Gems from October 2014

“And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished our of their sight.” 
(Luke 24:31)

Luke’s Gospel commences with two people (Joseph and Mary) travelling from Jerusalem 

thinking that the Lord was with them, and He was not. 

The Gospel concludes with two people travelling from Jerusalem, 

not knowing that the Lord was with them, and He was!

It is easy to lose the joy of His presence when we are complacent about our faith.

Conversely in times of sorrow we can think He is far from us.

The answer to both situations is to 

spend time with our Bible and thus we can fellowship 

with our Lord and have Him reveal more of Himself to us.

(Robert E. Surgenor)

More about Jesus would I know, more of His grace to others show;

More of His saving fulness see, more of His love who died for me.

(Eliza E. Hewitt)

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October 1

“Boaz commanded his young men, saying, let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: and let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.”

(Ruth 2:15-16)

Has not the Lord repeatedly let us find such handfuls when we did not expect to find them?

And in turn He has commissioned us to drop such handfuls for others.

If the brethren who minister think also of new converts and weak believers,

their ministry will manifest it.

They may be acquainted with particular needs, 

and able to drop a handful here and there,

but they should follow the example of Boaz.

He dropped the handfuls so that Ruth could pick them up.

Neither the person for whom the handfuls are meant nor the others present should detect that the handfuls were dropped for a particular person.

Ministry should not be personal, nor should it draw attention to any one person.

(H. L. Heijkoop) 

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October 2

“And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

(Genesis 3:2-3)

The outstanding instance of the want of accuracy in quoting Scripture is found in Genesis 3.  It is a warning that in dealing with the Word of the Lord, we should take nothing from  it, add nothing to it, change nothing in it. Eve did all three.

SHE TOOK FROM the word if God.  He had said: “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat” save one; but Eve omitted the word “freely” making God to appear less bountiful than He was (Genesis 2:16; Deuteronomy 4:2). 

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

(Deuteronomy 4:2)

SHE ADDED to the word of God.  He had said of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “Thou shalt not eat of it.” But in her reply to Satan Eve declares that God had also said: “Neither shall ye touch it” which He had not (Genesis 2:17; 3:3; Proverbs 30:6).

“Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee.”

(Proverbs 30:6)

SHE CHANGED the word of God.  He had said: “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,” but when Eve quoted the words of warning she said: “neither shall ye touch it lest ye die” (Genesis 2:17; 3:3); and by so doing changed an absolute certainty into a mere possibility (Matthew 4:4).  

“But He (Jesus) answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, 

but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” 

(Matthew 4:4) 

Eve thus misquoted the terms of the divine permission, overstated the prohibition, and underrated the penalty. (The Wonderful Word - George Henderson)

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October 3

‘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)

It is a much more difficult thing to confess our sin, than to ask for forgiveness.

Really to confess before God the sin which we have committed,

is a much more humbling thing than to ask for pardon in a general way.

It is an easy thing to ask the Lord for pardon; 

but it is in vain unless we confess our sins; and then, observe, 

it is a matter of simple faith to know that sins are forgiven us.

The word is, “If we confess,” David confessed his sin. 

“I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. 

Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil inThy sight; 

that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.”

This was true conviction.

There was no attempt at palliation; 

no laying blame on circumstances; no looking at individuals.

It is simply “I” and “Thee;” I a sinner, and Thou the God of truth.

“Let God be true, and every man a liar.”

The secret of true restoration consists in taking our real place, 

as sinners, in the light of the truth of God.

(C.H. Mackintosh)

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October 4

“And as they did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me." (Matthew 26:1)

When our Lord said, “One of you will betray Me,” 

thank God those disciples had enough spirituality that nobody said, “Lord, is it he?” 

 Every one of those disciples said, “Lord is it I?”  

They were humble enough to point the finger in their own direction. 

Self-righteousness is terrible among God’s people.  

If we feel that we are what we ought to be, then we will remain what we are.  

We will not look for any change or improvement in our lives.  

This will quite naturally lead us to judge everyone by what we are. 

 This is the judgment of which we must be careful.  

To judge others by ourselves is to create havoc in the local assembly. 

(A.W. Tozer)

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October 5

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”  (Titus 3:5) 

Ah! nothing to do, for the sinner that’s dead

Must needs have another to work in his stead:

And Jesus, in Calvary’s terrible hour,

Redemption accomplished in marvellous power,

Which shut up the world to its folly and strife,

But opened a passage from death unto life.

Are you ruined and helpless?  God offers to you

A free, full salvation - and nothing to do!  

(Author Unknown)

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October 6

“He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

(Isaiah 40:11)

I was walking up the hill on an uneven path towards  my henhouse when my 

little companion said, "Please Grandma, will you hold my hand?”

Later, as we climbed through gorse and scrub she asked,

“Grandma, will you carry me?” 

How wonderful it is to know that we are held in the hand of 

Almighty God and that when times become too difficult,

He will carry us if we allow Him to do so.

(J. Fleming)

Fear not, the path ahead is rough, but let Me take your hand;

You may not see the way to go, you may not understand.

Yet hold My hand and trust in Me, for I am always near,

And I will lead you through the dark and lonely days you fear.

(J. Fleming)

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October 7

“Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold, thy King cometh unto thee meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”

(Matthew 21:5)

He Sat

None could ever humble themselves as the blessed Lord Jesus did (Philippians 2:5-11).

In this world His sitting was not found to be in a place of glory, but of lowliness - and why?

Because He who was rich became so very poor, that those He loved might be made

rich beyond human understanding, through His poverty.

“And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house,

many Publicans and sinners sat also together

with Jesus and His disciples:

for there were many, and they followed Him”

(Mark 2:15).

Our blessed Lord didn’t sit with sinners because He was having fellowship with their sins.

But sinners were welcome to come to where He sat to have fellowship with Him -

the outcasts of this world found welcome and blessing when they came where He sat.

Our blessed Lord never did and never will,

turn away one seeking sinner who is drawn to Him in their lost, needy condition.

He is, we may say, sitting now, waiting for the lost that

He might dispense love, joy and life to each one.

(The Christian Shepherd - September 2014)

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October 8

“The light of the body is the eye.”

(Luke 11:34)

Light is there, and the question is about the man’s eye.

If a man has bad eyes the light is painful.

So the Word to one who has not clear eyesight or the single eye.

This is a solemn Word, but if a person was converted only yesterday, 

it might be true of him; he might be full of light.

It applies as much to the babe in Christ as to the grown man.

Where God is in the soul His light is seen.

“If any man walk in the day he stumbleth not” (John 11:9).

(J.N. Darby)

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October 9

“Charity (Unconditional Love) suffereth long, and is kind.”

(1 Corinthians 13:4)

A nurse’s story - I saw unconditional love last night.

I’m a nurse and I work in an intensive care unit in a hospital. One of my patients, a dear old man, lay dying anxiously waiting for his son a Marine to arrive from Iraq.

Around 6 PM a tired, anxious looking serviceman walked by my nurse’s station, I looked up and said, “You made it, come with me.” I led the soldier down the hall into a room and over to the old mans bedside. "Your son is here," I said. I had to repeat the words several times before the old man opened his eyes.
 
He was heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack; he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his strong fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement. I brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, I suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.

He refused. Whenever I came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of me and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients. Now and then I heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son’s hand all through the night.
 
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and came to tell us he the old man was gone. While we did what we had to do, he waited. As we finished, I started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted me.” Who was that man?" he asked. I was startled, "He was your father," I answered. "No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
 
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?" "I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."

Next time someone needs you…just be there! Stay!

(With thanks - S.L.)

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October 10

"And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31)

“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:17)

Sorrow attends worldly joy, danger attends worldly safety,

loss attends worldly labours, tears attend worldly purposes.

As to these things . . . men's hopes are vain,

Their sorrow is certain,  and their joy is artificial.

Saving faith makes a man see . . . the prickles that are in every rose,

The thorns that are in every crown, the poison that is in the golden cup,

The spot that is in the shining pearl.

And thus a Christian counts and calls all these things, as indeed they are, 

"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” 

(Ecclesiastes 1:2)

(Thomas Brooks — (1608-1680)

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October 11

He Humbled Himself

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  

(Philippians 2:5-8)

He that is down need fear no fall:

      He that is low, no pride.

He that is humble ever shall

      Have God to be his guide.

 (From The Pilgrim’s Progress, by J. Bunyan / Thanks J.K.)

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October 12

“Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.”

(Psalm 36:5)

The inner side of every cloud

Is bright and shining.

Then let us turn our clouds about,

And always wear then inside out,

To show the lining.

(A.J. Pollock)

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October 13

“He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.  Then are thy glad because they be quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven.”

(Psalm 107:29-30)

Thou art my Lord Who slept upon the pillow,

Thou are my Lord Who calmed the furious sea;

What matter beating wind and tossing billow 

If only we are in the boat with Thee?

Hold us in quiet through the age-long minute

While Thou art silent and the wind is shrill;

What boat can sink when Thou, dear Lord, art in it?

What heart can faint that resteth on Thy will?

(Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael)

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October 14

Unspeakable!

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!”

(2 Corinthians 9:15)

- Saved by His mercy, I possess this unspeakable gift--unspeakable on account of its dimensions. 

Jesus baffles computation, He is so far-reaching and so wide. 

- I cannot describe His breadth: He meets all the requirements of my many-sided nature—

body, mind, memory, imagination, conscience, will, heart. 

- I cannot estimate His length: from eternity past He loved me—

and through eternity future His love will last, without end, without change! 

- I cannot fathom His depth: He fathoms my sharpest sorrow, my bitterest agony, 

my fiercest temptation, my foulest sin. 

-  I cannot scale His height: He transforms me into His own holy likeness, and will soon bring 

me to His own presence--up and up to the heart and the house of the Father!

Christ is an inexpressible gift which cannot be set forth in detail!

(“The Secret Place" - 1907)

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October 15

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” 

(Isaiah 9:6)

God has disclosed to us that according to His good pleasure He has purposed to head up all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth.  The One, who, when He entered the world, found “no room” even in a wayside inn, who, as He passed through it, was "a stranger in the land” and a "wayfaring man” with not where to lay His head, who when He went out of the world was nailed to a cross between two thieves, is the One of whom God has decreed,

"The government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called 

Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace." 

(Isaiah 9:6, N.Tr.) 

(Hamilton Smith)

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October 16

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ . . . That I may know Him."  (Philippians 3:7-10)

To learn, and yet to learn, whilst life goes by,

So pass the student days.

And thus be great, and do great things, and die,

And lie embalmed with praise.

My work is but to lose and to forget,

Thus small, despised to be;

All to unlearn - this task before me set -

Unlearn all else but Thee.

("The task” by G. Ter Steegen - J.K.) 

-1697-1769-

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October 17

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.

(Genesis 6:5-6)

These two verses take us to the heart of the matter.

Man’s heart and God’s heart.  What is the matter with man’s heart?

It is the chronic condition called sin - every imagination of its thoughts is only evil continually.

At this the Lord was grieved in His heart and moved to stop man’s violence, 

resulting in the flood.

Ultimately it culminated in the Father sending the Son of His heart 

into this world to pay the penalty of our sin.

(Rex Trogdon)

“O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,

Hold us who wait before Thee, near to the heart of God.”

(C.B. McAfee)

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October 18

“These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33)

This is the last recorded time our Lord uses these words on earth, 

and it seems to be wonderfully fitted as a parting message to us all,

as He prepared to leave this world and return to His Father.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; 

I have overcome the world.” 

What a word for us today!

So, Be of good comfort! 

 Be of good cheer! 

cheer up!

 The Lord says it!

“I have overcome the world!”

This is His message to you, to me, for today.

(Hid Treasures - G. Christopher Willis)

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October 19

“He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.”

(John 10:3)

It may be that you and I are at times sad, discouraged, 

cast down, filled with fears and dread;

perhaps we have failed, and dishonoured the One we love.

It may well be that at such a time we will hear His voice, -

the voice His own sheep know so well,- 

and in tones of love, of hope, of confidence, 

we will hear Him call our name:

(for He calleth His own sheep by nameI):

and we will hear him say: 

THARSEI (Greek)! ”CHEER UP! IT IS I; BE NOT AFRAID!”

(Matthew 14:27

(Hid Treasures - G. Christopher Willis)

“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercies, and will break

In blessings on your head.”

(Cowper - 1779)

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October 20

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

(James 5:16)

Prayer without faith is but husk; 

With faith it contains the seed-corn of a million harvests.

When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do,

When we depend upon education, we get what education can do;

When we depend upon man, we get what man can do;

But when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do!

(A.C. Dixon)

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October 21

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).

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

It is clear from these scriptures that the heart of the Christian is like a castle besieged by malignant foes.  These enemies are care, worry, doubt, anxiety, unrest - any one of which, if admitted, will destroy that rest of heart which is essential in all who would bear witness for God.

To guard against such invasion a heavenly garrison is placed at our disposal; and this heavenly garrison encampeth round about those who comply with the conditions laid down in verse 6, 

in order to give them the protection promised in verse 7. 

The result will be a peace that out-soars and transcends the loftiest conception of the human mind; and, in the enjoyment of it, we shall be able to face all hostile intelligences and say:

“In the centre 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 earthly 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 blessed.

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, me, Thy wayward child, to train.

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

(Heaven’s Cure for Earth’s Care)

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October 22

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.”

(Romans 12:1)

Thine, Jesus, Thine,

No more this heart of mine 

Shall seek its joy apart from Thee;

The world is crucified to me,

And I am Thine.

Thine - Thine alone,

My joy, my hope, my crown;

Now earthly things may fade and die,

They charm my soul no more, 

for I Am Thine alone.

(A. Midlane)

We may point out briefly the characteristics of the consecrated saint.

First and foremost, he has no will.

Like the apostle, he says: Not I, but Christ lives in me.

Crucified with Christ, the will, connected as it is with the old man, 

is gone before before God. . . .

The will of Christ is our only law, and we are His, for His sole and absolute use.

Then, also, the consecrated believer seeks only the exaltation of Christ. . . .

Self disappears from his view, and the glory of Christ fills his soul.

Consecration lies in Christ having full control over the bodies of His people, 

so that they may be organs for the expression of nothing but Himself.

(Edward Dennett)

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October 23

“Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.”

(Psalm 97:11)

"O fix our earnest gaze, so wholly Lord, on Thee,

That with Thy beauty occupied we elsewhere none may see!"

(C. Bernstein)

Whenever an opportunity is afforded I love to sit and gaze at Canada’s many tranquil lakes -

their shorelines often so clearly lit up by the rising and setting sun.

We who journey in this life know that there are those who have gone before us,

who have now stepped into a greater light, and stand on a better shore.

What a privilege for us to know that this lies ahead for us too.

Our hope in Christ encompasses our experience here on earth and also one day in heaven!

Let us then keep our gaze looking up! 

(Mark Fenn)

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October 24

“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." (Proverbs 27:7)

“Please don’t eat that.  You’ll spoil your appetite!”

I’ve often said this to my children, but it’s a good spiritual practice too. 

If we fill ourselves with worldly matters, the things of the Lord will not be appetizing.

But if our hearts are full of things that are just, pure, lovely and good 

(Philippians 4:8), the world loses its appeal.

Don’t ruin your appetite for Godliness by indulging in the morsels of the world! 

(L Shatford)

“I tried the broken cisterns, Lord, but ah! the waters failed!

E’en as I stopped to drink they’d fled, and mocked me as I wailed.”

Now none but Christ can satisfy. . . ”

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October 25

Weak Christianity Tends Toward Humanism

“. . . that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment . . . that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”

(Philippians 1:9,10)

I am in disagreement with many when I insist that the flaw in current evangelism lies in its humanistic approach. It struggles to be supernaturalistic but never quite makes it. It is frankly fascinated by the great, noisy, aggressive world with its big names, its hero worship, its wealth and its garish pageantry.

In this quasi-Christian scheme of things God becomes the Aladdin lamp who does the bidding of everyone that will accept His Son and sign a card. The total obligation of the sinner is discharged when he accepts Christ. After that he has but to come with his basket and receive the religious equivalent of everything the world offers and enjoy it to the limit.

Those who have not accepted Christ thus must be content with this world, but with the view held by many today the Christian gets this world with the one to come thrown in as a bonus!

This gross misapprehension of the truth is back of much of our present evangelical activity. It determines directions, builds programs, decides the content of sermons, fixes the quality of local churches and even of whole denominations, sets the pattern for religious writers.

This concept of Christianity is little more than weak humanism allied with weak Christianity to give it ecclesiastical respectability. It may be identified by its religious approach. Invariably it begins with man and his needs and then looks around for God; true Christianity reveals God as searching for man to deliver him from his ambitions! (Renewed Day by Day - A.W. Tozer)

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October 26

“Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.”

(1 Peter 3:8)

Louis XIV, telling a story before his courtiers at Versailles, suddenly ended it very flatly. 

 A few minutes after, a prince left the room.

The King  then said: “You must have noticed how lamely my story ended.  

I forgot that it reflected on an ancestor of the Prince who has just left the room; 

and I thought it better to spoil a good story than to distress a good man”. 

Courtesy - that gentle refinement and grace of manner - 

will lead a man to be respectful to superiors, polite to equals, kind to inferiors.  

It is a diamond which, whether set in gold or in the rough, is of great value.  

(Winsome Christianity - Henry Durbanville)

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October 27

“My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

That self should feel self nothing . . . is a most divine work.

Where shall we find strength for practical separation to God, unless in God Himself?

The nothingness and incompetency of all flesh must be felt 

where it would be disposed to think itself competent.

It must find its pretensions arrested and set aside when it has such;

It must find itself consciously weak where it might 

hope to be strong or capable of something.

  

As to what self would lean on, it must find itself a hindering flesh 

where it would pretend to be a helping one. 

We must be humbled when we 

are not humble, or in danger of not being so.

Our very helplessness is our resource.

We find that God Himself must come in because we can do nothing.

We need God’s power to be little.

(Footprints for Pilgrims - J.N.D.)

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October 28

“Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”

(1 Corinthians 10:10)

A murmuring spirit is like a fretting leprosy.

It can only end in destruction.

Another translation states “neither let us murmur at restrictions."

"The foolishness of man perverteth (overthroweth) His way: 

and his heart fretteth against the Lord” (Proverbs 19:3).

When we let ourselves fret against the restrictions that hamper us,

we are fretting against the Lord.

He could as easily remove them as we could open a door.

Let us pray for a merry heart, whatever our restrictions, for 

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” 

(Proverbs 17:22).

(Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael)

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October 29

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

(2 Corinthians 7:1)

We insist that our children wash their hands before joining us at the table, but we often forget to do the same before we sit with the Lord at His table.  

Many Christians spend more time in trying to look clean physically, before people, than spiritually before Him with whom we have to do.

The result is that we bemoan the weakness that prevails among us and wonder about the reason.  If one persists in uncleanliness, one eventually becomes unfit even for the company of other believers. 

The longer dirt clings to us, the harder it is to get rid of it.  For best results we need much water, running water.

Christ who loves His bride purifies her “by the washing of water by the Word”. 

May it be the desire of our hearts to be purified from every pollution of flesh and spirit, seen or unseen, thoughts or actions.  This can only be accomplished by prayerful reading of the Word of God.  (A.M. Benham)

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October 30

“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” 

(1 John 3:1)

The greatest demonstration of love is God’s gift of Jesus Christ to a lost world.  It is impossible to comprehend fully this divine love; it can only be learned experimentally.  As we grow in our love relationship with the Lord, we begin to realize in part the magnitude of His love.  This love is unconditional - He loves us regardless of our failures or successes.  This love is impartial - and it includes everyone.  This love is infinite and eternal - simply because God Himself is love! And this love is personal - He loves each of us as if we were the only one in His world to love.

A Friend I have, called Jesus, whose love is strong and true

and never fails, how’er ’tis tried - no matter what I do;

I’ve sinned against this love of His, but when I knelt to pray,

confessing all my guilt to Him, the sin-clouds rolled away.

Sometimes the clouds of trouble bedim the sky above.

I cannot see my Saviour’s face; I doubt His wondrous love;

But He, from heaven’s mercy seat, beholding my despair,

In pity bursts the clouds between and shows me He is there.

When sorrow’s clouds overtake me and brake upon my head,

When life seems worse than useless and I were better dead,

I take my grief to Jesus then, nor do I go in vain,

For heav’nly hope He gives that cheers like sunshine after rain.

O, I could sing forever of Jesus’ love divine, 

Of all His care and tenderness For this poor life of mine; 

His love is in and over all, and wind and waves obey

When Jesus whispers “Peace be still!” and rolls the clouds away.

Chorus:  It’s just like Jesus to roll the clouds away, 

It’s just like Jesus to keep me day by day,

It’s just like Jesus all along the way - 

It’s just like His great love.

(Edna R. Worrell)  

N.J. Hiebert - 5694

October 31

THE HOME FRONT

“Let everyone of you in particular so love his wife even as himself.”

(Ephesians 5:33)

Douglas MacArthur ll, nephew of the famous World War II general, served in the state department when John Foster Dulles was Secretary of State.  One evening Mr. Dulles called MacArthur at his home.  His wife answered the phone and explained that her husband was not there.  Not recognizing who the caller was, she angrily complained, “MacArthur is where MacArthur always is, weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and nights - in that office!”

Within minutes Dulles had MacArthur on the phone.  He gave him this terse order: 

"Go home at once, Boy.  Your home front is crumbling!”   

Those same words might well be directed to many husbands and fathers today.  Spending their time in pursuit of other interests, they neglect their wives and children.  Although they provide financial security, they fail to give the loving attention their families so desperately need and deserve from them.

Providing a comfortable house, nutritious food, and adequate clothing is commendable.  But a family also needs the presence, love, and influence of a God-fearing, Christ-honouring head of the house.

Yes, Dulles’ order to Douglas MacArthur II is appropriate for many men today:  “Go home at once.  Your home front is crumbling!”

O Christian fathers! Hear God’s Word! His voice obey!

And thereby teach your families to love and trust and pray.

(Gray)

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Christian Homes don’t Just happen - They’re built.

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“Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries,  Copyright - 1991, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission. 

N.J. Hiebert - 5695