“The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the
Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”
(Ruth 2:12)
"He that planteth and He that watereth are one:
and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”
(1 Corinthians 3:8)
To Him our weakness clings
Through tribulation sore,
And seeks the covert of His wings
Till all be o’er;
And when we’ve run the race
And fought the faithful fight,
We then shall see Him face to face,
With saints in light.
(Mary Bowley)
N.J. Hiebert - 7470
June 2
“Take root downward, and bear fruit upward.”
(Isaiah 37:31)
Why is it that the mountain hemlocks can attain such stateliness in spite of fierce winter gales and crushing snows? If you look at one of them closely you will see that it has foliage almost as delicate as a fir, its dark needles being as dainty as fairy feathers. Yet if you try to break a twig or a bough you will learn that therein lies the strength and the tenacious power of the hemlock.
It will bend and yield but it will not break. Winds may whip and toss it this way and that, but they cannot break it—nor can elements, however fierce, pull its roots out of the ground.
For months it may have its graceful form held down by a mighty weight of snow, but when the warm breath of summer winds and the melting influence of summer’s sun relieve it of its burden it straightens up as proud and as noble as it was before.
Beautiful, wonderful hemlock of the mountains—what a lesson you bring to us! Though we may be
storm-tossed and bent by the winds of sorrow, we need not be crushed and broken
if our souls are anchored to the Rock of Ages.
(Dorothy Clark Wilson)
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June 3
HEAVEN
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away. . . .
Behold I make all things new.”
(Revelation 21:4-5)
’Tis not the golden streets,
'Tis not the pearly gates,
’Tis not the perfect rest
For weary heart that waits,
’Tis not that we shall find
The joy earth has not given,
For which our souls have longed,
That makes it Heaven.
But ’tis because we know
our Saviour King is there
With all our loved and lost
In that blest land and fair;
That when to each of us
A place prepared is given,
His face and theirs we’ll see,
That makes it Heaven.
(Annie Johnson Flint)
N.J. Hiebert - 7472
June 4
“. . . His going forth is prepared as the morning . . .”
(His coming is certain as the dawn - Arabic)
(Hosea 6:3)
I remember well when God was pleased to open my heart to this great truth that the Lord Jesus is coming again,
and that He may come at any time! What was the effect?
I had not a great many books, but it sent me to see if I could give a good account of all I had, and also of the
contents of my wardrobe. The result was that some of the books disappeared before long,
and some of the clothing, too. It was an immense spiritual blessing to me.
When I come home from China and can make time to go through the house from attic to basement with
my dear wife, to review our things in the light of His speedy return, we always find it a helpful
spiritual exercise to see what we can do without.
It is profitable to remember that we are stewards who have to give account of everything
that we retain, and unless we can give a good reason for the retention,
shall we not be ashamed when the Master comes?
Since He may come any day, is it not well to be ready every day?
I do not know any thought that has been made a greater blessing to me through life than this.
(Hudson Taylor [1832-1905] - Founder of the China Inland Mission )
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June 5
FOR ME
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity us all.”
(Isaiah 53:6)
When all, like sheep, had gone astray,
And sinned against the light of day,
That Justice might with Love agree,
The Friend of Sinners died for me.
Rejected, scourged, and spit upon,
Betrayed, forsaken, left alone
Accursed of God upon the Tree
The Man of Sorrows died for me.
Nor can the robes of glory hide
The wounds in hands and feet and side.
The scars are there that all may see
The Lord of Glory died for me.
If, ere my day of conflict close,
I must combat the last of foes,
Triumphant still my soul shall be,
The Prince of Life has died for me.
(Bells and Pomegranates - James M. S. Tait)
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June 6
“And I brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him.”
(Matthew 17:16)
The Lord’s disciples had experienced a public failure in their inability to heal a demon possessed child. Afterwards they asked the Lord “Why could we not cast him out?” (v.19).
The Lord explained that it was because of their unbelief and that with faith, great things can happen.
He went on to say “Howbeit, this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting” (v.21).
We may have known failure in our service and our confidence may have been undermined.
Restoration and renewal come when unbelief is set aside and faith rekindled.
It is also critical to recognize the importance of prayer
in our service for God.
(W. H. Burnett)
Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing I pray.
(H. G. Smyth)
N.J. Hiebert - 7475
June 7
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Who does not know that our most sorrowful days have been among our best? When the face is wreathed in smiles and we trip lightly over meadows bespangled with spring flowers, the heart is often running to waste.
The soul which is always blithe and happy misses the deepest life. It has its reward, and
it is satisfied to its measure, though that measure is a very scanty one. But the heart is dwarfed;
and the nature, which is capable of the highest heights, the deepest depths, is undeveloped; and
life presently burns down to its socket without having known the resonance of the deepest chords of joy.
“Blessed are they that mourn.” Stars shine brightest in the long dark night of winter.
The gentian plants show their fairest bloom amid almost inaccessible heights of snow and ice.
God’s promises seem to wait for the pressure of pain to trample out their richest juice as in a wine-press. Only those who have sorrowed know how tender is the “Man of Sorrows”.
(Selected)
N.J. Hiebert - 7476
June 8
“Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry,
and He shall say, Here I am . . .”
(Isaiah 58:9)
The summer of 1853 was unusually hot and dry, so that the pastures were scorched, and there seemed likely to be a total failure of the crops. Under these circumstances, the congregation gathered one Lord’s day, as usual, when, though the sky was clear, the burden of Finney’s prayer was for rain.
In his prayer he deepened the cry of distress which went up from every heart by mentioning in detail the prolonged drought, in about these words:
“We do not presume, O Lord, to dictate to Thee what is best for us; yet Thou dost invite us to come to Thee as children to an earthly father, and tell Thee all our wants. We want rain. Our pastures are dry. The earth is gaping open for rain. The cows are wandering about and lowing in search of water. Even the squirrels in the woods are suffering from thirst. Unless Thou givest us rain, our cattle will die and our harvests will come to naught.
O Lord, send us rain, and send it now! Although, to us, there is no sign of it,
it is an easy thing for Thee to do. Send it now, Lord, for Christ’s sake. Amen."
He took a text and began to preach; but in a few moments he had to stop for the noise of the rattle and roar of the storm. He paused, and said, ‘We would better stop and thank God for the rain.’ “
(Excerpt from the Life of Finney)
“Commit thy lot unto the Eternal, place in Him thy confidence and He will act.”
(Unknown)
Nothing with God can be accidental.”
(H. L. Longfellow)
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June 9
“O love the Lord, all ye His saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and
plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and He
shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”
(Psalm 31:23-24)
Each of us was created for the purpose of enjoying the fellowship of Almighty God.
Our souls were made for eternity, not for this brief earthly pilgrimage alone. The
Christian life should be lived each day as thought we were already enjoying the blessings of heaven.
We deprive ourselves of one of life’s greatest treasurers when we lose this perspective and become
bogged down with the trivialities of earthly living. An intimate fellowship with our Lord
should produce at least three basic differences in our living:
- More Humility-a greater realization of our finiteness and the need for dependence upon God.
- More happiness-a realization that this life has purpose and dignity as we represent God, as well as
a promised eternity in heaven with our Lord.
- More holiness-a greater desire to be a worthy representative for God and to live a life of absolute purity.
The author, Jane C. Bonar was the wife of Dr. Horatius Bonar, generally regarded as the greatest of
evangelical Scottish preachers and hymn writers. Jane, too, was a very gifted writer and Christian
leader. For more than forty years the Bonars shared life’s sorrows and joys together, in a rich
ministry for God. These devotional thoughts are still the sentiments
of every spiritually mature follower of Christ.
Fade, fade, each earthly joy - Jesus is mine; break ev’ry tender tie - Jesus is mine.
Dark is the wilderness, earth has no resting place; Jesus alone can bless - Jesus is mine.
Tempt not my soul away - Jesus is mine; here would I ever stay - Jesus is mine.
Perishing things of clay, born but for one brief day, pass from my heart away - Jesus is mine.
Farewell, ye dreams of night - Jesus is mine; lost in this dawning bright - Jesus is mine.
All that my soul has tried left but a dismal void; Jesus has satisfied - Jesus is mine.
Farewell, mortality - Jesus is mine; welcome, eternity - Jesus is mine. Welcome, O loved and blest,
welcome, sweet scenes of rest; welcome, my Saviour’s breast - Jesus is mine.
N.J. Hiebert - 7478
June 10
“A faithful man shall abound with blessings.”
(Proverbs 28:20)
The Blessings That Remain
There are loved ones who are missing from the fireside and the feast;
There are faces that have vanished, there are voices that have ceased;
But we know they passed forever from our mortal grief and pain,
And we thank Thee, O our Father, for the blessings that remain.
Thanksgiving, oh, thanksgiving that their love once blessed us here,
That so long they walked beside us sharing ever smile and tear;
For the joy the past has brought us but can never take away,
For the sweet and gracious memories growing dearer every day,
For the faith that keeps us patient looking at the things unseen,
Knowing Spring shall follow Winter and the earth again be green,
For the hope of that glad meeting far from mortal grief and pain—
We thank Thee, O our Father—for the blessings that remain.
For the love that still is left us, for the friends who hold us dear,
For the lives that yet may need us for their guidance and their cheer,
For the work that waits our doing, for the help we can bestow,
For the care that watches o'er us whereso’er our steps may go,
For the simple joys of living, for the sunshine and the breeze,
For the beauty of the flowers and the laden orchard trees,
For the night and for the starlight, for the rainbow and the rain—
Thanksgiving, O our Father, for the blessings that remain.
(Annie Johnson Flint)
N.J. Hiebert - 7479
June 11
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