I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life. Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I lay there, unable to move...realizing how very real my situation had become. Unbelievable actually...I asked the Lord, really? Are you sure...?? In the wee hours one morning in the ICU, I struggled..."Lord, is this really gong to be the sum of my life?...Really??..."
A still small voice in my heart said "Mike, it was never yours alone...Remember? You asked me into your heart? It is our life, I only ever wanted to live in you, with you, through you...I wanted to partner with you. I wanted us to live together." I have little time left but I know for sure, I want to live it with Him..."
Happiness is a choice.... Accepting that depending on others is a privilege and is critical to a happy life for me now. I can embrace it and enjoy peace and happiness, or I can let this situation overwhelm me...
When I am weak then am I strong,
Grace is my shield and Christ my song.
Embracing your inability is a prerequisite to God showing you His ability.
There is so much that we do not see, but we see Him.
Musings From My Journey: Mike O'Brien "A brother beloved."
Mike continues to suffer serious disabilities and has spent many years depended on the care of others.
N.J. Hiebert - 8590
September 1
About midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; and sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Acts 27:27-28
Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, but the ship became caught in a major storm. The sailors, in the dark, sensed land was near, so they used a "Fathom" line to measure the depth under the keel. This was a process of heaving a lead weight as far out in front as possible. The line attached had a knot every six feet (two meters). Counting the knots when the weight touched bottom revealed the depth; in this case, 120 feet, shoaling quickly to 90 (27.5 m).
The account in Acts tells us that Paul had direct assurance from God that, although the ship would be lost, every one aboard would arrive safely on land. This suggests that as we see the world situation getting darker, we rely more and more on the promise that all believer will get safely to heaven.
If the water were much deeper, the leadsman would holler, No bottom! meaning, beyond measurement. And this meaning has been used by our hymn writers to describe the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross as unfathomable. One example is mentioned in the hymn where the Lord is nailed to a tree: Unfathomable wonder! And mystery divine! The voice that speaks in thunder says, "Sinner, I am thine! " William Cowper
Another synonym, appearing in the Psalms and elsewhere, is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable, and Ephesians 3:8 Unto me...is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The hymn writer (J. Kent - 1827) describes the grace of God this way.
Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding...'tis a deep that knows no sounding...!
Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8591
Paul was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, but the ship became caught in a major storm. The sailors, in the dark, sensed land was near, so they used a "Fathom" line to measure the depth under the keel. This was a process of heaving a lead weight as far out in front as possible. The line attached had a knot every six feet (two meters). Counting the knots when the weight touched bottom revealed the depth; in this case, 120 feet, shoaling quickly to 90 (27.5 m).
The account in Acts tells us that Paul had direct assurance from God that, although the ship would be lost, every one aboard would arrive safely on land. This suggests that as we see the world situation getting darker, we rely more and more on the promise that all believer will get safely to heaven.
If the water were much deeper, the leadsman would holler, No bottom! meaning, beyond measurement. And this meaning has been used by our hymn writers to describe the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on the cross as unfathomable. One example is mentioned in the hymn where the Lord is nailed to a tree: Unfathomable wonder! And mystery divine! The voice that speaks in thunder says, "Sinner, I am thine! " William Cowper
Another synonym, appearing in the Psalms and elsewhere, is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable, and Ephesians 3:8 Unto me...is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The hymn writer (J. Kent - 1827) describes the grace of God this way.
Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding...'tis a deep that knows no sounding...!
Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8591
September 2
And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter...and he (Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Exodus 15:23,25
That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9
Marah is but a picture of this world as a wilderness wild with its bitter waters, under curse due to men's sins. "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Death is depicted by the bitter waters. What then is the solution?
"The Lord showed him a tree." The tree had to be shown to Moses through his crying before God. Apart from God's kind intervention, Moses could not see the tree. The tree reminds us of Christ as here in flesh for the will of God, and of the cross. Likewise, unless the Lord shows us His cross, we will never see its profound significance. Not until then can we truly see who our blessed Lord is. May the Lord show us His cross. May we, through His cross, contemplate Him as never before.
The cure of the bitter waters relied on the tree cast into those waters. He was violently and mercilessly "cast" into the place of death so that sweetness might be yielded at the end. Oh, what had He done to merit such a harsh treatment from God? "So that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man" (or "everyone"). Oh, what an unfathomably bitter taste He fully experienced on the cross! Blessed, adorable Lord and Saviour! F.S.W.
The cross! the cross, oh, that's our gain,
Because on that the Lamb was slain:
'Twas there the Lord was crucified,
'Twas there for us the Saviour died.
Miss C. Taylor - 1742
N.J. Hiebert - 8592
That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Hebrews 2:9
Marah is but a picture of this world as a wilderness wild with its bitter waters, under curse due to men's sins. "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Death is depicted by the bitter waters. What then is the solution?
"The Lord showed him a tree." The tree had to be shown to Moses through his crying before God. Apart from God's kind intervention, Moses could not see the tree. The tree reminds us of Christ as here in flesh for the will of God, and of the cross. Likewise, unless the Lord shows us His cross, we will never see its profound significance. Not until then can we truly see who our blessed Lord is. May the Lord show us His cross. May we, through His cross, contemplate Him as never before.
The cure of the bitter waters relied on the tree cast into those waters. He was violently and mercilessly "cast" into the place of death so that sweetness might be yielded at the end. Oh, what had He done to merit such a harsh treatment from God? "So that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man" (or "everyone"). Oh, what an unfathomably bitter taste He fully experienced on the cross! Blessed, adorable Lord and Saviour! F.S.W.
The cross! the cross, oh, that's our gain,
Because on that the Lamb was slain:
'Twas there the Lord was crucified,
'Twas there for us the Saviour died.
Miss C. Taylor - 1742
N.J. Hiebert - 8592
September 3
I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. Ezekiel 34:26
What is thy season this morning? Is it a season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. "As thy day so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25) "I will give thee showers of blessing." The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God's blessings go together, like links in a golden chain.
If He gives converting grace, He will also give comforting grace. He will send "showers of blessing." Look up today, O parched plant, and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering. Spurgeon
"Let but thy heart become a valley low,
And God will rain on it till it will overflow."
Thou, O Lord, canst transform my thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7) into a flower. And I want my thorn transformed into a flower. Job got the sunshine after the rain, but has the rain been all waste? Job wants to know, I want to know, if the shower had nothing to do with the shining. "Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the field: to set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety." (Job 5:10,11)
And Thou canst tell me--Thy Cross can tell me. Thou hast crowned Thy sorrow. Be this my crown, O Lord. I only triumph in Thee when I have learned the radiance of the rain. George Matheson
And He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 2 Samuel 23:4
N.J. Hiebert - 8593
What is thy season this morning? Is it a season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. "As thy day so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25) "I will give thee showers of blessing." The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God's blessings go together, like links in a golden chain.
If He gives converting grace, He will also give comforting grace. He will send "showers of blessing." Look up today, O parched plant, and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering. Spurgeon
"Let but thy heart become a valley low,
And God will rain on it till it will overflow."
Thou, O Lord, canst transform my thorn (2 Corinthians 12:7) into a flower. And I want my thorn transformed into a flower. Job got the sunshine after the rain, but has the rain been all waste? Job wants to know, I want to know, if the shower had nothing to do with the shining. "Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the field: to set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety." (Job 5:10,11)
And Thou canst tell me--Thy Cross can tell me. Thou hast crowned Thy sorrow. Be this my crown, O Lord. I only triumph in Thee when I have learned the radiance of the rain. George Matheson
And He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 2 Samuel 23:4
N.J. Hiebert - 8593
September 4
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. ...moreover by them is thy servant warned." Psalm 19:9,11
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." (Philippians 2:14) We murmur at a thousand things in our lot, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness, and thereby question the care, the love and the wisdom of Him who orders all our path, and lose the blessed sense of His presence with us.
When people become slaves to a fad they soon become tyrants.
When knowledge enters the head it exalts me. When knowledge enters the heart it humbles me.
May we never bridge over the chasm between the world and us, and we shall never seek to do so if we can adopt the language of the apostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14).
"Wisdom and might are His." (Daniel 2:20). A simple utterance, but how profound! For if wisdom and might are God's, they are no where else to be found, and it is in vain to turn for them to any but God.
There are only two channels of testimony--the lip and the life, and the lip should be but the expression of what has been produced in the life. What we should all desire is intense reality, to be possessed and controlled by the truth we profess to hold, and thus to shun the use of phrases and sentences which we have never eaten, digested and found true in our souls.
In this day of grace God would have all men to be saved, and hence we have to beseech (2 Corinthians 5:20)--not denounce--all men. You cannot feed souls with denunciations--even though the things denounced are errors.
Edward Dennett
N.J. Hiebert - 8594
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings." (Philippians 2:14) We murmur at a thousand things in our lot, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness, and thereby question the care, the love and the wisdom of Him who orders all our path, and lose the blessed sense of His presence with us.
When people become slaves to a fad they soon become tyrants.
When knowledge enters the head it exalts me. When knowledge enters the heart it humbles me.
May we never bridge over the chasm between the world and us, and we shall never seek to do so if we can adopt the language of the apostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Galatians 6:14).
"Wisdom and might are His." (Daniel 2:20). A simple utterance, but how profound! For if wisdom and might are God's, they are no where else to be found, and it is in vain to turn for them to any but God.
There are only two channels of testimony--the lip and the life, and the lip should be but the expression of what has been produced in the life. What we should all desire is intense reality, to be possessed and controlled by the truth we profess to hold, and thus to shun the use of phrases and sentences which we have never eaten, digested and found true in our souls.
In this day of grace God would have all men to be saved, and hence we have to beseech (2 Corinthians 5:20)--not denounce--all men. You cannot feed souls with denunciations--even though the things denounced are errors.
Edward Dennett
N.J. Hiebert - 8594
September 5
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Ecclesiastes 11:1
THE PAWNED BIBLE
A young man, born in 1839 left home for college at the age of 17. His mother, a godly Christian woman, gave him a Bible. In the fly-leaf she wrote his name, her name and a Bible verse. The young man competed college and went on to medical school but he began to associate with a bad crowd. One day, in a drunken spree he pawned the Bible for money to buy more liquor.
Though the young Scotsman went on to become a very successful doctor--rising to the head of the largest hospital in Edinburgh--he forsook his upbringing becoming a committed infidel and was elected president of a society of atheists in that city.
One day, an accident victim was brought into the hospital and was placed under his care. The patient learning that he likely had only a few hours to live, requested of the doctor; "Please contact my landlady, and ask her to send me the Book." The doctor agreed, and within a few hours the landlady arrived with "the Book", the dying patient's Bible.
It was not long after that the patient died. The doctor was curious as to what kind of book the patient wanted. He asked the nurse, "Was it his bank book or appointment book?"
The nurse replied, "No, it was neither of those. It is still under his pillow. Go look." Reaching under the pillow the doctor pulled out "the Book". He opened it and to his amazement it was the very Bible he had received from his mother that he had pawned some years before. The fly-leaf still had his name, his mother's name and the Bible verse inscribed on it.
Overwhelmed, he slipped the Bible under his coat and rushed to his private office. There the doctor who had become an atheist, fell on his knees praying that God would have mercy on him, and save him. He remembered one verse his mother had taught him and believing it was brightly saved. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
The doctor immediately contacted his elderly mother who had never ceased to pray for her wayward son. What unspeakable joy was hers as she heard how God had used the very Bible she gave her son years before, in his salvation! The Christian Shepherd - December 2012
N.J. Hiebert - 8595
THE PAWNED BIBLE
A young man, born in 1839 left home for college at the age of 17. His mother, a godly Christian woman, gave him a Bible. In the fly-leaf she wrote his name, her name and a Bible verse. The young man competed college and went on to medical school but he began to associate with a bad crowd. One day, in a drunken spree he pawned the Bible for money to buy more liquor.
Though the young Scotsman went on to become a very successful doctor--rising to the head of the largest hospital in Edinburgh--he forsook his upbringing becoming a committed infidel and was elected president of a society of atheists in that city.
One day, an accident victim was brought into the hospital and was placed under his care. The patient learning that he likely had only a few hours to live, requested of the doctor; "Please contact my landlady, and ask her to send me the Book." The doctor agreed, and within a few hours the landlady arrived with "the Book", the dying patient's Bible.
It was not long after that the patient died. The doctor was curious as to what kind of book the patient wanted. He asked the nurse, "Was it his bank book or appointment book?"
The nurse replied, "No, it was neither of those. It is still under his pillow. Go look." Reaching under the pillow the doctor pulled out "the Book". He opened it and to his amazement it was the very Bible he had received from his mother that he had pawned some years before. The fly-leaf still had his name, his mother's name and the Bible verse inscribed on it.
Overwhelmed, he slipped the Bible under his coat and rushed to his private office. There the doctor who had become an atheist, fell on his knees praying that God would have mercy on him, and save him. He remembered one verse his mother had taught him and believing it was brightly saved. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
The doctor immediately contacted his elderly mother who had never ceased to pray for her wayward son. What unspeakable joy was hers as she heard how God had used the very Bible she gave her son years before, in his salvation! The Christian Shepherd - December 2012
N.J. Hiebert - 8595
September 6
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:34
I remember a man who was overtaken by a bad fall on the road. He fell among thieves who robbed him, took his clothes away, and left him naked, wounded and half dead. I watched the law come by chance down that way, and waited to see the law go and pick up the poor wounded man and set him on the road again; but the law, although it saw him, only passed by on the other side.
Then I watched the Jewish temple service, sacrifices and feasts, (of which the Galatians were so fond). They came and even stopped and looked at him. I thought I heard them say, "Poor man, poor man, be more careful next time." And then they passed by on the other side, like the law. Neither of them seemed able to do a thing for the fallen man. Indeed they did not seem to care very much about him.
Then came my Master. It was this that made Him my Master, for I was the poor man who fell among the thieves. He came all the way from heaven, right to where I was. He got down in the dust on the road, and bound up my wounds, pouring in oil and wine; He put me on His own beast, put His arm around me to hold me so I would not fall, and took me to an inn.
The name of the inn was "The Place That Receives All," and the name of the Inn-keeper was "The One who receives all" (how different from the inn where my Master was born; there was no room for Him there, so He was born in the stable). My Master paid for my keep, and left word with the inn-keeper, "Take care of him." There was no fear of spending too much on me, for my Master said, "Whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you." So now, I am waiting and looking for my Master to come again. (Luke 10:30-37)
Galatians or Beautiful Grace - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8596
I remember a man who was overtaken by a bad fall on the road. He fell among thieves who robbed him, took his clothes away, and left him naked, wounded and half dead. I watched the law come by chance down that way, and waited to see the law go and pick up the poor wounded man and set him on the road again; but the law, although it saw him, only passed by on the other side.
Then I watched the Jewish temple service, sacrifices and feasts, (of which the Galatians were so fond). They came and even stopped and looked at him. I thought I heard them say, "Poor man, poor man, be more careful next time." And then they passed by on the other side, like the law. Neither of them seemed able to do a thing for the fallen man. Indeed they did not seem to care very much about him.
Then came my Master. It was this that made Him my Master, for I was the poor man who fell among the thieves. He came all the way from heaven, right to where I was. He got down in the dust on the road, and bound up my wounds, pouring in oil and wine; He put me on His own beast, put His arm around me to hold me so I would not fall, and took me to an inn.
The name of the inn was "The Place That Receives All," and the name of the Inn-keeper was "The One who receives all" (how different from the inn where my Master was born; there was no room for Him there, so He was born in the stable). My Master paid for my keep, and left word with the inn-keeper, "Take care of him." There was no fear of spending too much on me, for my Master said, "Whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you." So now, I am waiting and looking for my Master to come again. (Luke 10:30-37)
Galatians or Beautiful Grace - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8596
September 7
MEMORIES--TREASURES OR TYRANTS?
Forgetting those thing which are behind.... Philippians 3:13
I remember the days of old.... Psalms 143:5 .
Memories, whether good or bad, must be handled with care. Bad recollections can drive us to despair. Good remembrances can become idols and lead us to wallow in sentimentality.
We can paint the past with glamour it never had and crown dear ones with haloes they never wore. "Distance lends enchantment to the view." Memory can become a tyrant instead of a treasure chest.
From the mistakes of the past, let us learn whatever lessons they teach, then forget them, even as God remembers our sins no more. Let precious memories be benedictions but not bonds. Life must be lived and we must get on with the job. All The Days - Vance Havner
How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend,
Whose love is as great as His power,
And knows neither measure nor end!
'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that's to come.
Hart - 1750
N.J. Hiebert - 8597
Forgetting those thing which are behind.... Philippians 3:13
I remember the days of old.... Psalms 143:5 .
Memories, whether good or bad, must be handled with care. Bad recollections can drive us to despair. Good remembrances can become idols and lead us to wallow in sentimentality.
We can paint the past with glamour it never had and crown dear ones with haloes they never wore. "Distance lends enchantment to the view." Memory can become a tyrant instead of a treasure chest.
From the mistakes of the past, let us learn whatever lessons they teach, then forget them, even as God remembers our sins no more. Let precious memories be benedictions but not bonds. Life must be lived and we must get on with the job. All The Days - Vance Havner
How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend,
Whose love is as great as His power,
And knows neither measure nor end!
'Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We'll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that's to come.
Hart - 1750
N.J. Hiebert - 8597
September 8
I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me...that beareth fruit, He purges (pruning) it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:1,2
And they said, is this Naomi? and she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Ruth 1:19-22
How many pruned ones may read these words! They are inclined to say, like Naomi, that the Lord hath dealt very bitterly with them. Husband and sons buried in a distant land; poverty and want supreme in a deserted and darkened home; only one left of all the merry circle of bygone years: and yet out of all this shall come a golden harvest of blessing; and the little grandson pressed to the heart, and his line to David, the sweet Psalmist (2 Samuel 23:1) and mighty king, shall make the aged heart young again. (Ruth 4:15-22).
"No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11).
It is a recognized rule, among vine-dressers, that no shoot should have more than one bunch of grapes. All but that one are nipped off. The vine-dresser will obtain a greater weight of better grapes in that one bunch, than he would by permitting two or three clusters to form. And so with merciless hand he picks off bunch after bunch of unformed fruit.
It is thus that we are sometimes shut away from one after another of our chosen directions of Christian activity: not that our Father would diminish our fruit-bearing, but that the strength of our life may be saved from dissipation, and conducted by one channel to a better and richer fruit. Joseph - F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 8598
And they said, is this Naomi? and she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Ruth 1:19-22
How many pruned ones may read these words! They are inclined to say, like Naomi, that the Lord hath dealt very bitterly with them. Husband and sons buried in a distant land; poverty and want supreme in a deserted and darkened home; only one left of all the merry circle of bygone years: and yet out of all this shall come a golden harvest of blessing; and the little grandson pressed to the heart, and his line to David, the sweet Psalmist (2 Samuel 23:1) and mighty king, shall make the aged heart young again. (Ruth 4:15-22).
"No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11).
It is a recognized rule, among vine-dressers, that no shoot should have more than one bunch of grapes. All but that one are nipped off. The vine-dresser will obtain a greater weight of better grapes in that one bunch, than he would by permitting two or three clusters to form. And so with merciless hand he picks off bunch after bunch of unformed fruit.
It is thus that we are sometimes shut away from one after another of our chosen directions of Christian activity: not that our Father would diminish our fruit-bearing, but that the strength of our life may be saved from dissipation, and conducted by one channel to a better and richer fruit. Joseph - F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 8598
September 9
THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His disciples. John 18:1
A thousand years before, King David had crossed the brook Kidron and had gone up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives (2 Samuel 15:23,30), rejected by His people and weeping. King David walked this way in consequence of his own guilt; the Lord Jesus went this way because it was the beginning of the path which He trod for the guilt and sins of others. In the darkness of the night, in the place called Gethsemane, the shadow of the cross fell across His path, where the Father would give Him the bitter cup of God's wrath in just judgment of sin. He had come to this earth for the very purpose of drinking this cup.
Before our eyes is the Man Jesus Christ with all His divinely perfect feelings of dependence and obedience. The path leading to the cross lay before Him--the path which He would now have to walk to accomplish God's counsels. He felt keenly what was before Him. He longed for the sympathy and comfort of His disciples, but the only source of his strength was from above with His Father.
Jesus enters deeper into the garden, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, but then He separates even from them, and going a little farther, He falls on the ground, praying, "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). This is the only time we hear that intimate expression to the Father from the Lord's lips. His prayer continues,"All things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt."
No one knew as well as He that this was not possible if He wanted to open the way of salvation for sinners and accomplish the Father's eternal counsel. Thus, He rises from prayer and walks in perfect peace on the way to drink, until empty, that cup which He had taken from the Father's hand. Fritz von Kietzell
N.J. Hiebert - 8599
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which He entered, and His disciples. John 18:1
A thousand years before, King David had crossed the brook Kidron and had gone up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives (2 Samuel 15:23,30), rejected by His people and weeping. King David walked this way in consequence of his own guilt; the Lord Jesus went this way because it was the beginning of the path which He trod for the guilt and sins of others. In the darkness of the night, in the place called Gethsemane, the shadow of the cross fell across His path, where the Father would give Him the bitter cup of God's wrath in just judgment of sin. He had come to this earth for the very purpose of drinking this cup.
Before our eyes is the Man Jesus Christ with all His divinely perfect feelings of dependence and obedience. The path leading to the cross lay before Him--the path which He would now have to walk to accomplish God's counsels. He felt keenly what was before Him. He longed for the sympathy and comfort of His disciples, but the only source of his strength was from above with His Father.
Jesus enters deeper into the garden, accompanied by Peter, James, and John, but then He separates even from them, and going a little farther, He falls on the ground, praying, "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). This is the only time we hear that intimate expression to the Father from the Lord's lips. His prayer continues,"All things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt."
No one knew as well as He that this was not possible if He wanted to open the way of salvation for sinners and accomplish the Father's eternal counsel. Thus, He rises from prayer and walks in perfect peace on the way to drink, until empty, that cup which He had taken from the Father's hand. Fritz von Kietzell
N.J. Hiebert - 8599
September 10
LET GO DISPLEASURE
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Psalm 37:8
Sometimes something happens which recalls great pain. You are not able to find pleasure in that thing. You are oppressed by it and saddened. Suddenly the word comes, "Let go displeasure."
Displeasure is not always wrath; it is not unkindness, or the fretting which the Psalm says so truly, "tendeth only to evildoing." (Psalm 37:8) It is just something that is not pleasure but pain, and so can depress the heart.
Let it go. Do not hold on to it. Let it slip out of mind. Turn to something that does give pleasure and fasten your thoughts on that. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." (Psalm 37:7) "Commit thy way" (and the way of those thou lovest) "unto the Lord" (Psalm 37:5) and thou shalt delight thyself in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11)
Prove this word if ever you are tempted in this way. You will find that by an act of will, by His grace, you can "Let go displeasure" and be most tenderly released and refreshed.
Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8600
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Psalm 37:8
Sometimes something happens which recalls great pain. You are not able to find pleasure in that thing. You are oppressed by it and saddened. Suddenly the word comes, "Let go displeasure."
Displeasure is not always wrath; it is not unkindness, or the fretting which the Psalm says so truly, "tendeth only to evildoing." (Psalm 37:8) It is just something that is not pleasure but pain, and so can depress the heart.
Let it go. Do not hold on to it. Let it slip out of mind. Turn to something that does give pleasure and fasten your thoughts on that. "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." (Psalm 37:7) "Commit thy way" (and the way of those thou lovest) "unto the Lord" (Psalm 37:5) and thou shalt delight thyself in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:11)
Prove this word if ever you are tempted in this way. You will find that by an act of will, by His grace, you can "Let go displeasure" and be most tenderly released and refreshed.
Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 8600
September 11
Work out (cultivate) your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Philippians 2:12
It might be of interest to look at a few other passages where this Greek word (work out) might be translated in the same way (cultivate):
- The law cultivates wrath. Romans 4:15
- Tribulation cultivates patience. Romans 5:3
- Godly sorrow cultivates repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10
- The trying of your faith cultivates patience. James 1:3
Cultivate means to loosen the soil so the rain and air can get to the roots so the plants grow strong and bear fruit. Another purpose is to get rid of the weeds.
An important point in this verse is the use Scripture makes of the word "salvation". If we think of the salvation of our souls only, many passages of Scripture will be very hard to understand: that salvation was completed at the cross, and was given to us freely when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We could not "work out," or even "cultivate" this salvation: for it is complete and perfect for ever: our souls are as safe now as they will be when we are at Home in Glory. But Scripture looks at salvation in various ways. It speaks of the salvation of our bodies as well as of our souls. It looks at salvation of our bodies as past, present, or future: according as redemption, grace, or glory are in view.
For our souls, salvation is past: (1 Peter 1:9). But for our bodies, the Lord keeps us safe day by day, and hour by hour, and this will not be completed until He has us safe at Home, spirit, soul and body: (Romans 5:9,10) "much more being reconciled, we shall be kept safe in His life". This is present salvation; and in Romans 8:23,24 we see future salvation: "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 13:11)...the present guardian care of our God who brings us safely through. Philippians - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8601
It might be of interest to look at a few other passages where this Greek word (work out) might be translated in the same way (cultivate):
- The law cultivates wrath. Romans 4:15
- Tribulation cultivates patience. Romans 5:3
- Godly sorrow cultivates repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10
- The trying of your faith cultivates patience. James 1:3
Cultivate means to loosen the soil so the rain and air can get to the roots so the plants grow strong and bear fruit. Another purpose is to get rid of the weeds.
An important point in this verse is the use Scripture makes of the word "salvation". If we think of the salvation of our souls only, many passages of Scripture will be very hard to understand: that salvation was completed at the cross, and was given to us freely when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We could not "work out," or even "cultivate" this salvation: for it is complete and perfect for ever: our souls are as safe now as they will be when we are at Home in Glory. But Scripture looks at salvation in various ways. It speaks of the salvation of our bodies as well as of our souls. It looks at salvation of our bodies as past, present, or future: according as redemption, grace, or glory are in view.
For our souls, salvation is past: (1 Peter 1:9). But for our bodies, the Lord keeps us safe day by day, and hour by hour, and this will not be completed until He has us safe at Home, spirit, soul and body: (Romans 5:9,10) "much more being reconciled, we shall be kept safe in His life". This is present salvation; and in Romans 8:23,24 we see future salvation: "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 13:11)...the present guardian care of our God who brings us safely through. Philippians - G.C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8601
September 12
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