Gems from August 2024
THE SLACK BOW-STRING
The word used here is ek-luo,'I loose,' or,' I unloose,' as, for example,
a bow-string: letting it become slack.
When I was a boy my father took me down to a wagon shop (I suppose there are no such things now) and there he got a piece of nice,well seasoned ash; and from this he made me a beautiful bow.
The good piece of ash alone could not make the bow, there had to be a strong cord, tied from end to end of the wood, and tightened till the
wood was well bent, and the cord was taut. Then with a good
straight arrow, what a joy it was to any boy!
But suppose the cord got slack, and loose, what then? The bow is useless in spite of having such a good piece of ash to make it. One secret
of a good bow is having a good tight bow-string.
Notice that in the Gospels it is our body that faints, and in Hebrews it is our mind. Note again Galatians 6:9 quoted above. I suppose it might be
both body and mind that faint. But in all these cases we grow
slack, like the bow-string: and a slack bow-string
is no use to its master.
Hid Treasures - G. C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 9566
The mixing of good and evil is like a stream flowing with polluted water. Shall I drink of this water that may poison me? I cannot, but this stream is absorbed by the river into which it flows.
The river is a great waterway receiving water from the muddiest of streams and bearing them to the sea. So it is with the ways of God; His ways make use of the most unlikely elements to feed the vast sea of His counsels.
The sea engulfs and deposits in its depths--in other words, judges--every impure element so that nothing but pure water rises from the sea to the sky to which the sun draws it.
This is the work of the sea and the sun and not our work. God is sovereign; He alone may use evil, but I have no option but to withdraw from evil.
Meditations on 2 Samuel - Dr. H. L. Rossier
N.J. Hiebert - 9567
right to them that find knowledge.
Proverbs 8:8-9
This is faith's answer to the caviler who prates of contradictions and errors in the inspired Word of God. Modesty alone might suggest the thought that the fault might be in the reader--not in the Word.
But man's vanity and pride will not book such a conclusion.
Yet so it shall soon be proven to be; for "one jot or one tittle
(the smallest letter or vowel point) shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
(Matthew 5:18) How soon difficulties
vanish when faith is in exercise!
Seemingly insuperable objections are swept away in a moment when the light of heaven shines into the soul and on the page
of Scripture. Jesus, in resurrection, opened
both the scriptures and the understanding
of the two with whom He (Jesus)
walked to Emmaus.
It is this double enlightenment that causes difficulties to vanish
like mist before the rays of the sun.
"They are all plain to him that understandeth."
Proverbs 8:9 for "The secret of the Lord
is with them that fear Him."
Psalm 25:14.
Proverbs - H. A. Ironside
N.J. Hiebert - 9568
THE WORK OF CHRST
It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. John 19:30
"It is finished!" thus He spoke on the cross and the words assure us that all is done. The rent veil and the open tomb tell us "It is finished." But what has been accomplished in this blessed work? We cannot fully grasp it now as long as we look into a glass darkly.
When at last we are brought into His Presence, transformed into His own image, when we shall have share with Him in His glorious inheritance, when at last sin and death are no more and a new heaven and new earth are called into existence, then shall we more fully know what that work has accomplished.
All, ALL we have and are, all we shall have and shall be as His own, has its blessed source in the cross of Christ. He died for all. He gave Himself a ransom for all. He tasted death for every man. He is the propitiation for the whole world (not for the sins of the whole world, else the whole world would be saved).
It means His work is available to all sinners. Upon that fact that He died for all, the Gospel is preached to lost and guilty sinners. Christ died for the ungodly. "Whosoever will" - "Whosoever believeth," these are the precious conditions of the Gospel of Grace which sounds forth from the finished work of Christ on the cross.
And all who believe on Him and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, for them He bore their sins on the cross.
Each believing sinner can look back to the cross and can say, "He loved me, He gave Himself for me." He paid my debt. He bore my sins in His own body on the tree. He stood in my place. He was my substitute. He tasted death for me.
A. C. Gaebelein
N.J. Hiebert - 9569
Daniel. . . kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed. Daniel 6:10
You have prayed — but have you prayed again? True petition may require
repetition. Maybe you should pray again. Not that God may be persuaded, but as evidence that you are not dissuaded. God often withholds that He may become more completely the object of your trust.
Pray—pray again; though weary, faint and lone;
Prayer rises to the Father’s mighty throne.
All earthly things with earth shall fade away;
Prayer grasps eternity; Pray, always pray!
Choice Supplication
N.J.Hiebert — 9660
“By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.” (Psalm 17:4)
As the end approaches, the power of the enemy (Satan) is increasing, and he often seeks to display such by imitation. We are warned of this in 2 Timothy 3:8, where we are told of how the magicians of Egypt, under Satan’s power, withstood Moses by imitation.
“Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”
This is the character of the last days.
The Christian who would be kept in an evil day, must learn the importance of meeting all the attacks of the enemy by the written Word of God.
H. E. Hayhoe
N.J.Hiebert - 9661
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read
of all men. 2 Corinthians 3:2
The great nineteenth century evangelist, D. L. Moody used to say, "Where one man reads the Bible, a hundred read you and me."
Today fewer and fewer people spend time in serious reading of Holy Scripture but Christians are "read" every day.
Do the readers see kindness, compassion, patience and purity or something else? Do they see a reflection of the attractive character of Christ and yearn to see more?
That is the challenge for us as Christians today.
Paul Young
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wondrous compassion and purity.
By the Spirit divine may Christ from my life shine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
Tom M. Jones
N.J. Hiebert - 9662
The Test
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication. Ephesians 6:18.
During the American Revolutionary war a British soldier--a Scottish Highlander--was brought before his commanding officer who also was a Scotsman. The charge against the young soldier was that he had been communicating with the enemy. If proven guilty the sentence would be immediate execution.
Though there was no direct proof against the Highlander of subversion or contact with the enemy, British tempers were riled to a peak due to the previous capture and execution as a spy of Major Andre, a high ranking officer.
The circumstantial evidence against the young Scottish soldier was that he had been seen in the darkening twilight furtively stealing out from a thick clump of bushes and underwood that bordered the dense forest.
Though in the immediate neighbourhood of the British, the forests swarmed with the General George Washington's troops. The charges brought against the young soldier were based on the conjectures and assumptions of those who saw him.
The Highlander's defence to his commanding officer was given in few words. He claimed that having some 'off duty' time, he had quietly left his fellow soldiers to spend an hour or two in secret prayer.
The Scottish commanding officer sternly asked the young soldier; "Have you been in the habit of spending hours in secret prayer?" Receiving an affirmative reply he drew out his watch and continued; "Then never in all your life had you more need for prayer than now; Kneel down, Sir, and pray aloud that we may hear you".
Expecting instant death the young Highlander knelt down and began to earnestly pray. His prayer was obviously uttered by one used to communing with his God. His language, earnestness, reverence and calm demeanour all gave clear testimony to the reality of his Christianity and the reliability of his defence.
When he finished praying his commanding officer quietly said; "You may go, sir. You have not, I dare say, had any contact with the enemy tonight".
The Christian Shepherd - 2009
N.J. Hiebert - 9663
Do you think that God will welcome that prayer to heaven which has not your heart to bear it company? And how can your heart go with it, when you have sent it another way?
Will God hear you when you mock Him? And if this be not to mock Him, what is it? Like children that knock at a door, and then run away to their play again; thus you raise your voice to God, and then are gone in your roving thought to hold converse with the world, or worse. Is this not trifling with God?
Satan disturbs you in praying, that he may make you weary of praying. Indeed he is not likely to miss his mark, if you let these vermin go on to breed in your heart; for these will rob you of the sweetness of prayer; and when the marrow is once out, you will easily be persuaded to throw the bone away.
He is in danger to forsake his meat, who has lost his relish for it. Prayer is a tedious work for him who has no pleasure in it: and weariness in it stands next door to weariness of it.
The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall (1617-1679)
N.J. Hiebert - 9664
The world has more power over a Christian in a low state than the Word and promises of God. Satan's aim always is to rob us of those things which constitute our joy and strength; and he succeeds only too well. Let us not forget how gradual declension is.
We all belong to a period of declension. It is too late for the Church, collectively, to return; but let us, at least, individually, avoid this slippery path. Let us watch against the world, and mistrust even its fairest baits, seeking, in these closing days, to be among the faithful ones to whom the Lord can say, "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. (Revelation 3:20).
God grant that holy separation from the world, and increasing communion with the Lord, may characterize us until the close of our course.
Meditations on the Book of Judges - H. L. Rossier
N.J. Hiebert - 9665
I am in the war, and I can never get out of it, though I may get out of the evil day. What then am I to do? I am to take the whole armour of God.
And now I just ask you to inspect each part of this armour. Is there one single piece of that which is declared to be the armour of God fitted to send you out into the field of battle with flesh and blood?
Is that the way God armed Joshua and David? They were to meet flesh and blood; and they were carnal weapons which He put into their hands. Now there is not a touch of that here. There are no slings and stones and jaw-bones of donkeys; and this is declared to be the whole armour of God.
If this is not the armour I have on me, I am not fighting for Christ. Saints may take carnal weapons; but if I do--if, for instance, I go into a court of justice to assert my rights--do not let me talk of being in the light God. That is where dispensational truth is so important.
I find here that the Spirit sends me into a field of battle, and I find that my security depends on truth, righteousness, faith, peace, and the sword of the Spirit.
Ephesians - J. G. Bellett
N.J. Hiebert - 9666
We have the fullest assurance that our God can and does guide His children in all things. He can signify His mind to us as to this or that particular act or movement. If not, where are we?
How are we to get on? How are we to regulate our movements? Are we to be drifted hither and thither by the tide of circumstances? Are we left to blind chance, or to the mere impulse of our own will?
Thank God, it is not so. He can, in His own perfect way, give us the certainty of His mind in any given case; and, without that certainty, we should never move.
Our Lord Jesus Christ can intimate His mind to His servant as to where He would have him go, and what he would have him do, and no true servant will ever think of moving or acting without such intimation.
If we are not sure, let us be quiet and wait. Very often we harass and fret ourselves about movements that God would not have made us make at all.
A person once said to a friend, "I am quite at a loss to know which way to turn." "Then don't turn at all," was the friend's wise reply.
Traveling Toward Sunrise
N.J. Hiebert - 9667
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
Do we not always fail when God confers a responsibility upon us? Only grace can keep us. How thankful we can be that grace always overrules when we have spoiled everything. It gives us an "open door."
No, this is not to return to what we have ruined. Rather, grace gives us something entirely new--something better than what we previously possessed.
When Sardis did not repent, the Lord gave an open door--not a door back to the beginning of Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6), but a door to Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). The meaning of this open door is not liberty in preaching the gospel; it has nothing to do with this.
Even when it concerns the gospel an open door does not mean that we will not have any opposition. On the contrary the apostle Paul writes: "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." (1 Corinthians 16:9).
An open door means that the Lord is clearly showing us which way He wants us to go. In a world where Satan has his way there will always be tremendous opposition and problems to overcome.
The Book of Ruth - H. L. Heijkoop
N.J. Hiebert - 9668
And stayed by joy divine, as hireling fills his day,
Through scenes of strife, and desert life, I tread in peace my way.
It is a serious thing, whatever be the goodness of God, to find peace with a God of holiness. Christ has made peace; but He would have us feel what it is to have need of it, in order that we may know it.
You look to getting the victory in order to get peace; we must get peace to get the victory--peace already made by Christ's work--then you will get strength. We do not find it till we see we have none.
The gospel of peace is ours in Christ; but I must have the spirit of peace in my heart. Peace has been made for us that we may dwell in peace.
It is Christ's work which gives peace to the conscience; but it is subdued will, having none of our own, which in great and in little things makes us peaceful in heart in going through a world of . . . trial.
In all things . . . instead of disquieting ourselves . . . we ought to present our request to God with prayer, with supplication . . . so that, even while making our petition to Him, we can already give thanks, because we are sure of the answer of His grace, be it what it may. . . . It does not say, you will have what you ask; but God's peace will keep your hearts. . . . Oh, what grace! that even our anxieties are a means of our being filled with this marvellous peace.
Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest. - J.N.D,
N.J. Hiebert - 9669
VINEYARD - KEEPING
They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Song of Solomon 1:6
Busy running to and fro,
Busy toiling here and there;
Not an idle hour to show,
Not a minute left to spare.
To every call a ready ear,
For every task a hand adept;
But one thing's left undone, I fear--
"My own vineyard I have not kept."
I would not slow the busy pace,
I would not stay the helpful hands;
Nor would I, with averted face,
Pass by when need my help demands.
But teach me, Lord (for was Thou not
The busiest, yet the holiest Man?)
How first to tend my private plot,
Then haste to do what else I can.
Bells and Pomegranates - James M. S. Tait
N.J. Hiebert - 9670
“These things therefore the soldiers did.” John 19:24
They mocked Him and scourged Him. They stripped Him and spat on Him. They robed Him in purple and crowned Him with thorns. They smote Him on His thorn-crowned head, and they buffeted Him, and, without finding any fault in Him, they crucified Him. These things the soldiers did, and like a lamb led to the slaughter, the Saviour endured it all silently, and uttered not one word of complaint. Jim Flanigan
Then that closing scene of anguish; all God’s waves and billows roll
Over Him, there left to languish on the cross, to save my soul.
Matchless love! how vast, how free, Jesus gave Himself for me. J. J Hopkins
N.J.Hiebert - 9671
“He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25
It is not the measure of one’s faith but the object on which it rests that gives security. A man had to cross a certain river upon the ice. He believed it to be dangerously thin, so he crossed on hands and knees, so as to distribute the load.
As he reached the other bank, he saw a man drive a team of horses drawing a heavy load on the ice. It was strong enough to carry an army. The man’s security depended on the thickness of the ice, not on his measure of faith. So the security of the believer depends on the finished work of Christ which can never break down and not upon the measure of his own faith.
Faith is not what we see or feel;
It is a simple trust
In what the God of love has said
Of Jesus as the Just. Anon
N.J.Hiebert—9672
“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
Romans 12:15
Tears of understanding,
Poured out to hearts in care,
Are better than a thousand words,
Though spoken, oh so fair!
(E.M.)
The story is told of the much loved Queen Victoria just after the loss of her husband. She heard of a fatal accident to a workman in Windsor. With deep compassion she had her coachman drive her to a poor street of the city and stop at the door of the bereft woman.
After the royal carriage had left some of the curious neighbours asked, “What did she say?” “She just said nothing,” answered the widow. “She just sat in that chair and we wept together.”
(E. MacLelland)
N.J.Hiebert # 9673
so that they feared not.
Psalm 78:13,53
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair. 2 Corinthians 4:8
Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, "Thou passest THROUGH."
Annie Johnson Flint
N.J Hiebert - 9674
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.
Acts 13:36.
"David served his own generation by the will of God." Could you have a nobler motto than that to write on the flyleaf of your Bible? "I will serve my own generation by the will of God."
This is life at its highest and best.
"The great secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes."
Lord Beaconsfield
"Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished?
Yes; work never begun." Christina Rossetti
Mountain Trailways for Youth
N.J. Hiebert - 9675
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
In one of London's galleries there stands an unfinished piece of statuary - crude and imperfect - with barely the outline of a human form emerging.
Some one remarked, "The rough block of white marble is here to indicate the crudeness from which these perfect forms have been chiseled."
There was the touch of genius in the outline. Why could not the ideal there have been released? Upon closer observation one notices these words inscribed upon the pedestal, "The artist died at this stage of the work."
Many a youth has started out as this artist did but died to God and high ideals and went into sin with his life not finished as God had planned it should be.
To each man is given a marble to carve for the wall!
A stone that is needed to heighten the beauty of all:
And only his soul has the magic to give it grace,
And only his hands have the cunning to put it in place.
Yes, the task is given to each man, no other can do:
So the errand is waiting; it has waited ages for you,
And now you appear; the hushed ones are turning their gaze
To see what you do with your chance in the chamber of days.
Mountain Trailways for Youth
N.J. Hiebert - 9676
CORONA MEANS CROWN
The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:10-11
Corona
Corona is a short - term blip along the line of time,
Selective shut-down slows it, but can't stop it on a dime.
But spread is sped by airplane trips by thousands every day,
Best to be alerted, cautious, wash your hands, and pray.
Corona is a worldly crown, but this one spells corruption
For cases in the older group, a major life disruption.
Attacking lungs and breathing tubes to varying degrees,
Breathing may get difficult, the ventilator please.
There's a better crown for Christians, one that cannot fade away,
That is the crown of glory, that our Saviour gives one day.
When we get to heaven; he'll say as He bestows,
Well done thou faithful servant, it was earned while down below.
Forever with our Saviour is the promise in His Word,
And all diseases will have gone and justice is His sword.
We'll be among the number when He greets the Holy City,
Then all the world will bow to Him - His love and grace and pity.
But what about those future crowns, handed out on high,
We all know why we have them, because the Saviour died.
Will we get to keep them, like Olympic athletes do?
We'll cast them at His feet someday; Lord we all love you.
Lorne C. Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 9677
MARVELLOUSLY HELPED
But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Matthew 14:30
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen [helped] with a little help. Daniel 11:34
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Then shall we not "be holpen with a little help", which is too often all we really expect from our omnipotent Helper, just because we do not feel that we have "no might." (2 Chronicles 20:12).
Peter was a good swimmer (John 21:7), but he did not say, "Lord help me to swim!" He said, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30) And so the Master's help was instant and complete.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
The Lord hath done great things for thee!
All through the fleeted days
Jehovah hath dealt wondrously;
Lift up thy heart and praise!
For greater things thine eyes shall see,
Child of His loving choice!
The Lord will do great things for thee;
Fear not, be glad, rejoice!
Royal Bounty - F. R. Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 9678
All things work together for good to them that love God. Romans 8:28
Many people are wanting (lacking) power. Now how is power produced? The other day** we passed the great works where the trolley engines are supplied with electricity. We heard the hum and roar of the countless wheels, and we asked our friend, "How do they make the power?"
"Why," he said, "just by the revolution of those wheels and the friction they produce. The rubbing creates the electric current."
And so, when God wants to bring more power into your life, He brings more pressure. He is generating spiritual force by hard rubbing. Some do not like it and try to run away from the pressure, instead of getting the power and using it to rise above the painful causes.
Opposition is essential to a true equilibrium of forces. The centripetal and centrifugal forces acting in opposition to each other keep our planet in her orbit. The one propelling, and the other repelling, so act and re-act, that instead of sweeping off into space in a pathway of desolation, she pursues her even orbit around her solar centre.
So God guides our lives. It is not enough to have an impelling force--we need just as much a repelling force, and so He holds us back by the testing ordeals of life, by the pressure of temptation and trial, by the things that seem against us, but really are furthering our way and establishing our goings.
Let us thank Him for both, let us take the weights as well as the wings, and thus divinely impelled, let us press on with faith and patience in our high and heavenly calling .
A. B. Simpson (1843-1919)**
N.J. Hiebert - 9679
". . . my cup runneth over." Psalm 23:5
The cup of judgment was drained for us by our Lord (Matthew 26:42); the cup of salvation He has mixed for us out of the chalice of His supreme sufferings (Psalm 116:13); and now the cup of blessing overflows from us to others (Psalm 23:5).
This is ever the divine order: we must be vessels of mercy ere we can be channels of blessing; the "well" of living water meeting all local requirements must precede the "rivers" which are to flow out in blessing to others (compare John 4:14 and John 7:37,38).
"My cup runneth over." What does that mean? Abundance? It means more than that; it means redundance. How does a vessel overflow? Only by being under, and as long as it is kept under, a flowing fountain.
He is the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13); and if we are in touch with Him there is no limit to what He can accomplish in, and by, and with, and for, and through us. Then, indeed, shall we be like Abraham of old - blessed and made a blessing (Genesis 12:2).
The Pearl of the Psalms - George Henderson
N.J. Hiebert - 9680
Revelation 22:20
A sign on a plot of land in my home town announced the development of luxury homes, "Coming Soon!" was splashed across it.
Five years later the sign is still there. No new houses have been built. Reputedly, the builder did not have enough money to even get the project started.
Christians are assured that a future home has been prepared for them - every thing is ready and paid for and the Lord is coming soon to collect us.
There is nothing to hinder His coming. Could it be today?
Brian Powlesland
I am waiting for the coming of the Lord Who died for me;
O His words have thrilled my spirit "I will come again for thee".
S. Trevor Francis
N.J. Hiebert - 9681
"By faith Moses refused". Faith rests on promise; to faith the promise is equivalent to fulfillment; and if only we have the one, we may dare to count on the other as already ours.
It matters comparatively little that the thing promised is not given; it is sure and certain because God has pledged His word for it, and in anticipation we may enter on its enjoyment.
Had Moses simply acted on what he saw, he had never left Pharaoh's palace. But his faith told him of things hidden from his contemporaries; and these led him to act in a way which to them was perfectly incomprehensible.
One blow struck when the time is fulfilled is worth a thousand struck in premature eagerness. "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power" (Acts 1:7). Wait thou only upon God; let your expectation be from Him.
F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 9682
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. Exodus 14:3
Some times when problems come up and we see no way through, or when souls we love seem entangled, we are tempted to think of what Pharaoh will say.
There can be no entanglement, the wilderness cannot possibly shut in anyone whom God is leading Home. It has been said, "What we see as problems, God sees as solutions"; and what we have to do through the age-long minute before we see, is to wait in peace and refuse to be hustled.
"Fear ye not, stand still," and sooner or later, "see the salvation of the Lord" Exodus 14:13. There will be no entanglement.
And is it not comforting that the Lord Jesus knows beforehand what Pharaoh will say? So we need not pay the slightest attention to him, even if he does make discouraging remarks.
The last word is never with Pharaoh. "They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise" (Jeremiah 46:17). So let us trust and not be afraid.
Amy Carmichael - Thou Givest . . . They Gather
N.J. Hiebert - 9683
The only writing of our Lord was with His finger, and that in the loose sand of the ground. (John 8:6) Other men who spoke words acclaimed by their fellows wrote in books to preserve to themselves a perpetual memorial of literary glory. Not so the Son of God. When He expired, forsaken on the cross, His words only remained sown on the hearts of men. There the Holy Spirit, like the sun and the rain, made them bear fruit after His resurrection.
When the Lord Jesus died, His works were doubted; His disciples seemed hopeless, and His words appeared lost, like the seed of the harvest, in the cold ground during the frozen winter. Peter had said, "Thou hast the words of eternal life," (John 6:68) but those words were not written, and now Peter has denied Him in the presence of His enemies.
The officers testified, "Never man spake like this man." (John 7:46) but now they have seen Him answering not a word, "as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7). All His friends were disappointed, and despaired when He was crucified. Who now would care about His words? The tree is cut down; how can it now bear any fruit? No other person's words have been so cherished as the words of the Lord Jesus; no other person's words would be remembered at all, were they not written when he was living.
Imperishable words! Here then is one of the wonders of words of Christ. His words are indestructible. He said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Mathew 24:35). Millions of people lived when He lived. Countless millions had lived and died before Him. How very few of them spoke words that have survived the centuries! But of Him they said, "How knoweth this man letters, having never leaned?" (John 7:15)
Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake
N.J. Hebert - 9684
The wise man is the believer whose life is built upon the Rock, "Christ".
Looking at the trees at timberline we see a dimension to their growth not often recognized by the casual passerby.
It is the rare and elegant quality of the actual wood produced within the wind-tossed trees. Its grain is of exquisite texture interspersed with whorls and curving lines of unusual gracefulness. The stresses and strains of being tossed and twisted by the wind and sleet and deep snows of winter produce an extra flow of resins in the tree. Not only does this give the fibres a remarkable tight-grained texture but it gives off also an exquisite fragrance.
An expert violin maker, who is a master craftsman, tells me that he spends weeks each summer searching for special trees above timberline. From these he takes his choicest materials to create musical instruments of the finest quality and tone.
Wood produced in the high and tough terrain above the usual timber bears within it a rare timbre and lovely resonance not found in ordinary lumber cut at lower elevations. The fury of storms, the shortness of the growing season, the wrenching of the winds, the strain of survival in such an austere setting--all these combine to produce some of the toughest, choicest, most wondrous wood in all the world. Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller
Make us Thy mountaineers; we would not linger on the lower slope.
Fill us afresh with hope, Thou God of hope, that undefeated,
We may climb the hill, as seeing Him who is invisible. Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 9685
A preacher was walking along Madison Square, New York, where a number of street meetings can always be found in session. He came across a group of extraordinary size, to which a speaker, mounted on a box, was airing his religious views. He was shouting at the top of his voice: "There is no God!--and there never was a God!" I dare anyone here to stand up on this box and prove that there is a God!"
The speaker flung the taunt at the crowd: "God hasn't a friend among you!" A fresh young voice rang out: "YES, HE HAS!" A young lad elbowing his way through the center of the throng was welcomed by his challenger and asked to state his proofs.
The young lad, throwing back his head and straightening his shoulders, began: "This man here says that there ain't no God. He tells an untruth! I know there IS a God! He says that God hasn't a friend in this crowd. He tells an untruth! I am a friend of God! He says that no one can prove that there is a God. Again, he tells an untruth, and I can prove it. God is in here right now," he said as he put his hand on his heart; "HE LIVES! He lives in ME! I hear His voice saying to me right now, 'Don't let that man put such lies over on this crowd!' "
It was truly a dramatic scene! In one solitary moment the leadership had passed from this blatant unbeliever to the boy of faith and vision! The infidel orator was unable recapture his crowd.
Someone in the crowd started to sing the old familiar hymn "Nearer My God to Thee." The preacher said, "It swelled from lip to lip, until a mighty chorus rolled up agains the great tower, and broke in a benediction upon every heart!"
Mountain Trailways for Youth.
N.J. Hiebert - 9686
Golgotha was the place where the death penalty was usually carried out. The Romans called it Calvary-- ("The place of a skull"). Here an alleged criminal named Jesus was crucified. Who was He? He was the Creator! (Colossians 1:16), the Son of God.
At about age 30, He began His public ministry. That is when all His troubles with the Jewish religious authorities began--His teaching and His claims for Himself put Him on a collision course with them. They had Him arrested and, after a mock court, turned Him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified--they themselves did not have the authority to do this. The Roman judge found Him not guilty, but then folded under pressure and turned Him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27:20,26; Luke 23;21-25)
Who is to blame for this greatest crime ever committed? Well, the religious leaders and the people were certainly to blame; the Roman authorities and soldiers were to blame because they actually crucified Him, an innocent Man; but most of all, we are guilty! It was our sins that caused Him to be nailed to the cross-- "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18). But death and the grave could not hold Him--HE AROSE!
And, He will come back again to take all the redeemed to spend eternity with Him. God has turned the worst crime ever committed into a way of blessing for all who will come to Him! R. Salcido
My conscience felt and owned the guilt, and plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had spilt and helped to nail Him there. . . . Jesus said:
This blood is for your ransom paid, I died that you may live. John Newton
N.J. Hiebert - 9687
In the cemetery of an English town there is a tombstone which attracts the attention of many visitors. It marks the grave where the celebrated Swedish singer, Jenny Lind, known as the Swedish Nightingale, was buried, and upon the stone is the text, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Job 19:25
Jenny Lind was born 1820. When only seventeen she came from her native land, and her lovely voice took the concert-loving people by storm. Queen Victoria often was found in her audience and signally honoured "the girl with a marvellous voice,"as she was called, by throwing to her a bouquet of flowers.
Jenny Lind received honour, and gifts were showered upon her from all sides. Wealth poured in, but her success did not make her proud as is so often the case, and she humbly wrote to a friend in later years, "My unceasing prayer is that what I gave others may continue to live on through eternity and that the Giver of the gift and not the creature to whom He lent it may be acknowledged."
Nothing is more astonishing about the career of Jenny Lind than its comparative shortness. She sang in the English opera for only two years and retired in five years after her first appearance in London. To many it would seem strange circumstances which led a young girl to abandon such a promising career and retire to the quietness of an English country home.
On one occasion she sat on the seashore, reading a Bible, when one who greatly admired her beautiful voice saw her and asked, "How is it, madam, that you abandoned the stage at the very height of your success?" Jenny Lind replied: "When every day it made me think less of this"--laying her hand upon the open Bible, "what else could I do?" What a beautiful answer and how convincing! It was the knowledge of a Saviour's love which led her to abandon what the world counts of such value--riches, honour and popularity. Selected
N.J. Hiebert - 9688
"By the mercies of God." What does that mean? It is like this. One evening you are walking quietly home from your place of business. Suddenly the fire alarm rings out; your heart leaps with fear as the thought of home and loved ones flashes upon you. As you near home your worst fears are realized: your house is in flames. You rush thither and find that your wife and children have been saved, except for one little one who is still in the house. The next instance a brave fireman hurries past and dashing into the burning house, finds his way to the little one, carries her out through the flames and smoke, and puts her in your arms--safe.
Weeks go by, and then one day this same brave man comes to you and showing his hands, says, "Behold my love and mercies to you. See these burned and blistered hands; see this scarred face, and these scorched feet. I am in need. I want help. I beseech you, by my mercies to your child, that you help me." There is nothing in the world you would not give to that man.
Even so, Jesus Christ, our loving Lord, stands here tonight. He stretches forth His hands, pierced with cruel nails for you and me. He points to the wound in His side, made by the blood-thirsty spear. He shows you the scars on His forehead, made by the crown of thorns. He says, "My child, behold, My mercies to you. I saved you from the guilt of sin; I brought you from death unto life; I gave you the Spirit of God.
Some day I will glorify your body and will make you to sit down with Me on My throne. My child, by My mercies, I beseech you." You say, "Lord, what do you want from me?" He answers, "I want you for My service. I beseech you, by My mercies to you, give your life to Me."
James McConkey
N.J. Hiebert - 9689
It is always going down when we seek to leave the Lord. This was Jonah's first outward step down, but it was by no means his last. The outward step is generally preceded by an inward or spiritual step down. It is easier to go down than to go up, whether it be for body or soul. Beware dear fellow-Christian, when the path begins to go downward, when the travel is easy, and there is no hill to climb! We can be sure then that we have got on the wrong road.
Notice, too, that apparently with no difficulty or delay, he "found a ship going to Tarshish." Perhaps he thought, "this is quite providential! This is surely a sign that I am being prospered in my way." It is wonderful how easy the devil makes our downward pathway. He is always ready to provide all we need to get away from the Lord. Do not let us think for a moment that because the downward road is an easy one, therefore it must be right. The ship already "going to Tarshish" was absolutely no proof that God had "prepared " it. Quite the reverse was the truth, and we ever need to bear in mind that things made ready to our hand to help us to do our own will, are by no means prepared for us by God, but very possibly prepared for us by the devil. "So he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah."
"So he paid the fare thereof." A terribly high fare it must have been for that long journey. The Lord asks, "Who goeth a warfare at any time at his own charges" (1 Corinthians 9:7). If we are going in the service of the Lord, we may be quite sure that He will see about "the fare;" but if we are going to please ourselves, or in the service of the devil, "the fare" must be paid!
Friends, how very costly is that fare at times! There is many a man who has refused the call of God, and turned to his own way and "the fare" has been his peace of mind, the rest of heart that the Lord alone can give as we bear His yoke and perhaps the eternal loss of family, comfort and possessions. All these cannot begin to make up for the price we had to pay for "the fare". It is a costly thing to disobey God.
The devil takes but he does not give, and the only wages he pays is death. (Romans 6:23) His service is bad, his "fares" are the highest, and his wages are the worst: yet strange to say, he always has a mighty following.
Jonah - G. C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 9690
posted by soundwords at
August 01, 2024
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