Gems from May 10- 21, 2020

May 10

When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?  Psalm 8:3-4

We can look up to the heavens and see God's glory in the starry host.  We can also look around at nature - the changing seasons and see God's handiwork revealed in all its beauty and splendour.

One thing that surpasses it all is God's infinite love in sending His Son to become a man and to be our Saviour.  May our hearts be filled with Him today.
Jim Paul

There's the wonder of sunset at evening,
The wonder of sunrise I see;
But the wonder of wonders that fills my soul,
Is the wonder that God loves me.

There's the wonder of spring time and harvest,
The sky, the stars, and the sun;
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul,
Is a wonder that's just begun.
G. B. Shea

N.J. Hiebert - 8112  

May 11

"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, what will ye give me, and I will deliver Him (Jesus) unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver."  Matthew 26:14-15  

It was the utter lack of appreciation of the worth and work of the Shepherd that caused the loss to Israel of all that was lovely toward God, and of all that was so good and pleasant among His people.  (Zechariah 11:12-13)

Yes, thirty pieces of silver was the stipulated compensation for a slave (Exodus 21:32).  This was the very least value that could be set on the head of a human being. It was these thirty pieces of silver that marked Judas out as a despiser of God's Christ, and a traitor.

This act of callous blindness, putting the lowest price on the priceless love and service of the Best of heaven, was the calm and unnoticed act that blighted every beauty and every blessing of the favoured people.  It was the price of His worth in the minds of the priests as well.
Leonard Sheldrake 

A crowd of tourists contemplating a painting of Christ in Oxford College was stridently told by the guide,  "The original of this painting sold for 5000 pounds."  Without a moment's hesitation Mr. Harold St. John standing near by stepped forward and said very quietly, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I say that the true Original of this painting was sold for 30 pieces of silver?"  After a moment's silence the crowd of people passed out of the gallery without another word.

Thirty pieces of silver for the Lord of life they gave:
Thirty pieces of silver - only the price of a slave -
But it was the priestly value of the Holy One of God:
They weighed it out in the temple, the price of the Saviour's blood.     
William Blane

N.J. Hiebert  - 8113

May 12

PATIENT SUFFERING

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  (3 John 2)

Joseph, being a prosperous man (Genesis 39:2), became a witness for the Lord in the house of bondage. His testimony, too, was the testimony of his life rather than his lips.  Potiphar was impressed by what he "saw" rather than by what he heard.

"His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand,"  (Genesis 39:3).

Had Joseph been for ever complaining of his hard lot, or enlarging upon his high destiny, he would have been no witness for the Lord in the house of Potiphar.  The Egyptian cared nothing about his past, and, even if set before him, would comprehend nothing of his future, but his daily life of whole hearted attention to his duties Potiphar could see and appreciate.

Nor is it otherwise today.  For a Christian servant to be often grumbling at his lot before his unconverted master, and saying that the day is coming when he will judge the world  and even angels, would be wholly out of place. To an unconverted master it would not only be the wildest folly but also the grossest impertinence. To speak to the world of the glorious purposes of God is only "to cast pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6). 

These are things totally beyond the comprehension of the natural man.  But to see a Christian servant living a quiet, consistent, uncomplaining life, in the faithful discharge of daily duties, is indeed a true witness for the Lord, and is something that the unconverted master can appreciate.  
Joseph - Hamilton Smith 

N.J. Hiebert - 8114 

May 13

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless Thy name forever and ever.  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.  One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.  Psalm 145:1,3-4.  

It was hard to discourage Fanny Crosby.  Joy was a characteristic of her life.  When English hymn writer Frances Havergal asked someone about Crosby, she received the reply, "She is a blind lady whose heart can see splendidly in the sunshine of God's love."

Crosby herself acknowledged, "Darkness may throw a shadow over my outer vision, but there is no cloud that can keep the sunlight of hope from a trustful soul."

Probably written in 1872, this song was taken to England by Ira Sankey, who led the singing for D. L. Moody's evangelistic campaigns.
The One Year Book of Hymns

To God be the glory - great things He hath done!
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
 And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory - great things He hath done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport,  when Jesus we see.
Fanny J. Crosby  (1820 - 1915)

N.J. Hiebert - 8115  

May 14

MYSTERIOUS WAYS

So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  Isaiah 55:11

In the 1930's Stalin the Russian dictator ordered massive "purges" of segments of the Soviet population to eliminate any he viewed as a threat to his rule.  Christians and their Bibles were one of the groups specially marked for 'elimination'.  Some historians estimate that over one million Christians died in the purges.

In Stavropol, Russia, Stalin's order to eliminate all Christians and all Bibles was carried out with a vengeance.  Thousands of Bibles were confiscated while many Christians were immediately executed or sent to the 'gulags' (prisons) where most died, branded as "enemies of the state".

Years later, when Soviet persecution of Christians had greatly eased, a Christian missionary team, was allowed to visit Stavropol to make contact with any Christians living there.  They were unable, however, to get the Russian Bibles they wanted to distribute shipped from Moscow.  A local Russian who knew the history of the Stavropol purges mentioned that the warehouse where the confiscated Bibles had been stored still existed.

A member of the missionary team went to the warehouse to see if the Bibles were still there.  The warehouse officials assured him that they were indeed still stored there.  A request to remove the Bibles and distribute them to the people of Stavropol also received official approval.

The next day the missionary team returned with a truck and several Russian men who had been hired to help load the Bibles.  One of these, a young college student, was particularly hostile and arrogant, a self proclaimed agnostic, it was obvious he had just come to earn a day's wages.

While loading the Bibles one of the missionaries noticed that the young man had disappeared.  When they found him, he was huddled in the corner of the warehouse holding a Bible in his hands and weeping.  He had planned to take one of the Bibles for himself and had stolen away from the truck unnoticed so that none would know that he too wanted a Bible.

Once alone with a pile of Bibles, he had picked up a dusty, well worn copy.  Opening it his eyes rested in astonishment on the inside cover.  There the deeply shaken young man could still clearly read the faded hand written signature of its former owner, one of the Christians 'purged' by Stalin so many years before - his grandmother.
Doug Nicolet - TCS  October 2009

N.J. Hiebert - 8116 

May 15

THE LOVE THAT PERMITS SORROW.

Jesus answered . . . what I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.  John 13:7

Sin, suffering, and death were all permitted for a purpose.  They are not evils over which God has no control, and of which He can make no use.  They are not simply destroyers of happiness - they serve a purpose.  This is what we are so slow to realize.

As soon as Lazarus was sick, the sisters sent at once to the Lord tidings of the circumstance, their one thought being that his pain and their distress might be removed.  This is natural, and, from one point of view, it is legitimate.  But we need to remember that the getting rid of the supposed evil is only one aspect of the case.

Had Christ gone no further than to respond to their request how much they and we would have missed, but He takes a wider view of the matter, and He would have us do the same.

When the message reaches the Lord, His immediate reply is not, "I will come, he must be healed without delay, he must not suffer another moment" but, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."  John 11:4.  Are not these words worth pondering?  "Not unto death" - "for the glory of God" - "that the Son of God might be glorified."

If Mary and Martha had heard such words, and understood them, would they, later on, have expostulated with the Lord on His tardy arrival?  When they saw only death, Christ saw an opportunity to reveal Himself, and in so doing manifest the very glory of God, and thus achieve their highest blessing.

Does not this utterance of Christ show us the use God can make of a simple circumstance? and also show us that the more terrible the circumstance the brighter the glory with which God can invest it?

How little those bereaved sisters dreamed that a special manifestation of the glory of God would be forever connected with their family history!  And yet this could never have been had not Jesus tarried these two days.
Angels in White - Russell Elliott

N.J. Hiebert - 8117     

May 16

MESSAGES OF BLESSING

The fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.  Romans 15:29

Nothing perhaps has been a more common source of falling out by the way than the holding of favourite religious opinions, or the undue, disproportioned estimation of certain doctrines or points of truth.

If we were only happy in Him, we should work much better for Him.  It is joy in Christ that gains victory over the world.  Why are we in subjection to the world? Just because we have not found in Christ all the joy we ought to find.

He was a divine visitor to this world, a heavenly stranger among men.  He had not where to lay His head while He was visiting their necessities with all the resources of God.

This is the ideal of a saint of God - to be independent of all this world can give, while with open heart and lavish hand bestowing upon it all the benefits and blessings of God. 
Footprints for Pilgrims - J. G. Bellett  (1795)

N.J. Hiebert - 8118

May 17

LIKE A CEDAR OF LEBANON

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Psalm 92:12

The cedar boards and beams of Solomon's temple were produced from living trees that had grown in the high mountains.  So, likewise, through the growth of godly character it is intended that I should become a fit habitation for God Himself.  To be suited for this noble service, my life must possess qualities comparable to those of the cedars of Lebanon.

What are these special characteristics, and why was it imperative that cedar be used in the temple?

First of all, this timber is rich - grained, lustrous, and beautiful to behold.  Is this true of my character?  Is there a glow, an attractiveness, to my life?

Second, cedar has a delicate aroma, a delightful fragrance.  This perfume permeated the whole building.  Are those around me conscious of the fragrance of Christ in my character?

Third, the cedar is famous for its repulsion of insects of all sorts.  Moths, and beetles and termites avoid it.  Its presence has a purifying influence.  Does mine, in a sordid, corrupt world?

Fourth, the cedar of Lebanon is a very durable wood, being quite impervious to decay.  If my character is Christ like it will have this enduring quality.  It will not be weak or soft or rotten.W. Phillip Keller

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.  Albert Orsborn

N.J. Hiebert - 8119    

May 18

The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  Deuteronomy 33:27

One night during a terrific storm a man walked along the shore of the sea.  The clouds hung low overhead.  The wind howled.  Thunders roared.  Lightening flashed and the rain poured down in torrents.

The man pulled his overcoat closer around him, bent his body to the wind and hurried home.  A little bird lost in the storm sought shelter under his coat; he took it in his hand, carried it home, placed it in a warm cage.

The next morning after the storm had subsided, and the clouds had cleared away, he took the little bird to the door.  It paused on his hand; then lifting its tiny wings, it hurried back to its forest home.

Then it was that Charles Wesley caught the vision, and going back to his room he wrote the words to a song that is loved around the world today and will live on in time:

Jesus lover of my soul Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is hight:

Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, till the storm of life be past:
Safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last!

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
Streams in the desert

N.J. Hiebert - 8120    

May 19

MOVING DAY

For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.  Hebrews 4:10

You will not find peace by moving from a big house into a bigger one, by moving from town to country, by moving up the social ladder, by moving from a B.A. to a Ph. D.  Moving to the mountains in the summer or south in the winter will not do it.

It was the maid who said of her unhappy globe-trotting mistress, 'It won't do her any good, because she has to take herself along!"

But entering into God's rest by simple faith, ceasing from your own works to rest in His finished work, will do it.  Do not limit the words, "Entered Into Rest," to tomb stone epitaph.  You can enter now.
Day by Day - Vance Havner

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy freedom, gladness and light,
Jesus I come to Thee.
Out of my sickness into Thy health;
Out of my want and into Thy wealth;
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus I come to Thee.
William T. Sleeper  (1819 - 1904)

N.J. Hiebert - 8121

May 20

He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  John 3:18

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that beliveth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him.  John 3:36 

Let us look at the first verse.  Could anything be clearer?  Do you want to be certain that you have eternal life?  Then I challenge you thus:
- Do you believe on the Son of God?
- Do you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ?
- Do you rest your soul upon Him and His finished work, that work accomplished on Calvary's cross for our redemption?

Then listen to what God Himself says: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."

Now do not say, "well, but I do not feel any different."  It does not say "he that feels," but "he that believes on the Son hath everlasting life."
Gospel of John - H. A. Ironside

N.J. Hiebert -   8122

May 21

ANSWERS TO PRAYER

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them.  Psalm 145:19

He has engaged to answer the prayers of His people, and fulfil the desires of them that fear Him; but it proves a long voyage sometimes before the praying saint has the return of his adventure.

There comes often a long and sharp winter between the sowing time of prayer and the reaping.  He hears us, indeed, as soon as we pray, but we often do not hear of Him so soon.

Prayers are not long on their journey to heaven, but long coming from thence in a full answer.  Never was faithful prayer lost at sea.  No merchant trades with such certainty as the praying saint.  Some prayers, indeed, have a longer voyage than others, but then they come with the richer lading at last.

Sometimes we have speedy return of prayers - "In the day when I cried, Thou answeredst me" (Psalm 138:3).  While the church were at God's door praying for Peter's deliverance, Peter is knocking at theirs, to tell them their prayer is heard.  (Acts 12:12-17)
The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall  (1617-1679)

N.J. Hiebert - 8123

May 22