Gems from October 1- 8, 2015

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good:

For His mercy endureth forever.”

(Psalm 136:1)

The Lord is good!

The psalmist affirmed it repeatedly.

Never forget it.  Never doubt it.

Because, even if you do, He will still be good;

but you will lose the enjoyment of His goodness.

(Nuggets of Truth- J.K.)

N.J. Hiebert - 6026

October 1

“He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart . . .

All things are are naked and open before the 

eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

(Hebrews 4:12,13)

The unseen world, which to man is dark and hidden, is all open before Him.

He alone searches the hearts of men, and tries the reins.

When they refuse correction His eye is observing their perversity, 

and He will see that they are judged according to their works.

It is only the scorner who resents correction and reproof, and hence avoids the wise, 

lest his evil ways be called in question.

But One he cannot avoid.

With Him he must have to do whether he will or no.

Solemn indeed will be the accounting for opportunities refused,

instruction neglected, and grace despised.

(Selected)

N.J Hiebert - 6027

October 2

“Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof:

Thou makest it soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof.”

(Psalm 65:10)

Fruit requires showers as well as sunshine;

and the best wood for musical instruments grows 

on the wind-scoured, storm-scarred northern slopes.

(Nuggets of Truth - J.K.)

N.J. Hiebert - 6028

October 3

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;

and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

(Romans 5:12)

Sin was in the world dominating man from Adam’s fall even before the law was given by Moses;

but sin did not as yet have the distinct character of transgression till a 

legal code was given to man which he consciously violated.

Therefore apart from law, sin was not imputed.

Nevertheless that it was there and to be reckoned with, is manifest, for “by sin came death” 

and death reigned as a despotic monarch over all men from Adam to Moses, 

save as God interfered in the case of Enoch, who was translated that he should not see death.

Even where there was no wilful sin, as in the case of infants and irresponsible persons, death reigned,

thus proving that they were part of a fallen race federally involved in Adam’s sin

and actually possessing Adam’s fallen nature.

He who was originally created in the image and likeness of 

God defaced that image by sin and lost the divine likeness, and we read that 

“Adam begat a son in his own likeness after his image” (Genesis 5:3).

This is characteristic of all the race of which he is the head.

“In Adam all die.”

But - 

"Be of good cheer."

“For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”(Luke 19:10)

(Adapted)

N.J. Hiebert - 6029

October 4

“What think ye of Christ?”

(Matthew 22:42)

What is opposed to the teaching of the unerring word of the Lord is directly from Satan.

To dabble with it is to expose yourself to its powerful influence.

Therefore refuse to hear it.

One simple question is all that needs to be propounded to any one taking 

the place of an instructor in divine things, in order 

to detect the bias of his doctrine.

It is this: “What think ye of Christ?”

He who is unsound here is wrong throughout.

If the true deity, or divinity, of the Lord Jesus be denied;

 if the atoning efficacy of His blood be explained away;

if the sinlessness of His spotless humanity be in any way clouded,

the system is wrong at the foundation, and it will prove to be unsound in all else.

(Adapted)

“ 'What think ye of Christ?’ is the test

To try both your state and your scheme.

You cannot be right in the rest,

Unless you think rightly of Him.”

(John Newton)

N.J. Hiebert - 6030

October 5

“They shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”

(Isaiah 49:23)

"They shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.”

Such is the veritable record of the living God—

a record made good in the experience of all those who have been enabled, 

through grace, to exercise a living faith. 

We must remember how much is involved in these three words—“wait for me.”

The waiting must be a real thing.

It will not do to say we are waiting on God, when in reality, 

our eye is askance upon some human prop.

We must absolutely be “shut up” to God.

We must be brought to the end of self and to the bottom of circumstance, 

in order fully to prove what God’s resources are.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God.”

(Things New and Old)

When you feel at the end of your tether, remember God is at the other end!

N.J. Hiebert - 6031

October 6

"He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, 
and say unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that we perish?"

(Mark 4:38)

If men failed to recognize their Creator when He condescended to tabernacle here in flesh, creation acknowledged His presence and power.

Tired from His labour, the Savior slept, a touching proof of the reality of the humanity which He had assumed. 

Presently one of Gennesaret’s sudden storms burst upon the little boat to the dismay of the disciples, 

who but feebly realized Who it was that was voyaging with them. 

Had they considered that He was the Creator of the universe?

Mark, with his customary observance of details, tells us the disciples roughly awoke their Lord, crying,

 “Master, carest Thou not that we perish?” It is painful to transcribe these words. 

How cruelly they must have wounded the tender heart of the Savior! 

Carest Thou not? 

Had He not cared for the children of men, He would have remained in the glory, 

and the Bethlehem manger, the Galilean boat, 

and the cross of Calvary would never have been His lot.

His voice sufficed for the stilling of the storm. “Peace, be still.” Long before, the psalmist wrote of Him, “Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them” (Psalm 89:9).

Not a single attribute of Deity did He lay aside on becoming Man. 

Omnipotence and omniscience shone forth in Him whenever occasion called for their display. 

This miracle brought the disciples to His feet in wonder. 

“What manner of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” 

The answer is simple and plain.

He was God manifested in flesh, on His way to death for the eternal blessing of all who believe. 

He has power to dispel every danger that can befall His people. 

Storms of various kinds may burst upon us during our passage through this world, 

but our part is to confide in Him.

(W. W. Fereday - D.H.)

N.J. Hiebert - 6032

October 7

 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us 

a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!” 

(2 Corinthians 4:17) 

The purest gold is that which has been longest in the refiner's furnace. 

The brightest diamond is often that which has required the most grinding and polishing. 

The last night of weeping will soon be spent,

The last wave of trouble will have rolled over us, and 

Then we shall have a peace that passes all understanding!

We shall be at home forever with the Lord!

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words!" (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

(Daily Devotions - J.C. Ryle -1860-1907 — B.L.)

N.J. Hiebert - 6033

October 8

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, 

and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that 

are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable 

life in all godliness and honesty.”

(1 Timothy 2:1-2)

We are to pray;“for kings, and for all that are in authority.”  When we come together in a public service we 

usually pray for those who are in authority; but are we as much concerned about remembering them 

before God when we kneel alone in His presence?  

If we prayed more for those at the head of the country and in other positions of responsibility we would 

feel less ready to criticize them; we would be more disposed to recognize the heavy burdens 

resting upon them, and to understand how easy it is to make mistakes in times of crises.

Our rulers need divine wisdom that they might govern well in subjection to Him who is earth’s rightful King.

As we pray earnestly for them we are furthering our own best interests, 

because as the affairs of nations are ordered according to the will of 

God His people find living conditions more comfortable and more enjoyable.  So we are told to pray 

“For all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

Christians are to be examples to others of subjection to the Government.

When difficulties arise and differences come up that divide people and set one group agains another,

we should be characterized by quiet, restful confidence in God as we refer these things to Him in prayer.

God told Israel, when they were scattered among the nations of the earth, 

to pray for the peace of the different lands in which they dwelt.

This is a responsibility that rests upon us as believers today. 

(H.A. Ironside)

N.J. Hiebert - 6034

October 9