at the occurrence; and that it was one of the sorrows of his life. But if I could meet him now, I would say, 'Thank you, thank you, over and over again for making me blind.' . . . Although it may have been a blunder on the physician's part, it was no mistake on God's. I verily believe it was His intention that I should live my days in physical darkness, so as to be better prepared to sing His praises and incite others to do so." Thus by a doctor's apparent mistake, God gave to the Church the wonderful heritage of a blind Fanny Crosby who, with her increased spiritual insight, was able to write thousands of enduring hymns.

A visitor once went to see an old lady who had very few earthly possessions - just a bed, an old chair, a table, a stool, and a cupboard. After a little while the guest asked, "Do you never feel like murmuring at your difficult lot?" "Well sometimes Satan does tempt me to complain, but then I just ask the Lord to put me into my easy chair, and to keep me quiet." The visitor looked around to see what she could mean, but all he saw was the hard stool and the broken armchair. "I don't see any easy place for you to sit," he said. "No, you misunderstand me," said the precious old saint. "My easy chair is Romans 8:28. It is always close by. When I need it the Lord just sets me into it, and I am at rest and say to Satan, 'Now you be quiet!' "

Someone has said that in eternity we will probably thank God more for the difficulties of this earthly life than for some of the experiences that we now consider to be pleasant and desirable. (SELECTED)

Stop sitting on the edge of the stool of worry; go and relax in the restful rocker of Romans 8:28

"God often empties our hands in order to fill our hearts; He gives us crosses here that we may wear crowns over there."

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December 20

"And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." (Luke 9:57,58)

Christ puts him to the test. You cannot go if you do not take up your lot with One who had not where to lay His head; for you may sooner go to the birds of the air for a nest, or to the foxes for a hole, than to the Son of Man for a home in this world. They were not now to come to Him as the One who had the promises, but to One whose portion was utter and entire rejection. Following Him could not be accompanied with ease and comfort here. He was to be delivered into the hands of men. At His birth we see the same things. Every one found room in the inn save He, but any who wanted to find Him whom angels celebrate must go to the manger. (J.N. DARBY)

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December 21

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"
(1 Corinthians 10:16)

How simple is the truth as to the remembrance of the death of our Lord as given us in 1 Corinthians 10:16, quoted above.

When we as Christians partake of the loaf and the cup, we remember the Lord as He requested. We do so in loving remembrance of Him in death.

"No blood, no altar now,
The sacrifice is o'er!
No flame, no smoke ascends on high,
The lamb is slain no more.
But richer blood has flowed from nobler veins,
To purge the soul from guilt,
And cleanse the reddest stains."
(Horatius Bonar, 1808-1889)

(From - Christian Truth - Vol. 19 - January 1966)

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December 22

"Behold I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
(Revelation 3:11)
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
(Philippians 4:13)

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, and you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't quit!

Life is tough with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the Victor's cup;
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close to the over comer's crown.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse that you mustn't quit.

For we know the Father above looks down,
He sees our struggles and holds a crown
He knows the way, though it's rough and drear,
He will give us strength, so we need not fear.
He offers to you the refreshing cup
Of the water of life; then in faith look up,
And struggle on till the crown is won,
Which He will give when our work is done.
(Author Unknown)

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December 23

"Wherefore He is ABLE also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them."
(Hebrews 7:25)

God is Able

God is able to save sinners in need. (Hebrews 7:25)
Able to strengthen us saints when we plead. (Romans 14:4)
Able to shepherd through life's murky mire (Jude 24)
Able to satisfy life's deep desire. (Ephesians 3:20)
Able to succor at each time and place,
With supplies of His infinite grace. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
So in the doubting days common to man,
Faith quickly answers, "With God I can!"
(TCNL)

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December 24

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."
(Psalm 27:14)

We are bent upon doing something which God does not want us to do at all; upon going somewhere that God does not want us to go. We pray about it, and get no answer. We pray again and again, and get no answer. How is this? Why, the simple fact is that God wants us to be quiet, to stand still, to remain just where we are. Wherefore, instead of racking our brain, and harassing our souls about what we ought to do, let us do nothing but simply wait on God. (FOOD FOR THE DESERT)

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December 25

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall HE come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from of old, from Everlasting."
(Micah 5:2)

"And the angel said unto them (shepherds) Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOUR, which is Christ the Lord."
(Luke 2:10,11)

It was night and the world was slumbering when Christ the Lord was born. . . . Mary's family were poor. Her poverty would naturally have kept her at Nazareth at such a time; hence all the world is set in movement to bring it about that Christ should be born at Bethlehem. The Roman Emperor makes a decree that all the world shall be enrolled. This evidences on the one hand the low estate of Israel as subject to the Gentile power; on the other hand, the faithfulness of God to His own word and promise, for it obliges Joseph to go up from Galilee to Judea "unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." (Luke 2:4,5) The whole world is set in motion politically to accomplish prophecy.

But though this is true, yet how sad to see the utter unconcern not only of Gentiles, but of Jews as well. Bethlehem slumbered when Christ the Lord was born. A few humble shepherds were the only ones who were brought into proximity to the mind of heaven at this stupendous moment in the history of the universe.

While earth slept, all heaven was astir - "Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God . . ." (Luke 2:13). That moment revealed more than five hundred years years before to Daniel (Daniel 9:25-27) had come, the Messiah was born "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

The angels return to heaven, which seemed so near; and the shepherds go to Bethlehem where lay the holy Babe cradled in the manger, the emblem of that rejection at the hands of men which marked His entrance into a world which soon was to give Him but a cross. Yet all the counsels of God were centered in that Babe. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (A.H. BARRY - adapted)

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December 26

"His name shall be called Emmanuel . . . God with us."
(Matthew 1:23)

"The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

A few years ago a striking Christmas Card was published, with the title, "If Christ had not come." It was founded upon our Saviour's words, "If I had not come." (John 15:22) The card represented a preacher falling into a short sleep in his study on Christmas morning and dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come.

In his dream he found himself looking through his home . . . In his library he noticed that every book about the Saviour had disappeared!

A ring at the door-bell, and a messenger asked him to visit a poor dying mother. He hastened with the weeping child and as he reached the home he sat down and said, "I have something here that will comfort you." He opened his Bible to look for a familiar promise, but it ended at Malachi, and there was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and he could only bow his head and weep with her in bitter despair.

Two days afterward he stood beside her coffin and conducted the funeral service, but there was no message of consolation, no word of glorious resurrection, no open Heaven, but only "dust to dust, ashes to ashes," and one long eternal farewell. He realized at length that "He had not come," and burst into tears and bitter weeping in his sorrowful dream.

Suddenly he woke with a start, and a great shout of joy ad praise burst from his lips as he heard the singing of a beautiful hymn:

"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him, born the king of Angels,
O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord."

Let us be glad and rejoice today, because "He has come." And let us remember the annunciation of the angel,

"Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
(Luke 2:10,11)

"He comes to make His blessing flow,
Far as the curse is found."

May our hearts go out to the people in many lands who have no blessed Christmas day.

"Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared." (Nehemiah 8:10)
(STREAMS IN THE DESERT)

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December 27

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.”
(Isaiah 44:22)

Sin is the blot which defiles the glorious works of God; it is the cancer which, if it were permitted to spread unchecked, would consume the beauty of the universe; it is the curse which pierces the life of man with a thousand sorrows, and bows his head in memory of a thousand shames. But it should be clearly understood that while God can never treat sin lightly, and while He may use even the devil's tauntings to increase our horror and hatred of it, He never harasses His people. When He forgives, He choses not to remember them and, having learned the solemn lesson which our failure has taught us, it is wisdom on our part also to chose not to remember them.

The Bible makes a sevenfold declaration of what God has done with the sins of His people. It affirms that they are: Expiated (Isaiah 6:7); Remitted (Luke 24:47); Buried (Micah 7:19); Obliterated (Isaiah 44:22); Forgiven (Ephesians 1:7); Cleansed (1 John 1:7); Remembered no more (Hebrews 10:17). (Submitted by S.L., a reader of the "Gems.")

“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:17

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December 28

"I will make him an help meet for him."
(Genesis 2:18)

"I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife."
(Revelation 21:9)

The Bible opens with a wedding and closes with a wedding. Not surprising, since a wedding is at the heart of God's plans for all of eternity. God the Father will have a bride for His Son. This is the reason why the sinless Son of God suffered, died, and rose again from the dead - to make ready a bride who would be righteous and would love Him for His great work to make her so. May our heart's affection today be directed toward Him who loved us and gave Himself for us - our future Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. (FRANK BURGESS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3932

December 29

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."
(Luke 2:14)

The introduction of the cross changes the aspect of things entirely.

- There I find God dealing with sin in such a manner as to glorify Himself infinitely.
- I see the magnificent display and perfect harmony of all the divine attributes.
- I see love, and such love as captivates and assures my heart, and weans it, in proportion as I realize it, from every other object.
- I see wisdom, and such wisdom as baffles devils and astonishes angels.
- I see power, and such power as bears down all opposition.
- I see holiness, and such holiness as repulses sin to the very furthest point of the moral universe, and gives the most intense expression of God's abhorrence thereof that could possibly be given.
- I see grace, and such grace as sets the sinner in the very presence of God - yea, puts him into His bosom.

Where could I see all these things but in the cross?
Nowhere else. Look where you please, and you cannot find
aught that so blessedly combines those two great points, namely,
"glory to God in the highest," and "on earth peace."
(C.H. MACKINTOSH)

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December 30

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."
(1 Corinthians 3:6)
"He that watereth shall be watered also himself."
(Proverbs 11:25)

Paul planted the gospel seed. Apollos watered the new believers by teaching the Word. Water is a picture of the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). Christ gives the living water (John 4:10) that out of the believer may flow rivers of living water (John 7:38-39). Today we need people like Apollos who will water God's people with His Word. Even a cup of cold water will not be forgotten (Matthew 10:42) (R. E. HARLOW)

Blest river of salvation,
Pursue thy onward way;
Flow thou to every thirsty soul,
O bless Thy Word today!
(S. F. SMITH)

N.J. Hiebert - 3934

December 31

"Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. "
(John 15:2)

Without union there could be no living branch; without pruning there would be very little fruit. The chief tool of the vinedresser is his knife. Pruning looks merciless and wasteful, but it is done scientifically; there is no random cutting; nothing is cut away but what it is a gain to lose. Let us note carefully that it is the fruitful branch that is pruned, just as it is the one whom God loves, that He chastens. " For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth. " (Hebrews 12:6)

Pruning is thus the perfect philosophy of Christians suffering. Is there not an explanation here of many things in our lives difficult to understand? The spiritual meaning of it came home to Lord Cecil on one occasion with comforting power. In deep dejection of spirit, because of painful heart wounds, he was pacing to and fro in a botanic garden at Oxford, when he observed a fine specimen of the pomegranate, almost cut through the stem. On asking the gardener for the reason, he received the following answer: " Sir, this tree used to shoot so strong that it bore nothing but leaves. I was therefore obliged to cut it in this manner; and when it was almost cut through, then it began to bear plenty of fruit."

Let us ever remember that the One with Whom we have to do - infinite in holy wisdom, as well as boundless in compassionate love - orders our stops as well as our steps. "He breaks plans, quenches hopes, cuts off ambitions, denies comforts; nevertheless, every surgery, every mutilation of the living bough, is a deliberate design for richer, riper, clusters of holiness." That is the end to which all is directed. (HIS LAST WORDS by Henry Durbanville)

N.J. Hiebert 3935

Gems from November 2009

November 1

“What shall the end be of them
that obey not the gospel of God? “
(1 Peter 4:17)

You can choose eternal anguish,
Live the life that suits you best;
Turn your back on heavenly treasures;
Vainly seek for peace and rest;
God will never make you serve Him.
Never force you to be saved;
You can go to judgment Christ-less,
And the price forever pay!

“Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
(Matthew 22:13)

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
(Acts 16:31)

(SUBMITTED BY A READER OF THE "GEMS" - T.R.)

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November 2

"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?"
(Song of Solomon 8:5)

Ah me, I'm never well
But when I on my Best Beloved lean,
And then I'm never ill:
Crosses and trials all are right
And pain is sweet and trouble light,
When Christ my heart doth fill.
(ANON)

God sends rain and fruitful seasons, but though they come, they never come in the same way in any one year, and I find that, as a rule, when I need anything, that it come from a quarter that I never expected, and that from the quarter where it had come before it does not now. Thus God keeps the eye on Himself and not on the donor. The tendency is to lose dependence when we are enjoying the results of dependence. (FOOTPRINTS FOR PILGRIMS)

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November 3

"The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him." (Lamentations 3:25)

The fact that God and His claims must be supreme - is beautifully illustrated in an incident of which I recently (1958) read. A man, addressing some children, said: "You all know the verb 'I am, thou art, he is' ; and you know that verbs in English, French, German, Italian and Latin run in this way: 'I love, thou lovest, he loves' ; or, 'I walk, thou walkest, he walks'. But how many of you know that the old Hebrew people arrange their verbs the other way round: 'He is, thou art, I am'?"

Then he said to them: "That is the way to look at life. Say to yourself, looking up to God: 'He is' ; then look at your neighbour, and say: 'You are' ; last of all, think of yourself, and say: 'I am'. First God, then your neighbour, then yourself. That is the best way to think and live." (HEAVEN'S CURE FOR EARTH'S CARE)

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November 4

"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
(Ephesians 4:2,3)

Not My Yardstick

It is a fatal mistake to suppose that the unity of the Spirit cam be kept in a legal way. It must be grace. It must be the fruit of communion with Christ, and living of His life. I cannot take my own yardstick and measure everybody else by that. I cannot lay down my interpretations of Scripture and say every man must walk by this rule. That is to make law of Scripture and put everybody on legal ground. This is the worst kind of legalism.

If our minds are formed by the Word and Spirit of God, others will feel the power . . . and they will be edified. If I am handling the Word of God in a legal way, I will only provoke the flesh, and no good will result. I cannot teach you the Word of God with a sledge hammer. The teaching must be through the operation of the Spirit. And grace characterizes this operation. So I must be gracious, patient, and loving.

Let brotherly love abound, and bitterness be put away -- edifying one another in love. (A.H. RULE AS SUBMITTED BY M.S.)

N.J. Hiebert - 3878

November 5

"If riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
(Psalm 62:10)

Once in Malaysia an aged Indian friend came to me with a smile on his face and a gift in his hand - a million ringgit note! But it was worthless, being old Japanese currency introduced during World War II and of no value when the war ended. Soon all earth's currencies will count for nothing; soon all material things will fade away. "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (1 Timothy 6:7). Where is your treasure? (W.P.W McVEY)

Out of this world I shall never take
Things of gold and silver I make;
All that I cherish and hoard away,
After I leave, on the earth must stay.

N.J. Hiebert - 3879

November 6

"Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus."
(Romans 15:5)

He presents God in the very character in which we need Him. Our small stock of patience would soon be exhausted in seeking to meet the varied characters which cross our path, even in relationship with our brethren. There are constant claims upon our patience and forbearance; and most surely others have need of patience and forbearance with us. Where are we all to get the means of meeting all these claims? At the exhaustless treasury of "the God of patience and consolation." Our tiny springs would soon dry up if not kept in unbroken connection with that ever-flowing Fountain. The weight of a feather would be an overmatch for our patience; how much more the ten thousand things that come before us even in the Church of God! (C.H. MACINTOSH)

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November 7

"But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
(Hebrews 13:16)

A little girl was playing with some alphabet blocks, arranging them to make various words. Suddenly she exclaimed, "O mother, look! I can get two words out of this one. See, if I take GOOD, I can make it say GO and DO." The mother smiled her approval. She thought to herself, my child unknowingly has just preached a powerful sermon: A believer must translate faith into daily practice. I must go and do if I am to be a good ambassador for Jesus Christ.

We've all heard the old saying, "Talk is cheap." It reminds us as Christians that appropriate action must always accompany our words, lest they be nothing more than pious platitudes and we lose our testimony before the world. The genuineness of our salvation is seen when we live a Christ-centered, sacrificial life that reaches out in love to others. The author of Hebrews therefore strongly cautions against a mental assent to Divine truth that does not result in warmhearted giving. He wrote, ". . . to do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

Even the weakest, humblest believer can radiate a wondrous light of blessing in his daily round of activity. He does this not only by his kind words, but also by giving sympathetic attention to those who cross his pathway. He must clearly mirror to everyone the attitudes and actions of the Saviour, who "went about doing good."

Yes, to be a good Christian means we will be constantly looking for opportunities to go and do the things that please the Lord and bring joy to others. (H.G.B.)

Your theology is what you are when the talking stops and the action starts.

N.J. Hiebert - 3881

November 8

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

The secret of a disciple's quietness under trial, is the knowing that things do not happen by chance. If we see them in the light of God, we have rest immediately; not only rest in the future, but rest for to-day. Seeing things in the light, and under the power of the hand of God, makes all the difference as things roll in upon you. My walk may be inconsistent and unsteady, I may need deep humiliation, and have loss and very dearly bought experience, in order to be able to say that I see the Father's hand present in everything. (GLEANINGS OF G.V.WIGRAM)

N.J. Hiebert - 3882

November 9

"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3)

How awesome to gaze up into the night sky and view the vast universe above us. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has an estimated 200 billion stars, and a diameter of 100 light years, meaning that if we were able to travel at 386,000 miles per second, it would take 100 years to cross our galaxy alone! We are looking at a universe with the imprint of the infinite, eternal God upon it. Yet wonder of wonders, the Creator came among us in lowly guise. He visited this insignificant planet and gave His life to save those who had dared to rebel against the God of the universe. What mercy! What grace! (W.H. BURNETT)

Thou Lord of all transcendent, Thou life creating sun
To worlds on Thee dependent, yet bruised and spit upon.
(GERHARDT)

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November 10

"That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."
(1 Thessalonians 4:12)

The tone and spirit of our walk is an important point. Confidence in God, and gentleness of spirit, is that which becomes the saint. For this, we must be at home with God. The effect of thus walking in Christ, setting the Lord ever before us, is always to make us walk with reverence, lowliness, adoration, quietness, ease, and happiness. Because of the heart's joy in God, anxieties disappear, and it will move through the ten thousand things that would trouble and prove anxieties to another, without being troubled. No matter what it may be, we bring quietness of spirit into all circumstances while abiding in God. (CHRISTIAN TRUTH - VOL. 14 - FEBRUARY 1961)

N.J. Hiebert - 3884

November 11

"He that is slow to wrath is of great UNDERSTANDING."
(Proverbs 14:29)

"A man of UNDERSTANDING holdeth his peace."
(Proverbs 11:12)

"He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man
of UNDERSTANDING is of an excelled spirit."
(Proverbs 17:27)

"Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath UNDERSTANDING."
(Proverbs 14:33)

"My mouth shall speak of wisdom;
And the meditation of my heart
Shall be of understanding."
(Psalm 49:3)

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November 12

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengtheneth me."
(Philippians 4:13)

It seems like distrust of oneself, and deep lowliness of spirit, to shrink from heavy responsibility, but all we need to inquire is, Has God imposed that responsibility? If so, He will be assuredly with me in sustaining it; and having Him with me, I can sustain anything. With Him, the weight of a mountain is nothing; without Him the weight of a feather is overwhelming. (FOOD FOR THE DESERT)

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November 13

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
(James 1:14-15)

For years, twice a day, a circus man called a large pet snake from a cage and had it wrap itself around his body. At a command, the snake would uncoil and return to its cage. One night the snake refused to uncoil and after repeated commands, it suddenly choked the man to death. Our flesh is like the snake. What the man thought was controllable brought him to his death. Unchecked lusting leads to sin and unrepentant sin brings separation from God. Don't trust in your flesh, it is more dangerous than you know! (WARREN HENDERSON)

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November 14

"Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law."
(2 Chronicles 15:3)

It is the work of the teacher to minister the truth to the people of God. The Word of God is to be unfolded, its perfections to be exhibited, its doctrines expounded, and its difficulties explained. The teacher is the student of this Book, devoted to it. In days like these when all sorts of error abound, professing to be derived from the Scriptures, when the very foundations are being undermined, we need teachers to turn us back "to the law and the testimony," and show us that, in the midst of the confusion of tongues, there is still a Voice that speaks with no uncertain sound. It is the teacher who must meet the assaults of the many evils which have fastened themselves upon the very vitals of professing Christendom. It is the teacher who leads us into the deep things of God's Word, and by satisfying us with good, leaves no relish for evil. (S. RIDOUT)

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November 15

"The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility."
(Proverbs 15:33)

Humility is selflessness - pride is selfishness.

---------------------------------------------

"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee."
(Proverbs 25:21-22)

He that does good for good's sake seeks neither nor reward, but he is sure of both in the end.

---------------------------------------------

"But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."
(Colossians 3:25)

If you do what you should not, you must bear what you would not.
(ANON)

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November 16

"His disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, He departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed Him on foot out of the cities."
(Matthew 14:12-13)

The forerunner of the Messiah (John) was dead; unjustly and cruelly murdered. The chilling news, when conveyed to Jesus caused Him to retreat to a solitary place. He knew that He, too, would face death with all its violence and judgment, the Just for the unjust to bring us to God. Such contemplation required solitude and communion with His Father. Spiritual reflection on this will draw out our hearts in adoring worship. (DREW CRAIG)

Was it for crimes that I had done?
He groaned upon the tree,
Amazing pity, grace unknown
And love beyond degree.
(ISAAC WATTS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3890

November 17

"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
(James 4:4)

The world is ever the same world. Satan is its prince; and all that is in it - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life - is not of the Father, but of the world. The heart of man, the flesh, has since the fall always been enmity against God. It is often thought and said, that since the death of Christ, Satan is no longer the prince of this world. But it was precisely then that he declared himself as its prince, leading on all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, to crucify the Saviour. And although men now bear the name of Christ, the opposition of the world to His authority remains the same.

Only observe and see if the name of Christ is not dishonoured. Man may indeed be taught to honour it; but it is nonetheless true that where he finds his enjoyment, where his will is free, he shuts out Christ, lest he should come in and spoil his pleasures. If left alone, he does not think of Him. He does not like to be spoken to of the Saviour. He sees no beauty in Him, that he should desire Him. Man likes to do his own will, and he does not want the Lord to come and oppose it; he prefers vanity and pleasures. (CHRISTIAN TRUTH - MARCH 1967 - VOL. 20)

N.J. Hiebert - 3891

November 18

"Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God."
(Hebrews 10:9)

Christ's only purpose in everything down here was to do the will of God, and He did it most entirely. He was one bright unwavering testimony to God, and nothing but God; and the more strength there was in that purpose, the more suffering there would be in such a world as this. But whether the Lord would in obedience go down so low as the death of the cross, was the question. He did so, and the wrath of God broke over Him; that was essentially His cross, such as ours could not be. (GLEANINGS of G.V. WIGRAM)

N.J. Hiebert - 3892

November 19

" . . . your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him." (Matthew 6:8)

He knoweth the way that I take;
Each step of that way He hath planned:
And, walking through sunshine or storm,
I walk in the shade of His hand.
In deserts untrodden and drear,
Where foes in the darkness may hide,
He leaveth me never alone;
He sendeth me light and a guide.

He knoweth the need of my soul -
The trial that calls for His grace,
The weakness that leans on His strength,
The fear that looks up to His face.
He knoweth what sifting is best
To scatter the chaff from the wheat
And lay all my self-righteous pride
Low down in the dust at His feet.
(ANNIE JOHNSON FLINT)

N.J. Hiebert - 3893

November 20

"Unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings."
(Malachi 4:2)

A south American traveler tells of a curious conflict which he once witnessed between a little quadruped and a poisonous reptile of great size. The little creature seemed no match for its antagonist that threatened to destroy it by a blow, as well as its helpless young, but it fearlessly faced its mighty enemy and rushing at him, struck him with a succession of fierce and telling blows, but, received at the onset a deep and apparently fatal wound from the poisonous fangs, which flashed for a moment with an angry fire, and then fastened themselves deep into the flesh of the daring little assailant.

For a moment it seemed as if all were over, but the wise little creature immediately retired into the forest, and hastening to the plantain tree eagerly devoured some of its leaves, and then hurried back, seemingly fresh and restored, to renew the fray with vigor and determination. Again and again this strange spectacle was repeated: the serpent, although greatly exhausted, ferociously attacked, and again and again wounded its antagonist to death, as it seemed; but the little creature each time repaired to its simple prescription, and returned to renewed victory. In the course of an hour or two the battle was over - the mammoth reptile lay still and dead and the little victor was unharmed, in the midst of the nest and the helpless little ones.

How often we are wounded by the dragon's sting - wounded it would seem to death! and if we had to go through some long ceremony to reach the source of life, we must faint and die. But blessed be His Name! as near at hand as that which the forest holds in it shade, there is ever for us a Plant of healing to which we may continually repair and come back refreshed, invigorated, transfigured - like Him Who shone with the brightness of celestial light as He prayed in the mount; Who, as He prayed in the garden, arose triumphant over the fear of death, strengthened from on high to accomplish the mighty battle of our redemption. (A. B. SIMPSON
- SPRINGS IN THE VALLEY)

It is His wings that heal our pains,
And soothe the serpent's poisoned stings;
Close to His bosom we must press
To feel His healing wings.

N.J. Hiebert - 3894

November 21

"But He (Jesus) said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people."
(Luke 9:13)

So it is with us. No faith. Memory is not faith. "He smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also?" He gave us water, but can He give us food? We know he has done that one thing, but can He do this other thing to-day? We want to count on the energy of the Lord's love, and expect Him to be interested for us. When He said, "Give ye them to eat" they should have expected He would give them the power. Jehovah was among them exercising His own power, but we see in their answer the horrid principle of unbelief. Unbelief shuts out God, and limits itself to what it sees; "except we go and buy meat." (J. N. DARBY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3895

November 22

"While they beheld, He (Jesus) was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."
(Acts 1:9-11)

No sooner did our Lord leave this earth for heaven than a message was sent to the disciples as they still gazed upward where they had seen Him disappear. It was a message of His coming back again. "Two men," evidently angelic messengers, stood by the disciples, as they wonderingly gazed toward heaven. This is what these messengers said: (Acts 1 noted above.)

Angels usually call Him Lord. Yet when He ascended in glory the angels say, "This same Jesus." Now that our Lord has gone to heaven, clothed with all the majesty that rightly belongs to Him, our God does not want us to think that He is not still the same as when He walked the roads of Judea and Galilee, dispensing mercy and healing everywhere. Though shining with a glory above the brightness of the sun, He is the very same Saviour as when He sat on Sychar's well. (LEONARD SHELDRAKE - OUR LORD JESUS , A PLANT OF RENOWN)

N.J. Hiebert - 3896

November 23

"So the dead which he (Samson) slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life."(Judges 16:30)

What a marvel that Samson's death was more productive than his life. It is a reminder of our Lord Jesus. He also accomplished His greatest work in His death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Though they both spread their arms wide to die, there the similarity ends. While Samson's motive was revenge, our Lord's motivation was LOVE. Samson's death brought more death; the Lord's death brought life eternal. (WARREN HAGEY - CHOICE GLEANINGS)

Behold His arms extended wide, on the cross!
Behold His bleeding hands and side, on the cross!
And now the mighty deed is done, on the cross!
The battle fought, the victory won, on the cross!
(JOSEPH HOSKINS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3897

November 24

"The LORD bindeth up the breach of His people, and healeth the stroke of their wounds."
(Isaiah 30:26)

When some friend has proved untrue - betrayed your simple trust; used you for his selfish end, and trampled in the dust the Past, with all its memories, and all its sacred ties, the light is blotted from the sky - for something in you dies.

Bless your false and faithless friend, just smile and pass along - God must be the judge of it: He knows the right and wrong. . . . Life is short - don't waste the hours by brooding on the past; His great laws are good and just; Truth conquers at the last.

Red and deep our wounds may be - but after all the pain - God's own finger touches us, and we are healed again. . . . With faith restored, and trust renewed - we look toward the stars - the world will see the smiles we have - but God will see the scars. (SCARS, BY PATIENCE STRONG)

Love grows stronger when assailed;
Love conquers where all else has failed.
Love ever blesses those who curse;
Love gives the better for the worse.
Love unbinds others by its bonds;
Love pours forgiveness from its wounds.

N.J. Hiebert - 3898

November 25

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both."
(Luke 7:41,42)

We are conscious of how much depends upon the style of an action. Indeed, there is frequently far more power in the style than in the substance. How often have we heard such words as these, "Yes, I own he did me a favour; but then he did it in such a way as to take away all the good of it." Now, the Lord has His style of doing things, blessed he His name. He not only does great things, but He does them in such a way as to convince us that His heart is in the doing of them. Not only is the substance of His acts good, but the style most charming.

Look, for instance, at Christ's touching word to Simon the Pharisee, Luke 7:41,42 (above). Now, so far as the mere matter of the debt was concerned, the result would have been the same whatever style had been adopted. But what heart does not perceive the moral power of the word "frankly"? Who would part with it? Who could bear to see the substance stripped of its style? The creditor might forgive with a murmur about the amount. That murmur would, in the judgment of a sensitive heart, rob the act of all its charms. On the other hand, the frankness of the style enhances, beyond expression, the value of the substance. (C.H. MACKINTOSH)

N.J. Hiebert - 3899

November 26

"In every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
(1 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

To repent is to change the mind: that is, to reverse one's attitude; and so these who had been idolators turned to the true and living God; they were through with idolatry. Today when men trust in Christ and bow before God in repentance they turn from the things of a godless world and yield themselves to the One who died to redeem them. Following the conversion of these Thessalonians, as intimated above, two words set forth their new attitude. They sought to SERVE the living and true God while they WAITED for His Son from heaven. (H.A. IRONSIDE - ADDRESSES ON THESSALONIANS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3900

November 27

"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

When Jesus was praying, Peter was sleeping.
When Jesus was submitting as a Lamb to the slaughter,
Peter was fighting.
When Jesus was confessing in suffering,
Peter was denying Him with oaths and curses.

Failure to pray always makes us insensitive to sin.
If we do not take time to pray,
we often will not recognize sin for what it is.
When we pray in the time of victory,
we will not have to plead in the time of defeat.
(SELECTED)

N.J. Hiebert - 3901

November 28

"And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings."
(Ezekiel 1:25)

What is the letting down of the wings? People so often say, "How do you get the voice of the Lord?" Here is the secret. They heard the voice when they stood and let down their wings.

We have seen a bird with fluttering wings; though standing still, its wings are fluttering. But here we are told they heard the voice when they stood and had let down their wings.

Do we not sometimes kneel or sit before the Lord and yet feel conscious of a fluttering of our spirits? Not a real stillness in His presence.
A dear friend told me some time ago of a certain thing she prayed about, "But," said she, "I did not wait until the answer came."

She did not get still enough to hear Him speak, but went away and followed her own thought in the matter. And the result proved disastrous and she had to retrace her steps.

Oh, how much energy is wasted! How much time is lost by not letting down the wings of our spirit and getting very quiet before Him! Oh, the calm, the rest, the peace which come as we wait in His presence until we hear from Him!

Then we can go like lightning, and turn not as we go but go straight forward whithersoever the Spirit goes (Ezekiel 1:1,20). (STREAMS IN THE DESERT)

N.J. Hiebert - 3902

November 29

"And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, we found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ a king."
(Luke 23:1,2)

Religious iniquity had now only to lead on the world to finish the wickedness in which itself had taken the lead. The civil power must give in to the willful evil of the apostate people of God. This is the history of the world, and, of the two, the religious side is always nearest to Satan. The chief priests manifested their enmity by their accusation, which was calculated to arouse the jealousy of the governor, charging on Christ what was entirely false as to Caesar, but with the subtle groundwork of that which they knew (reckoning on His truth) He could not deny. (J.N. DARBY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3903

November 30

"Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe." (John 19:5)

Never were a crown and purple robe offered more contemptuously, nor worn more majestically. As He stood a rejected King before His people, the symbol of the curse of sin that encircled, in mocking majesty, His head of flawless Deity, and the purple of royalty that covered His back, shredded by the Roman whip, combined as ghastly witness to the terrible darkness of human depravity and the magnificent glory of Divine grace. (GARRY W. SEALE)

A crown of thorns and a purple robe; I read the words with a sigh:
But when I remember my own misdeeds
My soul awakes, and my conscience pleads,
And I say to myself, "Is it I"
(JOHN PHILO TROWBRIDGE)

N.J. Hiebert - 3904

Gems from October 2009

October 1

"The joy of the Lord is your strength."
(Nehemiah 8:10)

The story is told about a man who was invited to become a Christian by someone with a very unhappy countenance. The man replied that he had enough worries of his own without becoming involved with the Christian's! What message do we give to the world around us by our demeanor? Do they see us as sour, ill- pleased, discontented, pessimistic, depressed sorts? Or do we reflect the joy that should belong to those who know their sins forgiven, and their heaven secure? Take a look in the mirror. What do you see? May the Lord enable us to show the joy of the Lord in our daily lives, and thereby attract others to Christ.
(W.H. BURNETT)

N.J. Hiebert - 3844

October 2

"But when he was a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."
(Luke 15:20)

Compassion is what makes a person feel pain when somebody else hurts.
________________________________________________________

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed of God."
(James 1:25)

Freedom is not the right to do what we want - but the power to do what we ought.
________________________________________________________

"Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel."
(Proverbs 27:9)

Everything is nicer when shared with a friend.
________________________________________________________
(SELECTED)

N.J. Hiebert - 3845

October 3

"For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world . . ." (2 Timothy 4:10)

The want of a distinct apprehension of the difference between the flesh and the Spirit, keeps people in a very low state. They may be safe for eternity, and yet may grieve and quench the Spirit. If you have got salvation but have worldly notions and a worldly walk, you will be incessantly grieving the Spirit, accrediting something in your walk which God wants to strip off. God cannot accredit Demas's love of present things. He cannot accredit anything of the flesh in Christians. If the Spirit of Christ is in me, all that is of myself must be judged.

In a cup of water, how could you displace the water? By putting something heavier into the cup. If you have a heart full of lusts and vanities, how are you to give them all up? By the precious gold of God poured into the vessel - all there will be displaced by it. (GLEANINGS - G.V. WIGRAM)

N.J. Hiebert - 3846

October 4

"That it may bring forth more fruit."
(John 15:2)

Two years ago I set out a rosebush in the corner of my garden. It was to bear yellow roses. And it was to bear them profusely. Yet, during these two years, it has not produced a blossom!

I asked the florist from whom I bought the bush why it was so barren of flowers. I had cultivated it carefully; had watered it often; had made the soil around it as rich as possible. And it had grown well.

"That's just why," said the florist. "That kind of rose needs the poorest soil in the garden. Sandy soil would be best, and never a bit of fertilizer. Take away the rich soil and put gravelly earth in its place. Cut the bush back severely. Then it will bloom."

I did - and the bush blossomed forth in the most gorgeous yellow know to nature. Then I moralized: that yellow rose is just like many lives. Hardships develop beauty in the soul; they thrive on troubles; trials bring out all the best in them; ease and comfort and applause only leave them barren.

The finest of flowers bloom in the sandiest of deserts as well as in the hothouses. God is the same Gardener.
(SPRINGS IN THE VALLEY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3847

October 5

"We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." (1 John 4:6)

All that I know of the world's path, spirit, affections, and conduct is, that it has crucified my Lord; not in its affections and lusts merely, but by wicked hands it has crucified my Master. Suppose it were but yesterday that you had seen Pontius Pilate the governor, and the chief priests, and the elders, putting Christ to death, would you feel happy to-day in holding communion with them? The stain of Christ's blood is as fresh in God's sight as if it had been done but yesterday; the time which has elapsed since them makes no difference in its moral guilt. (J.N. DARBY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3848

October 6

"Put on as the elect of God, kindness."
(Colossians 3:12)

There is a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and if he passed through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. And thus he passed through life lubricating all hard places and making it easier for those who came after him.

People called him eccentric, queer, and cranky; but the old man went steadily on refilling his can of oil when it became empty, and oiled the hard places he found.

There are many lives that creak and grate harshly as they live day by day. Nothing goes right with them. They need lubricating with the oil of gladness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness. Have you your own can of oil with you? Be ready with your oil of helpfulness in the early morning to the one nearest you. It may lubricate the whole day for him. The oil of good cheer to the downhearted one - Oh, how much it may mean! The word of courage to the despairing. Speak it.

Our lives touch others but once, perhaps, on the road of life; and then, mayhap, our ways diverge, never to meet again. The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off of many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable and ready for the redeeming grace of the Saviour.

A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart. Therefore, "Give others the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest." (STREAMS IN THE DESERT)

N.J. Hiebert - 3849

October 7

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Hm which died for them, and rose again."
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

What are we living for? A weighty question, I need not say; and it is of moment to our souls that we should not shrink from answering it, and that we should answer it in the fear of God. "He died for all, that they which live"; that is, the believers, "should not henceforth live unto themselves . . ." All were dead, believers and unbelievers alike, all were ruined men before God. And the death of Christ is the proof of the condition of every soul naturally; that is, all are lost, all lifeless toward God; that even the Son of God, who is everlasting life, should need to suffer, should find no portion but death in this world, is the proof that there is no life in it. Everything lay so irretrievable in death, that for Him to die is the only door of deliverance out of it. And, "He died for all." (CHRISTIAN TRUTH - DECEMBER 1962 - VOL. 15)

N.J. Hiebert - 3850

October 8

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: . . . He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
(Hebrews 11:6)

If you want your faith to grow, there are four rules that you must adopt.

1. Be willing to have a great faith. When men say they cannot believe, ask, "Are you willing to believe?" because if the will is toward faith, the Holy Spirit will produce a great faith.

2. Use the faith you have; the child with its slender arm muscles, will not be able to wield the sledgehammer unless he begins step by step to use them. Do not, therefore, stand on the boat's edge and wait to be able to swim a mile, but throw yourself out from its side into the water and swim a yard or two; for it is in these smaller efforts that you are to be prepared for the greater and mightier exploits.

3. Be sure to put God between yourself and circumstances. Everything depends on where you put God.

4. Live a life of daily obedience to God's will.

Observe these rules and your faith will grow. (F.B. MEYER)

Faith cannot grow in the atmosphere of doubt.

Our unbelief ties the hands of His omnipotence.

"All the scholastic scaffolding falls, as a ruined edifice, before one single word - faith!" - Napoleon 1.

N.J. Hiebert - 3851

October 9

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?"
(Luke 12:6)

As far as man is concerned, the sparrow is a worthless, useless bird. In New Testament times, two sold for a farthing (half a cent), and five for a cent, (one was thrown in for free). It is neither a singer nor beautiful to look at, yet God remembers the sparrow and even more than that, He cares for each one individually. Not one of them is forgotten before God. Did you ever see a thin sparrow? (LEONARD SHELDRAKE)

He chirps through his little life's daytime -
I'll praise for eternity,
And love, for His marvellous kindness
The God of the sparrow and me.
(L.S.)

N.J. Hiebert - 3852

October 10

"Peace . . . which passeth all understanding."
(Philippians 4:7)

One great evidence of my abiding in Christ is quietness. I have my portion elsewhere, and I go on. . . . No matter what it may be, we bring quietness of spirit into all circumstances while dwelling in God. The soul is not only happy in God for itself, but it will bring the tone of that place out with it.

Does all trouble find your heart so resting on God as your Father, that when it is multiplied, it leaves your spirit at rest, your sleep sweet, lying down sleeping, and rising as if all was peace around you, because you know God is, and disposes of all things? Is He thus between you and your troubles and troublers? And if He is, what can reach you?

The soul in communion with God will live in the spirit of peace. There is nothing more important, to meet the turmoil of the world, than getting into this spirit of peace.

Nothing keeps the soul in such peace as a settled confidence in God. Without this a person will be continually excited, in haste, and full of anxiety. If the peace of God keep your hearts, you will have the triumph of it; nothing can be heard that is distinctive from it and that does not perfectly harmonize with it. (PILGRIM PORTIONS FOR THE DAY OF REST - J.N.D.)

N.J. Hiebert - 3853

October 11

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

I am not what I was, (Ephesians 2:12,13)
I am not what I shall be. (1 John 3:2)
I am not what I should be. (Ephesians 4:1)
I am not what I would be. (Philippians 2:12,13)
But by the grace of God, I am, what I am. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

When I trace the way He's led me
In the many years gone by,
Kept us thru the many trials,
Sent us succour from on high,
Kept us in the sore temptations,
When the tempter's voice was heard,
In my soul I hear Him whisper;
Child of God, Hold fast my word.

When I look into the future,
Think of what I yet may meet,
And of how the subtle tempter,
Spreads his snares to catch my feet.
Then my eyes will turn to Jesus
Seated on the Father's throne,
See Him there my intercessor
Pleading for His feeble one.
(SELECTED)

N.J. Hiebert - 3854

October 12

"He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him."
(Isaiah 59:16)

"The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." (Isaiah 52:10)

Some seek to demonstrate their strength by rolling up their shirt-sleeves and arm wrestling another. Likewise, Isaiah metaphorically uses the arm eleven times to speak of God's delivering strength - Calvary being the greatest display. At Calvary, God's bare arm hung between heaven and earth, took the nails I deserved and brought deliverance to my soul. What strength! (WARREN HENDERSON - CHOICE GLEANINGS)

Jehovah lifted up His rod - O Christ, it fell on Thee!
Thou wast forsaken of Thy God; no distance now for me.

N.J. Hiebert - 3855

October 13

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 1:7)

What a change from Judaism! - the free favour of God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and peace to all the beloved of God in Rome. Do our souls enter into this? Instead of law justly requiring perfect obedience from man, now we have perfect peace with God, on the principle of free, unmerited favour. Israel, if faithful, could only have known God as Jehovah; we know Him as Father. (Romans - CHARLES STANLEY -The Evangelist from Sheffield England - 1800)

N.J. Hiebert - 3856

October 14

"Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
(Acts 20:35)

It seems to me that some people must confuse a grave facial expression with spirituality. Most of us will never look handsome, but there's no reason we can't look happy. The Saviour who puts a new song in our mouths also puts a smile on our lips. The type of Christianity that thrives on stern looks, arched eyebrows, and disapproving glances is not likely to attract young people to Christ - and it isn't going to impress people at all who are at least temporarily happy in their sins.

Man would fain make God a receiver instead of a giver; but this cannot be, for "It is more blessed to give than to receive"; and assuredly God must have the more blessed place. (SELECTED)

N.J. Hiebert - 3857

October 15

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."
(2 Corinthians 9:15)

- People with a heart for God have a heart for people.

- The joy of living comes from a heart of thanksgiving.

- In the desert of grief, God provides an oasis of grace.

- Selfish gratification will lead to spiritual stagnation.

- Running with patience is perseverance in the "long run."
(SOME THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER - R.K.)

N.J. Hiebert - 3858

October 16

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Love That Exceeds

The ascending affections are never equal to the descending. A child never loves a parent with the intenseness with which a parent loves his child. Yes, and more than this - the parent is satisfied to have it so. A father is satisfied to know that his love will never get its "recompense in the same" from the bosom of the child.

Our heavenly Father knows that His love will ever be the larger. He will ever be the One to "exceed" - as David with Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:41). For He is in the higher place; and that place will maintain its rights and attributes. And it is among the attributes of the descending affection (which comes out of the higher place), to flow with the richer and more generous current; and all that faith has to do is to allow this, and to rejoice that it is so. Faith ascends to God, and makes that journey in silence. (TCNL)

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October 17

"This is My commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:12)

D.L Moody pointed out, the words which delineate the lovely traits of character set forth in Galatians 5, are but various forms of love.

- Joy is love exulting;
- Peace is love in repose;
- Long-suffering is love enduring;
- Kindness is love in society;
- Goodness is love in action;
- Faithfulness is love on the battlefield;
- Meekness is love at school;
- Self-control is love in training.
(HENRY DURBANVILLE)

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October 18

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
(Psalm 119:105)

The Bible is all for the Christian, but not all about him. God in government, or Messiah and the kingdom, might express the general character of the Old Testament, while God in grace, or Christ and the Church, would characterize the New Testament. Moses, by inspiration of God, opened the canon of divine revelation; Paul completed the subjects of which it treats -

"I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God." (Colossians 1:25).

John closed it with the Revelation. This blessed Book is assailed on every hand - its inspiration is openly denied, its divine authority unblushingly called in question, and its heavenly doctrines made the sport of an unbelieving world. Yet its subjects are grand, momentous, and divine; its themes are heavenly and eternal. It is the Word of God, and therefore it lives and abides forever. (W. SCOTT)

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October 19

"Like a lamb dumb . . . so opened he not His mouth."
(Acts 8:32)

"Philip opened his mouth . . . and preached . . . Jesus."
(Acts 8:35)

Philip was able to open his mouth as the result of the Lord remaining mute at His trial. "When He was reviled, he reviled not again" (1 Peter 2:23). He was about to die an atoning death for a world of sinners who stood with their mouths stopped and guilty before God. How thrilled must Philip have been that day to open his mouth and make known the gospel, especially to one whose ear and heart were wide open to receive it. Is your mouth open? (W.P.W. MCVEY)

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October 20

" . . . the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys."
(Exodus 40:36)

Spend and be spent would we,
While lasts life's brief day;
No turning back in coward fear,
No lingering by the way.
Onward we press in haste,
Upward our journey still;
Ours is the path the Master trod,
Through good report and ill.
The way may rougher grow,
The weariness increase;
We gird our loins and hasten on,
The end, the end is peace.
(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

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October 21

"God is faithful" - 1 Corinthians 1:9

"God is faithful." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

This short, yet profound, phrase occurs twice in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. The first time in chapter 1 reminds us that God was faithful in calling us. But, lest we get discouraged by the hardships of the Christian life, we are later encouraged by the fact that He remains faithful throughout all of life's trials. He has not abandoned us, nor will He allow any trial to become "too difficult." Let us thank Him today for His continued interest and faithfulness in each of our lives. (CHOICE GLEANINGS - C. MARK HOGAN)

Oh, you that are sad, take heart again!
You are not alone in your hour of pain;
The Father stoops from His throne above
to sooth and comfort us with His love.

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October 22

"And Jesus, which is called Justus . . . these only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me." (Colossians 4:11)

Jesus, or Justus. Paul gave him his full title - Justus the just one. That man's outstanding characteristic was that he was a just man. That is not to be despised. We should all seek to be just. If there is anything that should characterize a Christian, it is moral integrity.

- Downright honesty,
- By the grace of God to speak the truth and be men of our word,
- To be those that can be trusted,
- Those upon whom our neighbours can look as honest men,
- Men who pay their debts,
- Men who have no unfulfilled obligations.
(C.H. BROWN - WHEN HE WRITES UP THE PEOPLE)

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October 23

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."
(Romans 15:1)

Pleasing our selves, directly condemned in Romans 15:1, is a common form of seeking our own. It is seen in great and little things - in our choice of work for the Lord, in our choice of residence, of companions, of dress, of occupation, and in many petty ways in which we daily indulge, instead of denying ourselves. Oh, how ashamed we feel when we just sit awhile and think of our dreadful self-pleasing in little things - always looking out for number one. So contrary are we in spirit to our beloved Lord. (PLAIN PAPERS FOR YOUNG BELIEVERS - A.T. SCHOFIELD)

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October 24

"Them that honour Me I will honour."
(1 Samuel 2:30)

Every breathing of our hearts by the Spirit of God is precious in His ear; every cup of cold water given in His name; every service rendered to His saints; every sigh over that which grieves Him; every thrill of joy for what brings glory to Him; every step trodden, or word spoken in furtherance of interests dear to His heart is written with an eternal pen and treasured in the archives of heaven; nor will He fail to requite even those who think upon His name (Malachi 3:16)

Children of sorrow we may indeed be, of whom the world has no record, and knows neither whence we come nor whither we are bound; but if our hearts be in the secret of the Lord, we are not only of the royal line, like Jabez, but, like Jabez, also of the line of faith; our requests are answered, our record is on high for eternity, heavenly resources are ours in their richest plentitude, and an opened heaven will soon receive us into its bosom. Then shall be fully displayed what only faith accepts now - the immutability of that word, "Them that honour Me I will honour." (W.R.)

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October 25

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." (Deuteronomy 6:6)

Check Your Blind Spots

When I was in high school, I had a driving instructor who gave me some sound advice. "You think by looking in the rearview mirror you know what is on your left side, but your vision is limited," he said. "Always look over your shoulder before changing lanes. There may be another car in your blind spot." His wise instruction has kept me out of more potential wrecks than I care to think about.

Moses had some wise instruction for the people of Israel. They were to make the study and contemplation of God's commandments an integral part of life. Moses said, "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deuteronomy 6:7). In short, God's words were to permeate every aspect of their lives.

The Bible is our instruction manual from God for navigating life's journey. But merely owning a copy is not enough. It must be studied, applied, and passed on to others.

Just as checking our blind spot should become an automatic response while we drive, applying God's Word should be our natural response as we encounter the hazards of life. It will help us avoid a spiritual crash. (DENNIS FISHER)

The bible will transform our lives
And turn us from our sin,
If we will read it and obey
God's principles within. (SPER)
__________________________________________________________________
The Bible will tell you what is wrong before you have done it! (MOODY)

Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2005), Grand Rapids, MI. Printed permission.

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October 26

"For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God."
(John 10:33)

So men thought. But actually, the reality was just the opposite. He was eternally God (John 1:1), yet became a Man (John 1:14).

- It was as a Man that He was born at Bethlehem,
- That He passed through youth and young manhood.
- It was as a Man that He was condemned to death on Calvary.
- And as a Man that He died for our sins and was acknowledged as righteous by the centurion (Luke 23:47).
- It is as a Man that He now mediates with the Father (1 Timothy 2:5) (GARRY W. SEALE)

Jesus is God! The glorious bands of golden angels sing,
Songs of adoring praise to Him, their Maker and their King.
He was true God in Bethlehem's crib, on Calvary's cross true God,
He who is heaven eternal reigned, in time on earth abode.
(F.W. FABER)

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October 27

"Ye are the salt of the earth."
(Matthew 5:13)

"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt."
(Colossians 4:6)

With Grace

I have just read a statement of a Christian writer to the effect that the salt of the earth needs to be applied - even if it smarts.

I have heard and read many developments of this same theme. The outline usually runs the same course: salt seasons, purifies and preserves. But somebody ought to remind us that salt also irritates. Real living Christianity rubs this world the wrong way. "The world hath hated them, because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world" (John 15:19). Godly living is in itself a rebuke to this age, and this world resents the light that exposes its corruption.

We are going to a lot of trouble these days developing a brand of Christianity that will not irritate this world. The only salt that will not irritate is "salt without savour," and our Lord said such salt, whether table salt or spiritual salt is "good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men." (SELECTED)

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October 28

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:7)

When you have a need, instead of worrying and fussing about it, you need to present your need to our Father right away. Stop what you are doing; get on your knees and pour your heart out to the Father. Our loving God and Father is waiting and wants to hear all about it. He will not always say yes, but He will always give us His peace. If we will but trust Him and put our cares before His heart, He will put His peace into ours.

"It is a wonderful thing to be so satisfied with the Lord Jesus' company, that we can be tranquil about everything. You will often find that it is the one of the most anxious temperament who finds most in Him, when such an one begins to know Him. I remember when I used to think that I should be happy beyond conception if I were able to say, 'I will fear no evil,' 'my heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' In order to reach this, you must find Him enough, without anything else. We all say that He is enough, but it is quite a different thing to know it practically. You can never prove the worth of anyone, until you are absolutely dependent on him." -J.B.S.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).
(Submitted by a reader - S.L.)

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October 29

"What is in thine hand?"
(Exodus 4:2)

Let us examine honestly whether it is something which He can use for His glory or not. If not, do not let us hesitate an instant about dropping it. It may be something we do not like to part with; but "the Lord is able to give thee much more than this," and the first glimpse of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord will enable us to count those things loss which were gain to us.

But if it is something which He can use, He will make us do ever so much more with it than before. Moses little thought what the Lord was going to make him do with that rod in his hand! The first thing he had to do with it was to cast it on the ground, and see it pass through a startling change. After this he was commanded to take it up again, hard and terrifying as it was to do so. But when it became again a rod in his hand, it was no longer what it was before, the simple rod of a wandering desert shepherd. Henceforth it was "the rod of God in his hand" (Exodus 4:20), wherewith he should do signs, and by which God Himself would do marvelous things (Psalm 78:12). (OPENED TREASURES - FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL)

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October 30

"How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth and thy want as an armed man."
(Proverbs 6:9-11)

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction.
__________________________________________________________________


"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
(Galatians 6:2)

Test your strength by lifting a burden from another's shoulder.
___________________________________________________________________

"We spend our days as a tale that is told---for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
(Psalm 90:9,10)

A minute is a little thing, but minutes make a day. So crowd in some kind deeds before it slips away.
___________________________________________________________________


"The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself."
(Proverbs 11:25)

No man can be good to others without being good to himself.
___________________________________________________________________
(SELECTED)

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October 31

"For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better . . ."
(Philippians 1:23)

The last for which the first was made - that was Paul's highest aspiration, to be with Christ. But do not forget that Christ is with us now. We are hampered by our limitations and not as aware of Him as we should be. There, no longer blinded by our eyes, we shall know as we are known and we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. But He is with us all the days when we see through a glass as in a riddle and to know Hm better now is our chief business. Tomorrow can wait and we have only today. (ALL THE DAYS - VANCE HAVNER)

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Gems from September 2009

September 1

"The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
(1 Corinthians 2:10)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalm 139:23,24)

If there is a corner of my heart that Christ has not searched down to the very bottom, I am undone. Would I have a blind Christ, one whom I should not like to search out every part of my heart? Ah! I would rather have Christ pointing out everything, than friends praising. I adore God that gave Him to me. Who am I, that my Lord should so condescend to search me? And where there is evil in me, that is just where God lets His streams flow into me. He sees everything that hinders and chokes - would I stay His hand? (GLEANINGS of G.V. WIGRAM)

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September 2

"Spread the sail." (Isaiah 33:23)

Picture a vessel lying becalmed on a glassy sea - not a breath of air stirs a sail. But, presently, the little pennant far up on the masthead begins to stir and lift! There is not a ripple on the water; not the slightest movement of the air on deck, but there is a current stirring in the upper air! At once the sails are spread to catch it!

"So in life," says Dr Miller, "there are higher and lower currents. Too many of us use only the lower sails, and catch only the winds blowing along earthly levels. It would be an unspeakable gain to us all were we to let our life fall under the influence of these upper currents." (SPRINGS in the VALLEY)

Spread your sails to catch the upper currents!

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September 3

"In My Father's house are many mansions."
(John 14:2)

Spoken to His disciples . . . their earthly sun was sinking, but the stars were coming out in the sky to tell of a greater and a grander universe. Somewhere in that great universe, in the infinite realms of space, God has a place which He calls His "Home"; a house of many mansions, to which, one by one, He welcomes His children; and to which, sooner or later, He shall conduct all who are His.

"My Father's House! No strange and foreign land;
No wonderful new world, too coldly grand;
But Home - and a Father's outstretched, welcoming hand."

Those whose experiences in this world have made them conscious of homelessness and loneliness, can look forward to mansions of eternal abode, to couches of eternal rest, to the board of an eternal festival. Meantime, they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth: strangers because they are from Home; pilgrims because they are going Home. (HIS LAST WORDS - HENRY DURBANVILLE)

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September 4

"For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."
(1 Peter 2:20)

Anyone can endure reproof when he knows it is deserved. It takes grace to enable one to accept undeserved blame without complaining; but to God it is acceptable, or well-pleasing, for this is to follow Christ's blessed example. "It is hard to be blamed for what you did not do!" So said a troubled young Christian lately. But in this portion of God's Word we are bidden to take our blessed, adorable Lord Himself as our example in this as in all else.

He was falsely accused and bitterly persecuted for wrongs He had never done. As He left everything in the Father's hands, so should we. Nature will rebel when we have to say, as He did, "They laid to My charge things that I knew not." (Psalm 35:11). But grace will enable us to triumph and to rejoice when men speak evil of us and persecute us (Matthew 5:11).

If we endure patiently, as seeing Him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27), we shall be vindicated in His own way and time, and reward will be sure at His judgment-seat (1 Corinthians 4:5). (SELECTED)

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September 5

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1)

The body craves for material things, so we buy food and clothes and houses and cars - things for the body. But the body eventually dies. The mind cries for intellectual things, so we build schools and buy books. We read and study and cultivate friendships. But toward the end the mind fails. The spirit calls for spiritual things. It needs God. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God." The spirit craves for something that material things can never supply. It craves after God. There is an emptiness in each human life that only God can fill.

"Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
(SELECTED)

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September 6

The Best System

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)

"Do you think it wrong for me to learn the art of self-defense?" asked a young man of an an older brother.

"Certainly not," he answered. I learned it in youth myself, and I have found it of great value during my life."

"Indeed, sir! Did you learn the old English system or Sullivan's system?"

"Neither. I learned Solomon's system."

"Solomon's system?"

"Yes; you will find it laid down in Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turneth away wrath." It is the best system of self-defense of which I know."

(TCNL)

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September 7

" . . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1,2)

"Lay aside," he says, "these useless and hurtful things; leave them behind." It is easy, when we look unto Jesus; but impossible unless our thoughts and affections are centered in Christ - unless we behold Him as our Lord and Bridegroom, our strength and joy. This is the only method of the new covenant. We are not under the law, but under grace. It is not by introspection, by self-discipline, by attempting first to lay aside our weight and our sin, that we gain the victory. These things do not precede the look unto Jesus.

- It is the light which dispels the darkness;
- It is the love of Jesus which separates us from the world;
- It is the grace of Christ that delivers us from all fear and doubt.
(EPISTLE to the HEBREWS - ADOLPH SAPHIR)

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September 8

"And the serpent said unto the woman (Eve - in the garden of Eden), ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4,5)

Wretched man thought that God did not wish to give him something through jealousy of his happiness, but this was the lie of Satan. God who seemed to refuse a fruit to man, innocent, has given His Son to man a sinner. And the heart of man is so perverted that he has no confidence though God has given His Son. The effect of the death of Jesus is to inspire us with perfect confidence. The death of Jesus puts us in relationship with God without fear and without difficulty, because it clothes us when we are naked and miserable. This confidence give us peace and obedience, because nothing is more precious than the love of God; and this love makes us prefer obedience and its consequences in spit of all the difficulties. (CHRISTIAN TRUTH - VOL. 15 - APRIL 1962)

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September 9

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
(Acts 16:31)

God does not call upon a sinner to believe in anything that Christ did, but to believe in Christ. He knows what He did, and accepts the sinner who believes in Him according to His own knowledge of the value of Christ's work, and not according to the knowledge the sinner possesses of it; still it deepens and strengthens the believer in the knowledge of God and His grace, as the soul comprehends how the judgment of God for sin has been borne by the Son of God - how He ended in Himself that to which the judgment attached - and, rising out of the dead, is the One in whom every one believing in Him lives. (F.G. PATTERSON)

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September 10

"A bruised reed shall He not break, and a smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory."
(Matthew 12:20)

A bruised shall He not break: the poorest shepherd boy on our South Indian hills is careful to choose, for the making of his flute, a reed that is straight and fine and quite unbruised. But our Heavenly Shepherd often takes the broken and the bruised, and of such He makes His flutes. But life, like His book, is full of parables of tenderness; and one of these has often come into this room of late. For he whose name means God's Peace has brought his autoharp to play to me, and has first tuned it while I expectantly waited for the music which I knew would follow the tuning.

Is music to come from our harp? music of prayer, of praise, of consolation? The strings are relaxed, or perhaps too tensely stretched. Illness can cause either condition. But we have a Tuner.

Tune Thou my harp;
There is not, Lord, could never be,
The skill in me.

Tune Thou my harp,
That it may play Thy melody,
Thy harmony.

Tune Thou my harp;
The Spirit, breathe Thy thought through me,
As pleases Thee.
(AMY CARMICHAEL - ROSE FROM BRIAR)

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September 11

"But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
(1 Timothy 6:11)

On June 15, 1957, a brand-new car was buried in a concrete vault under the courthouse lawn in Tulsa. In June 2007, the car was unearthed as the city celebrated Oklahoma's 100th year of statehood. Writing in the Tulsa World, Randy Krehbiel said: "Now we know what 50 years in a hole does to a Plymouth Belvedere." Water seeping into the vault had turned the once shiny car into a rusted monument to the past. A hot-rod expert hired to start the engine pronounced it "hopeless."

Spiritual inactivity corrodes the soul like moisture acting on metal. Paul urged Timothy, his young protege, to "follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11) This command had no expiration date attached to it. The spiritual disciplines require continued attention throughout our lives. If rest becomes our goal, then rust is right behind.

Oswald Chambers said: "The intellect works with the greatest intensity when it works continuously; the more you do, the more you can do. We must work hard to keep in trim for God. Clean off the rust and keep bright by use."

Our capabilities may vary with age, but pursuing the righteous life to which God has called us should never end. Don't rust out! (DAVID MCCASLAND)

Spiritual inactivity corrodes the soul.

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_____________________________________________________________
"Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (August 2008), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission."

September 12

"He was moved with compassion."
(Matthew 9:36)

"The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
(James 5:11)

Jesus . . . could say, "I have glorified Thee." The more evil there was done here, the more the Father was glorified. Never did irritation enter into Him; no contradiction ever prevented His having the same heart for man and for God.

When we study Christ's life down here, and what His heart and motives were, how shallow we are, . . . and how deep and far beyond our view the sufferings of His soul down here!

A broken heart is suited to a heart-healing God.
Whatever produces a care in us produces God's care for us.

There is much more reality in a living loving care of us than we are aware of. The Lord takes pains to assure us of His love, to persuade us of His love.

"Ye are of more value than many sparrows."
(PILGRIM PORTION FOR THE DAY OF REST - J.N.D.)

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September 13

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13,14)

I shall never forget Dr. R.A. Torrey saying to me as a young preacher, "Young man, make up your mind on one thing and stick to it." The Christian life should be like a sword with one point, not like a broom ending in many straws. Such a single purpose forgets the past, reaches toward the future, and presses on. There is no time or place for side issues, diversions to the right or to the left. There is no place for hands on the plow with eyes looking back. Paul was a one-track man, but you can go a long way on one track! (VANCE HAVNER - ALL THE DAYS)

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September 14

"Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame." (Hebrews 12:2)

For us the Lord "endured" the cross. He deliberately and consciously persevered through the anguish of Golgotha. For us he "despised" the shame. He thought little of all the cruel beatings, and mockery and judgment that He would bear for our redemption. What have we endured for Him? What shame have we received for the name of Christ? It is shameful how shameless we are. The joy that motivated the Lord was the knowledge that one day we would be with Him, and this made the cross worth bearing. What is it that will motivate us today? (SAJU MATHEW)

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September 15

" . . . I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, . . . that I may win Christ."
(Philippians 3:8)

When Mahoud, the conqueror of India, had taken the city of Gujarat, he proceeded, as was his custom, to destroy the idols. There was one, fifteen feet high, which its priests and devotees begged him to spare. He was deaf to their entreaties, and seizing a hammer he struck it one blow when, to his amazement, from the shattered image there rained down at his feet a shower of gems - pearls and diamonds - a treasure of fabulous value, which had been hidden within it! Had he spared the idol, he would have lost all this wealth. Let us not spare our idols. It is to our interest to demolish them. If we shatter them, there will rain about our hearts the very treasures of heaven, the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit; but if we spare our idols, we miss the riches unsearchable.

If you do not crown Him Lord of all, you do not crown Him Lord at all.
(JOHN MAC NEIL)

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September 16

"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." (Exodus 3:2)

What a sight as the Lord appeared to Moses in the midst of the burning bush! When you feel the fire of trial and temptation, don't forget that God is in the midst of that fire. In the heat of your trial, keep trusting, for you will not be overcome by it. Remember God's faithfulness. He said, "I have surely seen the affliction . . . and I am come down to deliver them" (Exodus 3:7-8) (JAMES COMTE)

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided -
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

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September 17

"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)

The old house is breaking down; with some of us the roof is thatched now with white hair, and we are reminded that day by day we shall soon move out unless Christ Himself returns. But we are not disheartened, we are not discouraged, for "though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." My hope is brighter now than it ever was; my joy in Christ is greater than it has ever been; the world means less to me today than it has ever meant, and the applause of men means less. But the approval of the Lord means more than it has ever meant. (EXTRACT)

Heaven is commenced already for the heart that is in the joy of resurrection,
and in association with Christ.

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September 18

"Come up in the morning . . . and present thyself unto Me in the top of the mount." (Exodus 34:2)

The morning is the time fixed for my meeting the Lord. The very word morning is a cluster of rich grapes. Let us crush them, and drink the sacred wine. In the morning! Then God means me to be at my best in strength and hope. I have not to climb in my weakness. In the night I have buried yesterday's fatigue, and in the morning take a new lease of energy. Blessed is the day whose morning is sanctified! Successful is the day whose first victory was won in prayer! Holy is the day whose dawn finds thee on the top of the mount! (STREAMS IN THE DESERT)

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September 19

"Blessed us with all spiritual blessings . . . in Christ."
(Ephesians 1:3)

It is easy to be earthly minded, caught up in those things that depress and distress. Instead of thinking about the mundane, try a different view today. Think of these spiritual blessings.

- We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:19);
- Regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5); and,
- Reconciled by the Father (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).

We who were by nature rebels, reprobates, and condemned, are now cleansed, forgiven, and fit for heaven. Truly we are a blessed people, with much to be thankful for. Have you blessed Him for how He has blessed you? (FRANK BURGESS)

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September 20

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures."
(1 Corinthians 15:3)

- The plan of deliverance was divine,
- The provision of the sacrifice was divine,
- The shedding of the blood was divine,
- The sprinkling of the blood was divine,
- The record as to the result was divine:
- In short it was all divine.

It is not that we should undervalue realization, or, to speak more correctly, communion, through the Holy Spirit, with all the precious results of Christ's work for us. But then, we are no more saved by realization, than the leper was cleansed by it. The gospel, by which we are saved, is that "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3,4) There is nothing about realization here. No doubt, it is happy to realize. It is a very happy thing for one, who was just on the point of being drowned, to realize himself in a life-boat; but, clearly, he is saved by the boat and not by his realization.

So it is with the sinner that believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is saved by death and resurrection. Is it because he realizes it? No, but because God says it. it is "according to the Scriptures." Christ died and rose again; and, on that ground, God pronounces him clean. (C.H. MACINTOSH)

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September 21

"He was despised and rejected of men."
(Isaiah 53:3)

Jesus of Nazareth was hated by the world - the very people He came to save. The lowly man of Sorrows was persecuted and treated as an outcast. His disciples were martyred for His name's sake. Christians throughout the ages have also been hated and persecuted by the world. Because of our association with the rejected Christ, we live in a foreign environment. As ambassadors of Christ we are here to minister the gospel. We should have no part with the world who crucified our Lord. When we sense the world's animosity and disdain, we will know that we are walking as He walked (E. MAC-LELLAND)

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September 22

"And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel." (Luke 2:34)

Do you know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ proves either a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death? You sometimes hear people say: "We will go and hear this man preach. If it does us no good, it will do us no harm." Don't you believe it! Every time one hears the Gospel and rejects it, the hardening process goes on. The same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay. The message that would have moved to action a few years ago makes no impression now.

There is not a true minister of the Gospel who will not say that the hardest people to reach are those who have been impressed, and whose impressions have worn away. It is a good deal easier to commit a sin the second time than it was to commit it the first time, but it is a good deal harder to repent the second time than the first. (D.L.MOODY)

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September 23

"And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with Him, then he heard the voice of One speaking unto him from off the mercy seat."
(Numbers 7:89)

In prayer we speak to Him; by His Word He speaks to us; and both are necessary for the maintenance of heart communion with the Lord. God fades out of the life of the man who ceases to use them. He may retain a vocabulary; but to living experience of the power and presence of God he will be a stranger, and his heart and life will become a spiritual Sahara (desert). On he other hand, "How much God has to speak into the stilled and waiting heart - precious secrets that will set the joy-chords vibrating throughout the entire being. There is nothing selfish in the gladness which throbs at the heart of Jehovah - He longs to pour of its wealth into the hearts of His people; but it is only as they come into utmost union with His plan for their lives that this can be. How wonderful are those moment of communion." (HEAVEN'S CURE FOR EARTH'S CARE)

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September 24

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
(1 Thessalonians 4:17)

As the whole mind of Christ, when down here, was set on showing His delight in the Father, so now in heaven it is the whole pleasure of God's mind to show out His delight in the Christ, seated at His own right hand, as the accepted sacrifice. He wants our hearts to be filled with nothing else, and when occupied with that, no question can come in as to our perfect acceptance.

To meet the Lord in the air -- What a volume in those words! Nothing can give cheerfulness in the thought of treading a path never trod before, but the Lord Himself being there --- meeting Him there. (G.V.W. - THY PRECEPTS - V2 - P9 - As submitted by K.W. --- Tasmania)

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September 25

"Hatred stirreth up strifes: But love covereth all sins."
(Proverbs 10:12)

In 1 Peter 4:8, it is written, ". . . and above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves: for charity (love) shall cover the multitude of sins." It is not, as some have foolishly supposed, that kindliness and benevolence, on the part of one otherwise guilty before God, will atone for his transgressions, thus covering them in the day of judgment. Other's faults, not my own, I am called upon to cover. Not by indifference to evil, but by faithfully, in love and grace, showing my brother his sin, and seeking to exercise his conscience in the presence of God, that confession may be made, and thus the sin be covered. Where love is lacking, it is a common practice to play the part of a talebearer, which only tends to add to the evil; for the repeating of sin is defiling, and often leads to life-long unhappiness and misunderstandings. (H.A. IRONSIDE - NOTES ON PROVERBS)

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September 26

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort (encouragement)."
(2 Corinthians 1:3)

- Faith is never too bold to please Him. In the days of His flesh He often rebuked the reserves and suspicions of little faith, but never the strength and decision of faith that aimed as at everything and would no go without a blessing.

- Would that we knew our God as He is to be known, for His praise and our comfort! Love delights to be used. Love is wearied with ceremoniousness. . . . The intimacy of faith is according to His grace, and ceremony is but a weariness to Him.

- The hand of God can do the business of God, though it have but a sling and a stone, or the jaw bone of a donkey, or lamps and pitchers; and the Spirit of God can do the business of God with souls, though He use but a word, or a look, or a groan.

- The simpler we are, the more like children, who learn their lesson rather than discuss it . . . the more surely shall we find Him, and reach Him, and know Him.

- It is hard to believe that God is doing your business in this world. It is much easier to us to do Christ's work than to believe He has done ours. (J.G. BELLETT)

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September 27

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)

An important part of praying is a willingness to become part of the answer.
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"Let another man man praise thee and not thine own mouth; a stranger and not thine own lips." (Proverbs 27:2)

You can't push yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.
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"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"
(James 3:5)

The tongue - being a wet spot, is very apt to slip.
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(SELECTED)

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September 28

"Behold the Man!" (John 19:5)
"Behold your king!" (John 19:14)

It is a remarkable instance of the sovereignty of God that a pagan Roman governor should be compelled to quote Scripture twice on that sad morning of the crucifixion. Little did Pilate know, when he called their attention to the lowly Man with the purple robe, and to the King with the thorn crown, that he was quoting from Zechariah 6:12 and 9:9. How true the word of that word of the psalmist, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee" (Psalm 76:19). (JIM FLANIGAN).

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Them anew this song we'll sing:
Hallelujah What a Saviour!
(PHILIP P. BLISS)

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September 29

"Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me . . . Go unto the vessels, and drink . . ."
(Ruth 1:20; 2:9)

Naomi felt that God had stopped the flow of blessing in her life. But the word bitterly here is expressed in the Hebrew as a "trickle" or a "drop." Instead of a fountain springing up within her, she was down to a drop-by-drop experience in her life. But Ruth responded to those drops, meager though they were, and was abundantly blessed, for when she arrived in the land of blessing, she was encouraged to drink deeply. The Gentile woman in Matthew 15:21-28 asked only for the crumbs. What blessing is waiting for those who seek after God, even though they know little of Him! (L. NICHOLSON)

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September 30

"Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:18)

Every so often when I walk into my office in the morning, I find a surprise on my desk. Not long ago the item was a sunflower coffee mug dropped off by a fellow employee. She had seen it in a shop and knew it would cheer up my wife - so she bought it and left it on my desk with an encouraging note.

It was my pleasure to take that gift home to my wife Sue and give it to her in the name of the woman who wanted to encourage her.

This person could have simply thought about my wife. She could have talked to someone about her in a positive way. But those things don't come close to providing the encouragement that comes from taking action.

In 1 John 3:18, John talked about what we are to do when we see others in need. He told us to have active compassion: "Let us not love in word neither, in tongue, but in deed." When we see a need, it's good to talk about it, but we must also do something about it. We are instructed: "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22).

Ask the Lord to place someone on your heart to help in Jesus' name. Then take action. Make a difference today. Send a card. Give a gift. Offer a ride. Make a call. Love in deed is love indeed. (DAVE BRANON)

Lord, when I learn that someone is hurting,
Help me know what to do and to say;
Speak to my heart and give me compassion,
Let Your great love flow through me today.
(K. DE HAAN)
____________________________________________________________
Compassion is love in action.
____________________________________________________________

(Our daily Bread, RBC Ministries, copyright (2007), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.)

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Gems from August 2009

August 1

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
(2 Timothy 2:15)

We have been given God's inspired Word. Its work is to bring us to spiritual maturity (2 Timothy 3:17). Our responsibility is:

- To diligently study it;
- Read it the way it has been given (in its context);
- Spend time meditating on what it says;
- Compare it with the rest of Scripture.

In this way, we will "rightly divide" it so that we can apply it to ourselves and teach it to others. Such diligent working on our part will mean we will not be ashamed when we see Him - the Author of it all. (David Croudace)

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"Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way?" (Luke 24:32)

Go with me, Master, by the way,
Make every day a walk with Thee;
New glory shall the sunshine gain,
And all the clouds shall lightened be.
Go with me on life's dusty road
And help me bear the weary load.

Talk with me, Master, by the way;
The voices of the world recede,
The shadows darken o'er the land,
How poor am I, how great my need.
Speak to my heart disquieted
Till it shall lose its fear and dread.

Bide with me, Master, all the way,
Though to my blinded eyes unknown;
So shall I feel a Presence near
Where I had thought I walked alone.
And when, far spent, the days decline,
Break Thou the bread, dear Guest of mine!
(Annie Johnson Flint)

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August 2

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying,that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Ephesians 4:29)

There are words that heal and words that hurt. An article told of a little, left-handed girl who was teasingly told that left-handed people don't go to heaven. This wounded the child's sensitive spirit and took her years to overcome. James 3:11 asks, "Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" Harsh or condemning words are cruel and intimidating, whereas good words will inspire and build up. May we carefully think, before blurting careless words.

May we use our speech in an honourable way. (E. Dyck - provided by a reader B.R.)

Hurtful words oh, let them never,
From our tongues unbridled slip,
May we heed the Spirit's warning,
Set a guard at heart and lip. (Anon)

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August 3

"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:46,47)

Here was a spontaneous burst of praise and worship, occasioned by Mary's understanding that she was to be the mother of the Lord. Notice that both components of Mary's inner self - soul and spirit together - formed this exaltation. There is a need for both in our worship. May our soul's emotion and our spirit's understanding combine that there might be fullness in our adoration. Paul said, "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also," (1 Corinthians 14:15).

O Lord, we know it matters not how sweet the song may be;
No heart but of the Spirit taught makes melody to Thee.

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August 4

"Jesus saith unto him (Thomas), I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

"Without the way there is no going;
Without the truth there is no knowing;
Without the life there is no living.
I am the way which thou oughtest to follow,
The truth which thou oughtest to trust,
The life which thou oughtest to live":

The inviolable way,
The infallible truth,
The endless life.

He is the way in the practical sphere,
The truth in the intellectual sphere,
The life in the spiritual sphere:

The way out of sin, The way through life, The way home to God.

The claims implicit in the words of verse 6 are exclusive, absolute, universal; and they demonstrate the truth that Christianity is Christ.

Platonism could exist without Plato, Buddhism without Buddha, Confucianism without Confucius; But Christianity could not exist without our risen Lord.

He not only sets forth the ideal, but is Himself the dynamic Power by which alone it can be realized (Galatians 2:20). (Henry Durbanville - His Last Words)

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August 5

"None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever." (no payment is ever enough). (Psalm 49:7,8)

"The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."
(1 John 1:7)

Different Conversions

It is sweet to inspect the way in which the light of God approached and entered the soul. Sometimes it was gentle; sometimes it was full of force and rapidity; sometimes it intimated a work more fully on the heart; and sometimes a work more on the conscience or understanding. But it was always God's work, that we know, though the material operated on may have been various, and the mode of operation various.The Eunuch was evidently in the hand of God before Philip met him - he was under the drawings of the Father (John 6). And that his heart was deeply engaged is evident, because he forgot the common order, of the world, when he bid Philip come up to him in his chariot. He waited for no introduction. The stranger was no stranger, since he referred to that subject which at that moment was everything to his heart. He was another Zaccheus, who forgot his place in society, and pressed through the crowd after Jesus.

Look at Saul. He was full of religious zeal - the zeal of an inquisitor.

Look at Cornelius. He was full of religious devotion - gentle, benevolent, disposed (instead of persecuting others) to judge that all others were better than himself.

All of them equally needed Jesus. There was no life in any or for any, but through Jesus. (J.G. Bellett)

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August 6

"That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." (2 Corinthians 4:1-7)

In the days of John Wesley, lay preachers with limited education would sometimes conduct the church services. One man used Luke 19:21 as his text: "Lord, I feared Thee, because Thou art an austere man." Not knowing the word austere, he thought the text spoke of "an oyster man."He explained how a diver must grope in dark, freezing water to retrieve oysters. In his attempt, he cuts his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. After he obtains an oyster, he rises to the surface, clutching it "in his torn and bleeding hands." The preacher added, "Christ descended from the glory of heaven into . . . sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven. His torn and bleeding hands are a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest."

Afterward, 12 men received Christ. Later that night someone came to Wesley to complain about unschooled preachers who were too ignorant even to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. The Oxford-educated Wesley simply said, "Never mind. The Lord got a dozen oysters tonight."

Our best may not always measure up to the standards of others. But God takes our inadequacies and humble efforts and uses them for His glory. (CINDY HESS KASPER)

The Master can use what you have to offer,
Though you may consider it small;
His work here on earth is done through His children,
So give Him your best, give your all. (HESS)

Do what you can where you are with what you have.

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(Our daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2008), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.)

August 7

"And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee." (1 Kings 19:7)

Is it not good and comforting to know that the angel of the Lord came again the second time? We never reach the place where we pass beyond the compassion of our God: His compassions fail not; they are new every morning; never tiring of us, always strong for our help.

There have been times for nearly all of us when we have felt the truth of the angel's word, "The journey is too great for thee"; but have we not always found the Bread of Life and the Water of Life ready for our sustenance? And in the strength of that meat we have gone on, and shall go, on unto the Mount of God. (Amy Carmichael - Rose From Brier)

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August 8

"I being in the way, the Lord led me. . . ." (Genesis 24:27)

Everything depends on our being in the way. God has not promised to lead and to bless us when we are in the wrong way. Sometimes the way seems long and hard and we may grow fearful that we have missed it. A traveler in the jungle said to his guide, "But there is no path, no road, no way." The guide replied, "There is no road, I am the way!" Our Lord is not the way-shower, He is THE WAY. When we abide in Him, we need no chart or compass. The Holy Spirit has come to guide us into all truth. He is the One called alongside to help. We may be perplexed at times and see not the way ahead but let us take our bearings and, if our hearts condemn us not, then let us take heart and keep going. We being in the way, He will lead us. (Vance Havner - All the Days)

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August 9

"And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:16)

Sandu Sundar Singh was one who had an experience similar to that of Paul. When this great Hindu saint was visiting England a modernistic professor asked him to explain what there was in Christianity that he could not find in his Hindu religion that cause him to change his faith. He answered simply, "IT WAS CHRIST!" The professor wasn't satisfied. "What teaching or doctrine is there in Christianity distinct from that of your former faith," he asked again. The Hindu saint replied, "It wasn't a teaching or a doctrine. It was THE LIVING CHRIST!" Still the professor objected, "Perhaps I haven't made my meaning clear. What is there in the philosophy of Christianity different from the philosophy of Hinduism which caused you to embrace Christianity?" "IT WAS CHRIST!" was still his answer. Not just a creed, or a doctrine, or a philosophy, but a TRANSFORMING CHRIST - crucified, risen, ascended, interceding, and coming again! Christ, divinely revealed to our hearts by the Holy Ghost - Christ in us the hope of glory! (MOUNTAIN TRAILWAYS FOR YOUTH)

"And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God." (John 20:28)

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August 10

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
(1 John 4:8)

When I say, "God is love," what do I mean by it? Why this, that God sent His only-begotten Son that we might have life in Him. We still carry about the old nature; but, blessed be God, many a time as Satan has caught me, he has never destroyed me; there is the propitiation, - I am inside, sheltered by the blood, and forgiven. (GLEANINGS of G.V. WIGRAM)

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August 11

"God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36)

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that that Jesus Christ is Lord."
(Philippians 2:10.11)

THINGS THAT ACCOMPANY SALVATION: SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE

Jesus spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road saying, "I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest" (Acts 9:5). Saul replied, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10). Addressing Jesus as Lord at the moment of his conversion, Saul recognized His authority and manifested his own surrender, his submission to Him as Lord and Master, and his willingness to obey and serve Him.

Surrender of one's self to Christ as Saviour, and submission and obedience to Him is the very essence of Christianity - the name Christian means one who has become a follower and disciple of Christ. Therefore obedience and submission to Christ are definite things which accompany salvation and should be found in all who say they are Christians.

Have you ever thought that we are to accept Christ as our Lord, not just as our Saviour from sin and judgment? The One whom we have accepted as Saviour is also the One to whom God has given the place of Lord over all. Something is wrong if we take Christ as our Saviour to get all the benefits of His work on the cross for us and then fail to submit to Him as our Lord and Master in devoted obedience.

To accept Jesus as as Lord means to acknowledge His rights and authority over me, to surrender my will to Him, and to endeavor to please and serve Him. This is evident from the Lord's words, "Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?" (Luke 6:46). He expects us to do what He desires and His desires are plainly expressed in the Bible. (R.K. CAMPBELL)

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August 12

"They looked unto Him, and were lightened."
(Psalm 34:5)

O Lord! we would delight in Thee,
And on Thy care depend,
To Thee in every trouble flee,
Our safe unfailing Friend.

When human cisterns all are dried,
Thy fulness is the same,
May we with this be satisfied,
And glory in Thy name.
(RYLAND -1777)

Which would you rather have, a smooth path, or a path so rough that the Lord is compelled to show His face to you every step of the way?

Christ wept; but He wept as in the sight of God. . . . Let us see to it that the sorrows we have flow from Himself, and flow toward Him in God; they will be all the deeper, I am sure, but what is from God and to God is sustained by God, and so we can give thanks always for all things.

"What pleases Thee, Lord, pleases me" is a grand motto for rest and peace and quiet, and for the stopping of all repining about what we have not got.

It is a great thing for each to be . . . ready to act on and from his own responsibility, but never going beyond that which he sees to be his own duty, never acting under the light which others have. . . . I would rather act under God's measure of light vouchsafed to me, or not act, because I had none such, than be the one to carry out the mind of any man, without my being assured his mind was God's mind for me. (G.V. WIGRAM - FOOTPRINTS for PILGRIMS)

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August 13

"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 14:11)

GOD'S WAY

"The way to be master is to be servant;
The way to get up is to get down;
The way to receive is to give;
The way to be rich is to be poor;
The way to be wise is to be a fool;
The way to be exalted is to abase one's self;
The way to live is to die."
(ANON)

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August 14

"And some said, what will this babbler say? other some, he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he (Paul) preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection."
(Acts 17:18)

CHANGED

Christ's resurrection:

- Changed Mary from a mourner into a messenger;
- Changed Thomas from a doubter into a believer;
- Changed Peter from a denier into a preacher, and,
- Changed Paul from a persecutor into a missionary.

The early Christians went forth preaching "Jesus, and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18). Some mocked, some procrastinated, and some believed. For those who believed, the event became a personal experience, a cleansing, life-changing, transforming experience!

From the empty tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ has flowed the a warm gulf stream of salvation which has changed the lives of millions of people. Has it changed yours? (SELECTED)

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August 15

"Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."
(John 6:37)

No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, "I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming," but, "I will in no wise cast out." The original reads, "I will not, not cast out," or "I will never, never cast out." The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as He will not do it at first, so He will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? "If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." But suppose that believers backslide? "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him." But believers may fall under temptation! "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but He will "purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; He will wash them and they shall be whiter than snow;" "From all iniquities will I cleanse them."

"Once in Christ, in Christ for ever,
Nothing from His love can sever."

"I give unto My sheep," saith He, "eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." What sayest thou to this, O trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, thou dost not come to one who will treat thee well for a little while, and then send thee about thy business, but He will receive thee and make thee His bride, and thou shalt be His for ever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Abba, Father! Oh! the grace of these words: "I will in no wise cast out." (DAILY READINGS - C.H. SPURGEON)

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August 16

"Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward."
(Job 5:7)

THE PREVALENCE OF SORROW

"Man is born to sorrow as the sparks fly upward.

- All history narrates it;
- All poetry sings of it;
- All biography confesses it;
- All experience teems with it;
- There is not one beating heart among us all that does not know it.

And mark that while righteousness brings blessedness and peace, it does not bring exemption from life's bitter trials."

So said a great preacher of the Victorian era; and the testimony of the Bible and the experience of the saints right down the centuries bear witness to the truth of his words. Philosophers may deride the third chapter of Genesis, but they cannot account for the facts of life without its aid. For that little section of the Book of God not only explains how sin came into the world, but also throws light on the sorrow which ever accompanies it (Genesis 3:16,17)

In a world which has been completely disarranged by sin, the experience of sorrow in one form or another is inevitable; that nevertheless God, Whose prerogative it is to bring good out of evil, uses it for the enrichment of the character and the deepening of the spiritual life of His people; that indeed it is an indispensable prerequisite in all who would attain to skill in comfort's art, and who would strengthen those that mourn. In other words, sorrow is common, purposeful, beneficent. (HEAVEN'S CURE FOR EARTH'S CARE)

N.J. Hiebert - 3798

August 17

"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."
(John 12:2-3)

In this passage John points out three postures of those who drew near to the Lord;
- Serving,
- Sitting, and,
- Kneeling.

The centre of attraction was Jesus, their Master and Lord. We might have thought it would be Lazarus, back from the dead, totally alive. But without their Lord's intervention there would have been no desire to;

- Serve,
- No resurrection life,
- No ability to to sit in His presence, and,
- Certainly no wish to celebrate Him in worship.

He is all in all. May we too be motivated to serve, sit and to kneel in worship at His feet. (DREW CRAIG)

More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love who died for Me.
(HEWITT)

N.J. Hiebert - 3799

August 18

"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels."
(2 Thessalonians 1:7)

The enemy has, of course, no real good or blessing to hold out; but he can and and does work most effectively through fear of evil, especially where the conscience is bad or gets troubled. Therein lies his great power in awakening terror, availing himself of God's own threatened judgments on a guilty world. He may deceive the unbeliever by flattering him with false peace and false hopes; from this the believer is freed by the gospel, but if not filled with the hope of Christ, he might easily be distressed by the pressure and the variety and the continuance of affliction, especially if Satan got him under the fear that they were judicial inflictions from God on the world in which he was involved like others.

Where the heart is kept in peace and confidence before God, the mind can judge soundly. Fear unnerves the soul that is occupied with painful circumstances and throws all into confusion; for God and the word of His grace no longer guide, in the calm trust of a love that never fails, and that gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (W. KELLY - THE EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3800

August 19

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
(Ephesians 1:7)

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."
(1 John 1:7)

"I can never forgive myself"! Are you struggling with some past failure which cannot be changed? You have come to the Lord in brokenness and honesty, confessing that sin and, yet you still cannot forgive yourself? His blood, not your remorse, is what cleanses from sin - from all sin. Simply take God at His Word. Don't try to earn what God has already given you; rejoice in what you have in Christ - forgiveness, full and free! (DAVID CROUDACE)

This is my story, to God be the glory,
I'm only a sinner saved by grace.
(J.M. GRAY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3801

August 20

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth (or displayed, or painted, or portrayed, or depicted), crucified among you?"
(Galatians 3:1)

Paul had told them the story of that terrible day at Golgotha outside the gates of Jerusalem when the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. Paul had told them that story till the Galatians saw it all. They saw the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the purple robe. They saw the holy Son of God go forth bearing His cross. They saw Him stripped of His clothes, and those cruel nails driven through His hands and feet. They saw Him hanging on the cross between two thieves and they gazed on all His agony. Then they had watched the sun darkened, and they had heard that bitter, bitter cry, "Eli, Eli, lama Sabachthani," - "My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?"

They had seen all this, even portrayed before their very eyes. They had heard it all. They had heard that cry, "It is finished." But how little had it entered into their souls! True, no living man has ever known the depths of sorrow and anguish that our Lord Jesus suffered when the Lord "laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). No eye has ever seen the load our Saviour bore in those hours of darkness and not one can ever measure the depths of bitterness in that bitter cry,"Why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

But this had all been portrayed before the eyes of the Galatians. They had seen it. They knew what Paul meant when he wrote "Grace to you and peace, from . . . our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for out sins."

That is the price their sins had cost our Lord Jesus Christ - HIMSELF!.
God is satisfied with that price, but the "senseless Galatians" had forgotten that great Saviour portrayed before them, and they wanted to add their own works, circumcision, and the law, to the price that Christ had paid.
(MEDITATIONS on GALATIANS or BEAUTIFUL GRACE - G.C, WILLIS)

N.J. Hiebert - 3802

August 21

"For whosever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

Jesus declared the second great commandment is "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." James designates this the royal law. It sums up man's responsibility to his neighbour. He who fulfills it will love all men and look with contempt on none. Therefore, to have respect to persons, preferring one above another, is to violate the letter and spirit of this sacred precept, and so to commit sin and be convicted of the law as a transgressor.

For such an one to pretend to be righteous before God was sheer folly. The law was violated already and so he had no title to expect blessing on the ground of legal obedience. It is not necessary to break every commandment of the law in order to stand condemned as a criminal in the sight of God. To offend in one point is to be guilty of all. The slightest infringement of the law indicates the self-will and insubjection of the heart. Suspend a man over a precipice by a chain of ten links; how many of these need to snap to plunge him into the abyss below? The breaking of the weakest link shatters the chain, and the man falls to his doom.
The same law which forbade adultery, prohibited murder. One need not be guilty of both to be under judgment. To violate either command marked one out as a transgressor of the law. How hopeless then the efforts of anyone to be justified on the ground of his own obedience! (H.A. IRONSIDE - NOTES ON JAMES)

N.J. Hiebert - 3803

August 22

"God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)."
(Ephesians 2:4,5)

The display of the grace in Christ did not hinder the wickedness in Judas, and the display of Judas' wickedness did not hinder the Lord's grace.

The sin of Judas was so black because it was in the presence of grace. There was a constant incessant hardening in the presence of Jesus. He took the money that grace gave the Lord, to live upon, and he went on and on till he came to that point where grace was most fully manifested. Then his wickedness comes to the highest point. Satan enteres into him; he goes and kisses Him when he had betrayed Him; he uses the familiarity grace had given him with Christ to betray Him. (BILBLE TREASURY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3804

August 23

"For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not."
(Job 33:14)

"If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
(1 Corinthians 11:31)

Watchful Love

God always sends a testimony before the thing itself. He does not strike before He warns. It is so in His dealings with with us every day. What Christian has a chastening upon him before he is admonished of the Spirit of God? There is always a sense of wrong, and a lack of communion sensible to the spirit before the Lord inflicts the blow which tells of His watchful love over our careless ways. He gives the opportunity, if one may say so, of setting ourselves morally right; and if we do not heed the teaching, then comes the sorrow. (SELECTED - TCNL)

N.J. Hiebert - 3805

August 24

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15,16)

When Christ had gone into heaven, the way of approach for us was made through the rent veil of His flesh, and He made His throne a throne of mercy. If free to approach boldly, is it anything in self that gives you liberty? No; it comes forth from Him, through the blood sprinkled there. You could not have right to say, even, "God be merciful to me a sinner," unless you knew the blood to be there. In no other way could you have got into a place where the light is never eclipsed, having always boldness there, in virtue of the rent veil. (GLEANINGS FROM the TEACHING of G.V. WIGRAM)

N.J. Hiebert - 3806

August 25

"But they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, we have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he Him therefore unto them to be crucified."
(John 19:15,16)

Pilate, the people, and the Lord - these are the three parties actively or passively involved in the diabolical actions of these hours. Pilate, the Roman governor, the Gentile, was at least partly aware of the seriousness of this moment; he would never have taken so much trouble to speak for the Lord and defend Him before the people if he had not been spell bound by this divine Person. Still, he loved honour and human favour; so, as long as there was still time, his heart did not reach a decision. To him particularly the words of the Lord apply: "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). Pilate had offered up the Lord and his own soul for the favour of Caesar, but after only a few short years, this favour too was gone.*** (FRITZ VON KIETZELL - BEHOLD the LAMB of GOD)

*** According to history, in the year 36 A.D., six years after the Lord's crucifixion, Pilate fell into disgrace with Caesar; his life ended in suicide or execution.

N.J Hiebert - 3807

August 26

"The last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink."
(John 7:37)

"Severe water shortages affecting 400 million people today will affect 4 billion in 2050," warns a UN report issued in 2003. This alarming statistic regarding the shortage of physical water is of deep concern. How thankful we should be for Jesus' words about the "Water of Life." There is an abundance of it available today for the spiritually thirsty who realize they can only be satisfied by the One who said, "Come unto me and drink." Will you come for a soul-satisfying drink of the everlasting Water of Life today? (A.P. MCINTEE)

Is the wilderness before thee?
Desert land where drought abides?
Heavenly springs shall there restore thee,
Fresh from God's exhaustless tides.
(J.N. DARBY)

N.J. Hiebert - 3808

August 27

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and is set on fire of hell."
(James 3:6)

This little member, the tongue, is likened to a fire which, though small in the beginning, proves devastatingly ruinous as its results spread far and wide. A word has tremendous power for good or ill.

All species and varieties of birds and beasts, even slimy serpents and creatures of the sea, have been tamed by patient handling and attention. But no man can tame his own tongue. It is an irrepressible rebel, an insubject and wicked malefactor, capable of stirring men to every kind of iniquity, and "full of deadly poison." We speak of a scandal-monger as having a serpent tongue, and the simile is in full accordance with the damage such an evil speaker inflicts. The amazing thing is that even after one has been brought to know the Lord, he still finds he has trouble with his tongue. This is because of the fact that the believer has two natures: the old, corrupt nature inherited from the first Adam, the head of the old creation; and the new and holy nature received from the Last Adam, the head of the new creation.

Such is the power of the old nature that unless there is constant watchfulness and unceasing identification by faith with Christ in His death to sin, it will manifest itself through the tongue long after other evil propensities have been brought into subjection through the power of the cross as applied to the flesh.
(H.A. IRONSIDE - NOTES ON JAMES)

N.J. Hiebert - 3809

August 28

"Christ is all and in all." (Colossians 3:11)

True service is love in work clothes.

To gain self control, give Christ control!

Our love has limits but God's love is boundless.

Contentment is realizing that God has already given me all I need.

Attachment to Christ is the secret of detachment from the world.

Confession is the soil in which forgiveness flourishes.

(SOME THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER - R.K.)

N.J. Hiebert - 3810

August 29

"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1)

D.L. Moody said one of the greatest mistakes he ever made occurred October 8, 1871. On that night he addressed the largest crowd he had ever spoken to in Chicago. His message dealt with the trial of Jesus in Pilate's hall, and was based on the text, "What then shall I do with Jesus?" He concluded his sermon by saying, "I wish you would take this text home with you and seriously consider it, and next Sunday we will speak on the cross, and we will decide what we should do with Jesus." Speaking of this incident later, Moody called it a tragic error and "one of the greatest mistakes of my life; for I never saw that congregation again." When the sermon was finished, he asked Mr. Sankey to sing, "Today the Saviour Calls." Almost prophetically the third verse ran:

"Today the Saviour calls; for refuge fly;
The storm of justice falls and death is nigh."

It was the last song sung in that hall, for even as Sankey sang, his voice was drowned out by the clanging of fire engine bells in the street. It was the night of the great Chicago fire, in which Mr. Moody's hall was left in ashes and in which one thousand perished, some of them undoubtedly from that audience. Moody said he learned the lesson, "When preaching Christ, press for an immediate and definite decision." He explained, "I would rather lose my right hand than ever again give an audience a week or a day to decide for Christ." (SELECTED)

Don't put off till tomorrow what you should do today.

"God has promised forgiveness to your repentance; but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination."
(AUGUSTINE)

N.J. Hiebert - 3811

August 30

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort."
(2 Corinthians 1:3)

In one of his letters, Adolph Monod tells how he found in his hardest moments that it was enough to take firm hold on a single promise. It sustained him in the sorest difficulties. He loved the words Father of Compassions, as 2 Corinthians 1:3 has it in French.

When one is in great pain or trouble, or caught suddenly by fierce temptation, it is the word of strength or comfort that is set deep in the memory that takes life. It speaks in a new tone, and becomes to us at that moment more than we could have ever believed it would be. John 14:26 explains this: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, . . . He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever, I have said unto you."

So let us fill the storehouse of our mind with the treasure of God's word. Every day offers opportunities. When we go to bed tonight, let us think, "What treasure did I put in my storehouse today?" (AMY CARMICHAEL - WHISPERS OF HIS POWER)

N.J. Hiebert - 3812

August 31

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
(Hebrews 2:9)

But We See Jesus

I don't look back, God knows the fruitless efforts,
The wasted hours, the sinning, the regrets,
I leave them all with Him who blots the record,
And mercifully forgives, and then forgets.

I don't look forward, God sees all the future,
The road that, short or long, will lead me home,
And He will face with me its every trial,
And bear for me the burdens that may come.

But I look up - into the face of Jesus,
For there my heart can rest, my fears are stilled,
And there is joy, and love, and light for darkness,
And perfect peace, and every hope fulfilled.
(FLINT'S BEST-LOVED POEMS)

N.J. Hiebert # 3813

"The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
(1 Corinthians 2:10)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalm 139:23,24)

If there is a corner of my heart that Christ has not searched down to the very bottom, I am undone. Would I have a blind Christ, one whom I should not like to search out every part of my heart? Ah! I would rather have Christ pointing out everything, than friends praising. I adore God that gave Him to me. Who am I, that my Lord should so condescend to search me? And where there is evil in me, that is just where God lets His streams flow into me. He sees everything that hinders and chokes - would I stay His hand? (GLEANINGS of G.V. WIGRAM)

N.J. Hiebert - 3814