Gems from October 2013

A Continuing Process

"Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged."

(Isaiah 51:1)   

The need for humility of mind and spirit that Paul urges on each believer 

is very much a part of the aging process, 

one of the happy fruits of repentance.  

True repentance which requires 

a lifetime of soul exercise,

 provides the foundation for a lifetime of blessing. 

Do you want to be a  vessel of service for your blessed Lord and Saviour?

Learn the secret of ongoing repentance.

(In the Potter's Hands - Doug Nicolet)

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October 1

"I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."

(Jeremiah 1:8)

God does not grant the necessary grace before the trial.

He builds the bridge when we reach the river.

We often fear that we shall sink under the fiery trials that we see others endure.

We are afraid in the distance of the mystery and anguish of death; 

but we have not yet reached that crisis, and grace is not vouchsafed before it is needed.

Jesus comes with our distress.

God does not save us from facing the music,

or shelter us from any of the requirements of sons and daughters.

As long as we remain within the moral frontiers of God,

watching our hearts lest we give way to ill-content, 

to covetousness, or self pity,

the things which take us outside God's frontier, then God says, 

"I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee."

An aged Christian when asked if he ever feared death replied,

"Yes, I sometimes tremble on the Rock, but the rock never  trembles under me."

(Traveling Toward Sunrise)

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October 2

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

(John 10:10)

John is the only Gospel writer who records this statement, but the other three illustrate it in 

the intertwined stories of the woman with the issue of blood and the nobleman's dead daughter.

Christ had to go to the girl;

The woman had to go to to Him.

The girl was twelve years old; the woman had been ailing twelve years.

The girl needed life!

The woman needed a better quality of life - abundant life!

The woman was cured, not by the outward touch of her hand,

but by the inner exercise of faith in the Saviour.

The girl evidenced life by rising and walking.

How wondrous is His work.

(W.P.W. McVey)

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October 3

Love's Cipher

"Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David and . . . shot an arrow."

(1 Samuel 20:35-36)

A wasted shaft, shot idly in the air

So may the world's wisdom deem thy prayer.

The unseen Watcher marks thy arrow's flight;

He knows its language, reads its message right.

He joys, because Thy love has kept His tryst;

Deep joy is thine, communing with the Christ.

The world that cast Him out can never know

The secret art of talking with Him so.

They see His seat is empty; men of prayer

Know where He is, and how to find Him there.

(Bells & Pomegranates - James M. S. Tait)

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October 4

The Little Sharp Vexations

"Casting all your cares upon Him; for He careth for you."

(1 Peter 5:7)

The little sharp vexations, and the briers that catch and fret,

Why not take them all to the Helper who has never failed us yet?

Tell Him about the heart-ache, and tell Him the longings too,

Tell him the baffled purpose when we scarce know what to do.

Then leaving all, with our weakness, with the One divinely strong,

Forget that we bore the burden, and carry away the song.

(Philips Brooks)

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October 5

The Rules of Disengagement

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

(John 8:36)

In her book, Throw Out Fifty Things, Gail Blanke outlines four "Rules of Disengagement" to help people clear the clutter from their lives.  The first rule states: "If it . . . weighs you down, clogs you up, or just plain makes you feel bad about yourself, throw it out, give it away, sell it, let it go, move on."

I think this Rule of Disengagement has a spiritual application too: We don't have to stay connected to past sin.  Joseph's brothers struggled with this.  Years after they sold Joseph into slavery, they recalled their cruelty and feared revenge (Genesis 50:15).  So they sent a message to Joseph, begging for forgiveness (vv.16-17).  They did this despite previous merciful actions and reassurances from their brother (45:4-15).

Many of us remain connected to age-old offenses despite mercy and forgiveness from those we may have hurt.  However, true freedom comes when we confess our wrongdoing to God.  He forgives it, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9) and separates us from it (Psalm 103:12).  As one verse puts it, He throws our sins into the deepest sea! (Micah 7:19).  Because of this, we can remind ourselves that the Son has made us free, and we are free indeed (John 8:36).  (Jennifer Benson Schuldt)

"Twas a glad day when Jesus found me,
when His strong arms were thrown around me;

When my sins He  buried in the deepest sea,
and my soul He filled with joy and victory."

(Reitz)

The price of our freedom from sin was paid by Jesus' blood.

____________________________________________________

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

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October 6

"If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?  But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared."

(Psalm 130:3-4)

~~~~~~

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."  

(Psalm 66:18) 

From the moment we realize our lost condition and cry to the Lord, victory is ours. 

Judging others can not save ourselves; the secret of victory is in the conviction that sin robs us 

of all strength and makes us incapable of withstanding the enemy.  

This victory is not due to any effort on our part, 

since we are incapable; it can only come from God Himself.   

(Henri L. Rossier ~ 1852-1942)

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October 7

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.

(1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Oh, joy, oh, delight, should we go without dying!

No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying!

Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,

When Jesus receives His own.

(H.L. Turner)

Its becoming difficult to get everything done these days.

Time saving devices turn into time stealing vices.

Do you wonder if you'll ever get caught up?

The answer is, Yes!

The dead have ceased from their labours, 

but we which are alive and remain will one day,

finally be caught up, not with our chores,

but with our Saviour to be with Him forevermore!

(Rex Trogdon)

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October 8

"He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

(Matthew 28:6)

Thus the angel answered the women at the empty tomb.

But how could it be?

They were the last to see Him buried there by Joseph.

Soldiers later were stationed at His sealed tomb.

"For He is risen".

Why should it not be?

He is the sinless Son of God.

Death and decay could not hold Him.

He had prophesied it Himself (Matthew 17:23)

and it was "as He said".

So just believe it; and like Thomas, put aside all unbelief and acclaim,

"My Lord and my God".

(K.C. Ung)

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October 9

"Fear not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my  righteousness. . . For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

(Isaiah 41:10,13)   

"Among the many difficulties of our early ministry, my brother Charles often said, ‘If the Lord would give me wings, I’d fly.’ I used to answer, ‘If God bids me fly, I will trust Him for the wings.’”  (John Wesley)

Whenever the Lord gives us something difficult to do, if we will but trust Him, He will provide us with all we need to carry us through.

“What a serene and quiet life might you lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence!

With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? 

Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.”   (Charles H. Spurgeon) (With thanks S.L.) 

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October 10

"He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."

(Ephesians 1:4) 

The Lord Jesus, amid all the glory of God, has a heart large enough to think of coming to meet even me.

"There is a poor thing, stumbling through his duties, often going wrong.

I shall go and fetch him, and make him partaker of all I have."  

It is His love, not mine.

Having loved us before the foundation of the world, 

His love changes not because of what we are.

He, the same yesterday, today, and for ever.

(G.V. Wigram)

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October 11

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

In response to a difficult circumstance, we can become very self-centered.

If in trials I solace myself only, the result is 

"I-solation."

Rather than isolate myself, I should reach out to help others,

knowing that tribulation is not given so that I can wallow in self-pity,

but to enable me to comfort others through the comfort God gave me.

What problem can the Lord help you rise above today?

(D. Logan)

Others, Lord, yes, others, let this my motto be,

Help me to live for others, that I may live like Thee.

(C.D.M.)    

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October 12

When the world is one vast howling wilderness

"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?" 

(Song of Songs 8:5) 

You will never find Jesus so precious, as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. 

Then He is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, or a rock rising above the storm!

Do not set your hearts on any of the flowers of this world. They shall all fade and die. 

Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley. Jesus never changes! 

Live nearer to Christ than to any person on this earth; so that when they are taken away, you may have Him to love and lean upon.

"Yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" Song of Songs 5:16 

(Robert Murray M'Cheyne 1813-1843)

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October 13

"I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, 

and to His saints." (Psalm 85:8)

My Theme

Speak to me now of Christ! My soul is weary of fightings, fears, and words that have no end;

Hungry and thirsty am I - yea, and longing for sweet refreshment He alone can send.

Speak to me now of Christ! - not your opinion - comparing man to man but leads to strife;

Of Jesus let me hear - my souls beloved, whose words speak comfort, peace, eternal life!

Speak to me now of Christ, who lowly suffered enduring spitting, scourging, grief and shame -

Who, when accused and cursed, He answered nothing - He is my Saviour - let me hear His Name!

Speak to me now of Christ, Who, heavy laden, bore the dread cross up Calvary's cruel hill.

The Lord of life! He died in bitter anguish - for my vile sins His own life-blood did spill.

Speak to me now of Christ, Who spoke to Mary, that resurrection morn of death's defeat,

Revealing to her heart that secret, "Father! I now ascend, and, in me, you are meet." 

Speak to me now of Christ, Who now is seated, crowned with all glory on the Father's throne.

His eye still on the desert, lone and dreary, He watches every footstep of His own.

Speak to me now of Christ, Who soon is coming to take us home, where sight can never dim,

Where all His own, with tongues and hearts uniting, in one eternal song shall speak of Him!

And when I speak, let me speak well of Jesus, the altogether lovely One, my Friend -

My every thought of Him brings peace and comfort, He loves me, and will love me to the end.

  

(Composed by Ethel Florence Light who, at the age of 96 went home 

to be with her Lord on September 28, 2013)

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October 14

"Faith is . . . the evidence of things not seen."

(Hebrews 11:1)

True faith drops its letter in the post office box, and lets it go.  Distrust holds on to a corner of it, and wonders that the answer never comes.  I have some letters in my desk that have been written for weeks, but there was some slight uncertainty about the address or the contents, so they are yet not mailed.  

They have not done either me or anybody else any good yet.  They will never accomplish anything until I let them go out of my hands and trust them to the postman and the mail.

This is the way with true faith.  It hands its case over to God, and then He works.  "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5).

  

But He never works until we commit.  Faith is a receiving or still better, a taking of God's proffered gifts.  We may believe, and come, and commit, and rest; but we will not fully realize all our blessings until we begin to receive and come into the attitude of abiding and taking.  (Days of Heaven Upon Earth)

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October 15

What is His is Ours

"I an the vine, ye are the branches."

(John 15:5)

Why does the sap flow from the vine to the branch?  

Simply because the branch is joined to the vine. 

 Then the sap flows into it by the very law of its nature.  

So, being joined to our Lord Jesus by faith, that which is His becomes ours, 

and flows into us by the very law of our spiritual life. 

If there were no hindrance, 

it would indeed flow as a river.  

Then how earnestly should we seek to have every barrier removed to the inflowing of such a gift.  

Let it be our prayer that He will clear the way for it, 

that He will take away all the unbelief, 

all the self, all the hidden cloggings of the channel.  

Then He will give a sevenfold blessing: 

My peace, My joy, My love, at once and always, now and forever; 

My grace and My strength for all the needs of our pilgrimage; 

My rest and My glory for all the grand, sweet home-life of eternity with Him.  

(Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal)

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October 16

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort: who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." 

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

 

"If any little word of mine can make a life the brighter;

If any little song of mine can make a heart the lighter,

God help me speak that little word, and take my life of singing,

And drop it in some lonely vale to set the echoes ringing."

(Comforted of God - A.J. Pollock)

 

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October 17

 

Until Our Time is Up

"Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you."

(Philippians 1:24)

Paul was homesick for heaven, desiring to depart and be with Christ which is far better.

But his time on earth was not up.

When old age comes or dear ones leave us for heaven, we long to go, too,

so we pine away among our memories or count the days until our deliverance. 

But:

Something remains for us to do or dare, 

even the oldest trees some fruit may bear.

God has left us here for some purpose and we do well to find out 

what we may do in the time that is left.

We have all eternity ahead but only a few days to finish our work here.

It is needful that we abide in the flesh a little longer.

Let us make this as good as possible before we reach the far better! 

(All the Days - Vance Havner)

 

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October 18

The Style of Divine Forgiveness

 

"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 all 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 stye of doing things, blessed be 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 stye most charming.

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 would 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.  (The All-Sufficiency of Christ - C.H. Mackintosh)

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October 19

"And he said unto him, What is thy name?"

(Genesis 32:27)

 

When the Angel of the Lord asked Jacob this question, it was not because he didn't know his name.  

Names in Hebrew have meaning, and Jacob means "deceiver".  

Before the Lord would bless him, Jacob had to recognize and confess who he was by nature - a deceiver. 

 From that humble position he would receive a blessing by the grace of God.  

The Lord desires the same of each of us.  

Recognize who and what you are by nature, and confess it to Him.  

He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  

(Carl Knott)

Guilty and chained I helpless lay, a willing slave, to sin a prey;

The Saviour saw my lost estate, and came my soul to liberate.

(Alfred Mace)

 

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October 20

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." 

 (Psalm 14:1)

 

There are consequences in abandoning God, who has revealed Himself in His Word.  Man can not live without religion: if he does not have the religion of the true God, he will invent a false religion to satisfy his conscience and answer to his instincts.

Atheism itself is a religion which delivers man, bound hand and foot, to superstition, that is to say, to the worship of demons and to anarchy.  When man's own will becomes his god, Satan masters him and triumphs.

What trouble, what agitation, what despair, what fatal sorrow gets hold of the fool who has said in his heart, "There is no God!"  And, on the other hand, what rest there is in separation from evil and in the worship of the holy God, the true God!  (H.L. Rossier)

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October 21

"Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24)

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things."

(Romans 8:23)

 

He has promised to hear and He has promised to answer!

 

“How happy it is to believe, with a steadfast assurance, 

that our petitions are heard even while we are making them; 

and how delightful to meet with a proof of it in the effectual and actual grant of them.”  

(William Cowper)

  

“Assurance grows by repeated conflict.

 By our repeated experimental proof of the Lord's power and goodness to save; 

when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety. 

When these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, 

we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God, beyond and against appearances. 

This trust, when habitual and strong, bears the name of assurance, 

for even assurance has degrees.” 

 (John Newton)

 

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.”

(Fanny Crosby)

 

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October 22

A Way of Escape
 

"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."

(1 Corinthians 10:13) 

[God will] make the way of escape, that [we] may be able to bear it. —1 Corinthians 10:13

 

Highway 77, which passes through the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, features a series of runaway truck ramps. These semi-paved exits appear in an area of the highway where the altitude drops nearly 1,300 feet over the course of about 6 miles. This steep descent combined with the road’s winding path can create problems for motorists—especially truck drivers.

Just as a runaway truck needs an escape route from a highway, we also need “a way of escape” when out-of-control desires threaten our spiritual well-being. When we face temptation, “[God will] make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). God enables us to say “no” to enticement through the power of His Word. Jesus conquered Satan’s temptation relating to food, authority, and trust by quoting verses from Deuteronomy (Matthew 4:4-10). 

When we are tempted, we may feel like disaster is just around the bend. Memories of past failure and isolation from others can intensify this feeling. However, we can trust God in moments of temptation; He is faithful. He will provide a way for us to resist sin’s allure.
 

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou near by;

Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee. 
 

(Hawks/Lowry)

The best way to escape temptation is to run to God.

_______________________________________________________________________

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

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October 23

"And Abraham drew near, and said, 'Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked' Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:23,25)

God granted Abraham's prayer so far as he ventured to extend it.   

We know not what would have been the answer, had he gone further.  

But we have there the highest encouragement for intercessory prayer,  

to plead with God for wicked men, for communities and nations that are far gone in sin.

Abraham received no denial.  

So far as we can see, it was he who left off, 

and not God, yet we are to rest humbly and trustfully 

upon God's good pleasure, after all our prayer.

(George Bush)

 

We shall never err in praying for too much, we far too frequently err in praying for too little.

We come far short of the promises and of the willingness and power of God.

There is always a large balance to our credit in the bank of heaven

waiting for the exercise of our faith in drawing it.

"Expect great things from God."

 

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October 24

 

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

(Psalm 27:13)

"Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

Fainting is possible.

We may faint in prayer, in good works,

in chastening, and just because of the way.

But fainting is preventable.

One great preservative from fainting is to recognize the daily evidences of the goodness of God.

Before we open our eyes in the morning,

already His new load of compassions has been delivered to us.

"They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness" (Lamentation 3:23).

We must not take this daily freight of His great goodness for granted,

"O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness."

(J. Boyd Nicholson)

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October 25

Passing Through

 

"When thou passest through the waters, they shall not overflow thee." 

(Isaiah 43:2)

 

"When thou passest through the waters," deep the waves may be, and cold,

But Jehovah is our refuge and His promise is our hold;

For the Lord Himself hath said it, He the faithful God and true:

"When thou comest to the waters, thou shalt not go down, but through." 

Seas of sorrow, seas of trial, bitterest anguish, fiercest pain,

Rolling surges of temptation, sweeping over heart and brain,

They shall never overflow us, for we know His word is true;

All His waves and all His billows He will lead us safely through.

Threatening breakers of destruction, doubts insidious undertow,

Shall not sink us, shall not drag us out to ocean depths of woe;

For His promise shall sustain us, praise the Lord, whose word is true!

We shall not go down nor under, He hath said, "Thou passest through."

(Annie Johnson Flint)

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October 26

 

"Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am that they may behold My glory."

(John 17:24)

 

Oh, Jesus Lord, who loved me like to Thee?

Fruit of Thy work, with Thee, too, there to see

Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll,

Myself the prize and travail of Thy soul.

(J.N. Darby) 

In this prayer to the Father, our Lord reveals a deep longing of His heart.

He wanted His own to be with Him in glory.

Only He knew what would have to be endured before the results of that desire could come to pass.

He would experience the rejection of mankind and separation from His Father 

in order to make that eternal fellowship possible.

He so greatly desired for us to be with Him that He became a sacrifice like no other.

Do we long to be with Him?

(Ken Gross)

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October 27

"He hath . . . made me a polished shaft "(Isaiah 49:2).

"Corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace" (Psalm 144:12).

 

Cut . . . to Shine

When in Amsterdam, Holland, says a traveler, "I was much interested in a visit we made to a place then famous for polishing diamonds. We saw the men engaged in the work.

When a diamond is found it is rough and dark like a common pebble.  It takes a long time to polish it, and it is very hard work.  It is held by means of a piece of metal close to the surface of a large wheel, which is kept going round and round.  Fine diamond dust is put on this wheel, nothing else being hard enough to polish the diamond.

This work is kept up for months, and sometimes for several years, before it is finished.  If the diamond is intended for a King, then greater time and trouble are spent upon it."

What though the precious jewel my be torn and cut until its carats are reduced ten-fold!  When the cutting and polishing are completed, it will shine with a thousand flashes of reflected light - every carat will be multiplied an hundred-fold in value by the process of reduction and threatened destruction!

Let us wait His time - let us trust His love, that "the trial of your faith . . .  might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."  

"Rarest gems bear hardest grinding - God's own workmanship are we."

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October 28

How Can I Help But Love Him

 

"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 Him 

which died for them, and rose again."

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15) 

When I stand before the throne, dressed in beauty not my own; 

When I see Thee as Thou art, love Thee with unceasing heart;

Then, Lord, shall I better know - not till then - how much I owe.

(Unknown)

 

We all need a strong compelling force to move us through life.  Without this force we become stagnant.  We can be driven by many different motives - wealth, power, prestige.  The apostle Paul's compulsion was an intense awareness of Christ's atoning love for man and the responsibility he felt to share this truth with others.

The apostle was so gripped by Christ that he counted his own life as nothing in the light of that love (Acts 20:24).  Paul abandoned all ambitions as he sought to be a worthy follower and proclaimer of divine love.

Who can do anything other than love Christ after personally experiencing His divine love?  Our love relationship with Christ will be demonstrated by our obedience to Him and the doing of His will for our lives (John 15:10).

This obedience is not motivated by a desire for reward or a fear of punishment.  It is simply a response of love for all that our Lord has done for us and for what He means in our daily lives.

Elton M. Roth (1891-1951) published many anthems and over one hundred hymns, including the popular "In My Heart There Rings a Melody."

Down from His splendor in glory He came, into a world of woe;

took to Himself all my guilt and my shame, why should He love me so?

I am unworthy to take of His grace, wonderful grace so free;

yet Jesus suffered and died in my place, e'en for a soul like me.

He is the fairest of thousands to me, His love is sweet and true;

wonderful beauty in Him I now see, more than I ever knew.

CHORUS:  How can I help but love Him, when He loved me so?

How can I help but love Him, when He loved me so?

(Elton M. Ross)

N.J. Hiebert - 5326 

October 29

Luke 16:19-31

"A certain rich man, clothed in purple."  The rich man had his good things here, he belonged to the earth, and the basket and the store belonged to him.  His treasure was on earth, and his heart there too.

 

But look into the other world and see the result - "torment".  The good things have changed now.  "The rich man died and was buried; and in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment." "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,"  "and the beggar died." 

 

Was the beggar buried?  Not a word about it, for he belonged not to the earth, "He was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom."  He who had the "evil things" down here was carried to the best place in Heaven.

 

It was not the afflictions, sores, etc., of Lazarus made him righteous, any more than the riches of the rich man made him unrighteous. 

 

God having done with the earthly things, no earthly circumstances are a mark of God's present favour or the reverse; though, no doubt, God's dealings with Lazarus were the means of bringing down his pride, breaking his will, and so preparing him for the place He was going to take him to.  (The Man of Sorrows - J.N. Darby)

 

N.J. Hiebert - 5327

October 30

"Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

(James 5:20) 

 

A missionary once wrote, "Out in India, in the mountains, I have heard in the twilight hour a call from the ridge below.  Away through the stillness comes the call, and from the ridge above me comes a response.  And then I hear, in a moment more, a faint call from a far ridge, away up and beyond, sounding almost like a distance echo.

 

What did it mean?  It meant that the man close above me was passing the word from the man below to the man beyond.  The man below could never have reached the other man except for the man who stood on the middle ridge and passed the message on." 

 

Christian youth! you stand on the middle ridge.  To you has been committed the tremendous responsibility of reaching the youth on the ridge below.

 

Thousands of them are within your reach every day, in the schoolroom, the office and factory.  They must be won for Christ.  

 

There is a youth down there who will never hear "the Man" up there, unless you become the youth on the middle ridge.  (Mountain Trailways for Youth)

 

N.J. Hiebert - 5328   

October 31

"Go thou and preach the kingdom of God."

(Luke 9:60)

The gospel is not a secret to be hoarded,

but a story to be heralded.

Are you saved?

Do yo think that is what matters most?

If so, what about those you meet every day?

Do you keep it all to yourself, or do you do what the shepherds 

at Bethlehem did when the angel brought them the good tidings of great joy?

(This Day is the Lord's - Corrie Ten Boom)

N.J. Hiebert - 5329