Gems from June 2004

June 1

"He giveth more grace" - James 4:6.
"He increaseth strength" - Isaiah 40:29
"Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied" - Jude 2

(Annie Johnson Flint)
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

N.J. Hiebert # 1902

June 2

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life... that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." (1 John 1:1,3)

"There are three things here: first, the work of God, by which we can stand in His presence perfectly free form any question of sin, so that we can enjoy all that God is; second, justification by faith and acceptance in the Beloved - the perfect cleansing of the conscience, knowing we are accepted so as to be able to be before Him in perfect peace; third, the new birth, commonly called regeneration. There must be a new nature capable of affections towards God. An orphan who never knew a father has the affections of a child, is capable of loving a father; and is often very unhappy because he is without the object towards whom those affections would naturally flow. So the capacity to love God is that which we get by being partakers of the divine nature." (J.N. Darby)

N.J. Hiebert # 1903

June 3

"Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm." (Daniel 6:3)

"An excellent spirit was in Daniel. That is a very nice feature. A man's spirit is infinitely more valuable than his communications. I may say, by God's help, many a nice thing, and you may hear, enjoy, and then forget it. But if I have done anything nasty to you, you will never forget it. Oh, to be a Daniel in spirit! We shall never be prophets. We are not called by God in that way, but we can cultivate an 'excellent spirit.' " (W.T.P. Wolston - Handfuls of Purpose)

N.J. Hiebert # 1904

June 4

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)

"Historian Will Durant surveyed human history in his multi-volume Story of Civilization and came to the conclusion that 'our knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance.' Of course, this fact must not be used as an excuse for stupidity. (Deuteronomy 29:29) 

God doesn't expect us to know the unknowable, but He does expect us to learn all that we can and obey what He teaches us. In fact, the more we obey, the more He will teach us. "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." 
(John 7:17)


"A confession of ignorance is the first step toward true knowledge. "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he out to know" (1 Corinthians 8:2). The person who wants to learn God's truth must possess honesty and humility. Harvard philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, 'Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance, is the death of knowledge." 
(W.W. - The Christian Newsletter - January 1991)

N.J. Hiebert # 1905

June 5

"So David overcame the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and smote the Philistine and killed him; and there was no sword in the hand of David."
(1 Samuel 17:50)

"Take a close look at the great contrasts between these two warriors:
"David the youth versus Goliath the giant.
"David the shepherd versus Goliath the soldier's soldier.
"David's sling and stones versus Goliath's elaborate armor

"But David killed Goliath! Let the impact of his amazing triumph sink in. In one decisive moment, David glorified God, put to flight the enemy, and delivered the people of Israel. He crowned his victory by using the giant's own sword to cut off his head.

"Think for a minute of another battle that raged on a hill outside Jerusalem. The Man Christ Jesus met the diabolical power and hatred of Satan at a place called Calvary. In apparent weakness and defeat, our blessed Lord endured the cruelty of His enemies, the forsaking of His friends, and the righteous wrath of God against sin.

"How weak and powerless He must have appeared as He hung upon the cross - far weaker even than David in the presence of the giant. But how great His triumph as He completed the work of redemption, crying out, 'It is finished!' Like David, He defeated the enemy with His own weapon, provided salvation for His people, and glorified God - but on an infinitely higher scale. The victory of Christ is all-pervasive and eternal." (G.W. Steidl - The Lord is Near - 1995)


His be the victor's name
Who fought the fight alone;
Triumphant saints no honor claim,
His conquest was their own.
(S.W. Gandy)

N.J. Hiebert # 1906

June 6

"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 (among) the dead, Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

"Intelligence and devotedness in the Lord's service is not necessarily the result of long experience or special gift. It is the simple outcome of receiving and appropriating the blessed fact that we are associated with a risen and glorified Christ who is coming soon for us. Wherever our lot is cast, be it in a castle or cottage, a factory or drawing room, a hospital or the palace of a king, it is our privilege to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are in the enjoyment of the place He has given us in the Father's love, the fragrance of Christ will be shed along our pathway here. No higher service could you render than this. Nor is there anything more effective.

"Are you a sufferer in the furnace of affliction? What an opportunity for displaying the sufficiency of that grace which can hold your soul in quietness and confidence! Are you a toilworn pilgrim pursuing your way along life's rugged road? If you keep company with the Savior many a soul may be won to Christ by your testimony, for a consistent life is one of the best sermons that any can preach. 

Are you a parent? Let your walk and ways reflect the relationship into which Christ has brought you, and let your bearing towards your children be a faithful representation of the way your Father in heaven deals with you. Are you a son or daughter? Let your love and obedience be a display of that which should mark you as a child of God. Are you an employee? Let it be seen, in all your service to an earthly foreman, that the highest motives govern you, and that you seek to serve and please the Lord Christ in all you do." (Anon)

N.J. Hiebert # 1907

June 7

"I will set a plumbline in the midst of My people." (Amos 7:8)
"There am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)


The plumbline in His hand is absolute and sure.
God does not leave the pattern of our lives obscure.

"The plumbline is the rule, the standard, the point of reference. It is not influenced by approval or disapproval. Silently it hangs, often forgotten, but it is continually measuring what will stand and what will fall. So is the presence of the Lord in the midst of His gathered people. Whatever is going on, whatever is being built, there He is - silently in the midst, the Standard, the Truth. Human wisdom, grand equipment, great plans there may be, but how does it all measure up to the Divine Standard?" (J. Boyd Nicholson)

N.J. Hiebert # 1908

June 8

"...they shall take to them every man a lamb... Israel kill it (lamb)... and they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses... when I see the blood, I will pass over you..." (Exodus 12:1-13)

"There are three things presented to the mind. First: that the Israelites are sinners as much as the Egyptians, and that if they are to escape the judgment of God, which is death (for 'the wages of sins is death'), there must be a substitute of a spotless victim, which is provided in the unblemished lamb, the blood of which on the two side posts and on the upper door post is a token of the fact that death has taken place. 

Second: the blood is for God - to meet His righteous and holy claims against them as sinners. He says, 'When I see the blood, I will pass over you.' Third: the Israelites obeyed the word of God, and thus became sheltered from the judgment that fell upon the Egyptians, for we read: 'And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they....' " 
(W.M Sibthorpe - The ways of God With Man)

N.J. Hiebert # 1909

June 9

"If I have put my trust in gold..." (Job 31:24)

"Job, of all people of his day, could well have put his trust in his fabulous wealth. He was the richest man in the east. There were many in his day who worshipped idols made of gold. But his integrity was above such false security: 'If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence: If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had begotten much... I should have denied (been unfaithful) the God that is above." (Job 31:24-28)."

"Many in our society today seem possessed by their possessions. The lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic...

"The story is told of a simple-living Quaker who was sitting on his porch while his new neighbor moved in. He watched with interest as the newcomer unloaded his goods. Every kind of trinket and expensive gadget imaginable seemed to come off the moving tucks. The Quaker was unaffected by the new family's collection. Finally, he strolled over to greet the folks. After an exchange of chitchat, the Quaker turned to leave. Looking at the piles of fancy belongings, he said with a stoke of wit, 'If, neighbor, thou dost ever need anything, come to see me and I will tell thee how to get along without it.' " (Henry Gariepy - Portraits of Perseverance)

N.J. Hiebert # 1910

June 10

"And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?"
(Numbers 11:11)

"It is never the fruit of humility to depart from a divinely-appointed post. On the contrary, the deepest humility will express itself by remaining there in simple dependence upon God. It is a sure evidence of being occupied about self when we shrink from service on the ground of inability. God does not call us unto service on the ground of our ability, but of His own; hence, unless I am filled with thoughts about myself, or with positive distrust of Him, I need not relinquish any position of service or testimony because of the heavy responsibilities attaching thereto. 

All power belongs to God, and it is quite the same whether that power acts through one agent or through seventy - the power is still the same; but if one agent refuse the dignity, it is only so much the worse for him. God will not force people to abide in a place of honor if they cannot trust Him to sustain them there. The way lies always open to them to step down from their dignity, and sink into the place where base unbelief is sure to put us." (C.H. Mackintosh - Notes on Exodus)

N.J. Hiebert # 1911

June 11

"...blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
(Ephesians 1:3)

"God desires that we should appropriate the riches of Him in whom we are, and that our hearts should enter into these things in such a manner as to make them our own. I do not speak of seizing them with the intelligence, which may be done in a certain sense, but not permanently, for whatever is not laid hold of by faith, slips through our fingers like water. We need to have our affections set on these things, if they are to be really our own, and, above all, we want an object for these affections, for, apart from Christ, the heavenly things themselves would not fill our hearts. That is why it says: 'Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.' " (H.L. Rossier - Meditations on the Book of Joshua)

N.J. Hiebert # 1912

June 12

"And she (Delilah) made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him." (Judges 16:19)

"How often have you seen Samsons shorn of their strength in just this way. They dally with a little thing, it seems harmless, it seems a trifle. Something else comes along, for Satan always gives something more and more attractive, that takes possession of the mind. Then something further, until at last, as Delilah says, '...he has told me all his heart.'

"It is like the lock in a canal, if you have ever seen one. There are the gates that keep the waters back, keep them separate from the waters below. There is a great difference in height between the waters above and the waters below. But a man goes to the gates and opens hidden doors down near the bottom of the canal, and the water simply passes through those doors, until finally it is on a level on both sides, and the gates swing open with perfect ease.

"Are there not hidden doors of communications with this world, are there not hidden doors of association with evil principles, and with the thoughts of this world? I am not speaking of immorality, but how many of us have known what it is to have these doors opened until the difference in level between the child of God and the world has been lost, the distinction between the saint and the worldling. They are on the same level, and what hinders now the opening wide of the floodgates, and letting everything in that is of the world?" (S. Ridout - Judges)

N.J. Hiebert # 1913

June 13

"...there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah** went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons... the name of the man was Elimelech." (Ruth 1:1,2)

"God sent a great trial: there was a famine in the land. What did Elimelech* do? Did he act in harmony with the testimony which he had been rendering all his life - 'My God is King'? No, it proved to be only a confession of the mouth or lips and not a heart confession, not a reality of the heart. He did not seek the will of the Lord. He left the 'House of Bread' - the place of true worship and fruitfulness." (* MEANS "MY GOD IS KING") (MEANS "THE HOUSE OF GOD" **)
(H.L. Heijkoop - The Book of Ruth)

N.J. Hiebert # 1914

June 14

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

"At the entrance of one of the great manufacturing plants in America is a sign that reads,"IF YOU ARE LIKE A WHEELBARROW -- GOING NO FARTHER THAN YOU ARE PUSHED -- YOU NEED NOT APPLY FOR WORK HERE!' In spiritual endeavor, too, one must always manifest personal initiative and zeal and be willing to go the second mile.
"Whenever you find a 'therefore' in the Scriptures, review the preceding portion to determine what the 'therefore' is there for!"(Selected)

N.J. Hiebert # 1915

June 15

"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self." (1 Corinthians 4:3)

"How does all this tell us to cultivate the habit of walking with God. 'Little to be judged of man's judgment,' says the Apostle. May we be so minded! May we desire to prove our own work in God's presence, so that we may have rejoicing in ourselves alone, and not in another! May we give the Lord His place in us! He had no place in Judas's heart, he had in Peter's; He had none in the heart of King Saul, He had in David's." (J.G. Bellett - Meditations on the Psalms)

N.J. Hiebert # 1916

June 16

"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)

"It is not the measure of one's faith but the object on which it rests that gives security. A man had to cross a certain river upon the ice. He believed it to be dangerously thin, so he crossed on hands and knees, so as to distribute the load. As he reached the other bank, he saw a man drive a team of horses drawing a heavy load on the ice. It was strong enough to carry an army. The man's security depended on the thickness of the ice, not on his measure of faith. So the security of the believer depends on the finished work of Christ which can never break down and not upon the measure of his own faith." (Selected)

Faith is not what we see or feel;
It is a simple trust
In what the God of love has said
Of Jesus as the Just.

N.J. Hiebert # 1917

June 17

"While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance."
(Song of Solomon 1:12)

"It is the presence of the King at His table that calls forth the worship of His own. Only a heart set free from its sorrows, and its exercises, and busy service, can worship in the presence of the King.
"To learn at His feet is good, but learning is not worship. To be comforted by His tears of sympathy is sweet, but comfort is not worship. In learning, I am conscious of my ignorance, in comfort, I am thinking of my sorrow. 

But when we spread a feast for Christ - when the King sits at His table - it is no time for instruction or comfort. There we leave our sorrows, our ignorance, our daily cares behind,and at His supper, He alone engrosses the mind and holds the affections; and when the heart is filled with Christ we worship - 'Our spikenard sends forth its fragrance.' " (Hamilton Smith - The Song of Songs)

N.J. Hiebert # 1918

June 18

"Now beholding the boldness of Peter and John, and aware that they were unlettered and simple men, they wondered, and recognized them that they were with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)

"In none does the Spirit's power shine more conspicuously than in such as can boast nothing of this world's advantages. For high and low cry up the learning of the schools: the high, as making the most of what they themselves have enjoyed; the low, in general, as excusing their own deficiency and overvaluing what they have not. But in the things of God nothing has power like faith in the God Who is glorifying Christ. And learning, whenever leaned on as an object, so far from being a help, is apt to become a positive hindrance and a real snare. Man as such is capable of attaining it in the highest degree; and pride generally follows, as well as the applause of men. But the ways of God are not as ours; and He was pleased to humble man, not only by Christ crucified, but by choosing the foolish (simple) things of the world to put to shame the wise. In the front rank of those stand the apostles who, speaking broadly, had not one distinction in the eyes of the world, not one trait of which flesh could vaunt." (William Kelly - Exposition of the Acts)

N.J. Hiebert # 1919

June 19

"...persuaded the people and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe." (Acts 13:19,20)

"Much blessed in this city, Paul goes on his way and returns to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, from whence he had been expelled. Outrage and violence neither impede the work nor enfeeble the courage of the servants. When the Lord so wills it, they return in peace to the very places from whence they have been driven. It is beautiful to see the calm superiority of faith over the violence of man, and how God conducts the hearts of His servants. They submit to, or, if possible, avoid violence; but, if the work requires it, God opens the door, and the labourers are there with it again." (J.N. Darby - Meditations on the Acts of the Apostles)

N.J. Hiebert # 1920

June 20

"The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit." (2 Timothy 4:22)

"The defender of truth will need to watch his spirit and temper, lest while he attacks error in doctrine, he falls into evil in practice. Many have failed in this." (Christian Truth - August 1961)

N.J. Hiebert # 1921

June 21

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not fine it." (Amos 8:11,12)

"In time of plenty, who thinks of famine? But famine sometimes succeeds plenty. It was so in Egypt. There were first seven years of plenty, and then seven years of famine; and all the plenty was forgotten when the famine consumed the land. So it is sometimes with the ministry of the Word of God. At a time when many honored servants of the Lord are actively engaged in ministering Christ to souls, there are few perhaps who consider the possibility of scarcity following the plenty. 

It may be that the greatest blessing that God gives to souls on earth is a plentiful and seasonable ministry of His precious Word which testifies of Christ; and yet some of us can look back and see place after place where this was so, which has now become little more than a state of desolation and almost famine of the Word, so that those who are the children of God are barely existing instead of being in holy liberty devoted to the Lord." (H.H.S.)

N.J. Hiebert # 1922

June 22

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22)

'Tis well to be in service
Whene'er the heart is right;
To serve Him in communion,
Accepted in His sight.
And 'tis a useful lesson
To "servants" every day,
Than sacrifice or offering
'Tis better to OBEY. (Anon)

N.J. Hiebert # 1923

June 23

"I have against thee that thou hast left they first love."
(Revelation 2:4) (JND Trans.)

"When I begin to inquire, What harm is there in this, or in that? there is the tendency to decline. There may be no harm in the thing, but the thought about it shows that I am not absorbed with that which is heavenly -- 'Thou hast left thy first love.' It is not in great sins, but here, that decline in the saints is manifested. When the sense of grace is diminished, we decline in practice. Our motives must be in God." (Selected)

N.J. Hiebert # 1924

June 24

"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
(Galatians 5:16)

"Many sincere Christians do not have the clear perception of Christ they experienced at salvation. They no longer have a keen desire to serve Him, and their sense of His presence and power has faded. These believers need to realize that the Holy Spirit has been given to keep the reality of Christ in sharp focus.

"The 19th century French inventor Louis Daguerre was one of the pioneers of photography. In those early days, he could take a picture by exposing a metal plat to light. When the plate was taken out of the camera, however, the image soon disappeared. Daguerre tried many ways to keep the image from fading but nothing worked. One day he found a plate that had been left in a closet full of chemicals, and to his amazement the image was bright and sharp. He took other pictures, put the plates in that closet, and got the same results. He didn't know what was causing the image to remain, so he kept the pictures in the closet and began removing items one at a time. Even after everything else was removed, the images remained on the plates. Finally Daguerre discovered that some mercury had been spilled in the closet. Further experiments proved that mercury vapor was fixing the image on the plate.

"The Holy Spirit does in you and me, Christian friend, what the mercury vapor did to that photographic plate. He helps us keep Christ in focus. Our part is to be careful not to grieve or quench Him. As we obey the Holy Spirit, He will keep before us a sharp image of Christ." (D.C.E.)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart -
Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night -
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
(Irish hymn)

N.J. Hiebert # 1925

June 25

"O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise."
(Psalm 51:15)

"A man told me he had been saved for fifteen years. 'But,' he said, 'I only began to grow spiritually a year ago.' I asked him what had been the secret of his new growth. 'I began to open my mouth in public prayer and witness.' Open your mouth. Pray. Witness. Speak out for God. You, too, can begin to grow ." (Donald Norbie)

N.J. Hiebert # 1926

June 26

"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)

"Once a week a waste management truck comes by to pick up neighborhood trash. It may be lowly work but it is needful. It is equally needful for us to take out the trash in our lives. Our ways are not always perfect. Sometimes we're bogged down with sorrow and disappointment or we flounder in backsliding steps. Time and again we must send an S.O.S. heavenward. Christ's shed blood washes whiter than snow and by daily confession of sins we find cleansing and restored joy." ( E. Dyck)

N.J. Hiebert # 1927

June 27

"They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish..." (Luke 24:42)

"Worship is giving to the Lord that which brings Him delight. The risen Lord Jesus had asked His disciples for something to eat. His hunger was not of necessity but of desire, and to show that He really indwelt a risen body. All they had was a piece of fish and an honeycomb - not much of a banquet for the risen Lord of the Universe! But they gave it to Him, and 'He took it and did eat it.' We may not feel we have what He is worthy of, but let us bring all we can to Him in worship and He will accept it." (J. Boyd Nicholson)

N.J. Hiebert # 1928

June 28

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true... honest... just... pure... lovely... of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS." (Philippians 4:8)

"... I see no good dwelling upon evil and error, failure and folly. I do not find such things in the precious catalogue penned by the inspired apostle, in Philippians 4:8. It is infinitely better and more strengthening to dwell upon the faithfulness of God, the moral glories of Christ, and the living depths of holy Scripture, than upon our poor state or the low condition of things in the church of God. We shall never get either comfort or power by looking at ruin and failure." 
(C.H. Mackintosh - Taken from 'Letters to a Friend.')

N.J. Hiebert # 1929

June 29

"(Jesus) saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw... One of the two which heard John speak, and followed, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon (Hearkener), and saith unto him, we have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted, the Christ." (John 1:39-41)

"There is simplicity in this which arrests us. It was neither a new religion nor a new doctrine of which Andrew spoke so enthusiastically, but a Person. The Eternal Son was present upon earth - the long-promised Christ, and Andrew had come to know Him also. He then longed that his brother should know Him also. The Evangelist says, 'he brought him to Jesus.' Why is not this scene being enacted every day? Why is it that Christians men are so commonly filled with zeal for the upbuilding of 'a cause' rather than the bringing of men and women into personal touch with Jesus? How comes it, too, that the lips of even earnest souls are so frequently sealed in the presence of their own relatives? However important it may be for me to carry the Gospel to the heathen, or to subscribe money for the helping forward of so excellent a work, my first responsibility is toward my own brother." (W.W. Feredy - Peter the Apostle)

N.J. Hiebert 1930

June 30

"There is much rubbish..." (Nehemiah 4:10)

"On any construction site there is always much rubbish while the building is going up. Broken pieces, odds and ends, leftovers clutter the scene. But when the work is done and the building is up, all the trash is carted away. The new edifice stands clean and complete. In this present age, God's building plans are not finished and there is much rubbish, much that is not necessary to the ultimate completion of His purpose. Like the builders of Nehemiah's time, we grow weary and discouraged and we complain that we are not able to build the wall. There are many broken fragments that do not fit the blueprints. But we must not begin to build and fail to finish, for One who has begun a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Vance Havner - All the Days)

N.J. Hiebert # 1931

July 1

"For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

"The Word, living and powerful, is as a sword; it possesses a dividing, separating, piercing energy, which penetrates into the very depths of man, and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. With a most faithful accuracy and searching minuteness it analyses our motives. It distinguishes between nature and grace, spirit and flesh, the old life and the resurrection life. It divides, where we in our blindness and self-sufficiency imagine that all is pure and pleasing to God." (Dr. Adolph Saphir)

N.J. Hiebert # 1932

July 2

"What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea and will rejoice." (Philippians 1:18)

"Loving to preach the Word is good.
Loving the ones to whom you preach is better.
Loving the One of whom you preach is excellent."
(Michel Payette - Le Lien Fraternal - Meditation 97)

N.J. Hiebert # 1933

July 3

"We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Romans 8:37)

"What can be more than a conqueror? A ship driven out of its course by the tempest, with anchor dragging or cable parted, is no 'conqueror' at all, but the reverse. That ship riding out the gale, holding fast to its anchorage, is truly a conqueror; but that is all. But the vessel being driven by the very tempest to the haven where it would be, is better off still, and thus 'more than conqueror.' So is it with the saint now; the tempest drives him the closer to Him who is indeed his desired haven, and thus he is more than conqueror." (F.C. Jennings - Meditations on Ecclesiastes)

N.J. Hiebert # 1934