Gems from September 2021
But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Job 35:10
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Acts 16:25
What man arouses to sing in the dark of night? Night is the time when we are more apt to be obsessed with doubts and fears that do not beget songs. Even a song bird does not sing at night. but God has something for man beyond the bird: a capacity to commune with his Maker--and in this communion his Maker gives him a song . . . even in the night.
Throughout the hours of darkness dim, still let us watch and raise the hymn;
And in deep midnight's awful calm pour forth the soul in joyful psalm.
REDEEMED
I think of my blessed Redeemer,
Who cares for me all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose Word I delight,
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.
Fanny Crosby
N.J. Hiebert - 8589
What man arouses to sing in the dark of night? Night is the time when we are more apt to be obsessed with doubts and fears that do not beget songs. Even a song bird does not sing at night. but God has something for man beyond the bird: a capacity to commune with his Maker--and in this communion his Maker gives him a song . . . even in the night.
Throughout the hours of darkness dim, still let us watch and raise the hymn;
And in deep midnight's awful calm pour forth the soul in joyful psalm.
REDEEMED
I think of my blessed Redeemer,
Who cares for me all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose Word I delight,
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.
Fanny Crosby
N.J. Hiebert - 8589
August 31
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life. Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I lay there, unable to move...realizing how very real my situation had become. Unbelievable actually...I asked the Lord, really? Are you sure...?? In the wee hours one morning in the ICU, I struggled..."Lord, is this really gong to be the sum of my life?...Really??..."
A still small voice in my heart said "Mike, it was never yours alone...Remember? You asked me into your heart? It is our life, I only ever wanted to live in you, with you, through you...I wanted to partner with you. I wanted us to live together." I have little time left but I know for sure, I want to live it with Him..."
Happiness is a choice.... Accepting that depending on others is a privilege and is critical to a happy life for me now. I can embrace it and enjoy peace and happiness, or I can let this situation overwhelm me...
When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song.
Embracing your inability is a prerequisite to God showing you His ability.
There is so much that we do not see, but we see Him.
Musings From My Journey: Mike O'Brien "A brother beloved."
Mike continues to suffer serious disabilities and has spent many years depended on the care of others.
N.J. Hiebert - 8590
I lay there, unable to move...realizing how very real my situation had become. Unbelievable actually...I asked the Lord, really? Are you sure...?? In the wee hours one morning in the ICU, I struggled..."Lord, is this really gong to be the sum of my life?...Really??..."
A still small voice in my heart said "Mike, it was never yours alone...Remember? You asked me into your heart? It is our life, I only ever wanted to live in you, with you, through you...I wanted to partner with you. I wanted us to live together." I have little time left but I know for sure, I want to live it with Him..."
Happiness is a choice.... Accepting that depending on others is a privilege and is critical to a happy life for me now. I can embrace it and enjoy peace and happiness, or I can let this situation overwhelm me...
When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song.
Embracing your inability is a prerequisite to God showing you His ability.
There is so much that we do not see, but we see Him.
Musings From My Journey: Mike O'Brien "A brother beloved."
Mike continues to suffer serious disabilities and has spent many years depended on the care of others.
N.J. Hiebert - 8590
September 1
About midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; and sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Acts 27:27-28
Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, but the ship became caught in a major storm. The sailors, in the dark, sensed land was near, so they used a "Fathom" line to measure the depth under the keel. This was a process of heaving a lead weight as far out in front as possible. The line attached had a knot every six feet (two meters). Counting the knots when the weight touched bottom revealed the depth; in this case, 120 feet, shoaling quickly to 90 (27.5 m).
The account in Acts tells us that Paul had direct assurance from God that, although the ship would be lost, every one aboard would arrive safely on land. This suggests that as we see the world situation getting darker, we rely more and more on the promise that all believer will get safely to heaven.
If the water were much deeper, the leadsman would holler, No bottom! meaning, beyond measurement. And this meaning has been used by our hymn writers to describe the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross as unfathomable. One example is mentioned in the hymn where the Lord is nailed to a tree: Unfathomable wonder! And mystery divine! The voice that speaks in thunder says, "Sinner, I am thine! " William Cowper
Another synonym, appearing in the Psalms and elsewhere, is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable, and Ephesians 3:8 Unto me...is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The hymn writer (J. Kent - 1827) describes the grace of God this way.
Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding...'tis a deep that knows no sounding...!
Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8591
Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, but the ship became caught in a major storm. The sailors, in the dark, sensed land was near, so they used a "Fathom" line to measure the depth under the keel. This was a process of heaving a lead weight as far out in front as possible. The line attached had a knot every six feet (two meters). Counting the knots when the weight touched bottom revealed the depth; in this case, 120 feet, shoaling quickly to 90 (27.5 m).
The account in Acts tells us that Paul had direct assurance from God that, although the ship would be lost, every one aboard would arrive safely on land. This suggests that as we see the world situation getting darker, we rely more and more on the promise that all believer will get safely to heaven.
If the water were much deeper, the leadsman would holler, No bottom! meaning, beyond measurement. And this meaning has been used by our hymn writers to describe the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross as unfathomable. One example is mentioned in the hymn where the Lord is nailed to a tree: Unfathomable wonder! And mystery divine! The voice that speaks in thunder says, "Sinner, I am thine! " William Cowper
Another synonym, appearing in the Psalms and elsewhere, is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable, and Ephesians 3:8 Unto me...is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The hymn writer (J. Kent - 1827) describes the grace of God this way.
Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding...'tis a deep that knows no sounding...!
Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8591
September 2
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter...and he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Exodus 15:23,25
That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9
Marah is but a picture of this world as a wilderness wild with its bitter waters, under curse due to men's sins. "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Death is depicted by the bitter waters. What then is the solution?
"The Lord showed him a tree." The tree had to be shown to Moses through his crying before God. Apart from God's kind intervention, Moses could not see the tree. The tree reminds us of Christ as here in flesh for the will of God, and of the cross. Likewise, unless the Lord shows us His cross, we will never see its profound significance. Not until then can we truly see who our blessed Lord is. May the Lord show us His cross. May we, through His cross, contemplate Him as never before.
The cure of the bitter waters relied on the tree cast into those waters. He was violently and mercilessly "cast" into the place of death so that sweetness might be yielded at the end. Oh, what had He done to merit such a harsh treatment from God? "So that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man" (or "everyone"). Oh, what an unfathomably bitter taste He fully experienced on the cross! Blessed, adorable Lord and Saviour! F.S.W.
The cross! the cross, oh, that's our gain,
Because on that the Lamb was slain:
'Twas there the Lord was crucified,
'Twas there for us the Saviour died.
Miss C. Taylor - 1742
N.J. Hiebert - 8592
That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9
Marah is but a picture of this world as a wilderness wild with its bitter waters, under curse due to men's sins. "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Death is depicted by the bitter waters. What then is the solution?
"The Lord showed him a tree." The tree had to be shown to Moses through his crying before God. Apart from God's kind intervention, Moses could not see the tree. The tree reminds us of Christ as here in flesh for the will of God, and of the cross. Likewise, unless the Lord shows us His cross, we will never see its profound significance. Not until then can we truly see who our blessed Lord is. May the Lord show us His cross. May we, through His cross, contemplate Him as never before.
The cure of the bitter waters relied on the tree cast into those waters. He was violently and mercilessly "cast" into the place of death so that sweetness might be yielded at the end. Oh, what had He done to merit such a harsh treatment from God? "So that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man" (or "everyone"). Oh, what an unfathomably bitter taste He fully experienced on the cross! Blessed, adorable Lord and Saviour! F.S.W.
The cross! the cross, oh, that's our gain,
Because on that the Lamb was slain:
'Twas there the Lord was crucified,
'Twas there for us the Saviour died.
Miss C. Taylor - 1742
N.J. Hiebert - 8592
September 3
I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26
What is thy season this morning? Is it a season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. "As thy day so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25) "I will give thee showers of blessing." The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God's blessings go together, like links in a golden chain.
If He gives converting grace, He will also give comforting grace. He will send "showers of blessing." Look up today, O parched plant, and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering. Spurgeon
"Let but thy heart become a valley low,
And God will rain on it till it will overflow."
Thou, O Lord, canst transform my thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7) into a flower. And I want my thorn transformed into a flower. Job got the sunshine after the rain, but has the rain been all waste? Job wants to know, I want to know, if the shower had nothing to do with the shining. "Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the field: to set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety." (Job 5:10,11)
And Thou canst tell me--Thy Cross can tell me. Thou hast crowned Thy sorrow. Be this my crown, O Lord. I only triumph in Thee when I have learned the radiance of the rain. George Matheson
And He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 2 Samuel 23:4
N.J. Hiebert - 8593
What is thy season this morning? Is it a season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. "As thy day so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25) "I will give thee showers of blessing." The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God's blessings go together, like links in a golden chain.
If He gives converting grace, He will also give comforting grace. He will send "showers of blessing." Look up today, O parched plant, and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering. Spurgeon
"Let but thy heart become a valley low,
And God will rain on it till it will overflow."
Thou, O Lord, canst transform my thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7) into a flower. And I want my thorn transformed into a flower. Job got the sunshine after the rain, but has the rain been all waste? Job wants to know, I want to know, if the shower had nothing to do with the shining. "Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the field: to set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety." (Job 5:10,11)
And Thou canst tell me--Thy Cross can tell me. Thou hast crowned Thy sorrow. Be this my crown, O Lord. I only triumph in Thee when I have learned the radiance of the rain. George Matheson
And He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 2 Samuel 23:4
N.J. Hiebert - 8593
September 4
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. ...moreover by them is thy servant warned." Psalm 19:9,11
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." (Philippians 2:14) We murmur at a thousand things in our lot, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness, and thereby question the care, the love and the wisdom of Him who orders all our path, and lose the blessed sense of His presence with us.
When people become slaves to a fad they soon become tyrants.
When knowledge enters the head it exalts me. When knowledge enters the heart it humbles me.
May we never bridge over the chasm between the world and us, and we shall never seek to do so if we can adopt the language of the apostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14).
"Wisdom and might are His." (Daniel 2:20). A simple utterance, but how profound! For if wisdom and might are God's, they are no where else to be found, and it is in vain to turn for them to any but God.
There are only two channels of testimony--the lip and the life, and the lip should be but the expression of what has been produced in the life. What we should all desire is intense reality, to be possessed and controlled by the truth we profess to hold, and thus to shun the use of phrases and sentences which we have never eaten, digested and found true in our souls.
In this day of grace God would have all men to be saved, and hence we have to beseech (2 Corinthians 5:20)--not denounce--all men. You cannot feed souls with denunciations--even though the things denounced are errors.
Edward Dennett
N.J. Hiebert - 8594
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." (Philippians 2:14) We murmur at a thousand things in our lot, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness, and thereby question the care, the love and the wisdom of Him who orders all our path, and lose the blessed sense of His presence with us.
When people become slaves to a fad they soon become tyrants.
When knowledge enters the head it exalts me. When knowledge enters the heart it humbles me.
May we never bridge over the chasm between the world and us, and we shall never seek to do so if we can adopt the language of the apostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14).
"Wisdom and might are His." (Daniel 2:20). A simple utterance, but how profound! For if wisdom and might are God's, they are no where else to be found, and it is in vain to turn for them to any but God.
There are only two channels of testimony--the lip and the life, and the lip should be but the expression of what has been produced in the life. What we should all desire is intense reality, to be possessed and controlled by the truth we profess to hold, and thus to shun the use of phrases and sentences which we have never eaten, digested and found true in our souls.
In this day of grace God would have all men to be saved, and hence we have to beseech (2 Corinthians 5:20)--not denounce--all men. You cannot feed souls with denunciations--even though the things denounced are errors.
Edward Dennett
N.J. Hiebert - 8594
September 5
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Ecclesiastes 11:1
THE PAWNED BIBLE
A young man, born in 1839 left home for college at the age of 17. His mother, a godly Christian woman, gave him a Bible. In the fly-leaf she wrote his name, her name and a Bible verse. The young man competed college and went on to medical school but he began to associate with a bad crowd. One day, in a drunken spree he pawned the Bible for money to buy more liquor.
Though the young Scotsman went on to become a very successful doctor--rising to the head of the largest hospital in Edinburgh--he forsook his upbringing becoming a committed infidel and was elected president of a society of atheists in that city.
One day, an accident victim was brought into the hospital and was placed under his care. The patient learning that he likely had only a few hours to live, requested of the doctor; "Please contact my landlady, and ask her to send me the Book." The doctor agreed, and within a few hours the landlady arrived with "the Book", the dying patient's Bible.
It was not long after that the patient died. The doctor was curious as to what kind of book the patient wanted. He asked the nurse, "Was it his bank book or appointment book?"
The nurse replied, "No, it was neither of those. It is still under his pillow. Go look." Reaching under the pillow the doctor pulled out "the Book". He opened it and to his amazement it was the very Bible he had received from his mother that he had pawned some years before. The fly-leaf still had his name, his mother's name and the Bible verse inscribed on it.
Overwhelmed, he slipped the Bible under his coat and rushed to his private office. There the doctor who had become an atheist, fell on his knees praying that God would have mercy on him, and save him. He remembered one verse his mother had taught him and believing it was brightly saved. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
The doctor immediately contacted his elderly mother who had never ceased to pray for her wayward son. What unspeakable joy was hers as she heard how God had used the very Bible she gave her son years before, in his salvation! The Christian Shepherd - December 2012
N.J. Hiebert - 8595
THE PAWNED BIBLE
A young man, born in 1839 left home for college at the age of 17. His mother, a godly Christian woman, gave him a Bible. In the fly-leaf she wrote his name, her name and a Bible verse. The young man competed college and went on to medical school but he began to associate with a bad crowd. One day, in a drunken spree he pawned the Bible for money to buy more liquor.
Though the young Scotsman went on to become a very successful doctor--rising to the head of the largest hospital in Edinburgh--he forsook his upbringing becoming a committed infidel and was elected president of a society of atheists in that city.
One day, an accident victim was brought into the hospital and was placed under his care. The patient learning that he likely had only a few hours to live, requested of the doctor; "Please contact my landlady, and ask her to send me the Book." The doctor agreed, and within a few hours the landlady arrived with "the Book", the dying patient's Bible.
It was not long after that the patient died. The doctor was curious as to what kind of book the patient wanted. He asked the nurse, "Was it his bank book or appointment book?"
The nurse replied, "No, it was neither of those. It is still under his pillow. Go look." Reaching under the pillow the doctor pulled out "the Book". He opened it and to his amazement it was the very Bible he had received from his mother that he had pawned some years before. The fly-leaf still had his name, his mother's name and the Bible verse inscribed on it.
Overwhelmed, he slipped the Bible under his coat and rushed to his private office. There the doctor who had become an atheist, fell on his knees praying that God would have mercy on him, and save him. He remembered one verse his mother had taught him and believing it was brightly saved. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
The doctor immediately contacted his elderly mother who had never ceased to pray for her wayward son. What unspeakable joy was hers as she heard how God had used the very Bible she gave her son years before, in his salvation! The Christian Shepherd - December 2012
N.J. Hiebert - 8595
September 6
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:34
I remember a man who was overtaken by a bad fall on the road. He fell among thieves who robbed him, took his clothes away, and left him naked, wounded and half dead. I watched the law come by chance down that way, and waited to see the law go and pick up the poor wounded man and set him on the road again; but the law, although it saw him, only passed by on the other side.
Then I watched the Jewish temple service, sacrifices and feasts, (of which the Galatians were so fond). They came and even stopped and looked at him. I thought I heard them say, "Poor man, poor man, be more careful next time." And then they passed by on the other side, like the law. Neither of them seemed able to do a thing for the fallen man. Indeed they did not seem to care very much about him.
Then came my Master. It was this that made Him my Master, for I was the poor man who fell among the thieves. He came all the way from heaven, right to where I was. He got down in the dust on the road, and bound up my wounds, pouring in oil and wine; He put me on His own beast, put His arm around me to hold me so I would not fall, and took me to an inn.
The name of the inn was "The Place That Receives All," and the name of the Inn-keeper was "The One who receives all" (how different from the inn where my Master was born; there was no room for Him there, so He was born in the stable). My Master paid for my keep, and left word with the inn-keeper, "Take care of him." There was no fear of spending too much on me, for my Master said, "Whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you." So now, I am waiting and looking for my Master to come again. (Luke 10:30-37)
Galatians or Beautiful Grace - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8596
I remember a man who was overtaken by a bad fall on the road. He fell among thieves who robbed him, took his clothes away, and left him naked, wounded and half dead. I watched the law come by chance down that way, and waited to see the law go and pick up the poor wounded man and set him on the road again; but the law, although it saw him, only passed by on the other side.
Then I watched the Jewish temple service, sacrifices and feasts, (of which the Galatians were so fond). They came and even stopped and looked at him. I thought I heard them say, "Poor man, poor man, be more careful next time." And then they passed by on the other side, like the law. Neither of them seemed able to do a thing for the fallen man. Indeed they did not seem to care very much about him.
Then came my Master. It was this that made Him my Master, for I was the poor man who fell among the thieves. He came all the way from heaven, right to where I was. He got down in the dust on the road, and bound up my wounds, pouring in oil and wine; He put me on His own beast, put His arm around me to hold me so I would not fall, and took me to an inn.
The name of the inn was "The Place That Receives All," and the name of the Inn-keeper was "The One who receives all" (how different from the inn where my Master was born; there was no room for Him there, so He was born in the stable). My Master paid for my keep, and left word with the inn-keeper, "Take care of him." There was no fear of spending too much on me, for my Master said, "Whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you." So now, I am waiting and looking for my Master to come again. (Luke 10:30-37)
Galatians or Beautiful Grace - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8596
September 7
MEMORIES--TREASURES OR TYRANTS?
Forgetting those thing which are behind....
Forgetting those thing which are behind....
Philippians 3:13
I remember the days of old.... Psalms 143:5 .
Memories, whether good or bad, must be handled with care. Bad recollections can drive us to despair. Good remembrances can become idols and lead us to wallow in sentimentality.
We can paint the past with glamour it never had and crown dear ones with haloes they never wore. "Distance lends enchantment to the view." Memory can become a tyrant instead of a treasure chest.
From the mistakes of the past, let us learn whatever lessons they teach, then forget them, even as God remembers our sins no more. Let precious memories be benedictions but not bonds. Life must be lived and we must get on with the job. All The Days - Vance Havner
How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend,
Whose love is as great as His power,
And knows neither measure nor end!
'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that's to come.
Hart - 1750
N.J. Hiebert - 8597
I remember the days of old.... Psalms 143:5 .
Memories, whether good or bad, must be handled with care. Bad recollections can drive us to despair. Good remembrances can become idols and lead us to wallow in sentimentality.
We can paint the past with glamour it never had and crown dear ones with haloes they never wore. "Distance lends enchantment to the view." Memory can become a tyrant instead of a treasure chest.
From the mistakes of the past, let us learn whatever lessons they teach, then forget them, even as God remembers our sins no more. Let precious memories be benedictions but not bonds. Life must be lived and we must get on with the job. All The Days - Vance Havner
How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend,
Whose love is as great as His power,
And knows neither measure nor end!
'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that's to come.
Hart - 1750
N.J. Hiebert - 8597
September 8
I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me...that beareth fruit, He purges (pruning) it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:1,2
And they said, is this Naomi? and she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Ruth 1:19-22
How many pruned ones may read these words! They are inclined to say, like Naomi, that the Lord hath dealt very bitterly with them. Husband and sons buried in a distant land; poverty and want supreme in a deserted and darkened home; only one left of all the merry circle of bygone years: and yet out of all this shall come a golden harvest of blessing; and the little grandson pressed to the heart, and his line to David, the sweet Psalmist (2 Samuel 23:1) and mighty king, shall make the aged heart young again. (Ruth 4:15-22).
"No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11).
It is a recognized rule, among vine-dressers, that no shoot should have more than one bunch of grapes. All but that one are nipped off. The vine-dresser will obtain a greater weight of better grapes in that one bunch, than he would by permitting two or three clusters to form. And so with merciless hand he picks off bunch after bunch of unformed fruit.
It is thus that we are sometimes shut away from one after another of our chosen directions of Christian activity: not that our Father would diminish our fruit-bearing, but that the strength of our life may be saved from dissipation, and conducted by one channel to a better and richer fruit. Joseph - F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 8598
And they said, is this Naomi? and she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Ruth 1:19-22
How many pruned ones may read these words! They are inclined to say, like Naomi, that the Lord hath dealt very bitterly with them. Husband and sons buried in a distant land; poverty and want supreme in a deserted and darkened home; only one left of all the merry circle of bygone years: and yet out of all this shall come a golden harvest of blessing; and the little grandson pressed to the heart, and his line to David, the sweet Psalmist (2 Samuel 23:1) and mighty king, shall make the aged heart young again. (Ruth 4:15-22).
"No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11).
It is a recognized rule, among vine-dressers, that no shoot should have more than one bunch of grapes. All but that one are nipped off. The vine-dresser will obtain a greater weight of better grapes in that one bunch, than he would by permitting two or three clusters to form. And so with merciless hand he picks off bunch after bunch of unformed fruit.
It is thus that we are sometimes shut away from one after another of our chosen directions of Christian activity: not that our Father would diminish our fruit-bearing, but that the strength of our life may be saved from dissipation, and conducted by one channel to a better and richer fruit. Joseph - F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 8598
September 9
THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His disciples. John 18:1
A thousand years before, King David had crossed the brook Kidron and had gone up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives (2 Samuel 15:23,30), rejected by His people and weeping. King David walked this way in consequence of his own guilt; the Lord Jesus went this way because it was the beginning of the path which He trod for the guilt and sins of others. In the darkness of the night, in the place called Gethsemane, the shadow of the cross fell across His path, where the Father would give Him the bitter cup of God's wrath in just judgment of sin. He had come to this earth for the very purpose of drinking this cup.
Before our eyes is the Man Jesus Christ with all His divinely perfect feelings of dependence and obedience. The path leading to the cross lay before Him--the path which He would now have to walk to accomplish God's counsels. He felt keenly what was before Him. He longed for the sympathy and comfort of His disciples, but the only source of his strength was from above with His Father.
Jesus enters deeper into the garden, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, but then He separates even from them, and going a little farther, He falls on the ground, praying, "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). This is the only time we hear that intimate expression to the Father from the Lord's lips. His prayer continues,"All things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt."
No one knew as well as He that this was not possible if He wanted to open the way of salvation for sinners and accomplish the Father's eternal counsel. Thus, He rises from prayer and walks in perfect peace on the way to drink, until empty, that cup which He had taken from the Father's hand. Fritz von Kietzell
N.J. Hiebert - 8599
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His disciples. John 18:1
A thousand years before, King David had crossed the brook Kidron and had gone up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives (2 Samuel 15:23,30), rejected by His people and weeping. King David walked this way in consequence of his own guilt; the Lord Jesus went this way because it was the beginning of the path which He trod for the guilt and sins of others. In the darkness of the night, in the place called Gethsemane, the shadow of the cross fell across His path, where the Father would give Him the bitter cup of God's wrath in just judgment of sin. He had come to this earth for the very purpose of drinking this cup.
Before our eyes is the Man Jesus Christ with all His divinely perfect feelings of dependence and obedience. The path leading to the cross lay before Him--the path which He would now have to walk to accomplish God's counsels. He felt keenly what was before Him. He longed for the sympathy and comfort of His disciples, but the only source of his strength was from above with His Father.
Jesus enters deeper into the garden, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, but then He separates even from them, and going a little farther, He falls on the ground, praying, "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). This is the only time we hear that intimate expression to the Father from the Lord's lips. His prayer continues,"All things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt."
No one knew as well as He that this was not possible if He wanted to open the way of salvation for sinners and accomplish the Father's eternal counsel. Thus, He rises from prayer and walks in perfect peace on the way to drink, until empty, that cup which He had taken from the Father's hand. Fritz von Kietzell
N.J. Hiebert - 8599
September 10
LET GO DISPLEASURE
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Psalm 37:8
Sometimes something happens which recalls great pain. You are not able to find pleasure in that thing. You are oppressed by it and saddened. Suddenly the word comes, "Let go displeasure."
Displeasure is not always wrath; it is not unkindness, or the fretting which the Psalm says so truly, "tendeth only to evildoing." (Psalm 37:8) It is just something that is not pleasure but pain, and so can depress the heart.
Let it go. Do not hold on to it. Let it slip out of mind. Turn to something that does give pleasure and fasten your thoughts on that. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." (Psalm 37:7) "Commit thy way" (and the way of those thou lovest) "unto the Lord" (Psalm 37:5) and thou shalt delight thyself in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11)
Prove this word if ever you are tempted in this way. You will find that by an act of will, by His grace, you can "Let go displeasure" and be most tenderly released and refreshed.
Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8600
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Psalm 37:8
Sometimes something happens which recalls great pain. You are not able to find pleasure in that thing. You are oppressed by it and saddened. Suddenly the word comes, "Let go displeasure."
Displeasure is not always wrath; it is not unkindness, or the fretting which the Psalm says so truly, "tendeth only to evildoing." (Psalm 37:8) It is just something that is not pleasure but pain, and so can depress the heart.
Let it go. Do not hold on to it. Let it slip out of mind. Turn to something that does give pleasure and fasten your thoughts on that. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." (Psalm 37:7) "Commit thy way" (and the way of those thou lovest) "unto the Lord" (Psalm 37:5) and thou shalt delight thyself in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11)
Prove this word if ever you are tempted in this way. You will find that by an act of will, by His grace, you can "Let go displeasure" and be most tenderly released and refreshed.
Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8600
September 11
Work out (cultivate) your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
It might be of interest to look at a few other passages where this Greek word (work out) might be translated in the same way (cultivate):
- The law cultivates wrath. Romans 4:15
- Tribulation cultivates patience. Romans 5:3
- Godly sorrow cultivates repentance.
It might be of interest to look at a few other passages where this Greek word (work out) might be translated in the same way (cultivate):
- The law cultivates wrath. Romans 4:15
- Tribulation cultivates patience. Romans 5:3
- Godly sorrow cultivates repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10
- The trying of your faith cultivates patience.
- The trying of your faith cultivates patience.
James 1:3
Cultivate means to loosen the soil so the rain and air can get to the roots so the plants grow strong and bear fruit. Another purpose is to get rid of the weeds.
An important point in this verse is the use Scripture makes of the word "salvation". If we think of the salvation of our souls only, many passages of Scripture will be very hard to understand: that salvation was completed at the cross, and was given to us freely when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We could not "work out," or even "cultivate" this salvation: for it is complete and perfect for ever: our souls are as safe now as they will be when we are at Home in Glory. But Scripture looks at salvation in various ways. It speaks of the salvation of our bodies as well as of our souls. It looks at salvation of our bodies as past, present, or future: according as redemption, grace, or glory are in view.
For our souls, salvation is past: (1 Peter 1:9). But for our bodies, the Lord keeps us safe day by day, and hour by hour, and this will not be completed until He has us safe at Home, spirit, soul and body: (Romans 5:9,10) "much more being reconciled, we shall be kept safe in His life". This is present salvation; and in Romans 8:23,24 we see future salvation: "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 13:11)...the present guardian care of our God who brings us safely through. Philippians - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8601
Cultivate means to loosen the soil so the rain and air can get to the roots so the plants grow strong and bear fruit. Another purpose is to get rid of the weeds.
An important point in this verse is the use Scripture makes of the word "salvation". If we think of the salvation of our souls only, many passages of Scripture will be very hard to understand: that salvation was completed at the cross, and was given to us freely when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We could not "work out," or even "cultivate" this salvation: for it is complete and perfect for ever: our souls are as safe now as they will be when we are at Home in Glory. But Scripture looks at salvation in various ways. It speaks of the salvation of our bodies as well as of our souls. It looks at salvation of our bodies as past, present, or future: according as redemption, grace, or glory are in view.
For our souls, salvation is past: (1 Peter 1:9). But for our bodies, the Lord keeps us safe day by day, and hour by hour, and this will not be completed until He has us safe at Home, spirit, soul and body: (Romans 5:9,10) "much more being reconciled, we shall be kept safe in His life". This is present salvation; and in Romans 8:23,24 we see future salvation: "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 13:11)...the present guardian care of our God who brings us safely through. Philippians - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8601
September 12
A VITAL TRUTH ILLUSTRATED
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Henry Moorhouse, a British evangelist, once said that he found it difficult for many to take their place as guilty sinners before God. Some time ago a woman had said to him, "I cannot believe that one who has perhaps broken only one law of the commandments can be as bad as another who has broken five or ten laws."
He said to her, "but has it occurred to you that God never gave five or ten laws? He gave only one LAW, and it consists of ten commandments. Look at this watch. Count the wheels and you will find ten or more. It is a broken watch, and will not run. Only one wheel is broken; but it is still a broken watch."
As the woman still could not see it, he said, "Suppose you were hanging by a chain over a precipice. The chain consists of ten links. If someone took a hammer and smashed every link, where would you go?"
"To the bottom, of course."
"But, suppose only one link were broken, where would you go?"
"That would be just as bad; I would fall. And now I see the point. Even for one sin, I am a sinner, and need a Saviour. Thank God for His Son--Jesus, my Saviour Who cleanses from all sin."
It take just as much of the grace of God to save the best people in the world as to save the vilest. Nothing but grace through faith in the precious blood of Jesus Christ can give salvation to a lost soul and freedom from the law of sin. Grace Triumphant - Tom Dear
N.J. Hiebert - 8602
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Henry Moorhouse, a British evangelist, once said that he found it difficult for many to take their place as guilty sinners before God. Some time ago a woman had said to him, "I cannot believe that one who has perhaps broken only one law of the commandments can be as bad as another who has broken five or ten laws."
He said to her, "but has it occurred to you that God never gave five or ten laws? He gave only one LAW, and it consists of ten commandments. Look at this watch. Count the wheels and you will find ten or more. It is a broken watch, and will not run. Only one wheel is broken; but it is still a broken watch."
As the woman still could not see it, he said, "Suppose you were hanging by a chain over a precipice. The chain consists of ten links. If someone took a hammer and smashed every link, where would you go?"
"To the bottom, of course."
"But, suppose only one link were broken, where would you go?"
"That would be just as bad; I would fall. And now I see the point. Even for one sin, I am a sinner, and need a Saviour. Thank God for His Son--Jesus, my Saviour Who cleanses from all sin."
It take just as much of the grace of God to save the best people in the world as to save the vilest. Nothing but grace through faith in the precious blood of Jesus Christ can give salvation to a lost soul and freedom from the law of sin. Grace Triumphant - Tom Dear
N.J. Hiebert - 8602
September 13
They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels. Malachi 3:17
What do God's children as jewels remind us of?
1. Like jewels they are rare.
2. Like jewels they are beautiful, brilliant, ornamental.
3. Like jewels they are found in strange and unlikely places.
4. Like jewels they are obtained only with much risk and trouble.
5. Like jewels they have to be cut and polished to bring out their beauty and value.
6. Like jewels they are very valuable; hence they cost a great deal.
7. Like jewels they are carefully preserved.
8. Like jewels they will be collected and exhibited.
Sapphires, rubies, opals, precious every one;
The great Lapidary sees His work begun.
He will not relax His care
Till His work is finished there. - E.E.T.
From the archives of Tom Dear
'Tis the promise of our Father, given in His Word divine,
Pledge of never failing mercy, those who love Me shall be Mine.
When He gathers up His jewels, every bright and precious gem,
Then shall shine in realms of glory, stars in Jesus' diadem.
Would you be a star in glory, in the Saviour's kingdom shine?
Trust in Him, it is His promise, those who love Me shall be Mine.
[Refrain] Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For His precious love divine!
When He gathers up His jewels I will with the ransomed shine. W. F. Cosmer
N.J. Hiebert - 8603
What do God's children as jewels remind us of?
1. Like jewels they are rare.
2. Like jewels they are beautiful, brilliant, ornamental.
3. Like jewels they are found in strange and unlikely places.
4. Like jewels they are obtained only with much risk and trouble.
5. Like jewels they have to be cut and polished to bring out their beauty and value.
6. Like jewels they are very valuable; hence they cost a great deal.
7. Like jewels they are carefully preserved.
8. Like jewels they will be collected and exhibited.
Sapphires, rubies, opals, precious every one;
The great Lapidary sees His work begun.
He will not relax His care
Till His work is finished there. - E.E.T.
From the archives of Tom Dear
'Tis the promise of our Father, given in His Word divine,
Pledge of never failing mercy, those who love Me shall be Mine.
When He gathers up His jewels, every bright and precious gem,
Then shall shine in realms of glory, stars in Jesus' diadem.
Would you be a star in glory, in the Saviour's kingdom shine?
Trust in Him, it is His promise, those who love Me shall be Mine.
[Refrain] Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For His precious love divine!
When He gathers up His jewels I will with the ransomed shine. W. F. Cosmer
N.J. Hiebert - 8603
September 14
So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
In the 1930s, Stalin, the Russian dictator, ordered massive purges of segments of the Soviet population to eliminate any whom he considered to be a threat to his rule. Christians (with their Bibles) were among the groups specially marked for elimination. Some historians estimate that over one million Christians died in Stalin's purges.
In Stavropol, Russia, Stalin's order to eliminate all Christians and all Bibles was strongly enforced. Thousands of Bibles were confiscated, while many Christians were immediately executed or set to the gulags (prisons) where most died, branded as "enemies of the state."
Many years later, when Soviet persecution of Christians had greatly eased, a Christian missionary team, was allowed to visit Stavropol to make contact with any Christians living there. However, the Bibles they had ordered from Moscow to distribute in Stavropol had not arrived. A local Russian who knew the history of the Stavropol purges mentioned that the warehouse where the confiscated Bibles had been stored still existed.
A member of the missionary team went to the warehouse to see if the Bibles were still there. The warehouse officials assured him that they were indeed still stored there. A request to remove the Bibles and to distribute them to the people of Stavropol also received official approval.
The next day the missionary team returned with a truck and with several Russian men who had been hired to help load the Bibles. One of these, a young college student, was particularly hostile and arrogant, a self-proclaimed agnostic. It was obvious he had come just to earn a day's wages.
While loading the Bibles one of the missionaries notice that the young man had disappeared. When they found him, he was huddled in the corner of the warehouse holding a Bible in his hands and weeping. He had planned to take one of the Bibles for himself and had stolen away from the truck unnoticed so that none would know that he too wanted a Bible.
Once alone with a pile of Bibles, he had picked up a dusty, well-worn copy. Opening it, he was deeply shaken when he saw, inside the front cover, the faded hand-writing and the name of the Bible's former owner--one of the Christians who had been purged by Stalin so many years before --his own grandmother. (Courtesy of John Kaiser)
N.J. Hiebert - 8604
In the 1930s, Stalin, the Russian dictator, ordered massive purges of segments of the Soviet population to eliminate any whom he considered to be a threat to his rule. Christians (with their Bibles) were among the groups specially marked for elimination. Some historians estimate that over one million Christians died in Stalin's purges.
In Stavropol, Russia, Stalin's order to eliminate all Christians and all Bibles was strongly enforced. Thousands of Bibles were confiscated, while many Christians were immediately executed or set to the gulags (prisons) where most died, branded as "enemies of the state."
Many years later, when Soviet persecution of Christians had greatly eased, a Christian missionary team, was allowed to visit Stavropol to make contact with any Christians living there. However, the Bibles they had ordered from Moscow to distribute in Stavropol had not arrived. A local Russian who knew the history of the Stavropol purges mentioned that the warehouse where the confiscated Bibles had been stored still existed.
A member of the missionary team went to the warehouse to see if the Bibles were still there. The warehouse officials assured him that they were indeed still stored there. A request to remove the Bibles and to distribute them to the people of Stavropol also received official approval.
The next day the missionary team returned with a truck and with several Russian men who had been hired to help load the Bibles. One of these, a young college student, was particularly hostile and arrogant, a self-proclaimed agnostic. It was obvious he had come just to earn a day's wages.
While loading the Bibles one of the missionaries notice that the young man had disappeared. When they found him, he was huddled in the corner of the warehouse holding a Bible in his hands and weeping. He had planned to take one of the Bibles for himself and had stolen away from the truck unnoticed so that none would know that he too wanted a Bible.
Once alone with a pile of Bibles, he had picked up a dusty, well-worn copy. Opening it, he was deeply shaken when he saw, inside the front cover, the faded hand-writing and the name of the Bible's former owner--one of the Christians who had been purged by Stalin so many years before --his own grandmother. (Courtesy of John Kaiser)
N.J. Hiebert - 8604
September 15
Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7
We may well be happy with such a One to care for us. Again we ask: Have you realized that the order which was given about the man in the inn (Luke 10:35)-- "Take care of him"--has been given about you? Let us wake up to the fact that we have SOMEONE to care for us. Why is a babe so happy though so helpless? Because it is the best-cared-for person in the house. Its cry brings immediate aid, its wants are always attended to.
Would that we were content to be the Creator's babes! For are we anything more in the presence of the vast universe that stretches all around us, and of Him who made it? Are there no arms to enfold, no hands to uplift, no bosom to shelter us? Thank God, there are for all those who become as little children.
It will assist us to rise above all our care if we are looking in the right direction. We catch the impress of what we behold. "They looked unto Him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed" (Psalm 34:5).
During some very costly wars in which England was engaged more than a hundred years ago, it is said that while the then Prime Minister was always elated, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the contrary, was always depressed. The former looked only at the trophies of the war, the latter only at the expense.
Where are we looking? and what do we look for? Upon the answer to these two questions very much of our happiness depends. We often look for that which is bound to bring us disappointment, but if we look as Scripture directs us, we shall be more than satisfied. "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time...unto salvation." "Looking for that blessed hope." "From whence also we look for the Saviour. (Hebrews 9:28; Titus 2:13; Philippians 3:20)
Angels in White - Russell Elliott
N.J. Hiebert - 8605
We may well be happy with such a One to care for us. Again we ask: Have you realized that the order which was given about the man in the inn (Luke 10:35)-- "Take care of him"--has been given about you? Let us wake up to the fact that we have SOMEONE to care for us. Why is a babe so happy though so helpless? Because it is the best-cared-for person in the house. Its cry brings immediate aid, its wants are always attended to.
Would that we were content to be the Creator's babes! For are we anything more in the presence of the vast universe that stretches all around us, and of Him who made it? Are there no arms to enfold, no hands to uplift, no bosom to shelter us? Thank God, there are for all those who become as little children.
It will assist us to rise above all our care if we are looking in the right direction. We catch the impress of what we behold. "They looked unto Him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed" (Psalm 34:5).
During some very costly wars in which England was engaged more than a hundred years ago, it is said that while the then Prime Minister was always elated, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the contrary, was always depressed. The former looked only at the trophies of the war, the latter only at the expense.
Where are we looking? and what do we look for? Upon the answer to these two questions very much of our happiness depends. We often look for that which is bound to bring us disappointment, but if we look as Scripture directs us, we shall be more than satisfied. "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time...unto salvation." "Looking for that blessed hope." "From whence also we look for the Saviour. (Hebrews 9:28; Titus 2:13; Philippians 3:20)
Angels in White - Russell Elliott
N.J. Hiebert - 8605
September 16
THE UNFATHOMABLE SUFFERINGS OF CHRST
Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow. Lamentations 1:12
Many and various causes of sorrow are presented in the life of our blessed Lord on earth; one coming on another. And sorrow becoming more and more intense, up to the closing scene on Mount Calvary. Suffering, connected with testimony for God; whoever is for God will be sure to suffer in such a world.
Then there was the peculiarity of sorrow, as being the One to solve that problem which seemed so impossible to solve--how God and the sinner could go together. How could God find anyone to show the bearing of divine glory in connection with mercy towards one covered with sin? He did find One who was to be the perfect measure of what sin was in His presence. That One takes the cup of wrath from God's hand; and in that hour, God cannot look at the One in whom was all His delight. That hour of forsaking, when the "sword" (Zechariah 13:7) was to awake, only came out at the cross. There was but the anticipation of its unsheathing at Gethsemane.
I see there God's estimate of sin when it comes into His presence. That Son of His love had to be treated as if the whole mass of sin was His, and the whole weight of wrath for that sin came upon Him. He had to bear it all there, alone. He may be a Man of sorrows all through His life, but He has God with Him in it. Never till the cross do we find the sense of God's distance from Him--expressed in that cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34). He never could taste that before, for only then was He bearing sin in His own body, in God's presence. Not one ray of light came from Him while the Son of His love was there, suffering, the Just for the unjust. (1 Peter 3:18). Man tries to keep sin far away, out of God's presence, but Christ carried it right into His presence. G. V. Wigram
N.J. Hiebert - 8606
Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow. Lamentations 1:12
Many and various causes of sorrow are presented in the life of our blessed Lord on earth; one coming on another. And sorrow becoming more and more intense, up to the closing scene on Mount Calvary. Suffering, connected with testimony for God; whoever is for God will be sure to suffer in such a world.
Then there was the peculiarity of sorrow, as being the One to solve that problem which seemed so impossible to solve--how God and the sinner could go together. How could God find anyone to show the bearing of divine glory in connection with mercy towards one covered with sin? He did find One who was to be the perfect measure of what sin was in His presence. That One takes the cup of wrath from God's hand; and in that hour, God cannot look at the One in whom was all His delight. That hour of forsaking, when the "sword" (Zechariah 13:7) was to awake, only came out at the cross. There was but the anticipation of its unsheathing at Gethsemane.
I see there God's estimate of sin when it comes into His presence. That Son of His love had to be treated as if the whole mass of sin was His, and the whole weight of wrath for that sin came upon Him. He had to bear it all there, alone. He may be a Man of sorrows all through His life, but He has God with Him in it. Never till the cross do we find the sense of God's distance from Him--expressed in that cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34). He never could taste that before, for only then was He bearing sin in His own body, in God's presence. Not one ray of light came from Him while the Son of His love was there, suffering, the Just for the unjust. (1 Peter 3:18). Man tries to keep sin far away, out of God's presence, but Christ carried it right into His presence. G. V. Wigram
N.J. Hiebert - 8606
September 17
"Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked..." Psalm 64:2
"...Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Psalm 61:2,3
"Preserve my life from fear of the enemy." Psalm 64:1
The lion is said to be boldest in the storm. His roar, it is said, never sounds as loud as in the pauses of the thunder; and when the lightening flashes, brightest are the flashes of his cruel eye. Even so, he who "the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8) often seizes the hour of human nature's greatest distress to assault us with his fiercest temptations.
He tempted Job when he was bowed down with grief. He tempted Jesus when He was faint with hunger. He tempted Peter when he was weary with watching and heart-broken with sorrow.
When the devil's forces are besieging a low soul, he appeals as a rule to the lowest in him. When he is dealing with a high soul he attacks the highest in him; he appears as an angel of light. Even if the ridge line of our soul is but a low one, that crest marks the hottest place of conflict; a few feet farther down spells defeat.
In some of the American lakes it is found that boats are strangely hindered in their progress. They are drawn downwards, because of the magnetic power of deep mud concealed below the surface of the waters. Now, a temptation in the life is like this magnetic mud. It lies in the depths and pulls at everything; it drags down everything; it makes progress difficult.
Save us, O Lord, from the enemy who seeks to take us captive while we are unaware of his devices. Mountain Trailways for Youth.
N.J. Hiebert - 8607
"...Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Psalm 61:2,3
"Preserve my life from fear of the enemy." Psalm 64:1
The lion is said to be boldest in the storm. His roar, it is said, never sounds as loud as in the pauses of the thunder; and when the lightening flashes, brightest are the flashes of his cruel eye. Even so, he who "the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8) often seizes the hour of human nature's greatest distress to assault us with his fiercest temptations.
He tempted Job when he was bowed down with grief. He tempted Jesus when He was faint with hunger. He tempted Peter when he was weary with watching and heart-broken with sorrow.
When the devil's forces are besieging a low soul, he appeals as a rule to the lowest in him. When he is dealing with a high soul he attacks the highest in him; he appears as an angel of light. Even if the ridge line of our soul is but a low one, that crest marks the hottest place of conflict; a few feet farther down spells defeat.
In some of the American lakes it is found that boats are strangely hindered in their progress. They are drawn downwards, because of the magnetic power of deep mud concealed below the surface of the waters. Now, a temptation in the life is like this magnetic mud. It lies in the depths and pulls at everything; it drags down everything; it makes progress difficult.
Save us, O Lord, from the enemy who seeks to take us captive while we are unaware of his devices. Mountain Trailways for Youth.
N.J. Hiebert - 8607
September 18
Go to the ant,...consider her ways, and be wise. Proverbs 6:6
"Go to the ant." Tammerlane used to relate to his friends an anecdote of his early life. "I once was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours," he said. "Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall.
I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached the top! This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson." The King's Business.
Rubenstein, the great musician, once said, "If I omit practise one day, I notice it; if two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notices it." It is the old doctrine, "Practise makes perfect." We must continue reading His Word, continue praying, continue doing His will.
Suppose along any line of art, one should cease practicing--we know what the result would be. If we would only use the same quality of common sense in our walk with the Lord that we use in our every day life, we should go on to perfection.
The motto of David Livingstone was in these words, "I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose." By unfaltering persistence and faith in God he conquered.
N.J. Hiebert - 8608
"Go to the ant." Tammerlane used to relate to his friends an anecdote of his early life. "I once was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours," he said. "Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall.
I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached the top! This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson." The King's Business.
Rubenstein, the great musician, once said, "If I omit practise one day, I notice it; if two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notices it." It is the old doctrine, "Practise makes perfect." We must continue reading His Word, continue praying, continue doing His will.
Suppose along any line of art, one should cease practicing--we know what the result would be. If we would only use the same quality of common sense in our walk with the Lord that we use in our every day life, we should go on to perfection.
The motto of David Livingstone was in these words, "I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose." By unfaltering persistence and faith in God he conquered.
N.J. Hiebert - 8608
September 19
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans. 10:9-10
A beautiful incident in the experience of Queen Victoria is worth remembering. It is unquestionably authentic. The Queen had attended a service in St. Paul's Cathedral and had listened to a sermon that interested her greatly; then she asked her chaplain "Can one be absolutely sure in this life of eternal safety?" His answer was that he "knew of no way that one could be absolutely sure."
This was published in the Court News and fell under the eye of a humble minister of the gospel; John Townsend, an intimate friend of George Mueller, whose life of faith led to the founding of his well-known orphanages. After reading Queen Victoria's question and the answer she received, John Townsend thought and prayed much about the matter, then sent the following note to the Queen:
"To her gracious Majesty, our beloved Queen Victoria, from one of her most humble subjects: With trembling hands, but heart filled love, and because I know that we can be absolutely sure even now of our eternal life in the Home that Jesus went to prepare, may I ask your Most Gracious Majesty to read the following passages of Scripture: John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10. These passages prove there is full assurance of salvation by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for those who believe and accept His finished work. - I sign myself, your servant for Jesus' sake"
John Townsend.
John Townsend was not alone in praying about his letter to the Queen. He took others into his confidence, and much prayer from many hearts went up to God. He received a modest-looking envelope containing the following letter:
To John Townsend: "Your letter of recent date received and in reply would state that I have carefully and prayerfully read the portions of Scripture referred to. I believe in the finished work of Christ for me, and trust by God's grace to meet you in that Home of which He said, 'I go to prepare a place for you'. " Victoria Guelph.
Whether one is an earthy monarch or an inconspicuous unknown person, the way of salvation and of eternal life is the same. Come Home
N.J. Hiebert - 8609
A beautiful incident in the experience of Queen Victoria is worth remembering. It is unquestionably authentic. The Queen had attended a service in St. Paul's Cathedral and had listened to a sermon that interested her greatly; then she asked her chaplain "Can one be absolutely sure in this life of eternal safety?" His answer was that he "knew of no way that one could be absolutely sure."
This was published in the Court News and fell under the eye of a humble minister of the gospel; John Townsend, an intimate friend of George Mueller, whose life of faith led to the founding of his well-known orphanages. After reading Queen Victoria's question and the answer she received, John Townsend thought and prayed much about the matter, then sent the following note to the Queen:
"To her gracious Majesty, our beloved Queen Victoria, from one of her most humble subjects: With trembling hands, but heart filled love, and because I know that we can be absolutely sure even now of our eternal life in the Home that Jesus went to prepare, may I ask your Most Gracious Majesty to read the following passages of Scripture: John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10. These passages prove there is full assurance of salvation by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for those who believe and accept His finished work. - I sign myself, your servant for Jesus' sake"
John Townsend.
John Townsend was not alone in praying about his letter to the Queen. He took others into his confidence, and much prayer from many hearts went up to God. He received a modest-looking envelope containing the following letter:
To John Townsend: "Your letter of recent date received and in reply would state that I have carefully and prayerfully read the portions of Scripture referred to. I believe in the finished work of Christ for me, and trust by God's grace to meet you in that Home of which He said, 'I go to prepare a place for you'. " Victoria Guelph.
Whether one is an earthy monarch or an inconspicuous unknown person, the way of salvation and of eternal life is the same. Come Home
N.J. Hiebert - 8609
September 20
SUSTENANCE AND REFRESHMENT
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2
When the Israelites were passing through the wilderness, there were two things which never failed them, the manna, and the water. The former was for their sustenance and the later for their refreshment; and during that long period of forty years each recurring day brought its abundant supply (Psalm 78:24 & Isaiah 43:20). For the spiritual meaning of the manna compare Exodus16 with John 6; and for that of the water Exodus 17 with John 7.
Since the wilderness through which the Israelites passed to their inheritance represents the valley experiences through which we pass to ours, that two-fold provision aptly sets forth the nourishment and refreshment. The green pastures sustain, the still waters refresh; and our responsibility to avail ourselves of them arises from the fact that, like the manna and the water, they are freely provided.
Each morning, and with unfailing regularity, the soft showers of angel's food reached the place of their sojourning (Psalm 78:25); all they had to do was to gather, to appropriate, and to enjoy, the full and ample provision for their needs. The manna was white--telling of its purity; it tasted like honey--telling of its sweetness (Exodus 16:14,15, 31) - (Psalm 119:103,140).
When the people departed from God, however, and returned in heart to the land from which His outstretched arm had delivered them, the manna lost its sweetness: they first made light of it, and eventually despised it. "We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely: ...but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes." "Our soul loatheth this light bread." (Numbers 11:5:6 & 21:5)
The Pearl of Psalms - George Henderson
N.J. Hiebert - 8610
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2
When the Israelites were passing through the wilderness, there were two things which never failed them, the manna, and the water. The former was for their sustenance and the later for their refreshment; and during that long period of forty years each recurring day brought its abundant supply (Psalm 78:24 & Isaiah 43:20). For the spiritual meaning of the manna compare Exodus16 with John 6; and for that of the water Exodus 17 with John 7.
Since the wilderness through which the Israelites passed to their inheritance represents the valley experiences through which we pass to ours, that two-fold provision aptly sets forth the nourishment and refreshment. The green pastures sustain, the still waters refresh; and our responsibility to avail ourselves of them arises from the fact that, like the manna and the water, they are freely provided.
Each morning, and with unfailing regularity, the soft showers of angel's food reached the place of their sojourning (Psalm 78:25); all they had to do was to gather, to appropriate, and to enjoy, the full and ample provision for their needs. The manna was white--telling of its purity; it tasted like honey--telling of its sweetness (Exodus 16:14,15, 31) - (Psalm 119:103,140).
When the people departed from God, however, and returned in heart to the land from which His outstretched arm had delivered them, the manna lost its sweetness: they first made light of it, and eventually despised it. "We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely: ...but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all beside this manna before our eyes." "Our soul loatheth this light bread." (Numbers 11:5:6 & 21:5)
The Pearl of Psalms - George Henderson
N.J. Hiebert - 8610
September 21
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers.
And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.
Matthew 27:27-30.
What miserable heroes the soldiers were that day when they mocked God's lovely Son. A King? Then crown Him, and they pressed the thorns into His blessed brow. A King? Then anoint Him, so they spat in His face.
Be not deceived, for beneath that thorny crown lay all the authority of Godhood. One word and He could have forever banished His tormentors. But He loved them, and soon would die for them, and for us.
What a crown! What a King! What a love is this.
J. Boyd Nicholson
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed! And did my Saviour die?
Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?
Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut His glories in,
When the Incarnate Maker died for man His creature's sin.
Isaac Watts
N.J. Hiebert - 8611
And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe.
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head.
Matthew 27:27-30.
What miserable heroes the soldiers were that day when they mocked God's lovely Son. A King? Then crown Him, and they pressed the thorns into His blessed brow. A King? Then anoint Him, so they spat in His face.
Be not deceived, for beneath that thorny crown lay all the authority of Godhood. One word and He could have forever banished His tormentors. But He loved them, and soon would die for them, and for us.
What a crown! What a King! What a love is this.
J. Boyd Nicholson
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed! And did my Saviour die?
Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?
Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut His glories in,
When the Incarnate Maker died for man His creature's sin.
Isaac Watts
N.J. Hiebert - 8611
September 22
I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19
When I tread an unknown maze and can discern no path I find myself humming a little chorus:
"My Lord knows the way through the wilderness;
All I have to do is to follow.
Strength for the day,
Is mine all the way,
And all that I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness;
All I have to do is to follow."
"Thou knewest my path." (Psalm 142:3) "I being in the way the Lord led me. . . ." (Genesis 24:27) "He leadeth me. . ." (Psalm 23:2) "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass."(Psalm 37:5). Oh, the Book is full of it--My Lord knows the way!
Better still, He is the way. It was an African guide who said, "There is no way. . . . I am the way." My Lord offers me no road map to figure out alone. He Himself is the Way, and He goes along. That is so much better. I might get lost on a path, I need a Person. He is my Way and " . . . All I have to do is to follow." Day By Day with Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 8612
September 23
Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let Him be crucified. Matthew 27:22
This is the question which has come ringing down the ages to every man. Pilate felt he was helpless before the multitude if he was going to save his own reputation, for he was afraid that the Jews would bring a charge against him. "And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath He done? I have found no cause of death in Him: I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed."
Pilate went against his own conscience; he went against his own best judgment; he went against the pleadings of his wife, who sent a message to him, saying, "Have thou nothing to do with this just Man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him. Matthew 27:19). And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. "And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will."
Luke - H. A. Ironside
O, what will you do with Jesus? The call comes low and sweet;
And tenderly He bids you Your burdens lay at His feet;
O soul, so sad and weary, that sweet voice speaks to thee:
Then what will you do with Jesus? O, what shall the answer be.
O, what will you do with Jesus? The call comes low and clear;
The solemn words are sounding in every listening ear;
Immortal life's in the question, and joy thro' eternity:
Then what will you do with Jesus? O, what shall the answer be?
Nathaniel Norton
N.J. Hiebert - 8613
This is the question which has come ringing down the ages to every man. Pilate felt he was helpless before the multitude if he was going to save his own reputation, for he was afraid that the Jews would bring a charge against him. "And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath He done? I have found no cause of death in Him: I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed."
Pilate went against his own conscience; he went against his own best judgment; he went against the pleadings of his wife, who sent a message to him, saying, "Have thou nothing to do with this just Man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him. Matthew 27:19). And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. "And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will."
Luke - H. A. Ironside
O, what will you do with Jesus? The call comes low and sweet;
And tenderly He bids you Your burdens lay at His feet;
O soul, so sad and weary, that sweet voice speaks to thee:
Then what will you do with Jesus? O, what shall the answer be.
O, what will you do with Jesus? The call comes low and clear;
The solemn words are sounding in every listening ear;
Immortal life's in the question, and joy thro' eternity:
Then what will you do with Jesus? O, what shall the answer be?
Nathaniel Norton
N.J. Hiebert - 8613
September 24
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
The sins and iniquities of the Christian can never be brought into judgment. Christ has already borne their judgment on the cross, and put them all away forever by the sacrifice of Himself. There will be no second judgment of the believer's sins. A full end has been made of all sins, confessed by us, and borne by Jesus.
"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
So complete--so perfect, was the work of Christ on the cross, as the substitute of His people, that not the least question as to sin was left unsettled. Every question was forever closed when He exclaimed, "It is finished." (John 19:30) On the ground of this gloriously finished work, divine love meets the chief of sinners, (1 Timothy 1:15) in all the riches of the grace of God.
And so great is this love towards the sinner, who pleads, before God, the name of Jesus, and trusts only to His precious blood, that not only are his sins and iniquities all forgiven, but they are said to be forgotten. "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17) "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
Such is the power, the potency of love, over all our sins, that they are gone from the recollection of Him Who loves, and can never come into judgment.
Song of Solomon - Andrew Miller
N.J. Hiebert - 8614
The sins and iniquities of the Christian can never be brought into judgment. Christ has already borne their judgment on the cross, and put them all away forever by the sacrifice of Himself. There will be no second judgment of the believer's sins. A full end has been made of all sins, confessed by us, and borne by Jesus.
"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
So complete--so perfect, was the work of Christ on the cross, as the substitute of His people, that not the least question as to sin was left unsettled. Every question was forever closed when He exclaimed, "It is finished." (John 19:30) On the ground of this gloriously finished work, divine love meets the chief of sinners, (1 Timothy 1:15) in all the riches of the grace of God.
And so great is this love towards the sinner, who pleads, before God, the name of Jesus, and trusts only to His precious blood, that not only are his sins and iniquities all forgiven, but they are said to be forgotten. "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17) "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
Such is the power, the potency of love, over all our sins, that they are gone from the recollection of Him Who loves, and can never come into judgment.
Song of Solomon - Andrew Miller
N.J. Hiebert - 8614
September 25
Wherefore look ye so sadly today. Geneses 40:7
If we are spending our sympathy upon ourselves, we have none to spare for others. Joseph had good reason to pity himself, to sympathize with himself, and to ask others to be sorry for him and sympathize with him. But we find nothing of that here.
I ask Thee for a thoughtful love through constant watchings wise...
And a heart at leisure from itself to soothe and sympathize.
The life of Joseph from this time on is that prayer turned into deeds.
There are two verses in the Old Testament which come to me when I think of this: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him...and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord". (Isaiah 11:2-3) "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning...mine ear to hear as the learned." (Isaiah 50:4).
Joseph did not speak smooth, false words. The ear that is wakened to hear, hears truth. The tongue can only speak what the ear heard. But it was the word of truest love, for if the baker heard it aright, it prepared him to meet God. Joseph could tell him how to do that. Perhaps we shall see that baker with Joseph one day.
But the chief thought with me is this: Joseph in prison had "a heart at leisure from itself." He could listen to the voice of God morning by morning, and, I am sure, often through the day; he could hear, and be quick of understanding in the fear of the Lord, quick to notice another's needs, strong to sustain with words, and loving enough to succour. So may it be with us. So shall we be able to lead others out of the wastelands of dullness and heaviness, and perhaps bitterness, into "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6) Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8615
If we are spending our sympathy upon ourselves, we have none to spare for others. Joseph had good reason to pity himself, to sympathize with himself, and to ask others to be sorry for him and sympathize with him. But we find nothing of that here.
I ask Thee for a thoughtful love through constant watchings wise...
And a heart at leisure from itself to soothe and sympathize.
The life of Joseph from this time on is that prayer turned into deeds.
There are two verses in the Old Testament which come to me when I think of this: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him...and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord". (Isaiah 11:2-3) "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning...mine ear to hear as the learned." (Isaiah 50:4).
Joseph did not speak smooth, false words. The ear that is wakened to hear, hears truth. The tongue can only speak what the ear heard. But it was the word of truest love, for if the baker heard it aright, it prepared him to meet God. Joseph could tell him how to do that. Perhaps we shall see that baker with Joseph one day.
But the chief thought with me is this: Joseph in prison had "a heart at leisure from itself." He could listen to the voice of God morning by morning, and, I am sure, often through the day; he could hear, and be quick of understanding in the fear of the Lord, quick to notice another's needs, strong to sustain with words, and loving enough to succour. So may it be with us. So shall we be able to lead others out of the wastelands of dullness and heaviness, and perhaps bitterness, into "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6) Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8615
September 26
He restoreth my soul. Psalm 23:3
There are three impressive things we can learn about God's grace from these few words:
1. Obtaining Salvation - At the time we were saved, we were "restored" to full favour with God and His Son. It was sin, whether many or few, that distanced us from God. But He, in His Word, has clearly offered a way back, through our trust in the complete work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For that to happen we needed to give up on the idea of earning our way back to God, which is impossible. 1 Timothy 2:3-6 "God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all."
2. Living Salvation - Once we are saved, we can all agree that the sinning doesn't completely stop. And that brings in the continuing pattern of "restoration". We learn that every one of our sins whether past, present or future, was fully paid for at the cross. That secures our position as redeemed in the eyes of God. But now we need to follow the instruction in 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This restores peaceful communion, over and over again, with our Father and His Son.
3. Sharing Salvation - Each of us can now reach out to any fellow believers who are burdened, depressed or troubled in their souls because of what they have done to re-open a gulf between them and the full enjoyment of the position and blessings we possess in Christ. Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." "Restoration" is the Lord's work. We are encouraged to play a small part in it. Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8616
There are three impressive things we can learn about God's grace from these few words:
1. Obtaining Salvation - At the time we were saved, we were "restored" to full favour with God and His Son. It was sin, whether many or few, that distanced us from God. But He, in His Word, has clearly offered a way back, through our trust in the complete work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For that to happen we needed to give up on the idea of earning our way back to God, which is impossible. 1 Timothy 2:3-6 "God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all."
2. Living Salvation - Once we are saved, we can all agree that the sinning doesn't completely stop. And that brings in the continuing pattern of "restoration". We learn that every one of our sins whether past, present or future, was fully paid for at the cross. That secures our position as redeemed in the eyes of God. But now we need to follow the instruction in 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This restores peaceful communion, over and over again, with our Father and His Son.
3. Sharing Salvation - Each of us can now reach out to any fellow believers who are burdened, depressed or troubled in their souls because of what they have done to re-open a gulf between them and the full enjoyment of the position and blessings we possess in Christ. Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." "Restoration" is the Lord's work. We are encouraged to play a small part in it. Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8616
September 27
NO CONVENIENT SEASON
Son, go work today in my vineyard. Matthew 21:28
The Lord's work is always pressing, and may never be put off. Much of it has to do with souls which may be in eternity tomorrow; and with opportunities which are gone forever if not used then and there.
There is no convenient season for it but today. Often it is not really done at all, because it is not done in the spirit of holy haste. We meet an unconverted friend again and again, and beat about the bush, and think to gain quiet influence and make way gradually, and call it judicious not to be in a hurry. The real reason is that we are wanting in holy eagerness and courage to do the Lord's true business with that soul. (1 Samuel 21:8)
In nine such cases out of ten nothing ever comes out of it; but, "As thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone."(1 Kings 20:40) Have we not found it so? Delay in the Lord's errands is next to disobedience, and generally springs out of it or issues in it. "God commanded me to make haste." (2 Chronicles 35:21) Let us see to it that we can say, "I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments." (Psalm 119:60)
Have you not a word for Jesus? Some, perchance, while you are dumb, Wait and weary for your message, hoping you will bid them come; Never telling hidden sorrows, lingering just outside the door, Longing for your hand to lead them into rest for evermore.
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 8617
Son, go work today in my vineyard. Matthew 21:28
The Lord's work is always pressing, and may never be put off. Much of it has to do with souls which may be in eternity tomorrow; and with opportunities which are gone forever if not used then and there.
There is no convenient season for it but today. Often it is not really done at all, because it is not done in the spirit of holy haste. We meet an unconverted friend again and again, and beat about the bush, and think to gain quiet influence and make way gradually, and call it judicious not to be in a hurry. The real reason is that we are wanting in holy eagerness and courage to do the Lord's true business with that soul. (1 Samuel 21:8)
In nine such cases out of ten nothing ever comes out of it; but, "As thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone."(1 Kings 20:40) Have we not found it so? Delay in the Lord's errands is next to disobedience, and generally springs out of it or issues in it. "God commanded me to make haste." (2 Chronicles 35:21) Let us see to it that we can say, "I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments." (Psalm 119:60)
Have you not a word for Jesus? Some, perchance, while you are dumb, Wait and weary for your message, hoping you will bid them come; Never telling hidden sorrows, lingering just outside the door, Longing for your hand to lead them into rest for evermore.
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 8617
September 28
Thou God seest me. Genesis 16:13
The biography of Sir Isaac Watts, the writer of many loved hymns, tells when he was still a child he was one day in the house of a very old woman who asked him to read a motto she had upon the wall. It contained the words of Hagar: "Thou God seest me."
She said to him, "when you are older, people will tell you that God is always watching to see you when you do wrong, in order to punish you. I do not want you to think of it in that way. I want you to remember all your life that God loves you so much that He cannot take His eyes off of you!" These words became for Watts the incentive for a lovely useful spiritual life.
The knowledge that God is watching us should also preserve us from unhallowed thoughts, selfish motives, and insincerity in word and action. Despondency and loneliness fade into oblivion in the light of this truth. It is "The joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). That is, His joy in us, His redeemed children! What wonderful motive for living to please Him!
Another dear Christian related the following incident from his own childhood: "As a little boy I had been invited to a vey important birthday party of a wealthy school chum. However a heavy blizzard had made our little village streets virtually impassable and I was forbidden to leave the house.
I remember angrily replying to my parents; "Other parents love their children enough to allow them to go!" There must have been some effect, for after a few moments of silence my dear father quietly said, "alright you may go."
Amazed, but overjoyed, I donned my heaviest winter coat and plunged out into the raging storm. The snow made vision virtually impossible and the snow drifts almost covered me. The high winds knocked me down repeatedly, and it seemed only by a sheer miracle I arrived at the birthday house just a couple of blocks away. As I rang the bell, I turned to look out into the storm and saw the shadow of a retreating figure. It was my father! He had followed my every step in the storm. It was then that I realized how very, very much Dad loved me!"
"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come . . . and ye shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me." John 16:32
The Christian Shepherd - January 2013
N.J. Hiebert - 8618
The biography of Sir Isaac Watts, the writer of many loved hymns, tells when he was still a child he was one day in the house of a very old woman who asked him to read a motto she had upon the wall. It contained the words of Hagar: "Thou God seest me."
She said to him, "when you are older, people will tell you that God is always watching to see you when you do wrong, in order to punish you. I do not want you to think of it in that way. I want you to remember all your life that God loves you so much that He cannot take His eyes off of you!" These words became for Watts the incentive for a lovely useful spiritual life.
The knowledge that God is watching us should also preserve us from unhallowed thoughts, selfish motives, and insincerity in word and action. Despondency and loneliness fade into oblivion in the light of this truth. It is "The joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). That is, His joy in us, His redeemed children! What wonderful motive for living to please Him!
Another dear Christian related the following incident from his own childhood: "As a little boy I had been invited to a vey important birthday party of a wealthy school chum. However a heavy blizzard had made our little village streets virtually impassable and I was forbidden to leave the house.
I remember angrily replying to my parents; "Other parents love their children enough to allow them to go!" There must have been some effect, for after a few moments of silence my dear father quietly said, "alright you may go."
Amazed, but overjoyed, I donned my heaviest winter coat and plunged out into the raging storm. The snow made vision virtually impossible and the snow drifts almost covered me. The high winds knocked me down repeatedly, and it seemed only by a sheer miracle I arrived at the birthday house just a couple of blocks away. As I rang the bell, I turned to look out into the storm and saw the shadow of a retreating figure. It was my father! He had followed my every step in the storm. It was then that I realized how very, very much Dad loved me!"
"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come . . . and ye shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me." John 16:32
The Christian Shepherd - January 2013
N.J. Hiebert - 8618
September 29
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17
Charles Finney, the famous American evangelist of the 19th century, was born and raised in a family which never attended church, never talked about God, and never prayed. It was not until the age of 28, during his legal studies, that he was led to purchase a Bible and begin studying it. He did this because the many references in his law books to the Mosaic law and Mosaic code aroused his curiosity to see just what was the source of this law that he was preparing to administer.
His exposure to the Bible heightened his natural inquisitiveness to understand its basic message, and this led him to join one of the major denominational churches of his community. However, the longer he continued there, the more he realized that what was being preached fell short of the truth he was discovering in God's Word.
On October 10, 1821, on his way to the law office, the Lord revealed to him that salvation was by grace alone and not by keeping the law. He then realized that the central message of the Bible was that salvation was only through the shed blood of Christ--the only acceptable payment for sins. As he sat in his office pondering the impact of the gospel in his life, a client arrived for an appointment.
He was startled when Finney told him, "Mr. Barney, I have a retainer from the Lord to plead His cause and I cannot plead yours." Thus began the Spirit-led career of one of America's greatest gospel preachers. At a time when the gospel was largely preached in a stiff, formal manner, his informal persuasive style reached thousands for Christ. Charles Finney, a lawyer trained to interpret the law, was now freed from it to preach the grace and truth of Christ to all who would listen.
L.J. Ondrejack
N.J. Hiebert - 8619
Charles Finney, the famous American evangelist of the 19th century, was born and raised in a family which never attended church, never talked about God, and never prayed. It was not until the age of 28, during his legal studies, that he was led to purchase a Bible and begin studying it. He did this because the many references in his law books to the Mosaic law and Mosaic code aroused his curiosity to see just what was the source of this law that he was preparing to administer.
His exposure to the Bible heightened his natural inquisitiveness to understand its basic message, and this led him to join one of the major denominational churches of his community. However, the longer he continued there, the more he realized that what was being preached fell short of the truth he was discovering in God's Word.
On October 10, 1821, on his way to the law office, the Lord revealed to him that salvation was by grace alone and not by keeping the law. He then realized that the central message of the Bible was that salvation was only through the shed blood of Christ--the only acceptable payment for sins. As he sat in his office pondering the impact of the gospel in his life, a client arrived for an appointment.
He was startled when Finney told him, "Mr. Barney, I have a retainer from the Lord to plead His cause and I cannot plead yours." Thus began the Spirit-led career of one of America's greatest gospel preachers. At a time when the gospel was largely preached in a stiff, formal manner, his informal persuasive style reached thousands for Christ. Charles Finney, a lawyer trained to interpret the law, was now freed from it to preach the grace and truth of Christ to all who would listen.
L.J. Ondrejack
N.J. Hiebert - 8619
September 30
But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
What a comfort and encouragement this verse has been to God's people through the years. And while most people think of it in connection with material things (and Paul was thinking of such in the context), the verse applies to "all your need" of every kind. We may need material supply, and "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1)
We may need comfort or encouragement, and we find Him to be "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." (2 Corinthians 1:3). We may need help to endure continuing trial or weakness, and we learn that "He giveth more grace," (James 4:6) and that "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) We may need guidance, and His promise is that "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye." (Psalm 32:8)
There are times when we need chastening, "for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." (Hebrews 12:6) Whatever the need in our lives, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches by glory in Christ Jesus," and "They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." (Psalm 34:10) The Lord is Near
Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you. C. D. Martin
N.J. Hiebert - 8620
What a comfort and encouragement this verse has been to God's people through the years. And while most people think of it in connection with material things (and Paul was thinking of such in the context), the verse applies to "all your need" of every kind. We may need material supply, and "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1)
We may need comfort or encouragement, and we find Him to be "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." (2 Corinthians 1:3). We may need help to endure continuing trial or weakness, and we learn that "He giveth more grace," (James 4:6) and that "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) We may need guidance, and His promise is that "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye." (Psalm 32:8)
There are times when we need chastening, "for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." (Hebrews 12:6) Whatever the need in our lives, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches by glory in Christ Jesus," and "They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." (Psalm 34:10) The Lord is Near
Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you. C. D. Martin
N.J. Hiebert - 8620
October 1
The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. James 5:8
It is a good thing to understand prophecy; it is better to have the intended purpose for which it was given. Today more Christians have some idea of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ than two centuries ago. But that does not mean that the hearts of Christians long for Him more than they did then.
Whenever the coming and the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ are mentioned, there is a practical importance attached to it. In John 14 it is so that the disciples' hearts may not be troubled in view of his imminent departure. In Romans 13:12 so that we may cast away the works of darkness and walk becomingly. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, so that we may be firm, immovable, and abounding always in the work of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 5:8 so as to know that the death of the believer is to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. and thus we may not sorrow as others who have no hope. In 2 Timothy 4:6-9, so that we may fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith. In Titus 2:12, so that we may live soberly, justly, and piously. In 1 John 3:2-3 we have this most precious promise that We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!--a statement that should never cease to fill our hearts with joy and lead us always to worship Him. And, He adds, every one that has this hope in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure.
Finally, Revelation 22:20, we are told this so that our hearts may respond to His saying, Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus. A. M. Behnam
We go to meet the Saviour, His glorious face to see;
What manner of behaviour doth with this hope agree?
May God's illumination guide heart and walk aright,
That so our preparation be pleasing in His sight.
P. Gerhardt
N.J. Hiebert - 8621
It is a good thing to understand prophecy; it is better to have the intended purpose for which it was given. Today more Christians have some idea of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ than two centuries ago. But that does not mean that the hearts of Christians long for Him more than they did then.
Whenever the coming and the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ are mentioned, there is a practical importance attached to it. In John 14 it is so that the disciples' hearts may not be troubled in view of his imminent departure. In Romans 13:12 so that we may cast away the works of darkness and walk becomingly. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, so that we may be firm, immovable, and abounding always in the work of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Corinthians 5:8 so as to know that the death of the believer is to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. and thus we may not sorrow as others who have no hope. In 2 Timothy 4:6-9, so that we may fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith. In Titus 2:12, so that we may live soberly, justly, and piously. In 1 John 3:2-3 we have this most precious promise that We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!--a statement that should never cease to fill our hearts with joy and lead us always to worship Him. And, He adds, every one that has this hope in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure.
Finally, Revelation 22:20, we are told this so that our hearts may respond to His saying, Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus. A. M. Behnam
We go to meet the Saviour, His glorious face to see;
What manner of behaviour doth with this hope agree?
May God's illumination guide heart and walk aright,
That so our preparation be pleasing in His sight.
P. Gerhardt
N.J. Hiebert - 8621
October 2
Jesus . . . loved them unto the end. John 13:1
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34
If our hearts are full of the love of God, the roughest knocks cannot make us unloving or unpeaceful. But how often, in a moment of impatience, we blame the rough knock! "So-and-so did this; so-and-so said that; my circumstances are difficult. I could be good somewhere else, in some other place or work."
All such excuses are folly. It is not what happens to us but what is in us that settles the matter. How often we have to go to our Saviour for cleansing and pardon, after some hard knock has caused us to "spill" something unloving which was inside us.
But have we not been comforted by the generous wealth of His pardon? Is it not just like Him to assure us again and again that nothing is changed on His side? He loves us as He did before. He wants us as He did before. His tender mercy embrace us on every side.
Such love draws us back to Calvary. As we think of our own newly discovered sin, we see Him, the sinless One, with new eyes. How did we react towards some trivial, trying touch of people or circumstances? How did He react to the torture of the hammer and the nails? Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Nothing could surprise anything unloving in Him, for there was nothing in Him but love. Is it not wonderful that such a Lord can care for such as us? Is it not a wonder of wonders that He can want our love?
Amy Carmichael - Whispers of His Love
N.J. Hiebert - 8622
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34
If our hearts are full of the love of God, the roughest knocks cannot make us unloving or unpeaceful. But how often, in a moment of impatience, we blame the rough knock! "So-and-so did this; so-and-so said that; my circumstances are difficult. I could be good somewhere else, in some other place or work."
All such excuses are folly. It is not what happens to us but what is in us that settles the matter. How often we have to go to our Saviour for cleansing and pardon, after some hard knock has caused us to "spill" something unloving which was inside us.
But have we not been comforted by the generous wealth of His pardon? Is it not just like Him to assure us again and again that nothing is changed on His side? He loves us as He did before. He wants us as He did before. His tender mercy embrace us on every side.
Such love draws us back to Calvary. As we think of our own newly discovered sin, we see Him, the sinless One, with new eyes. How did we react towards some trivial, trying touch of people or circumstances? How did He react to the torture of the hammer and the nails? Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Nothing could surprise anything unloving in Him, for there was nothing in Him but love. Is it not wonderful that such a Lord can care for such as us? Is it not a wonder of wonders that He can want our love?
Amy Carmichael - Whispers of His Love
N.J. Hiebert - 8622
posted by soundwords at
September 01, 2021
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