Gems from November 2025

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 - 10113

November 1

ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED

"He hath made us accepted in the Beloved".   Ephesians 1:6 

Years ago I was preaching in the small town of Roosevelt, Washington, on the north bank of the Columbia River.  I was the guest of friends who were sheep-raisers.  It was lambing time and every morning we went out to see the lambs--hundreds of them--playing about on the green. 

One morning I was startled to see an old ewe go loping across the road, followed by the strangest looking lamb I had ever seen.  It apparently had six legs, and the last two were hanging helplessly as though paralyzed, and the skin seemed to be partially torn from its body in a way that  made me feel the poor little creature must be suffering terribly.  But when one of the herders caught the lamb and brought it over to me, the mystery was explained.

That lamb did not really belong originally to that ewe.  She had a lamb which was bitten by a rattlesnake and died.  This lamb that I saw was an orphan and needed a mother's care.  But at first the bereft ewe refused to have anything to do with it.  She sniffed at it when it was brought to her, then pushed it away, saying as plainly as a sheep could say it, "That is not our family odour!"  So the herders skinned the lamb that had died and very carefully drew the fleece over the living lamb.  This left the hind-leg coverings dragging loose.  Thus covered, the lamb was brought again to the ewe.  She smelled it once more and this time seemed thoroughly satisfied  and adopted it as her own. 

It seemed to me to be a beautiful picture of the grace of God to sinners.  We are all outcasts and have no claim upon His love.  But God's own Son, the "Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the World,"  has died for us and now we who believe are dressed up in the fleece of the Lamb who died.   Thus, God has accepted us in Him, and "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."  We are as dear to the heart of the Father as His own holy, spotless Son.  H. A. Ironside

So nigh, so very nigh to God, I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son, I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God, more dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith He loves the Son, such is His love to me.   C. Paget

N.J. Hiebert - 10114

November 2

". . . whither the head looked they followed"  

Ezekiel 10:11 

     This simple phrase gives us a principle that should be our guide as believers in the Lord Jesus, our Head.  Our natural tendency is to follow our own reasoning power, which we know from experience often gets us into trouble. 
     Ezekiel at the time was describing what He saw in a vision from God.  In this case the followers were cherubim (powerful angelic beings), but the principle needs to be our pattern too.  The wisdom, strength and courage to do so will be readily provided by God, to the extent we are willing to take advantage of it. 
     In Psalm 23:2, we are given the promise that the Shepherd "leadeth me beside the still waters."  Why would the sheep ever want anything else?  We understand that sheep will only lap from calm water, such as a pond or quiet stream.  Sheep are usually not smart enough to find still water in a dry country, and nor are we.
     We certainly know how spiritually dry the world around us has become, and need to quietly and submissively follow the Leader, who always knows what we need (not necessarily all we want!).  The disciples learned that lesson when they were instructed by the Lord: "there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in" (Luke 22:10). It was very unusual for a man to be fetching water, so he stood out from all the people passing in the busy street.  The man is a picture of the Holy Spirit who will always lead us to Jesus.   
     ". . .they turned not as they went" (Ezekiel 10:11)  This important phrase makes a point about the straightforward, unswerving submission to the Lord's leadership.  We don't need to search very far to understand what Satan sets before us in order to turn us to the right hand or the left.  He is always opposed to the Lord Jesus and wants to spoil or diminish our enjoyment of all we possess in Christ.  If there is going to be personal communion with others of "like precious faith", it must be on the basis of our own intimate relationship with our Lord and Saviour.  "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together." (Psalm 34:3)   Lorne Perry  

N.J. Hiebert - 10115

November 3

WHAT IS IN THINE HAND?

And the Lord said unto him, what is that in thine hand?  Exodus 4:2 

What hast thou in thy hand woman? "One handful" more;
Go feed the prophet, and 'twill last till famine days are o'er. 1 Kings 17:12

What hast thou in thy hand, Widow? "A pot of oil"; 
Go pour it out and find a store of rich and priceless spoil. 2 Kings 4:2

What hast thou in thy hand, Mary? Some "perfume rare";
Pour it upon His head; 'twill flow in fragrance every where. Matthew 26:7

And Rahab, what hast thou? "a cord of scarlet hue";  
Hang it in faith, gather your kin--God's blessings rest on you. Joshua 2:21

And, Dorcas, what hast thou? "a needle and some thread"; Acts 9:36-42
Give them to God, they'll bless the poor, and bring thee from the dead. 

What hast thou in thy hand, Widow? "Two mites"--no more;
Give them to God, and they shall grow to be a mighty store. Luke 21:1-4

What hast thou in thy hand, Mother "a baby's hand;"
Train it for Him, so shall thy life bear fruit in every land. Exodus 2:9

N.J. Hiebert - 10116

November 4

Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say?  Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.  Father, glorify Thy name.   John 12: 27-28 

Soon after speaking this way, the Lord Jesus told His disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1).  Why should He say His own soul was troubled and urge His disciples not to let their hearts be troubled?  The answer is simply that they had no right reason for being troubled, but He had reason such as no one else could ever have for being troubled to the depths of His soul.

The hour to which all history had looked forward was about to come, and the Son of God knew it well.  He was destined to bear unparalleled suffering and anguish on Calvary's cross.  It would mean the unutterable agony of being forsaken by God and made a curse on account of our sins. 

No suffering in all history could compare with that which He must endure in  being made an offering for sin.  The very prospect troubled His soul and caused Him to question:  Should He pray to the Father to save Him from that hour?  

However, in calm dignity of purpose the Lord adds, "But for this cause came I unto this hour." He will not turn to one side or the other but go forward  to meet that ordeal of excruciating anguish, taking the load of our sins upon Himself, and fully atoning for sins that were not His own.  Therefore, because of His being troubled, not only in anticipating the cross, but more greatly still in bearing it, He can well tell us not to be troubled.  He had borne the trouble for us.

More than this: He says, "Father, glorify Thy name."  Through that wonderful sacrifice, the Father's name has been glorified for eternity.  The Lord is Near

N.J. Hiebert - 10117

November 5

David went on going and growing, and the Lord . . . was with him.
2 Samuel 5:10 (Margin). 

When a believer stops going he ceases growing also.  There  must be obedience to the truth of God, a "going" on in the ways that be in Christ, as they are learned from His Word. 

No shirking of the cross that obedience often brings with it, but steady "going and  growing" steadily and constantly.  They are the happy saints who thus go on growing, and they are fruitful ones too.

They are not toppled over with every wind, for they grow like the cedar in Lebanon, striking down their roots deeper every year, and flourish like the palm tree, evergreen, amid burning deserts.    (Choice Gleaning Calendar - J.Ritchie)

The cedar boughs once touched the grass; but every year they grew 
A little farther from the ground and nearer to the blue. 
So live that you may each year be, while time glides swiftly by,
A little farther from the the earth, and nearer to the sky.

N.J. Hiebert - 10118

November 6

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November 8

November 9