July 21
Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 25:8
This is a remarkable statement; twice repeated for confirmation. It is sometimes translated "Death has lost the battle" but I like the King James Version, quoted at the top. "Lost the battle" looks back, which is perfectly valid, but the concept of "victory" looks ahead to the results.
When we think just how powerful a force death is, it is amazing to think of it being "swallowed up" by anything. Death is the portal or gateway to what comes after natural life (whether eternal life or eternal death). No one but our Lord Jesus Christ has ever come back to tell us about that process, but it is because of His death and resurrection power, that the force of death can be declared broken.
Hebrews 2:4 says this: "That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil".
The victory of the Lord's resurrection opens up such marvellous truths as the promise to believers of life forever in company with the Lord, and, while we wait, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Who also unlocks the mystery of the scriptures for us. Lorne Perry
Death and judgment are behind us,
Grace and glory are before;
All the billows rolled o'er Jesus,
There they spent their utmost power.
by Mrs. J. A. Trench
N.J. Hiebert - 8549
This is a remarkable statement; twice repeated for confirmation. It is sometimes translated "Death has lost the battle" but I like the King James Version, quoted at the top. "Lost the battle" looks back, which is perfectly valid, but the concept of "victory" looks ahead to the results.
When we think just how powerful a force death is, it is amazing to think of it being "swallowed up" by anything. Death is the portal or gateway to what comes after natural life (whether eternal life or eternal death). No one but our Lord Jesus Christ has ever come back to tell us about that process, but it is because of His death and resurrection power, that the force of death can be declared broken.
Hebrews 2:4 says this: "That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil".
The victory of the Lord's resurrection opens up such marvellous truths as the promise to believers of life forever in company with the Lord, and, while we wait, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Who also unlocks the mystery of the scriptures for us. Lorne Perry
Death and judgment are behind us,
Grace and glory are before;
All the billows rolled o'er Jesus,
There they spent their utmost power.
by Mrs. J. A. Trench
N.J. Hiebert - 8549
July 22
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. Matthew 27:45
At the sixth hour--that is, twelve o'clock, noon--darkness, like a pall, falls over the whole land. What is it? What is this strange eclipse at noon day? Is it God in judgment coming forth to execute vengeance on men--on sinners for their treatment of this Holy One, His beloved Son? Is God about to pour forth His judgment on their guilty heads? Well might they think so. No doubt they did. Well might they believe it was just retribution coming for their murder of Him:
- whom even the dying thief could say, "This man hath done nothing amiss;"
- whom Pilate declared to be a "just person," in whom he could find no fault;
- who even their own guilty consciences must have known was unworthy to die.
But was it God's judgment on a guilty world? No! It was something greater far, deeper far. It was not God dealing with sinful man, but God dealing with His own Son, God dealing with Christ, because of man's sin, that He had taken upon Him. In that terrible hour, when darkness veiled the land, God hid His face from Him.
And those three hours of darkness, those three hours of total eclipse between God and the One on the cross, rolled on, and then at the ninth hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, comes that great, that terrible cry from Him, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He forsook Jesus in that hour, that He might never forsake you and me. There was darkness for Him that there might be only light for us. He bore the judgment that we might go free. Once more, He cries with a loud voice, "It is finished," and gives up His spirit. "No man taketh it from Me, I lay it down of Myself." God is able now to come out in grace to man, in spite of His guilt, because of what Christ has done. The Call of the Bride - W. T. P. Wolston
N.J. Hiebert - 8550
At the sixth hour--that is, twelve o'clock, noon--darkness, like a pall, falls over the whole land. What is it? What is this strange eclipse at noon day? Is it God in judgment coming forth to execute vengeance on men--on sinners for their treatment of this Holy One, His beloved Son? Is God about to pour forth His judgment on their guilty heads? Well might they think so. No doubt they did. Well might they believe it was just retribution coming for their murder of Him:
- whom even the dying thief could say, "This man hath done nothing amiss;"
- whom Pilate declared to be a "just person," in whom he could find no fault;
- who even their own guilty consciences must have known was unworthy to die.
But was it God's judgment on a guilty world? No! It was something greater far, deeper far. It was not God dealing with sinful man, but God dealing with His own Son, God dealing with Christ, because of man's sin, that He had taken upon Him. In that terrible hour, when darkness veiled the land, God hid His face from Him.
And those three hours of darkness, those three hours of total eclipse between God and the One on the cross, rolled on, and then at the ninth hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, comes that great, that terrible cry from Him, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He forsook Jesus in that hour, that He might never forsake you and me. There was darkness for Him that there might be only light for us. He bore the judgment that we might go free. Once more, He cries with a loud voice, "It is finished," and gives up His spirit. "No man taketh it from Me, I lay it down of Myself." God is able now to come out in grace to man, in spite of His guilt, because of what Christ has done. The Call of the Bride - W. T. P. Wolston
N.J. Hiebert - 8550
July 23
Commit thy way unto the Lord; Trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5
That three-part recipe begins with a definite act of commitment. Then the step of faith is followed by the walk of faith, ". . . Trust also in Him. . ." and it ends with victory, ". . . He shall bring it to pass."
We are so often creatures and victims of circumstance. Ask someone, "how do you feel?" and you may get the answer, "I'm doing the best I can UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES." Our Lord said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation (pressure)" and when has there been so much pressure as now! "but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Our Lord lived and died under the darkest of circumstances. He was under the constant pressure of the powers of darkness. The world, the flesh, and the devil were set against Him and they finally nailed Him to a cross. But He overcame the whole combination and lives for evermore!
The Christian does not have any business living UNDER the circumstances. He can live ABOVE them. He is MORE than conqueror. He does not merely triumph, He transcends. Nor must he fight his way THROUGH circumstances. No amount of flexing our muscles and gritting our teeth and furiously battling the fog will do it. We mount up with wings as eagles above the tempest instead of exhausting ourselves wrestling with it.
You can go crazy considering the circumstances. Plenty of people have. You can live a life of fear, worry, defeat UNDER the circumstances. You can exhaust yourself trying to battle THROUGH the circumstances. Jesus came to defeat the devil, the world, and death. He lives in every Christian's heart and we have victory because He is the Victor. The Holy Spirit came to make all this real and operative and we have built-in power that no circumstances can defeat. Though I Walk Through the Valley - Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 8551
That three-part recipe begins with a definite act of commitment. Then the step of faith is followed by the walk of faith, ". . . Trust also in Him. . ." and it ends with victory, ". . . He shall bring it to pass."
We are so often creatures and victims of circumstance. Ask someone, "how do you feel?" and you may get the answer, "I'm doing the best I can UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES." Our Lord said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation (pressure)" and when has there been so much pressure as now! "but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Our Lord lived and died under the darkest of circumstances. He was under the constant pressure of the powers of darkness. The world, the flesh, and the devil were set against Him and they finally nailed Him to a cross. But He overcame the whole combination and lives for evermore!
The Christian does not have any business living UNDER the circumstances. He can live ABOVE them. He is MORE than conqueror. He does not merely triumph, He transcends. Nor must he fight his way THROUGH circumstances. No amount of flexing our muscles and gritting our teeth and furiously battling the fog will do it. We mount up with wings as eagles above the tempest instead of exhausting ourselves wrestling with it.
You can go crazy considering the circumstances. Plenty of people have. You can live a life of fear, worry, defeat UNDER the circumstances. You can exhaust yourself trying to battle THROUGH the circumstances. Jesus came to defeat the devil, the world, and death. He lives in every Christian's heart and we have victory because He is the Victor. The Holy Spirit came to make all this real and operative and we have built-in power that no circumstances can defeat. Though I Walk Through the Valley - Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 8551
July 24
And, they stript Joseph out of his coat...and they took him, and cast him into a pit...and they sat down to eat bread. Genesis 37:23-25.
Having cast Joseph into the pit, his brethren "sat down to eat bread." Nor was it otherwise at the cross. The presence of Joseph only serves to reveal the evil of His brethren, just as the cross becomes the occasion to expose the depth of corruption in the heart of man.
The leaders of Israel yield up the true Passover Lamb to death, and calmly sit down to eat the passover feast--an evil and adulterous generation, like the adulterous woman of Proverbs, of whom it is written "She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness." Proverbs 30:20.
The company of merchant men on their way to Egypt at once suggest to Judah the opportunity of making profit out of their brother. Why not sell Joseph and make a little money? If they are not going to gratify their hatred by killing Joseph, why not gratify their covetousness by selling Joseph? Hence they gave their brother to the Gentiles, and gave themselves up to money making.
And what Judah did a thousand years before Christ came, His descendants have done for over two thousand years since His rejection. At the cross the Jews abandoned their Messiah and ever since they have abandoned themselves to the worship of riches.
"Profit" is the word that governed the actions of Joseph's brethren. Judah asked the question for the covetous heart--not "is it right?" or "is it wrong?" but "what profit is it?" (Genesis 37:26) And profit has governed the policy throughout the long centuries since that sad day when their Messiah was sold for thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 27:9). Joseph - Hamilton Smith
If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour, would my gain be worth the toil and strife?
Are all earthly treasures worth comparing with the gift of God, eternal life?
N.J. Hiebert - 8552
Having cast Joseph into the pit, his brethren "sat down to eat bread." Nor was it otherwise at the cross. The presence of Joseph only serves to reveal the evil of His brethren, just as the cross becomes the occasion to expose the depth of corruption in the heart of man.
The leaders of Israel yield up the true Passover Lamb to death, and calmly sit down to eat the passover feast--an evil and adulterous generation, like the adulterous woman of Proverbs, of whom it is written "She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness." Proverbs 30:20.
The company of merchant men on their way to Egypt at once suggest to Judah the opportunity of making profit out of their brother. Why not sell Joseph and make a little money? If they are not going to gratify their hatred by killing Joseph, why not gratify their covetousness by selling Joseph? Hence they gave their brother to the Gentiles, and gave themselves up to money making.
And what Judah did a thousand years before Christ came, His descendants have done for over two thousand years since His rejection. At the cross the Jews abandoned their Messiah and ever since they have abandoned themselves to the worship of riches.
"Profit" is the word that governed the actions of Joseph's brethren. Judah asked the question for the covetous heart--not "is it right?" or "is it wrong?" but "what profit is it?" (Genesis 37:26) And profit has governed the policy throughout the long centuries since that sad day when their Messiah was sold for thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 27:9). Joseph - Hamilton Smith
If I gained the world, but lost the Saviour, would my gain be worth the toil and strife?
Are all earthly treasures worth comparing with the gift of God, eternal life?
N.J. Hiebert - 8552
July 25
BUDGETING OUR TIME
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12
This does not mean that we should count our days because we do not know how many we have. But time is priceless and when it is running out we must be all the more careful how we spend what is left.
We should budget our time and put it to good use for one day we must report on how we spent it.
The Psalmist is asking God for instruction on how to use the time He has entrusted to us. This does not mean that we must live in nervous tension keeping books on every minute. God is not a tyrant or a taskmaster. He is the Father of all who believe.
To study, work, and play as His children, we must give proper place to each and buy up all life's opportunities, "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16 All The Days - Vance Havner.
Work, for the night is coming, work thro' the morning hours;
Work, while the dew is sparkling, work 'mid springing flowers;
Work, when the day grows brighter, work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming, when man's work is done.
Work, for the night is coming, work thro' the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labour, rest comes sure and soon.
Give ev'ry flying minute something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming, when man works no more.
A. L. Walker
N.J. Hiebert - 8553
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12
This does not mean that we should count our days because we do not know how many we have. But time is priceless and when it is running out we must be all the more careful how we spend what is left.
We should budget our time and put it to good use for one day we must report on how we spent it.
The Psalmist is asking God for instruction on how to use the time He has entrusted to us. This does not mean that we must live in nervous tension keeping books on every minute. God is not a tyrant or a taskmaster. He is the Father of all who believe.
To study, work, and play as His children, we must give proper place to each and buy up all life's opportunities, "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16 All The Days - Vance Havner.
Work, for the night is coming, work thro' the morning hours;
Work, while the dew is sparkling, work 'mid springing flowers;
Work, when the day grows brighter, work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming, when man's work is done.
Work, for the night is coming, work thro' the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labour, rest comes sure and soon.
Give ev'ry flying minute something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming, when man works no more.
A. L. Walker
N.J. Hiebert - 8553
July 26
But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Luke 24:21
I have always felt so sorry that in that walk to Emmaus the disciples had not said to Jesus, "We still trust"; instead of "We trusted." That is so sad--something that is all over.
If they had only said, "Everything is against our hope; it looks as if our trust was vain, but we do not give up; we believe we shall see Him again." But no, they walked by His side declaring their lost faith, and He had to say to them "O fools, and slow of heart to believe!" (Luke 24:25).
Are we not in the same danger of having these words said to us? We can afford to lose anything and everything if we do not lose our faith in the God of truth and love.
Let us never put our faith, as these disciples did, in a past tense--"We trusted." But let us ever say, "I am trusting."
The soft sweet summer was warm and glowing,
Bright were the blossoms on every bough:
I trusted Him when the roses were blooming;
I trust Him now. . . .
Small were my faith should it weakly falter
Now that the roses have ceased to blow;
Frail were the trust that now should alter,
Doubting His love when storm clouds grow.
Streams in the Desert
N.J. Hiebert - 8554
I have always felt so sorry that in that walk to Emmaus the disciples had not said to Jesus, "We still trust"; instead of "We trusted." That is so sad--something that is all over.
If they had only said, "Everything is against our hope; it looks as if our trust was vain, but we do not give up; we believe we shall see Him again." But no, they walked by His side declaring their lost faith, and He had to say to them "O fools, and slow of heart to believe!" (Luke 24:25).
Are we not in the same danger of having these words said to us? We can afford to lose anything and everything if we do not lose our faith in the God of truth and love.
Let us never put our faith, as these disciples did, in a past tense--"We trusted." But let us ever say, "I am trusting."
The soft sweet summer was warm and glowing,
Bright were the blossoms on every bough:
I trusted Him when the roses were blooming;
I trust Him now. . . .
Small were my faith should it weakly falter
Now that the roses have ceased to blow;
Frail were the trust that now should alter,
Doubting His love when storm clouds grow.
Streams in the Desert
N.J. Hiebert - 8554
July 27
Thou exceedest the fame that I heard. 2 Chronicles 9:6
- Thou! Lord Jesus! for whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee (Psalm 73:25).
- Thou! Who hast loved me and washed me from my sins in Thine own blood.
- Thou! Who hast given Thyself for me (Revelation 1:5.)
- Thou! Who hast redeemed me, called me, drawn me, waited for me.
- Thou! Who hast given me Thy Holy Spirit to testify of Thee.
- Thou! Whose life is mine, and with Whom my life is entwined, so that nothing shall separate or untwine it (Romans 8:35).
- Thou exceedest the fame that I heard! Yet I heard a great fame of Thee (1Kings 10:7). They told me Thou wert gracious. They told me as much as they could put into words. And they said, "Come and see." (John 1:46). I tried to come, but I could not see. My eyes were holden, though
- Thou wast "not far." (Acts 17:27). Then I heard what
- Thou wast to others, and I knew that
- Thou wast the same Lord. But now I believe, not because of their saying, for I have heard Thee myself, and know that
- Thou art indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world--my Saviour (John 4:42).
- Thee,"Whom I shall see for myself," (Job 19:27). I now know for myself; "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
I did not understand how there could be satisfaction here and now. It seemed necessarily future, in the very nature of things. It seemed, in spite of Thy promises, that the soul could never be filled with anything but in heaven.
But Thou fillest, Thou satisfieth it (Psalm 107:9).
Royal Bounty - Frances Ridley Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 8555
- Thou! Lord Jesus! for whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee (Psalm 73:25).
- Thou! Who hast loved me and washed me from my sins in Thine own blood.
- Thou! Who hast given Thyself for me (Revelation 1:5.)
- Thou! Who hast redeemed me, called me, drawn me, waited for me.
- Thou! Who hast given me Thy Holy Spirit to testify of Thee.
- Thou! Whose life is mine, and with Whom my life is entwined, so that nothing shall separate or untwine it (Romans 8:35).
- Thou exceedest the fame that I heard! Yet I heard a great fame of Thee (1Kings 10:7). They told me Thou wert gracious. They told me as much as they could put into words. And they said, "Come and see." (John 1:46). I tried to come, but I could not see. My eyes were holden, though
- Thou wast "not far." (Acts 17:27). Then I heard what
- Thou wast to others, and I knew that
- Thou wast the same Lord. But now I believe, not because of their saying, for I have heard Thee myself, and know that
- Thou art indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world--my Saviour (John 4:42).
- Thee,"Whom I shall see for myself," (Job 19:27). I now know for myself; "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
I did not understand how there could be satisfaction here and now. It seemed necessarily future, in the very nature of things. It seemed, in spite of Thy promises, that the soul could never be filled with anything but in heaven.
But Thou fillest, Thou satisfieth it (Psalm 107:9).
Royal Bounty - Frances Ridley Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 8555
July 28
My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:3
Our first pursuits in the morning generally indicate where our hearts are. The children of Israel had to gather their daily food before sunrise, or they would be too late. (Exodus 16:21).
And if the believer can rise from his bed and go about the business of this life before he has looked up to the Lord, and turned to the Scriptures which testify of Him for renewal of the inward man, it is more than probable that his heart has gotten away from God.
Nothing can possibly make up for a lack of food, for "Christ is all" (Colossians 3:11). Be assured, Christian reader, it is not the discovery of beautiful things in Scripture, the solving of intricate questions; but it is Christ, of Whom the Word testifies, Who is the food of our souls--having personally to do with Christ Himself, Who is crowned with glory and honour, and soon coming to receive us unto Himself.
Oh, the untold blessedness of looking up to our Lord Jesus Christ on the Father's throne, Who is "Head over all things to the church which is His body," (Ephesians 1:22) and finding joy, sustainment, and comfort in the contemplation of the infinite perfectness of His Person, work, excellencies, offices, fulness and glory, as revealed in Holy Scripture! Then our earnest cry will surely be:
"Oh fix our earnest gaze so wholly, Lord on Thee;
That with Thy beauty occupied, we elsewhere none may see!"
The Remembrancer (Volume 18)
N.J. HIebert - 8556
Our first pursuits in the morning generally indicate where our hearts are. The children of Israel had to gather their daily food before sunrise, or they would be too late. (Exodus 16:21).
And if the believer can rise from his bed and go about the business of this life before he has looked up to the Lord, and turned to the Scriptures which testify of Him for renewal of the inward man, it is more than probable that his heart has gotten away from God.
Nothing can possibly make up for a lack of food, for "Christ is all" (Colossians 3:11). Be assured, Christian reader, it is not the discovery of beautiful things in Scripture, the solving of intricate questions; but it is Christ, of Whom the Word testifies, Who is the food of our souls--having personally to do with Christ Himself, Who is crowned with glory and honour, and soon coming to receive us unto Himself.
Oh, the untold blessedness of looking up to our Lord Jesus Christ on the Father's throne, Who is "Head over all things to the church which is His body," (Ephesians 1:22) and finding joy, sustainment, and comfort in the contemplation of the infinite perfectness of His Person, work, excellencies, offices, fulness and glory, as revealed in Holy Scripture! Then our earnest cry will surely be:
"Oh fix our earnest gaze so wholly, Lord on Thee;
That with Thy beauty occupied, we elsewhere none may see!"
The Remembrancer (Volume 18)
N.J. HIebert - 8556
July 29
There hath not failed one word of all His good promise. 1 Kings 8:56
I have found that in times of disappointment of any kind, there is great help in these words. There is the fact. Feelings may say what they will, they cannot touch the eternal fact.
One of His good promises is, "Whatsoever is right I will give you." (Matthew 20:4). "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11), so that the thing that is not given could not have been good for us. He knows what is good.
It is just here that faith is tested, sometimes very sharply, and we begin perhaps to distress ourselves over the condition attached to the promise. Is it because of something in me that this good thing--as I believe it to be--is not given? "God, Who searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).
God alone knows our need of the cleansing Blood for motive in prayer, but if by His enabling we will to desire His will, then we may leave all torturing thoughts and rest our hearts on Him. "No good thing will He withhold. . . (Psalm 84:11) There hath not failed--nor ever can fail--one word of all His good promise. (1 Kings 8:56) Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8557
I have found that in times of disappointment of any kind, there is great help in these words. There is the fact. Feelings may say what they will, they cannot touch the eternal fact.
One of His good promises is, "Whatsoever is right I will give you." (Matthew 20:4). "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11), so that the thing that is not given could not have been good for us. He knows what is good.
It is just here that faith is tested, sometimes very sharply, and we begin perhaps to distress ourselves over the condition attached to the promise. Is it because of something in me that this good thing--as I believe it to be--is not given? "God, Who searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).
God alone knows our need of the cleansing Blood for motive in prayer, but if by His enabling we will to desire His will, then we may leave all torturing thoughts and rest our hearts on Him. "No good thing will He withhold. . . (Psalm 84:11) There hath not failed--nor ever can fail--one word of all His good promise. (1 Kings 8:56) Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8557
July 30
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. Lamentation 3:24,25.
"Therefore have I hope." An exalted strain of joyous confidence is sustained. In place of complaining that his woes were greater than he had deserved, Jeremiah justifies God, and gratefully acknowledges that justice has been tempered with grace.
"It is of the Lord's mercies," He owns, "that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22:23). How precious the faith that, at such a time, could so speak! And what tried saint can truthfully say otherwise?
No self-judged believer ever yet failed to own that he was far from receiving the full reward of his deeds. Rather, it seems as though God's grace leads Him to overlook even serious failure, and to correct but in part. "His compassions fail not."
The rod is never directed by a cold, indifferent heart. He feels as no other can for the people of His choice, the children He loves. Every morning witnesses fresh evidences of His loving-kindness. Lamentations of Jeremiah - H. A. Ironside
N.J. Hiebert - 8558
"Therefore have I hope." An exalted strain of joyous confidence is sustained. In place of complaining that his woes were greater than he had deserved, Jeremiah justifies God, and gratefully acknowledges that justice has been tempered with grace.
"It is of the Lord's mercies," He owns, "that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22:23). How precious the faith that, at such a time, could so speak! And what tried saint can truthfully say otherwise?
No self-judged believer ever yet failed to own that he was far from receiving the full reward of his deeds. Rather, it seems as though God's grace leads Him to overlook even serious failure, and to correct but in part. "His compassions fail not."
The rod is never directed by a cold, indifferent heart. He feels as no other can for the people of His choice, the children He loves. Every morning witnesses fresh evidences of His loving-kindness. Lamentations of Jeremiah - H. A. Ironside
N.J. Hiebert - 8558
July 31
THE DAY OF CHRIST
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Philippians 2:16
Ye also are our's (our boast) in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:14
And what is this "Day" of which the Apostle so often speaks? This "Day of our Lord Jesus Christ"? We speak of "Caesars day" or, "Napoleon's day"; and we all understand by this that it means the day when Caesar or Napoleon held sway, and exercised his will.
So is it now: it is "man's day," (1 Corinthians 4:3) when man is permitted to act according to his own will. But the time is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will have His day: when He will come again and take all His own to be with Himself forever.1 Thessalonians 4.
This is the beginning of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ: but it will include the Judgment Seat of Christ. I think this is the time that the Apostle refers to in Philippians 2. When He sees His beloved brethren from Philippi receive their reward for their faithful walk down here, it will be a boast to Paul, that not in vain he ran, and not in vain he toiled.
And, beloved fellow labourer, you and I have that same bright hope: nor do I mean by that word "fellow labourer" (1 Corinthians 3:9) any special class of persons. A child who seeks to lead a school-mate to the Saviour; the Sunday School teacher who seeks to win the class to Him; the worker who points his companion to Christ: and, perhaps the sweetest of all, the parents who win their own child: these all are "labourers" for Christ: these all may look forward to that same boast the apostle had: if these dear souls continue in the path marked out. Meditations on Philippians - G. Christopher Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8559
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Philippians 2:16
Ye also are our's (our boast) in the day of the Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:14
And what is this "Day" of which the Apostle so often speaks? This "Day of our Lord Jesus Christ"? We speak of "Caesars day" or, "Napoleon's day"; and we all understand by this that it means the day when Caesar or Napoleon held sway, and exercised his will.
So is it now: it is "man's day," (1 Corinthians 4:3) when man is permitted to act according to his own will. But the time is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will have His day: when He will come again and take all His own to be with Himself forever.1 Thessalonians 4.
This is the beginning of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ: but it will include the Judgment Seat of Christ. I think this is the time that the Apostle refers to in Philippians 2. When He sees His beloved brethren from Philippi receive their reward for their faithful walk down here, it will be a boast to Paul, that not in vain he ran, and not in vain he toiled.
And, beloved fellow labourer, you and I have that same bright hope: nor do I mean by that word "fellow labourer" (1 Corinthians 3:9) any special class of persons. A child who seeks to lead a school-mate to the Saviour; the Sunday School teacher who seeks to win the class to Him; the worker who points his companion to Christ: and, perhaps the sweetest of all, the parents who win their own child: these all are "labourers" for Christ: these all may look forward to that same boast the apostle had: if these dear souls continue in the path marked out. Meditations on Philippians - G. Christopher Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8559
August 1
- There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
- By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this (lame) man stand here before you. (v.10)
- They (council) commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus (v.18).
- But Peter and John answered . . . Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye (v.19).
- For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (v.20)
The council admit defeat, (v.16) and then, calling in the apostles, commanded them (v.18). This command raised the most important question possible: Was God to be obeyed or man? Peter and John answered (v.19,20).
It is to be noted here that the action of the apostles is in no sense opposed to the scripture that enjoins: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers" (Romans 13:1,2) (1 Peter 2:13,14). In the case before us it was not a question of the king or of the civil power,--which the saint ever recognizes as the sword of God put into man's hand,--but of ecclesiastical and priestly arrogance, which has no claim on the conscience for allegiance.
This is a principle of immense importance here, viz., that a child of God is never supposed to disobey God, in order to obey man. The civil power may make regulations which deprive the saint of privileges he would like to enjoy, but the latter must never disobey God, in order to conform to the will of the former. He may have to endure deprivation of a privilege, but never can disobey a divine command. This Peter's action here makes abundantly clear.
(Simon Peter - W. T. P. Wolston)
N.J. Hiebert - 8560
- By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this (lame) man stand here before you. (v.10)
- They (council) commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus (v.18).
- But Peter and John answered . . . Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye (v.19).
- For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (v.20)
The council admit defeat, (v.16) and then, calling in the apostles, commanded them (v.18). This command raised the most important question possible: Was God to be obeyed or man? Peter and John answered (v.19,20).
It is to be noted here that the action of the apostles is in no sense opposed to the scripture that enjoins: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers" (Romans 13:1,2) (1 Peter 2:13,14). In the case before us it was not a question of the king or of the civil power,--which the saint ever recognizes as the sword of God put into man's hand,--but of ecclesiastical and priestly arrogance, which has no claim on the conscience for allegiance.
This is a principle of immense importance here, viz., that a child of God is never supposed to disobey God, in order to obey man. The civil power may make regulations which deprive the saint of privileges he would like to enjoy, but the latter must never disobey God, in order to conform to the will of the former. He may have to endure deprivation of a privilege, but never can disobey a divine command. This Peter's action here makes abundantly clear.
(Simon Peter - W. T. P. Wolston)
N.J. Hiebert - 8560
August 2
INTIMACY WITH CHRIST
I have called you friends. John 15:15
Whatever makes Christ more precious to us is of God. "It is I; be not afraid." (John 6:20). The realization of Christ's presence is the antidote to every possible fear, and the way to comfort people is the ministry of Christ in the power of the Spirit, to so present Him that they shall apprehend His presence. To be near Christ is the greatest enjoyment of the spiritual life.
The nearer we are to God the more we lose sight of ourselves and the better we are able to apprehend and to communicate His mind.
I do not know a happier employment than to sit down quietly before the Lord and let Him make impressions on your heart--to let Him impress you with His own presence, and to produce whatever influences He will upon you.
By sitting at the feet of Jesus we shall both delight His heart and find ourselves in the place of untold and unfathomed blessing.
Many people think communion is having happy feelings. It is being in the mind of God. Communion is doing the right thing at the right moment in the right way. Once get out of communion and you cannot do anything rightly.
Are we satisfied with light instead of cultivating love for Christ? The more light the better if affection goes with it, but if light be held without the heart it will not benefit us. John 20 illustrates this. John had more light about the resurrection than Mary, yet when he came to the sepulchre and found it empty he went home. Mary had no light about the resurrection, yet as she waited there, weeping, Jesus revealed Himself to her. It is to the heart and not to the head that Christ reveals Himself, so the more heart you have the more you will get manifestations of Him. Footprints for Pilgrims - Edward Dennett
N.J. Hiebert - 8561
I have called you friends. John 15:15
Whatever makes Christ more precious to us is of God. "It is I; be not afraid." (John 6:20). The realization of Christ's presence is the antidote to every possible fear, and the way to comfort people is the ministry of Christ in the power of the Spirit, to so present Him that they shall apprehend His presence. To be near Christ is the greatest enjoyment of the spiritual life.
The nearer we are to God the more we lose sight of ourselves and the better we are able to apprehend and to communicate His mind.
I do not know a happier employment than to sit down quietly before the Lord and let Him make impressions on your heart--to let Him impress you with His own presence, and to produce whatever influences He will upon you.
By sitting at the feet of Jesus we shall both delight His heart and find ourselves in the place of untold and unfathomed blessing.
Many people think communion is having happy feelings. It is being in the mind of God. Communion is doing the right thing at the right moment in the right way. Once get out of communion and you cannot do anything rightly.
Are we satisfied with light instead of cultivating love for Christ? The more light the better if affection goes with it, but if light be held without the heart it will not benefit us. John 20 illustrates this. John had more light about the resurrection than Mary, yet when he came to the sepulchre and found it empty he went home. Mary had no light about the resurrection, yet as she waited there, weeping, Jesus revealed Himself to her. It is to the heart and not to the head that Christ reveals Himself, so the more heart you have the more you will get manifestations of Him. Footprints for Pilgrims - Edward Dennett
N.J. Hiebert - 8561
