Gems from May 2019

May 1

“If any man be a worshipper of God . . .

Him He heareth.”

(John 9:31)

 In the testimony of the man whom Jesus gave his sight to, the importance of worship is very significant, as a bearing on our prayer life.

Worship is the atmosphere in which prayer thrives best,

and grows most heavenly and divine.

 "Prayer is the gate to heaven through the atmosphere of worship.” —Selected. 

"The fragrance of prayer is made of the perfume of of worship.

Golden vials full of the odour are the prayers of worshipping saints.” (Revelation 5:8)

—Anonymous.

"The best and sweetest flowers of paradise God gives to His saints 

when they are upon their knees.” — Thomas Brooks. 

(Streams in the Desert)

N.J. Hiebert - 7439

May 2

“For what is your life?  It is even as a vapour,

that appeareth for a short time, and then vanisheth away.”

(James 4:14)

The latest research establishes that the iceberg, which was struck by the Titanic had been spotted when it was 2,000 feet away, almost a minute before the impact.

The ship had held its course for around half of that time. Had the officer in charge reacted even 15 seconds sooner, the ship may have missed the iceberg, and the lives of 1,476 persons might well have been saved. 

We know that individuals can pass away very quickly, much less than 30 seconds. At this moment, you have an opportunity to trust the Saviour. Don’t wait another moment.

(Arnot P. McIntee)  

Life at best is very brief, like the falling of a leaf.

Like the binding of a sheaf, 

Be in time.

(Author Unknown)

N.J. Hiebert - 7440 

May 3

“I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)

O happy morn! the Lord will come

And take His waiting people home

Beyond the reach of care; 

Where guilt and sin are all unknown:

The Lord will come and claim His own,

And place them with Him on His throne, 

The glory bright to share.

The resurrection morn will break,

And every sleeping saint awake, 

Brought forth in light again;

O morn, too bright for mortal eyes!

When all the ransomed church shall rise

And wing their way to yonder skies—

Called up with Christ to reign.

(R. Chapman)

N.J. Hiebert - 7441 

May 4

HITHERTO  AND  HENCEFORTH

“Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.”

(1 Samuel 7:12)

“The Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever.” (Psalm 125:2)

RETROSPECT REVEALS THAT God has never failed us.

Up to now He has been our Helper.

“Can I doubt His tender mercy who through life has been my guide?” Elisha saw the angels camping round about to deliver them that fear Him. (2 Kings 6:16,17)

If we make our requests known with thanksgiving, the peace of God that passes all understanding will garrison our hearts and minds!

(Philippians 4:7)

In old age, a lonely soul might fear the days ahead, but instead of panic there can be peace. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, we have already come. The grace for "thus far” will lead us home.

There can be a life of rest for the rest of life.  

(Vance Havner)

N.J. Hiebert - 7442

May 5

“Who (Barnabas), when he came, and had seen the grace of God, 

was glad, and exhorted them all, that with

purpose of heart they would 

cleave unto the Lord.”

(Acts 11:23)

“Cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have

done unto this day.”

(Joshua 23:8)

Oh! that strong in faith abiding,

We may to the Saviour cleave,

Naught with Him our hearts dividing,

All for Him content to leave.

Through a desert waste and cheerless,

Though our destined journey lie,

Rendered by Thy presence fearless,

We may every foe defy.

(Jas. Allen)

N.J. Hiebert - 7443    

May 6

"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

(1 Peter 1:13)

You that look for so much in another world, may be very well content with a little in this. Nothing more unbecomes a heavenly hope than an earthly heart.

I doubt not but every gracious person finds the nearer to heaven he gets in his hopes, the farther he goes from earth in his desires.  When he stands upon these battlements of heaven, he can look down upon this dung-hill world as a little dust-heap next to nothing.

Let thy hope of heaven conquer thy fear of death.

Why shouldest thou be afraid to die, who hopes to live by dying?

Is the apprentice afraid of the day when his time will be out?—he that runs a race, of coming too soon to his goal?—the pilot troubled when he sees his harbour? 

Death is all this to thee!  Thy commitment expires, and thy jubilee is come; thy race is run, and the crown won, and is sure to drop on thy head when thy soul goes out of thy body. 

Thy voyage, how troublesome soever it was in its sailing, is now happily finished, and death doth but land thy soul on the shore of eternity at thy heavenly Father’s door, never to be put to sea any more.

(The Christian in Complete Armour -

William Gurnall 1617 -1679)

N.J. Hiebert - 7444

May 7

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13)

Paul called Timothy his true son in the faith. We would do well to heed his fatherly advice and give attention to these three things he mentions.

Reading - the only way we can know the mind of God is to read His Word. Read it daily.  Read it often.

Exhortation - The ministry of encouraging fellow believers in their walk with the Lord is greatly needed today.  Is there someone you can encourage in the Lord?

Doctrine - We need to know what we believe and why we believe it.

Have you made yourself conversant with the foundations of your faith? Give attendance to these things!

(Rex Trogdon)

The Bible stands though the hills may tumble,

It will firmly stand when the earth shall crumble;

I will plant my feet on its firm foundation,

For the Bible stands.

(Haldor Lillenas)

N.J. Hiebert - 7445

May 8

"And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”

(Ephesians 2:16-17) 

All this blessed truth has been brought to us by the Gospel of peace preached to the Gentiles who were far off, and to the Jews who were dispensationally near.

We can understand why the preaching is introduced at this point in a passage that speaks of the formation of the church.

The Apostle has just spoken of the cross, for without the cross there could be no preaching, and without the preaching there could be no Church.

Christ is looked at as the Preacher, though the Gospel He preaches is proclaimed instrumentally through others.

(Hamilton Smith)

N.J. Hiebert - 7446

May 9

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

(1 John 2:16,17)

A Christian has no right to have a will of his own, nor should he desire it, but rather “to know what is that good and perfect will of God.”

All that is in the world is not of the Father; the affections of the flesh are in the world, and there is the power of Satan.

The Father delights in Christ.  If I delight in Christ, there is communion of affection. I have the affections of the Father:  “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” and the fashion of this world passeth away; “but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”   

All His counsels He will make good morally.  I am brought into the way of God’s will, and He is not going to destroy His own will; it abideth for ever. I am to grow up into Christ. 

(J. N. Darby)

N.J. Hiebert - 7447

May 10

“But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye.”

(1 Peter 3:14)

Not for ease or worldly pleasure, nor for fame my prayer shall be; Gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee.

Close to Thee, close to Thee . . .  gladly will I toil and suffer,

only let me walk with Thee.

(TREASURES FROM FANNY CROSBY)  

N.J. Hiebert - 7448

May 11

“My meditation of Him shall be sweet . . . “

(Psalm 104:34)

I heard a Quaker lady, who had to spend half an hour every day sitting 

quietly and doing nothing, calling it her still lesson. 

I wish we could enjoy such a half-hour daily in God’s presence.

Our still lesson would be one of the most useful lessons of the day.

Let us seek to become better acquainted with God by more inward 

and diligent meditation over the Word and on Himself.

How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.

(Traveling Toward Sunrise)

N.J. Hiebert - 7449

May 12

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 
(1 John 5:13)

# 1

Reality, reality,

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!

From the spectral mists and driving clouds,

From the shifting shadows and phantom crowds;

From unreal words and unreal lives,

Where truth with falsehood feebly strives;

From the passings away, the chance and change,

Flickerings, vanishings, swift and strange, 

I turn to my glorious rest on Thee,

Who art the grand Reality. 

#2

Reality in greatest need,

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art indeed!

Is the pilot real, who alone can guide

The drifting ship through the midnight tide?

Is the lifeboat real, as it nears the wreck,

And the saved ones leap from the parting deck?

Is the haven real, where the boat may flee

From the autumn gales of the wild North Sea?

Reality indeed art Thou,

My Pilot, Lifeboat, Haven now!

(Francis Ridley Havergal)

N.J. Hiebert - 7450 (1&2) of 9 verses

May 13

The Artist’s Boy

"He gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work” 
(Mark 13:34).

Some years ago there lived and worked in Italy a great artist in mosaics.  His skill was wonderful. With bits of glass and stone he could produce the most striking works of art, works that were valued at thousands of pounds.

In his workshop was a poor little boy whose business it was to clean up the floor and tidy up the room after the day’s work was done.  He was a quiet little fellow, and he always did his work well. That was all the artist knew about him.

One day he came to his master and asked timidly, “Please, master, may I have for my own the  bits of glass you throw upon the floor?”  “Why, yes," said the artist. “The bits are good for nothing.  Do as you please with them.” 

Day after day, then, the child might have been seen studying the broken pieces on the floor, laying some on one side and throwing others away.  He was a faithful little servant, and so year by year went by and saw him still in the workshop.

One day his master entered a storeroom little used, and in looking round he came upon a piece of work carefully hidden behind the rubbish.  He brought it to light and, to his surprise, found it to be a noble work of art nearly finished.  He gazed at in speechless amazement. "What great artist can have hidden his work in my study?” he cried.

At that moment the young servant entered the door.  He stopped short on seeing his master, and when he saw the work in his hands a deep dye flushed his face.  “What is this?” cried the artist. "Tell me what great artist has hidden his masterpiece here!”

"Oh, master!” faltered the astonished boy.  “It is only my poor work.  You know you said I might have the broken bits you threw away.”   The child having the artist soul had gathered up the fragments and patiently, lovingly wrought them into a wonderful work of art. 

Do you catch the hint?  Gather up the bits of time and opportunity lying about and patiently work out your life mosaic—a masterpiece by the grace of God.  God does not give many of us great things to do, but it is the odds and ends of everyday life which He sets us to pick up and make morally beautiful and glorious.  
“Gather up the fragments . . . that nothing be lost” (John  6:12). 

Are we doing it, day by day?  When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, to give account of what we did with our life here, what answer shall we be able to give if He asks,  “How many baskets full of fragments took ye up?” (Mark 8:20).

(To Every Man His Work)

N.J. Hiebert - 7451

May 14

The Man of God

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

(1 Timothy 6:12) 

The man of of God has been defined as “God’s emergency man.” In times of peculiar difficulty and need, such have arisen both in the Church and in Israel. If the order divinely established were working correctly, there would be no necessity for the man of God.

No persons thus described appear in the Spirit’s records of the earliest days of Christianity. For a time all was well.

There was indeed a moment when the whole Church was “filled with the Holy Ghost,” and when it could be said that “great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:31-33).

But when first love declined and disorder set in, we read of the man of God, and Timothy is the first person thus designated in the New Testament Scriptures.

“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

(1 Timothy 6:11)

There have doubtless been many such during the succeeding centuries, and their faithfulness is written on high, and it will be rewarded in the day of Christ.

(W. W. Feredy)

N.J. Hiebert - 7452   

May 15

“Look not every man on his own things, 

but every man also on the things of others.”

(Philippians 2:4)

We once knew a poor old Christian man who trudged miles to repair the county stiles that

they might be a little easier for the aged and infirm.

English Country Stiles

The people voted him mentally weak, but in the Great Day

he will out shine Napoleon.

To take a stumbling block out of our brother’s way,

and to help the cripple over the stile, is to reveal the mind that was in Christ Jesus.

Let me be a little sweeter—

Make my life a bit completer,

By doing what I should do

Every minute of the day.

Let me toil without complaining,

Not a humble task disdaining.

(Author unknown)

"It is astounding that so much is actually accomplished in life when

we reflect upon these age-old maxims:

Moment by moment

Step by step

One by one 

Day by day

Little by little”

(M. Taylor)

N.J. Hiebert - 7453

May 16

REALITY

“He is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:16)

# 3

Reality, reality,

In brightest days Thou art to me!

Thou art the sunshine of my mirth,

Thou art the heaven above my earth,

The spring of the love of all my heart,

And the fountain of my song Thou art;

For dearer than the dearest now,

And better than the best, art Thou,

 Beloved Lord, in whom I see

Joy giving glad reality.

# 4 

Reality, reality,

Lord Jesus, Thou hast been to me.

When I thought the dream of life was past,

And “the Master’s home-call” come at last;

When I thought I only had to wait

A little while at the Golden Gate,—

Only another day or two,

Till Thou Thyself shouldest bear me through,

How real Thy presence was to me,

How precious Thy Reality!

#5

Reality, reality,

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!

Thy name is sweeter than songs of old,

Thy words are better than “most fine gold,”

Thy deeds are greater than hero-glory;

Thy life is grander than poet-story;

But Thou, Thyself, for aye the same,

Art more than words and life and name!

Thyself  Thou hast revealed to me,

In glorious Reality.

(Francis R. Havergal)

N.J. Hiebert - 7454 (3,4,5 of 9 verses)

May 17

“There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

(Proverbs 18:24)

“A friend loveth at all times.”

(Proverbs 17:17)

“He was called the Friend of God.”

(James 2:23)

 What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry 

Everything to God in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

(Joseph Scriven) 

N.J. Hiebert - 7455

May 18

Step By Step

“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

(Deuteronomy 33:25)

One who carries a lantern on a dark road at night sees only a step before him. If he takes that step he carries the lantern forward and that makes another step plain.  

At length he reaches his destination in safety without once stepping into darkness. The whole way is made light to him, though only a single step of it was made plain at one time.

This is the method of God’s guidance — one step at a time. 

It is a blessed secret, this of living by the day.

Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, till nightfall.

Anyone can do this work, however hard, for one day.  And in the strength of God, anyone can live trustingly, lovingly, and purely till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means to us — just one little day.

“Day by day the manna fell;

Oh! to learn this lesson well.”

(A. J. Pollock)

N.J. Hiebert - 7456 

May 19

“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.”

(1 Peter 3:17)

I grant you it may seem a hard thing to carry out this verse but it is what Christ did. He did well, and suffered for it, and took it patiently.

Why ought the Christian never to suffer as an evil doer?  Because Christ once suffered for sin—let that be enough.

The apostle says, If you suffer for righteousness’ sake, be happy in it; if for Christ’s sake, glory in it; but for doing evil let not a Christian suffer, because Christ has once suffered for those very sins: a most touching reason.

(W. T. P. Wolston, MD)

N.J. Hiebert - 7457    

May 20

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

(Deuteronomy 33:27)

One afternoon in 1887, music teacher A. J. Showalter dismissed his class and returned to his rooming house in Hartsville, Alabama.

There he found letters from two former students, each with a similar story.  Both of them had lost their wives, and both wives had died on the same day.

Showalter began writing letters of condolence.  The Scripture that came to mind was from Deuteronomy, the assurance of God’s “everlasting arms” supporting us. 

Then he wrote a third letter, to Elisha Hoffman, a hymn writer in Pennsylvania. Showalter suggested that Hoffman write a hymn on that theme.  He even suggested the wording of the chorus.  Hoffman responded quickly with three stanzas, and Showalter supplied the music.

With God’s arms beneath us, and His love surrounding us, we can find strength in even  the most sorrowful situations.  This does not mean that we deny the emotions of each moment.  When a loved one dies, its normal and right to mourn.  But we know that God is still in control—He has not abandoned us.  And that keeps us going.

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms  

What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms;

What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.

CHORUS: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms;

O, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms?

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Elisha Albright Hoffman (1839-1929)

N.J. Hiebert - 7458

May 21

“Who will have all men to be saved,

and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

(1 Timothy 2:4)

Here we have a glimpse of the expansiveness of the heart of God —

that all men should be saved.

There is no one on the face of the earth, however distant from God,

who is beyond the pale of the great salvation that God offers.

Sir Robert Anderson wrote “There is no deception in it.  If forgiveness is preached to all, it is because all may share it . . . it is impossible that election can ever limit the value of the death of Christ, or the power of that name to save and bless.”

May we continue, in accord with the mind of God, to preach the “whosoever” Gospel, and to have the expectation that any hearing it can be saved.

(W. H. Burnett)

Sinners Jesus will receive, sound this word of grace to all,

(Erdmann Neumeister)

N.J. Hiebert - 7459

May 22

“So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.” 

(Jonah 1:6)

Good, sensible shipmaster!  He well knew what Jonah ought to be doing, surely not sleeping at such a time! Arise, call upon thy God!  It is a message from the heathen about us that we all would do well to hear. We cannot all go out to the heathen, but we can all arise and call upon our God.

Was not this just the point?  Jonah could not arise and call upon his God nor do we hear that he even tried to do as the shipmaster commanded him.  How could Jonah call on the name of the very One from whose presence he was even then fleeing?

No, dear fellow-Christian, you and I know very well that sin and prayer do not go together: We must give up one or the other.  Sad to say, Jonah had chosen sin, and he could not pray.  As we noted before, he did not even try to pray.  

He knew perfectly well what was the cause of that storm, and he knew equally well the remedy.  This was not a time for prayer but a time for confession, and bowing to the just punishment that he so rightly merited for his sin against his God.  

Though indeed confession and prayer might, and should have been found together in the same breath.

Jonah had not yet come to the point, however, where he was willing to humble himself to do this. Therefore, God allowed these heathen sailors to force him to do what he would not do of his own will. 

(G. Christopher Willis)

N.J. Hiebert - 7460 

May 23

“O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, and the Hermonites from the hill Mizar.”

(Psalm 42:6)

Did you ever feel that you had nothing great enough to be called a trouble, and yet you very much needed help?

I have been been finding much encouragement in the Hill Mizar. For Mizar means littleness—the little hill.

The land of Jordan was a place where great floods (the swelling of Jordan) might terrify the soul, and the land of the Hermonites was a place of lions and leopards; but Mizar was only a little hill: and yet the word is, I will “remember Thee from . . . the hill Mizar”, from the little hill.  

So just where we are, from the place of our little trial, little pain, little difficulty, little temptation (if temptation can ever be little), let us remember our God.

Relief will surely come, and victory and peace; for  “the Lord will command His loving kindness” (Psalm 42:8), even to us in our little hill.

(Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael)

N.J. Hiebert - 7461  

May 24

“And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.”

(Ephesians 1:22-23)

# 6

Reality, reality,

Lord Jesus Christ, is crowned in Thee.  

In Thee is every type fulfilled,

In Thee is every yearning stilled

For perfect beauty, truth, and love;

For Thou art always far above

The grandest glimpse of our Ideal,

Yet more and more we know Thee real,

And marvel more and more to see  

Thine infinite Reality.

# 7

Reality, reality 

Of grace and glory dwells in Thee.

How real Thy mercy and Thy might!

How real Thy love, how real Thy light!

How real Thy truth and faithfulness!

How real Thy blessing when Thou dost bless!

How real Thy coming to dwell within!

How real the triumphs Thou dost win! 

Does not the loving and glowing heart

Leap up to own how real thou art?

(Verses 6 & 7 of 9) 

(Francis Ridley Havergal)

N.J. Hiebert - 7462 

May 25

GLORY AND BLESSING

“And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.”

(Genesis 45:25-26) 

The brethren of Joseph fulfil their mission according to the direction of Joseph. They "came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor of all the land of Egypt” 

(Genesis 45:25,26).

They witness to a living and exalted Joseph, even as today it is the privilege of the believer to witness to the risen and exalted Saviour.  A testimony so incredible to the natural mind that it is received with unbelief.  

Thus it was with Jacob. The exposure of his unbelief was the first result of hearing the good news. Twenty years before these same men had brought a lying report to Jacob, with evidences to support their lie.  And without a question Jacob believed the lie. “Without doubt,” he said, “Joseph is rent in pieces.”    

Now his sons bring a true report of Joseph with evidences to support the truth,  and at once Jacob doubts. His "heart fainted, for he believed them not.”    

Ever since Adam gave his ear to the devil’s lie it has been natural for fallen man to believe a lie. Only a work of grace enables man to believe the truth.  Hence we read that those who believe on the Name of Christ are born “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” 

(Hamilton Smith)

N.J. Hiebert - 7463

May 26

IT BEGAN WITH GOD

“He appointed the moon for seasons: the 

sun knoweth his going down.”

(Psalm 104:19)

We begin our life with God in a strong and buoyant season, sometimes called our “first love summer.” But it is usually followed by the subdued events of fall season during which more mellow mood engulfs our souls.

Then come those severe storms of sorrow, the tough trials of pain and parting, the winter winds of adversity.  Our faith is tested.

Our confidence in Christ is constricted.  But as we endure, spring comes again.

We are renewed.

The truth and credibility of Christ’s resurrection power engulfs us.

We are assured of His everlasting hope and life.

Love springs anew within our spirits. Faith flames bright again. 

All is well, for He is here! 

(W. Phillip Keller)

N.J. Hiebert - 7464

May 27

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as 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 1:3-4) 

# 8

Reality, reality!

Such let our adoration be!

Father, we bless Thee with heart and voice,

For the wondrous grace of Thy sovereign choice,

That patiently, gently, sought us out

In the far-off land of death and doubt,

That drew us to Christ by the Spirit’s might,

That opened our eyes to see the light

That arose in strange reality,

From the darkness falling on Calvary. 

# 9

Reality, reality,

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!

My glorious King, my Lord, my God,

Life is too short for half the laud,

For half the debt of praise I owe

For this blest knowledge, that “I know

The reality of Jesus Christ,”—

Unmeasured blessing, gift unpriced! 

Will I not praise Thee when I see

In the long noon of Eternity,

Unveiled, Thy “bright reality!”

(Frances Ridley Havergal)

N.J. Hiebert - 7465  

(This poem had 9 verses included in 

Gems #7450, #7454, #7462 & #7465)

May 28

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”

(Luke 10:30)

Have you ever read and pondered that wonderful parable (Luke 10) about the man who fell among thieves?  After wounding him, and taking away all he possessed, they left him half dead by the roadside.  The priest and Levite passed by, but the most they did was to look upon him and leave him as he was.

At length came a Samaritan, and he went to him and bound up his wounds; and more than that, we read, he “set him on his own best, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”  But even this was not the limit of his goodness.  The words (addressed to the host) that fell upon the astonished ears of the erewhile benighted traveller were these:

“Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”

It will be seen at once that the story illustrates far more than how forgiveness of sins is to be obtained. The guilt of the sinner is implied, no doubt, for the man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. From the place of blessing—Jerusalem means, the vision of peace—to the place of the curse.

With one stroke the moral tendency of the race is exposed!  But one comes along Who can reverse all this. He brings the oil and the wine, the balm of Gilead.  Man is a prey to enemies, but here is a friend. But there is more. A threefold need on the part of the man is met by a threefold action on the part of the Good Samaritan. 

The man is wounded, he is weak, and he is in want.  His wounds are bound up, oil and wine being poured in. This meets the first need. The second is met by his friend placing him upon his own beast. The third, by bringing him to the inn and taking care of him. This last is the climax of the parable.

(Angels in White - Russell Elliott)

N.J. Hiebert - 7466 

May 29

“Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

(2 Timothy 2:10)

If Job could have known as he sat there in the ashes, bruising his heart on this problem of Providence— that in the trouble that had come upon him he was doing what one man may do to work out the problem for the world, he might again have taken courage.

No man lives to himself.

Job’s life is but your life and mine written in larger text. . . .

So, then, though we may not know what trials wait on any of us, we can believe that, as the days in which Job wrestled with his dark maladies are the only days that make him worth remembrance, and but for which his name had never been written in the book of life, so the days through which we struggle, finding no way, but never losing the light, will be the most significant we are called to live.

(Robert Collyer) 

N.J. Hiebert - 7467

May 30

STRATEGY  FOR  VICTORY

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

(Romans 12:21)

“OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD”—here is a principle often overlooked. We do not master our sins and doubts and fears by direct frontal assault, taking them one by one.

It is better to concentrate on the positive, become occupied with the Lord, and leave these evils to die from neglect.

General MacArthur did not take each Japanese outpost on the way back to the Philippines. He concentrated on a few major objectives and left the other enemy garrisons to “rot on the vine.”

If we become taken up with every temptation and difficulty we shall wear ourselves out on secondary skirmishes. Let us rather put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh.

We can circumvent a lot of our worries by giving out attention to the good. Most of our ailments will die from neglect.  We give them importance when we devote time and thought to them.  

Make your life a major drive with Christ the objective — "This one thing I do” —  and let the devil’s minor outposts starve to death.

(Day by Day with Vance Havner)

N.J. Hiebert - 7468

May 31

"I cried unto the LORD with my voice;

with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.”

(Psalm 142:1)

Generally speaking, caves are unpleasant places.

In a figurative sense multitudes live in caves every day —

caves of worry, discouragement, depression, bitterness, fear, doubts, 

loneliness, to name just a few.

When David wrote this psalm he was in a literal cave, perhaps Engedi or Adullam, hiding from King Saul who wanted to kill him. What did David do?  He prayed. 

And this is what we should do when we find ourselves in a 

dark and troublesome cave.

(W. Ross Rainey)

Whatever fears or foes betide,

In Thy blest presence we may hide;

And while we rest our souls on Thee,

Thou wilt our Sanctuary be!

(Samuel Medley)

N.J. Hiebert - 7469 

June 1

“The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

(Ruth 2:12)

"He that planteth and He that watereth are one:

and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” (1 Corinthians 3:8)

To Him our weakness clings

Through tribulation sore,

And seeks the covert of His wings 

Till all be o’er;

And when we’ve run the race

And fought the faithful fight,

We then shall see Him face to face,

With saints in light.

(Mary Bowley)

N.J. Hiebert - 7470

June 2

June 3