Gems from February 2025

February 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning  with God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.  In Him was life and the life was the light of men.  John 1:1-4

Why is the Lord designated as the Word?  Just as the spoken word reveals a man's mind and personality, so God has revealed Himself in and by a Person, who came near to man, living a perfect life before them, and above all dying a sacrificial death upon the cross in order that this revelation of God might be one of infinite grace and eternal blessing. 

In these verses we read that Jesus from all eternity was God, that He was a distinct Person in the Godhead, the eternal Word; that as distinct in the Godhead, He was eternally so; that He was the Creator of all things; that in Him was life inherently, that is to say not conferred, but that He was the eternal Source.  This life was the light of men.

Then comes the stupendous statement that  "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" (John 1:14).

There came a moment when the Son of God became flesh in Bethlehem, born of a virgin in a stable, and cradled in a manger.  He was the eternal Son of God, who became Man, who died on the cross to satisfy the claims of Divine righteousness and enable God in all His holiness justly to save guilty sinners, as we are.  Why I Believe the Bible - A, J Pollock

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February 2

They which have believed in God . . . be careful to maintain good works.  Titus 3:8  When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth that thine alms may be in secret: and  thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly."  Matthew 6:3,4 

Put a seal upon your lips and forget what you have done.  After you have been kind, after love has stolen forth into the world and done its beautiful work, go back into the shade, and say nothing about it.  Love hides even from itself.

Oberlin was travelling on one occasion from Strasbourg.  It was in winter.  The ground was deeply covered with snow and the roads were almost impassable.  He had reached the middle of his journey, and was so exhausted that he could stand up no longer.  He commended himself to God, and yielded to what he felt to be the sleep of death.

He knew not how long he slept, but suddenly became conscious of someone rousing him up.  Before him stood a wagon driver, the wagon not far away.  He gave him a little wine and food, and the spirit of life returned. He then helped him on to the wagon, and brought him to the next village.  The rescued man was profuse in his thanks, and offered money, which his benefactor refused.  "It is only a duty to help one another," said the wagoner, and it is next thing to an insult  to offer a reward for such a service". 

"Then," replied Oberlin, "at least tell me your name, that I may  have you in thankful remembrance before God". "I see," said the wagoner, "that you are a minister of the Gospel; please tell me the name of the good Samaritan". "That," said Oberlin,  "l cannot do, for it was not put on record".  "Then" replied the wagoner, "until you can tell me his name, permit me to withhold mine". Service thus rendered will bring glory to God.  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify"--not you (no true Christian should desire that)-but "your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16)  
Winsome Christianity 

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February 3

Now thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.  2 Corinthians 2:14 

The supreme witness for God in this world is the one whose life is Christlike in spirit and conduct.  Just as glass may be considered as brilliantly beautiful until we see the fascinating radiance of a diamond, so, when we behold our all-glorious Lord, we cry out with one of old: "He is altogether lovely".

The Lord Jesus ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.  "The officers took knowledge of Peter and John that they had been with Jesus," because these two men of God carried with them the fragrance of the One in Whose presence they had been dwelling.

For us today who have not access to His physical presence, the whole secret is enshrined in 2 Corinthians 3:18 "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."  

Long ago the first protestant missionary to Japan was once brought into touch with members of the royal house of that country.   During his furlough in England, he was visited in his room one day by some members of the Emperor's family who were touring Europe.  They chatted for an hour and then left.  Later in the day another group of Japanese officials called in.  "Oh!"  one of them exclaimed, "You have have been entertaining royalty here today!" "What makes you think so?" the missionary asked.  "Why, there is perfume manufactured in our country for the exclusive use of royalty.  No one else is allowed to use it, and its fragrant odour is in evidence in this apartment, so that we know you have had royal visitors today!"

Our Lord has promised not only to visit us, but also to abide with us.  Is the fragrance of His presence diffused from us day by day?  Henry Durbanville

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February 4

And the superscription of His accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Mark 15:26  For even the Son of Man came . . .and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Pilate puts upon the cross, above the head of Jesus, a title: "The King of the Jews"; but Mark has given us a superscription to place over the whole tragic scene of the crucifixion: "to give His life a ransom for many."  The former is related to the mocking inflicted upon Jesus; the later solves, at least in part, the mystery of His death.

The heartless derision is begun by the soldiers to whom Pilate has given the shameful task of executing the sentence of death.  They know that Jesus has been condemned for claiming to be a king, therefore in mock homage they clothe Him with purple, crown Him with a wreath of thorns, and salute Him as "King of the Jews".  Then they smite Him and spit upon Him and worship Him.  It is not merely the brutality of coarse natures which they reveal; it is also the bitter scorn of the Roman for the Jew, and for the Jewish hopes of a Messiah and king.  

Then, as they lead Him forth to die, they add a further insult by crucifying Him between two robbers, identifying Him with criminals and malefactors.  Then as He hangs in nameless agony, the crowds that are passing by rail on Him and bid Him to save Himself and to come down from the cross; and the chief priests and scribes "mocking Him" say, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save". What vast reaches of unconscious truth these taunts contained!  He must die that others might live. 

This, then, is the meaning of His death.  The sinless One was bearing the sins of many.  This is the death of no human prophet or martyr.  The darkened skies, the trembling earth, the shout of triumph, the lordly dismissal of His spirit, all speak of a voluntary death, all conspire to make thoughtful witnesses unite in the exclamation: "Truly this Man was the Son of God!"   Charles Erdman'

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February 5

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil; for evil-doers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall  inherit the earth.  He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  Psalm 37:1-9

In Eden, when addressing the serpent, God said: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed" (Genesis 3:15).  That is one of the profoundest sayings in the Bible.  It is a key to scripture.  All that comes after proves the virulence and the universality of the conflict between God and Satan. This was the secret of the conflict that raged around Joseph.

Do you know by sad experience what Joseph felt:  "The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him" (Genesis 49:23).  Do the archers shoot at you?  Are you lonesome and depressed, and ready to give up?  Take heart!   Christ your Lord suffered much worse treatment.

Go on doing right, in nothing terrified by your adversaries.  Be pitiful and gentle, forgiving and forbearing.  Be specially careful not to take your case into your own hands.  Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath.  Our Saviour, "left an example that ye should follow Him.  "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously."  (1 Peter 2:21-23).

And what was the result?  Joseph was carried through the hatred and opposition of his foes; and his dreams were literally fulfilled in the golden days of prosperity which came at length.

"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph . . . there is none so  wise as thou art . . . I have set thee over all the land of Egypt . . . and he made him to ride in the second chariot . . . and they cried before him, bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:39-44).     F. B. Meyer

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February 6

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. . . . Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.  Psalm 92:12-14

How meaningless this statement is by the Psalmist, (flourish like the palm tree)  unless you are acquainted with palm trees.  People who live in tropical areas are so familiar with their graceful towering beauty, they are a very common tree to them.  But few realize what meanings the characteristics of this stately tree have.  The first simile is life.  The life of the tree comes through its centre or heart. 

Just as all other trees, it draws its moisture up through its roots from the earth.  But instead of the sap going up on the outside between the bark and the wood of the tree, and so on up into the branches and twigs, as in most other trees, in the palm tree the sap goes up the very heart of the tree.  Most trees can be killed by simply severing the bark completely around the tree.  The life of the palm however, does not lie so close under the surface, and is not affected by surface injury.  It must be completely cut off to be killed.

The same applies to "Palm-tree Christians."  The Word of God states this so aptly in Romans 10:9-10, "That 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."  A "Palm-tree Christian's" everlasting life is not affected  by outward environment, but draws his life and strength through the heart.  The palm tree is perennially green.  Life flows within its being continually.    Anon

"I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."  Galatians 2:20 

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February 7

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.  Matthew 1:1  

Christ = Messiah = Anointed
"Christ" is one of the many names and titles of the Lord Jesus.  This is the Greek form, while the Hebrew version is Messiah.  In either case the significance is "the anointed one".   Anointing means identification beforehand for a specific role or office.  In the case of  the Lord, He was anointed, or singled out, by God in a past eternity, to be the Saviour offered to this world, as well as to be King of Israel.

We who are saved know Him now as Saviour and recognize Him as our Lord, the One who now rules in our lives.  But we are still waiting for the day when He will return to earth to take up His Kingdom in Israel, and ultimately embracing the entire world under His rule.

He has waited a long time between anointing and crowning; according to the Bible time-reckoning, some 8,000 plus years.  By contrast, David, mentioned in the same verse at the beginning of Matthew, waited, only 30 years after Samuel anointed him, until he was actually crowned king.

Prince Charles, as the eldest offspring of Queen Elizabeth was destined from a young age to be king. 

Time and Eternity
In the case of the Lord Jesus, time is not the issue.  "And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:6.  From God's perspective, He already sees us believers as in heaven with Christ.  That thought pays no attention to time, a concept God invented for this world; separate from eternity where there are no clocks. 

In the meantime, we live here as citizens of heaven, keeping track of the days, waiting for the Lord's call to join Him there in the Father's home.  As we measure time, believers have been waiting many years, but that amazing event has always been a bright, shining star; and so it needs to be for us. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus  Christ".  Titus 2:13.  The promise WILL be fulfilled.  Lorne Perry

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February 8

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4.
  
Guidance-- "Thy crook (Thy rod)".  Dr. Duff tells how that once, while travelling in the Himalayas, he saw a native shepherd, followed by his flock.  The man frequently looked back, and, if he noticed a sheep going too near the edge of the precipice, he would gently draw it towards the rest by applying his crook to its hind leg.  And so "He will keep the feet of His saints" (1 Samuel 2:9)  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and He delighteth in his way.  Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord up-holdeth him with His hand"  (Psalm 37:23,24).

Defence--  "Thy staff" (John 10:11-14).  Divine Companionship; Heavenly guidance; Omnipotent Defense!  We walk not in the valley, but through it; for there is a vast distinction between the two propositions. A person might wander for a very long time in a street; but it does not take him long, however, to walk through it.  Is it not even so with the trials incidental to Christian life and warfare?  

As we pass through the trial, the Word is-- When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest  through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee (Isaiah 43:2).  Should the trial continue, this is the Word: "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light?  Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God"  Isaiah 50:10).

And, finally, we should remember that the reason why we are allowed to pass through such an experience at all is that we might be led to the rich fields of light and plenty which lie beyond it.  "We went through fire and through water; but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place" (Psalm 66:12)
George Henderson - The Pearl of Psalms     

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February 9

For we walk by faith, not by sight.  2 Corinthians 5:7

Faith is taking God at His word.  Faith is not belief without evidence.  It is belief on the very best of evidence-- the Word of Him "that cannot lie."  (Titus 1:2).  Faith is so rational that it asks no other evidence than this all--sufficient evidence.  To ask other than the Word of Him Who cannot lie is not rationalism, but consummate irrationalism.   R. A. Torrey.

When we can see, it is not faith but reasoning.  Look at the faith of the master mariner!  He looses his cable, he steams away from the land.  For days, weeks, or even months, he sees neither sail nor shore; yet on he goes day and night without fear, till one morning he finds himself exactly opposite the desired haven toward which he had been steering.

How has he found his way over the trackless deep?  He has trusted in his compass, his nautical almanac, his glass, and the heavenly bodies; and obeying their guidance without sighting land, he has steered so accurately that he has not changed a point to enter port.

It is a wonderful thing--that sailing or steaming without sight.  Spiritually it is a blessed thing to leave altogether the shores of sight and feeling; to say "Good-bye " to inward feelings, cheering providences, signs, tokens, and so forth.  It is glorious to be far out on the ocean of Divine love, believing in God, and steering for heaven straight away, by the direction of the Word of God.  Charles Spurgeon

Faith is a very simple thing, tho' little understood;
It frees the soul from death's dread sting, by resting on the blood,
It looks not on the things around, nor on the things within,
It takes its flight to scenes above, beyond the sphere of sin.
It sees upon throne of God a victim that was slain;
It rests its all on His shed blood, and says, "I'm born again." 
Faith is not we feel or see, it is a simple trust
In what the God of love has said of Jesus, as "the Just."  John C. Ryle

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February 10

While He thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.   Luke 9:34 

This evening the clouds lay low on the mountains, so that some times we could hardly see them, and sometimes the stars were nearly all covered.  But always, just when it seemed as though the mountains were going to be quite lost in the mist, the higher peaks pushed out, and whereas the dimmer stars were veiled, the brighter ones shone through. 

Even supposing the clouds had wholly covered the face of the mountains, and not a star had shone through the piled-up masses, the mountains would still have stood steadfast, and the stars would not have ceased to shine.  Our feelings do not affect God's facts.  They may blow up like clouds and cover the eternal things that we do most truly believe.  We may not see the shining of the promises, but still they shine; and the strength of the hills that is His also, is not for one moment less because of our human weakness. 

How often we fear as we enter into some cloud of the unknown.  The unknown year--or perhaps only the unknown day, can make us fear.  Shall we be led through it, always caused to triumph? or shall we fail?  Or the cloud may be the sorrow which all of us know so well, the grief  (that fills the hour like a cloud) over some well-loved soul that has taken the wrong turn.  "They feared as they entered into the cloud."

But "there came a Voice out of the cloud saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him", and as we listen we hear.  To each heart comes the word it needs most at that moment, and often the first word will be, "Fear thou not", and with the words will come an assurance of His Presence, or a promise of His succour.  "And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone." (Luke 9:36)  Edges of His ways - Amy Carmichael

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February 11

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.  John 19:30

Wonderful climax of all the events of that unforgettable day!  The holy, blessed Son of God had been apprehended the night before.  All night long He had been subjected to the hateful persecution of the Jewish council.  He had stood before them with calm, quiet dignity, falsely accused and slandered, but not opening His mouth in self-defence, not making the slightest suggestion of resenting their cruel, unjust treatment.  They had sought every means of intimidating Him to draw from His lips some bitter, angry reply, but they were defeated by the dignity of His lowliness.

Early in the morning they brought Him to Pilate, the Roman governor, determined to have Him condemned.  But they had no real charge against Him that Pilate could even consider.  Yet instead of dismissing the case, Pilate joined in with their persecution, and his soldiers added their heartless mockery and cruel violence.  Jesus spoke in such calm authority that Pilate was made to feel himself the criminal before his judge.  Yet he gave in to the Jews, delivering the Lord of glory to be crucified. 

Nailed to the cross, He showed His heart's faithful, tender grace as He pled, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."  He was still in control of the whole situation.

But at noon thick darkness enveloped Him and the whole land, and for three hours He suffered under God's hand, with no eye to observe.  There He bore our sins in His  own body on the tree, and cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"  How penetrating, how awesome His cry!

Then those wonderful words, spoken with a loud voice, "It is finished" (John 19:30). The great Victor, in perfect control of all the circumstances, pronounced His work complete.  How great, how good He is!   The Lord is Near 

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February 12

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.   Isaiah 40:31

Mere natural and physical powers will not avail in the hour when one is called upon to face great mental and spiritual emergencies. 

But they who have learned to refer everything to God and to wait quietly upon Him will be given all needed strength to rise above depressing circumstances, thus enabling them to mount heaven ward as eagles facing the sun, to run their race with patience, and to walk with God with renewed confidence and courage, knowing that they are ever the objects of His love and care.

It is one thing to wait on the Lord.  It is quite another to wait for Him.  As we wait on Him we are changed into His likeness.  As we wait for Him in patience we are delivered  from worry and fretfulness, knowing that God is never late, but that in His own time He will give the help we need.

Someone has suggested that we may apply Isaiah's words, verse 31, as representing Christians or children of God in different ages.  The young believers mount up with wings of hope and expectancy as eagles flying into the height of Heaven. 

The middle-aged ones are running with patience the race set before them, while those who have reached old age have come down to a quiet walk with God as they near the portals of the eternal Home of the saints.  H. A. Ironside 

Through waves, through clouds and storms, God gently clears the way;
We wait His time; so shall the night soon end in blissful days. 
Gerhardt tr. by J. Wesley

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February 13

February 14

February 15

February 16