Gems from July 2013

Nothing on earth can satisfy the soul! 

"The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing." 

(Ecclesiastes 1:8)

The senses are but servants to the soul. 

The soul desires to look--and sets the eye to see. 

The soul desires to hear--and sets the ear to hearken. 

The soul is never wearied. 

It listens to sweet music, and lingers, longing still for more. 

When had the soul enough of a sweet flower?

When was it ever filled to overflowing with viewing the masterpieces of nature?

Nothing on earth can satisfy the soul! 

It leaves its pleasures, with a craving for more. 

It sighs to increase its satisfactions. 

It grieves to think how limited are all its joys. 

Let your eyes repose on Jesus!

The more you look at Him -- the longer will you look.

The more you look--the more will be your power to gaze upon Him.

The more you commune with Him--the sweeter shall you find His company.

Speak much to Jesus--you shall not speak in vain.

The name of Jesus shall be to you 

"As beds of spices, and sweet flowers" (Song of Solomon 5:13).

The whispers of the Spirit, telling of grace and peace,

shall ever and always refresh your ear!  

(Adapted from Lessons for the Christian's Daily Walk - 1859)

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July 1

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love."

(Ephesians 3:17) 

"With longing all my heart is filled, that like Him I may be,

As on the wondrous thought I dwell, that Christ liveth in me."

(Daniel W. Whittle)

Napoleon was a general who generated tremendous love and loyalty among his troops.

The story is told of a soldier badly wounded in battle.

The surgeon was cutting deep to remove the bullet.

Between groans and cries the soldier muttered,

"Probe deeper and you will find the Emperor."

So what is deep in our hearts?

What has priority in our lives?

Is it money?  Is it pleasure?  Is it family?

Paul's prayer for believers was that Christ might be enshrined 

in our hears as our Lord and Saviour.

Probe your own heart today.

(Donald L. Norbie)

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July 2

"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship."

(Act 27:22)

What!?  "Be of good cheer"? But how can I possibly be happy when I have so miserably sinned against the God who loved and saved me?  How can I be cheerful when all I see is the miserable and hopeless storm in my life - a storm that my self-will has caused?  How you ask . . . the answer is simple and beautiful.  Because God tells you to be of good cheer.

In Psalm 51 David says, "a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."  When there is true repentance, the result will be a broken heart (for so grieving and dishonouring the Lord) and a contrite heart (for making such a mess of your life).  When the Lord sees that spirit, the healing and the blessing will begin.

Further, though there is no joy or profit in trying to hide sin, God promises that one who "confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13)  That's just what you may expect to find from the loving, merciful God you have turned your back on - full, free forgiveness, and boundless mercy.

True repentance is proven by confessing and forsaking the sin into which you have fallen.  There must also be action. Words, aren't enough - "Its not enough to talk the talk if a person doesn't walk the walk".  (The Journey of life - Doug Nicolet)

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July 3

"He is faithful that promised."

(Hebrews 10:23)

God's power will keep God's promises!

Promises for the soul, promises for the body, promises for others, promises for our work,

promises for our business, promises for time and for eternity:

These are all ours!

It is not your weakness that can defeat God's promise, 

nor your strength that can fulfill the promise:

He that spoke the Word will Himself make it good.

It is neither your business nor mine to keep God's promises: 

That is His grace.

The signed cheque is given us.

How foolish if we fear to present it!

Never yet has one single cheque been dishonoured!   

"He is faithful that promised."  

We may pray much over a promise, and yet never obtain it.

Asking is not taking.

Beseeching is not claiming. 

I clasp the hand of Love divine, I claim the gracious promise mine,

And add to His my countersign. - I take, He undertakes.

I simply take Him at His Word; I praise Him that my prayer is heard

And claim my answer from the Lord.  I take, He undertakes.

(Dr. A.B. Simpson)

Remember what you take is all you will ever get.

(Springs in the Valley)

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July 4

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to fogive us sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

(1 John 1:9)

To have erred in the past does not condemn us to degradation in the future.

The soul, though deeply stained, may be cleansed and get back its purity if not its innocence.

Again, and yet again, He Who "knoweth our frame and remembereth that we are dust" 

takes us by the hand and says: 'Start afresh!"

With God, and hope, and to-morrow, we may mock the counsels of despair. 

Let the bitterness of past failure sting us into nobler action at the present; 

and the weakness revealed, urge us to supplication for diviner strength.

We have at least gained through defeat a fuller knowledge of ourselves.

Our self-confidence has been rebuked and we have learned the special perils, 

the besetting sins, against which we need to guard.

As long as God and the soul live, nothing is irreparable.  

A man's real life is always before him.

He may have been cast down, but he is not destroyed.

There can be no future for the soul which is not a future for development.

It is a great waste of strength for a man to make his faults, 

and blunders, and sins, impediments to his onward march.

There is no virtue in continually bemoaning the failures and misdoings of the past.

Man's greatest curse is to give up striving and to lie down content in evil,

no longer stung with hunger for better and purer things.

Hell has not triumphed, nor has sin prevailed until they have left us content with baseness.

(Heaven's Cure for Earth's Care)

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July 5

"Oh God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee."

(Psalm 63:1)

He is my God.

He is not some far-off, uninterested deity, as some would believe,

but is a personal God - interested in everything about me.

He cares so much for me that He has counted the very hairs of my head (Matthew 10:30),

that He is waiting, desiring to share all my needs (1 Peter 5:7),

and that He left heaven's glory to die for me (John 3:16).

The only thing He asks in return is that I seek Him with my whole heart.

This causes me to wonder with the psalmist 

"What is man that Thou are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4)

(W. Smith)

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July 6

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

(Psalm 119:105)

Stay Connected

I woke up one morning and discovered that my Internet connection was not working.  My service provider conducted some tests and concluded that my modem needed to be replaced, but the earliest they could do so was the next day.  I panicked a little when I thought about being without the Internet connection for 24 hours!  I thought, How am I going to survive without it?

Then I asked myself, would I also panic if my connection with God was disrupted for a day?   We keep our communion with God alive by spending time in His Word and in prayer.  Then we are to be "doers of the Word" (James 1:22-24). 

The writer of Psalm 119 recognized the importance of a connection to God.  He asked God to teach him His statutes and give him understanding of His law (vv.33-34).  Then he prayed that he would observe it with his whole heart (v.34), walk in the path of God's commandments (v.35), and turn away his eyes from looking at worthless things (v.37).  By meditating on God's Word and then applying it, the psalmist enjoyed communion with God.

God has given us His Word as a lamp to our feet and light to our path to lead us to Him.  (C.P. Hia)

"May the mind of Christ my Saviour   live in me from day to day,

By His love and power controlling all I do and say."  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To recharge your spiritual battery, plug into the Source

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright 2013, Grand Rapids MI.  Reprinted permission 

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July 7

"The Spirit of truth . . . whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come."

(John 16:13)

"The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God, which things also we speak."

(1 Corinthians 2:10,13)

The heavens declare Thy glory, Lord; 

In every star Thy wisdom shines;

But when our eyes behold Thy Word, 

We read Thy Name in fairer lines."

The apostle wrote what the Spirit recounted of the deep plans of God.

What a treasure, what deep pleasure, we have in the New Testament -

the very depths of the heart and mind of God in written form.

With a little dedication, it can be read in 20 hours,

 but its wondrous truths could never be exhausted in 20 lifetimes.

Are you giving a good portion of the one lifetime 

you do have to discovering its wonders?

(R.E. Harlow) 

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July 8

"Search the Scriptures"

(John 5:39)

Speaking of the neglect of Napoleon's own words, and of the emphasis which is given to what others say of him, Lord Rosebery says: 

"People prefer to drink at any source, other than the original." 

There is a very serious message for us in these words.  Manuals of devotion are admirable helps, but may become miserable substitutes.  They should never be allowed to dsplace the Word of God.  For it is from ignorance of Scripture that our myriad evils spring; "hence the epidemic of heresies; hence our neglected lives; hence our unfruitful toil".   (The Wonderful Word - George Henderson)

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July 9

Unchanging: The Love and Compassion of Christ

"But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men."

(Philippians 2:7) 

Because change is everywhere around us at all times on the earth and among human beings, 

it is difficult for us to grasp the eternal and unchanging nature and person of Jesus Christ.

Nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ has changed down to this very hour.  

His love has not changed.  

His compassionate understanding of us has not changed.  

His interest in us and His purposes for us have not changed.

He is Jesus Christ, our Lord.  He is the very same Jesus. 

Even though He has been raised from the dead and seated 

at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, 

and made Head over all things to the Church, His love for us remains unchanged.

It is hard for us to accept the majestic simplicity of this constant, wonder-working Jesus.  

We are used to getting things changed so that they are always bigger and better!

He is Jesus, easier to approach than the humblest friend you ever had!  

He is the sun that shines upon us, He is the star of our night. 

He is the giver of our life and the rock of our hope.  

He is our safety and our future. 

 He is our righteousness, our sanctification, our inheritance.

You will find that He is all of this in that instant that you move your heart towards Him in faith!  

This is the journey to Jesus that must be made in the depths of the heart and being.  

This is a journey where feet do not count!  

(Renewed Day by Day - A.W. Tozer)

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July 10

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not . . ."

(Luke 22:31-32)

Saints forget often that Christ is a great deal more watchful than they are.

He said to Peter before he failed,

"I have prayed for thee."

Directly the heart of a believer recognizes sin, 

It ought to recognize Christ praying for him.

This blessed Lord is not only the restorer of our souls,

but the One who continually renews the flow of affection

between the Father and the wandering child.

(Gleanings - G.V. Wigram)

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July 11

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted."

(Psalms 119:71)

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

(Romans 8:37)

One man upon entering the national scene was an expert in experiencing defeat and failure.  Had it not been for his determination to serve his fellow countrymen and his God, history wold not have recorded him as one of the greatest American presidents.  His failures were his victories.

Abraham Lincoln met his first political failure when he lost the seat in the Illinois Legislature.  Friends persuaded him to venture into business.  Failing at this he spent nearly twenty years paying off debts.  His next failure was the loss of the young woman he was to marry.  He later married a woman who proved to be a "thorn in his side" - another failure for happiness.

Congress was his second political goal.  Not only did he miss it, but the United States Land Office, and the United States Senate both were claimed by opponents. Most men would lose their courage after so many defeats.  But Mr. Lincoln pursued even higher attainments.  He believed he could gain the Vice Presidency in 1856.  Failing to take the office he tried once more in 1858 and lost to Douglas.

One failure after another - severe and disastrous failures.  Who has not heard of Abraham Lincoln?  Yet he is a man not known for his failures!  (M. Taylor - Streams in the Desert)

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July 12

"It came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

(Luke 11:1)

In response to their request, He gave them the model prayer commonly called "The Lord's Prayer."

It begins with an acknowledgement of God as Father and then proceeds to praise. 

Praise should always precede petition!

We should not start out with a long list of our wants and needs, but instead, should raise up our hearts to God with our praise and love for Him.

True prayer is not something that just happens to us when we are in the right mood - it is a positive movement on our part toward God.

Prayer is not thinking about God -

it s part of our communication with Him.

(R. Salcido - The Lord is Near)

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July 13

"I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation."

(2 Corinthians 7:4)

What Determines My Mood

How you and I respond to circumstances says a whole lot to the people around us.

In fact, if we're known to be a  Christian, we are being scrutinized at all times.

So let's choose to decrease our GPH (gripes per hour)

and increase our TPH (thanksgiving per hour). 

(With thanks - LIFElines -- adapted)

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July 14

"I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud."
(Genesis 9:13-14)

Is it cloudy weather for any of us?
When it is, don't let us miss our rainbows.
They are for a token of the covenant between God and us.
God the Father whose name is Love, whose will is love, set His rainbow in the clouds to remind us of that love.

Don't let us be surprised at inward trials of faith, patience, joy, peacefulness and humility.
Is the I in us killed in a day?
Are we made perfect in a day?
The cloud that makes the pastures green is a good cloud.
The rainbow of the love of God is set in every cloud that ever darkens our sky.
Clouds and rainbows work together for the perfecting of our souls.
(Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael)

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July 15

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

Conformed or Transformed?

"Be not conformed to this world."

What does he mean by that? Simply, don't be conformed to its systems, squeezed into its mold, 

and fashioned after or confined to its pattern or superficial customs. 

Don't be engulfed with the evaluations and priorities that the world places on "things." 

Many things put us in bondage when Satan infiltrates our lives, 

deceives our thinking, and controls our attitudes. 

We become victims of worldly schemes that are under his control. 

This world has as its main goals fortune, fame, power, and pleasure. 

The problem with these goals is that "man makes them the consuming objects of his life.

His life comes under their control and is corrupted by their influence." 

The goals that he is pursuing cannot satisfy the deep longing of his soul, 

or glorify God, when He is not the foremost priority. 

"There is a way which seemth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" 

(Proverbs 14:12).

Paul says, "But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." 

Now, how can we be transformed? How can we have a renewed mind? 

Certainly not by anything "we" can do. 

We cannot achieve nor generate a radical change from one nature and life to another. 

This is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. It is for us to respond to the 

Spirit's probing and awakening us to the surrender of our will to His lordship. 

Then, as we yield our lives to His control, respond to His leading, 

and live day by day in submission to His will, He begins the process of 

"conforming us to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29).

(Adapted - B.L.)

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July 16

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  I and My Father are one." 

(John 10:28, 29, 30)

These are precious verses to those who are afraid of falling, 

who fear that they will not hold out.

It is God's work to hold.

It is the Shepherd's business to keep the sheep.

Whoever heard of the sheep going to bring back the shepherd?

People have an idea that they have to keep themselves and Christ too.

It is a false idea.

It is the work of the Shepherd to look after them,

 and to take care of those who trust Him.

He has promised to do it.

A sea captain, when dying said, "Glory to God, the anchor holds."

He trusted in Christ.

His anchor had taken hold of the solid Rock.

(D.L. Moody)

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July 17

"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

(Psalm 139:14)

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee;

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

(Carl Boberg)

We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made - with billions of cells, 

and life sustaining organs cooperating together to sustain life.

At the centre of it all is the organ called the heart.

Perfectly placed in the midst of the human body, approximately the size of your fist,

the heart weighs about a pound, beats about 70 times per minute (100,000 times per day),

and pumps 2,000 gallons of blood throughout the body every 24 hours.

In 70 years the heart beats 2,555,000,000 times, pumping up to 51,100,000 gallons of blood.

Nothing ever developed by man can compare with the human heart.

How great is our God! 

(Rex Trogdon)

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July 18

"But 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)

Dr. Bill Coker tells of the report that appeared in the news media in March 1954...that Roger Bannister was the first man in history to run a mile in less than four minutes. Within two months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. Everyone wanted a race that would allow these two track stars to run against each other. 

On August 7, 1954, the two met in this historic event. As they moved into the last lap, Landy was leading. It looked as if he would surely win the race, but in the last 35 yards he was haunted by the question, "Where is Bannister?" 

As he turned his head to look, Bannister in a burst of speed passed Landy and won the race! Later, Landy told a TIME magazine reporter, "If I hadn't looked back, I would have won!"

Paul knew something about that. He wrote, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?  So run that ye may obtain.   And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: less that by any means, when I have preached to to others, I myself should be a castaway (or disqualified) (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)."  (Adapted - B.L)

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July 19

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.  And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

(Revelation 22:17)

Seeking the lost, and pointing to Jesus,

Souls that are weak and hearts that are sore;

Leading them forth in ways of salvation,

Showing the path of life evermore.

(W.O.)

This is the last reference in our Bible to both the Holy Spirit and the church.

They are wonderfully seen to be working in unison, 

inviting the lost to trust Christ as Saviour and enter the eternal blessing of God.

Whatever else we do as local gatherings of the Lord's people, 

may it be a central focus to submit to the leading of His Spirit, 

and allow His power to work through us in revealing the Gospel to the  lost around us.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." 

In the words of Roman inquiry, "what say you?"

(Rick Morse)

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July 20

" and when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison . . .  made their feet fast in the stocks.  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken . . ."

(Acts 16:23-26)

If there were more joy in tribulation, more triumphing in trouble in our own day, 

we would see more shaking by the power of God.  

The world is watching Christians, and and when they see Christians shaken by circumstances as they themselves, they conclude that after all there is very little to Christianity; but when they find Christians rising above circumstances and glorying in the Lord even in deepest trial, then even the unsaved realize the Christian has something in knowing Christ to which they are strangers. 

(H.A. Ironside)

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July 21

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct Thy paths."

(Proverbs 3:6)

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 into service on the ground 

of our ability, but of His own.

(Food for the desert)

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July 22

"O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come."

(Psalm 65:2)

Prayer, like Jonathan's bow (1 Samuel 20:20-25), 

returns not empty; never was faithful prayer lost.

No tradesman trades with such certainty as the praying saint.

Some prayers, indeed, have a longer voyage than others, 

but then they return with richer lading at last;

the praying soul is a gainer by waiting for an answer.

(William Gurnall - 1617-1679)

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July 23

"Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me;

it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head."

(Psalm 141:5)

Rebuke ought to have a grain more of sugar than of salt.

Or else they may be rejected and resented.

Yet it is not easy to sugar the pill of reproof.

Let us try to do so, for rebuke is hard enough in itself

without the addition of needless severity.

Rebuke with soft words and hard arguments.

(Charles Spurgeon)

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July 24

"He that believeth shall not make haste."

(Isaiah 28:16)

I asked a Georgia friend why Southerners were always so slow and deliberate.

"I asked my great grandfather that same question once,"

he replied, "and I'll never forget his answer:

'Son, it just doesn't pay to be in a hurry.

You always pass up much more than you catch up with.' "

(Traveling Toward Sunrise)

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July 25

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him."

(Hebrews 11:6)

"If I only had more faith."

This is a noble aspiration, but there is something better than great faith.

It is a great Saviour.

The object of faith is of the utmost importance.

Most of us desire more faith, but faith the size of a mustard seed 

can remove mountains if it is faith in Him (Matthew 17:20).

Paul wrote, "Ye are all the children of God by faith" (Galatians 3:26).

Even with small faith I am as much a child of God as the heroes of the faith.

However, let us not be content with weak faith, 

but like the apostles ask our Lord to "increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). 

(Milton Haack)

"My faith has found a resting place, not in device or creed;

I trust the ever living One, His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument, I need no other plea,

It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me."  

(Eliza Hewitt)

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July 26

Rejoice Today!

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

(Psalm 118:24)

We live on retrospect and anticipation.  "Yesterday was so wonderful.

How we did rejoice and how glad we were in it!"  "Tomorrow will be a great day.

We will rejoice and be glad then." 

But today - that is different.

Distance lends enchantment to the view, so yesterday is haloed by the glory of the past.

And anticipation does so exceed fulfillment that tomorrow looks better today.

Between the two lies now and it suffers by comparison.

But true joy is not in days either past or present or to come but in Christ,

and He is with us "all the days," as He promised.

He is the same yesterday, when we did rejoice.

He is the same forever, all the tomorrows, through all eternity, when we shall rejoice.

But He is also the same today, the day which the Lord hath made.

We will be glad and rejoice in it, but better still in Him.

(Day by Day with Vance Havner)

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July 27

"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven . . . comfort one another with these words."

(1 Thessalonians 4:16,18)

"There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness . . . unto all them that love His appearing."

(2 Timothy 4:8)

"No heart can think, no tongue can tell,

What joy 'twill be with Christ to dwell."

(Joseph Swain)

In times of deep distress it is fitting that we be comforted by the prospect of our Lord's

imminent return to take us to a land where there are no tears.

Far better that we love His appearing because we love Him, 

the Joy, the Light, the Love of our lives.

A bride yearns for her wedding day, not to be removed from her present circumstance,

but to be with the delight of her life.

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

(David J. Logan)

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July 28

"I Have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

(Job 42:5-6)

His good hand is upon us, even (and very particularly) in things that are painful.

It was not worth while to give a long history of the prosperity of Job,

but the Holy Spirt of God has given us details of all that took place in his difficulties.

It was worth while; and it is for the profit of His own to the end of the age.

It is there that the work of our God is found.

May He give us to have entire confidence in Him.

(Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - JND)

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July 29

"Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above."

(John 19:11)

One who was passing through deep waters of affliction wrote to a friend: 

"Is it not a glorious thing to know that, no difference how unjust a thing may be, or how absolutely it may seem to be from Satan, by the time it reaches us it is God's will for us, and will work for good to us?  For all things work together for good to us who love God.

And even of the betrayal, Christ said, "The cup which My Father gave me, shall I not drink it?"

We live charmed lives if we are living in the center of God's will.  All the attacks that Satan, through others' sin, can hurl against us are not only powerless to harm us, but are turned into blessings on the way.   (H.W.S.)

In the center of the circle of the Will of God I stand:

There can come no second causes, all must come from His dear hand.

All is well! for 'tis my Father who my life hath planned.

Shall I pass through waves of sorrow? then I know it will be best;

Though I cannot tell the reason, I can trust, and so am blest.

God is Love, and God is faithful, so in perfect Peace I rest.

With the shade and with the sunshine, with the joy and with the pain,

Lord, I trust Thee! both are needed, each Thy wayward child to train.

Earthly loss, did we but know it, often means our heavenly gain.

(I.G.W.) (Streams in the Desert)

N.J. Hiebert - 5235

July 30

Our Keeping God

"The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in."

(Psalm 121:8)

Here is a promise-laden psalm to rest in when burdens grow heavy and life's path becomes steep.  When the weight of the load makes us unsteady, we need assurance that God has not given us more than we can carry, and that He will keep us from falling.

The camel's day begins and ends in the kneeling position.  At the end of the day it kneels before the master and has its burden lifted.  Sunrise finds the camel again kneeling, and its master adjusts its measured load according to its ability for that day's journey, whether through the desert or across the watered plains.

All of us bear some kind of burden (Galatians 6:5).  It may be a bundle of small cares made up of everyday duties, but to one with a sensitive nature their combined weight sometimes seems unbearable. Some are burdened for the spiritual welfare of unsaved loved ones or those who are not living for Christ.  Then there are those labouring under the burden of disease, infirmity, weakness, or a handicap.  Such weights can turn simple household duties into mountainous chores, and at times a day may stretch out before us as a steep and treacherous path. 

Oh, what comfort and encouragement to know that the Lord "preserves our going out and our coming in" - and all our steps from sunrise to sunset.  He will keep our feet from slipping and protect us along the way.

With God behind you and His arms beneath you, you can face whatever lies ahead of you.  (Adapted)

N.J. Hiebert - 5236

July 31

"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."

(Hebrews 4:13) 

Can you spread out no wants before Christ, the Giver, the Healer? 

Believers grieve the Spirit by not using Christ, and then God must compel them to do it.  

He knew how to make Paul startle up the jailor at Philippi. 

Do I know that Christ up there has to do with my heart individually?

Has He looked into it to-day? has He seen any brightness in it towards Himself, or coldness?

Well, He does not trust a bit to the feelings of the heart.

He knows what it is; whether it looks bright or not; 

everything is naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.  

He does not trust my heart, but He says,

"I want to give you all that is in My heart of love." 

(G.V. Wigram)

N.J. Hiebert - 5237