JEWELS, GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES
And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My Jewels. Malachi 3:17
These three terms refer to rare and costly stones, which when cut and faceted, are very beautiful. One of them was chosen as the title of this series; reflecting the "mining" and meditating upon God's Word.
This applied to Israel, but we can extend it to include every true believer today. Every miner of precious stones needs to be trained and equipped for the work. So each of us must accept the Lord Jesus as Saviour, before we can "mine" the Word and be led by His Spirit to rightly interpret what we read.
Precious stones, when dug out of the rock, are unattractive except to the discerning eye of the skilled miner. So Isaiah 53 says of the Lord Jesus that "there is no beauty that we should desire Him". We must first get to know Him and value His complete work of salvation.
It is the skillful cutting, faceting and polishing that makes attractive jewels. This reminds us of what the Lord went through (rejection, false charges, suffering and death) to bring us redemption by His shed blood.
A final thought; in the pitch dark, any valuable jewel is simply a pebble. It takes light to impart it's sparkle. We too can shine as jewels, recognizing it is only the light of God reflected in us that gives testimony to the great salvation that has been granted to us. Lorne Perry
When He cometh, when He cometh, to make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own.
Like the stars of the morning, His bright crown adorning,
They shall shine in His beauty, bright Gems for His crown. William Cushing, 1856
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August 11
WHEN WORDS FAIL
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8
Sometimes we cannot find words. We are not always meant to find them. I have been greatly comforted in the word that says we are not heard for our much speaking. We are not pledged to pour out words for half an hour. Words fail us at times.
When Peter said, "Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles," he seems to have spoken in sort of hurry of spirit, "for he wist not what to say." And the answer to that rush of words was, "This is My beloved Son: hear Him." Mark 9:5-7
So do not be afraid of silence in your prayer time. It may be that you are meant to listen, not to speak. So wait before the Lord. Wait in stillness. Wait as David waited when he "sat before the Lord." (2 Samuel 7:18) And in that stillness, assurance will come to you.
You will know that you are heard; you will know that your Lord ponders the voice of your humble desires; (Psalm 86:6); you will hear quiet words spoken to you yourself, perhaps to your grateful surprise and refreshment. And you will know that the power of your Lord will be great, "According as Thou hast spoken." Numbers 14:17
Amy Carmichael
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August 12
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3)
God . . . made the world and all things therein. (Acts 17:24)
In spite of all the ruin and pollution that sin has brought into the world, it retains the magnificent marks of its Creator. Forests, majestic mountains, and crashing waves are just a few of the earth's glories that we as Christians can and should enjoy. They declare the glory of our God and show His handiwork. They "even reveal His eternal power and Godhead". (Romans 1:20)
Imagine going through life without considering the lilies of the field, the clumsy freedom of a seagull or the beauty of falling snow! Those Christians who take time to enjoy creation will be rewarded with godly pleasure and recreation. More important, they will gain an increased appreciation of their Father as the God of creation.
However, the physical world does not belong to people (Christian or otherwise) in any absolute sense. We must not squander its resources in a selfish and irresponsible way.
Recognizing that the present order of things is temporary, we will want to concentrate most of our time and effort on laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. "We brought nothing into the world and it is certain we can carry nothing out." (1 Timothy 6:7) As those who trust in the living God who has given us richly all things to enjoy, we need not trust in uncertain riches.
We can thankfully receive material things as from the Lord, hold them as His stewards, and count them as transient. We will find eternal gain and present fulfillment in using what we possess of the world for the good of others and the furtherance of God's kingdom. Grant W. Steidl
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August 13
As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come. 1 Corinthians 11:26
When we partake of the Lord's supper, as every true believer in Christ is privileged to do, it presents to us a backward look at "The Lord's death" and a forward look for His appearing, for we "eat this bread, and drink this cup till He come." It also gives us an inward look, for "let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup " 1 Corinthians 11:26-28.
There is nothing either miraculous or mysterious about the Lord's supper. It "shows," that is, by it we "declare," we "preach" we "speak of" His "death till He come." It is a simple continuation of what our Lord did on the night before the cross, when He "took bread, and blessed it, and break it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body."
And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:26-28
We take the Lord's supper, not because it has merit, but because we love Him who said, "This do in remembrance of Me." Luke 22:19.
We look back and remember that "the Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me," Galatians 2:20 we look ahead to the time when "we shall see Him as He is," 1 John 3:2 and we look into our hearts and pray, "Examine me, O Lord . . . try my reins and my heart." Psalm 26:2
We gather around His table to remember His work for us;
We look forward to His coming, And back to His work on the cross.
Comfort of Scriptures - B.T.P
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August 14
PLOD ON!
Have not I sent thee? Judges 6:14
God loves to use people the world might overlook. William Carey was raised in a tiny village in the 1700s and had little formal education. He had limited success in his chosen trade and lived in poverty. But God gave Him a passion for sharing the good news and called him to be a missionary. Carey learned Greek, Hebrew, and Latin and eventually translated the first New Testament into the Bengali language. Today he is regarded as a "father of modern missions," but in a letter to his nephew he offered this humble assessment of his abilities: "I can plod. I can persevere."
When God calls us to a task, He also gives us strength to accomplish it regardless of our limitations. In Judges 6:12 the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour."
The angel then told him to rescue Israel from the Midianites who were raiding their towns and crops. But Gideon, who hadn't earned the title of "mighty man of valour," humbly responded, "O my Lord wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." (v.15). Still, God used Gideon to set His people free.
The key to Gideon's success was in the words, "The Lord is with thee" (v. 12). As we humbly walk with our Saviour and rely on His strength, He will empower us to accomplish what's only possible through Him.
James Banks
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Our Daily Bread RBC Ministries, Copyright (2020), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.
August 15
Then the same day at even . . . came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. John 20:19-20
When Jesus came forth from the tomb the print of the nails was there. When John saw Him many years after in vision up there in glory, he saw a Lamb as it had been slain. (Revelation 5:6), and when we get home to heaven we will never make any mistake in identifying Him. We will have only eyes for the Lamb upon whose body will be for all eternity the marks that tell of our redemption.
The Lamb in the very glory of God will have through all eternity the marks of death upon His glorified body! What a sight that will be for God's beloved people - when we look upon His face, feel His gentle touch, behold the print of the nails in His hands and feet, and see the mark left by the Roman
spear in His side!
"I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
As redeemed by His side I shall stand;
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand."
Do you know this blessed Lamb of God? Are you acquainted with Him? Is He your own Saviour? Have you cast yourself on His mercies? H. A, Ironside
The coming of the Lord draweth night. James 4:8
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
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August 16
GOD'S LOVE MOST REALIZED IN TRIAL
As it is written, for Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Romans 8:36-37
Love does not spare us even the very worst - for the greatest ills that can come are enumerated in Romans 8. Yet not any of them singly, nor all of them together, can separate us from the love of Christ, nor from the love of God, in Him. On the contrary, it is when we are undergoing these trials love is at its best - nearest and sweetest.
Those three Hebrew youths in Babylon (Daniel 3) were not spared the furnace, but Christ was nearer to them in that welter of fire than ever before. Could they have had His company amidst luxury and ease as they had it amid scorching heat? Not only was there the miracle of deliverance, but theirs was the blessedness of companionship and communion. The furnace with Him was to be preferred to the highest station without Him.
We can imagine what ineffable calm would steal into the soul of Daniel when confronting the lions, and what a sense of the Divine presence he would have as he realized the restraining power that was upon them. That den of lions must have been to him a wonderful experience, having God's presence with him. (Daniel 6).
Could he have had one experience without the other? Both Daniel and his companions were "more than conquerors" through Him that loved them. To have been spared the suffering would have been to lose the blessing and the triumph.
Angels in White - Russell Elliott.
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August 17
ALONE, YET NOT ALONE
Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. John 16:32
Blessed paradox of the Saviour and the Saint! Our Lord was a solitary soul, yet not alone. And the Christian who presses into the deeper things of God will often be lonely but never alone. Paul was lonely in the Roman prison: "All men forsook me." But he was not alone: "The Lord stood with me."
"He that sent me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone." Jacob may fancy himself alone in a strange land, with a stone for a pillow, but he will make a discovery: "Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not."
Live as though He were with you, for He is. You have His word for it and you can be confidant of His promise, though you may not be conscious of His presence.
Even through the Valley of Death's Shadow, "I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Alone yet not alone!
Day By Day with Vance Havner
How many times discouraged we sink beside the way;
About us all is darkness, we hardly e'en can pray;
Then from the mists and shadows, the sweetest voice e'er known,
Says, "Child, am I not with thee, never to leave thee alone?"
Take courage, wayworn pilgrim though mists and shadows hide
The face of Him thou lovest, He's ever at thy side;
Reach out thy hand and trust Him, and lo, the clouds have flown;
He smiles on thee who promised never to leave thee alone. Eben E. Rexford
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August 18
ASSURANCE
"[Jesus said] My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one" (John 10:27-30).
In the state of Michigan there is an airport terminal named "Tri-City Airport". The airline terminal location is placed between three cities that are situated in close proximity to each other - Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland.
A recent daily commuter flight from Detroit to Tri-City Airport carried a flight attendant who was obviously quite unfamiliar with airports in Michigan. No doubt the passengers on this regular flight from Detroit to Tri-City Airport must also have found themselves more than confused after the flight attendant began her standard greeting.
In a very friendly voice she welcomed everyone warmly, stating that the destination of 'this flight will be Midland'. This concerned a few regular passengers enough to alert her of her mistake. The attendant quickly corrected herself, saying their flight destination was Tri-City and Bay City. Chuckles rippled along the aisle, but the plucky flight attendant was not ready to give up. Bravely, she tried one more time. Apologizing for her further mistake, she confidently informed her passengers that their destination was Saginaw.
Amidst the laughter that broke out an authoritative voice came over the intercom both assuring the passengers and rescuing the flight attendant from further embarrassment. It made a simple announcement: "I'm your pilot, folks. Don't worry -- I know where we're going."
I am the LORD thy God . . . which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go" (Isaiah 48:17). The Christian Shepherd - July 2010
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August 19
A Model Prayer
"Declare unto us this parable!" Matthew 15:15
This petition falls from Peter's lips, as he hears the Lord discourse in this chapter on that which surpassed his comprehension. It is truly a model prayer, the style of which we might all well imitate.
Montgomery has well said: "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered, or unexpressed."
Peter sincerely desired to understand the parable, and in the simplest language sought it. For brevity and directness this prayer, for such it is, cannot be surpassed, though it reminds one us of the prophet's prayer, "Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see" 2 Kings 6:17.
Both Elisha and Peter remember to Whom they are speaking, and waste no words. They know exactly what thy want, and they each say just that to the Lord, and stop. This is real prayer. Any more would be mere verbiage.
In the closet, where no eye sees, and no ear hears but God's, there would appear to be no restriction in Scripture. There is a remarkable word from the pen of Solomon which bears on this subject, "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. . . . be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2).
Peter was heading this counsel as he simply says to the Lord, "Declare unto us this parable." How refreshing is brevity and directness of his prayer. Observe, too, that he gets his request straightway.
Simon Peter - W. T. P Wolston
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August 20
My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Mark 14:34.
When He, their Lord, was praying more earnestly in Gethsemane because of the coming cross with all its terror, He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch." If ever He desired the sympathy of loving human hearts, it was then. "His sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground." But when He came from prayer, the three favoured disciples were asleep.
"What, could ye not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation," He warned them. He went away and prayed again. When He returned to them, they were asleep again. Then He said, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
At Calvary, when our Lord suffered the repeated abuse and mortification of the shame men heaped on Him, He said, "Father, forgive then; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). He was suffering the cruel, heartless infliction of crucifixion; yet He could remember their ignorance and plead it to His Father for their forgiveness. How wonderful that His spirit never soured. The fountain of His heart's love could not be stopped.
A Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake
How wondrous the glories that meet in Jesus, and from His face shine,
His love is eternal and sweet, 'Tis human, 'tis also divine!
His glory - not only God's Son - in manhood He had His full part -
And the union of both joined in one form the fountain of love in His heart.
The merits and worth of His blood have freed us from hell and from fear,
That we, as the blest son's of God, may make His good pleasure our care.
N.J. Hiebert - 8214
August 21
LOVE WEEPING
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother. Genesis 42:21
The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Romans 2:4
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
But all this awakening of conscience, while so far good, is only among themselves. It must all come out before Joseph if they are ever to be happy in the presence of Joseph. Hence Joseph will keep his hand upon them.
Simeon is bound before their eyes, but it is love that binds the cords round Simeon, for even as he does so he turns aside to weep. The cords that bound him were cords of love.
Moreover, he commanded that their sacks be filled with corn. He is not unmindful of their needs and thus grants a measure of relief; nonetheless Simeon is held in bondage. And in the way Joseph meets their needs he is still leading his brethren a further stage in their restoration, for while supplying them with corn he returns every man his money. Had they eyes to see they would learn in this that Joseph was a giver. But in their condition gifts bestowed only aroused deeper fear. Their hearts failed them at the discovery of their money.
"What is this that God hath done unto us?" (v.28). They had recalled their sin, now they see that God is dealing with them. The fear of God is arising in their souls. Not indeed that holy fear that marked Joseph. They feared because they were offenders; he feared lest he should offend, So again when they returned to Jacob, and each finds his money in his sack, "they were afraid." (v.35) The goodness of Joseph should have gladdened their hearts, but they are miserable and afraid in the presence of a goodness that their guilty consciences tell them that they do not deserve. Joseph - Hamilton Smith
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