December 21
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! and the tongue is a fire. James 3:5-6
A sign post along a beautifully wooded highway in Ontario reads, "Thoughtless people cause 80% of all forest fires." As we ponder the staggering loss of trees, wildlife, property, and even human lives through the flick of a match, we ask ourselves how people can be so careless with a thing as dangerous as fire.
And then we begin to grasp the implications of the biblical comparison between fire and the tongue. For if it is difficult to calculate the losses resulting from a forest fire, it is even more difficult to calculate the losses caused by an uncontrolled tongue. Reputations, friendships, self-esteem--the very testimony of God among men--have fallen charred and ruined before the onslaught of that little member which is "set on fire of hell." (v.6)
And no man can tame tame the tongue. But God can! He does not simply neutralize it, but he transforms it into an instrument of His praise. Desiring such a transformation, the psalmist prayed, "O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise." (Psalm 51:15). God also transforms the tongue into an instrument of blessing to others.
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Ephesians 4:25,29). A consecrated life includes a consecrated tongue as expressed so beautifully in the hymn by Francis Ridley Havergal G. W. Steidl
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King. F. R. Havergal
N.J.Hiebert - 9068
A sign post along a beautifully wooded highway in Ontario reads, "Thoughtless people cause 80% of all forest fires." As we ponder the staggering loss of trees, wildlife, property, and even human lives through the flick of a match, we ask ourselves how people can be so careless with a thing as dangerous as fire.
And then we begin to grasp the implications of the biblical comparison between fire and the tongue. For if it is difficult to calculate the losses resulting from a forest fire, it is even more difficult to calculate the losses caused by an uncontrolled tongue. Reputations, friendships, self-esteem--the very testimony of God among men--have fallen charred and ruined before the onslaught of that little member which is "set on fire of hell." (v.6)
And no man can tame tame the tongue. But God can! He does not simply neutralize it, but he transforms it into an instrument of His praise. Desiring such a transformation, the psalmist prayed, "O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise." (Psalm 51:15). God also transforms the tongue into an instrument of blessing to others.
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." (Ephesians 4:25,29). A consecrated life includes a consecrated tongue as expressed so beautifully in the hymn by Francis Ridley Havergal G. W. Steidl
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King. F. R. Havergal
N.J.Hiebert - 9068
December 22
God remembered Noah. Genesis 8:1
God remembered Abraham. Genesis 19:29
God remembered Rachel. Genesis 30:22
God remembers His people, whether on the grand earthly scale as with Noah, on a more local scale as with Abraham, or on a personal scale as with Rachel. He remembers that we are but dust and can by no means redeem ourselves. (Psalm 103:14) Because of this, He demonstrated His ultimate remembrance of us at the cross of Christ.
Now He says, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17) When we come together, we should remember Him as He requested, "This do in remembrance of Me." (1 Corinthians 11:25)
Tom Steere
On that same night Lord Jesus,
When all around Thee joined
To cast its darkest shadow
Across Thy holy mind,
We hear Thy voice, blest Saviour,
"This do, remember Me:"
With joyful hearts responding,
We do remember Thee.
G. W. Frazer
N.J.Hiebert - 9069
God remembered Abraham. Genesis 19:29
God remembered Rachel. Genesis 30:22
God remembers His people, whether on the grand earthly scale as with Noah, on a more local scale as with Abraham, or on a personal scale as with Rachel. He remembers that we are but dust and can by no means redeem ourselves. (Psalm 103:14) Because of this, He demonstrated His ultimate remembrance of us at the cross of Christ.
Now He says, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17) When we come together, we should remember Him as He requested, "This do in remembrance of Me." (1 Corinthians 11:25)
Tom Steere
On that same night Lord Jesus,
When all around Thee joined
To cast its darkest shadow
Across Thy holy mind,
We hear Thy voice, blest Saviour,
"This do, remember Me:"
With joyful hearts responding,
We do remember Thee.
G. W. Frazer
N.J.Hiebert - 9069
December 23
Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. John 18:37
The confession of a man, that he has not heard the voice of Jesus, is a tacit confession that he has not got the truth. Now I say again, above all things get the truth. I do not care what things I lose, or what I have not got, if I have got the truth. Give me the truth--the truth about everything, about God, about myself, about righteousness, about the claims, and the heart of God.
"God is love!" (1John 4:8) How do you know that? you ask. He gave His Son. "God is light!" (1John 1:5) What is the meaning of that? Light reveals all that is unlike, or opposed to itself; it touches the root of things, because light makes manifest. "God is love." The birth of Jesus, and the cross--the death of Jesus, prove the love of God. They are the demonstrations of that wonderful truth.
"God is light." Will He pass over sin? Impossible! The Word of God is simple and plain upon this point. "All have sinned;" (Romans 5:12) furthermore it says, "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) People try to explain death away, but you cannot.
You may gild your hearses, drape your coffins with costliest flowers, decorate your graveyards, and put up magnificent monuments on your tombs, but you cannot get rid of death; and death, we are told, entered into the world by sin (Romans 5:12)--the sin of the first man--Adam.
Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23).
N.J.Hiebert - 9070
The confession of a man, that he has not heard the voice of Jesus, is a tacit confession that he has not got the truth. Now I say again, above all things get the truth. I do not care what things I lose, or what I have not got, if I have got the truth. Give me the truth--the truth about everything, about God, about myself, about righteousness, about the claims, and the heart of God.
"God is love!" (1John 4:8) How do you know that? you ask. He gave His Son. "God is light!" (1John 1:5) What is the meaning of that? Light reveals all that is unlike, or opposed to itself; it touches the root of things, because light makes manifest. "God is love." The birth of Jesus, and the cross--the death of Jesus, prove the love of God. They are the demonstrations of that wonderful truth.
"God is light." Will He pass over sin? Impossible! The Word of God is simple and plain upon this point. "All have sinned;" (Romans 5:12) furthermore it says, "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) People try to explain death away, but you cannot.
You may gild your hearses, drape your coffins with costliest flowers, decorate your graveyards, and put up magnificent monuments on your tombs, but you cannot get rid of death; and death, we are told, entered into the world by sin (Romans 5:12)--the sin of the first man--Adam.
Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23).
N.J.Hiebert - 9070
December 24
". . . which keepeth truth forever:" Psalm 146:6
God never forgets His Word. Long ago He promised a Redeemer; and although He waited four thousand years, the promise at last was most surely fulfilled. He promised Abraham a son; and although a quarter of a century of testing intervened, the promise at last came literally true.
He promised Abraham the land of promise as an inheritance; and although four hundred years of trial intervened, at last the land was possessed. He promised Jeremiah that after seventy years the captives should return from Babylon; and on the very hour, the action answered to the Word.
He promised Daniel that at a definite time Messiah should appear; and the most extraordinary evidence that we have to offer to the doubting Hebrew today that Jesus is His Messiah, is the literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel.
Just as true are God's promises to the believer. They are all "Yea and Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20) in Christ Jesus. He has guaranteed them. The promises of God form a great cheque-book. Every one is endorsed by the Mediator, and His Word and honour are pledged to their fulfillment. To make them yours you must sign your name upon the back of the promise and then personally appropriate it.
Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. Romans 10:11
Springs in the Valley
N.J.Hiebert - 9071
God never forgets His Word. Long ago He promised a Redeemer; and although He waited four thousand years, the promise at last was most surely fulfilled. He promised Abraham a son; and although a quarter of a century of testing intervened, the promise at last came literally true.
He promised Abraham the land of promise as an inheritance; and although four hundred years of trial intervened, at last the land was possessed. He promised Jeremiah that after seventy years the captives should return from Babylon; and on the very hour, the action answered to the Word.
He promised Daniel that at a definite time Messiah should appear; and the most extraordinary evidence that we have to offer to the doubting Hebrew today that Jesus is His Messiah, is the literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel.
Just as true are God's promises to the believer. They are all "Yea and Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20) in Christ Jesus. He has guaranteed them. The promises of God form a great cheque-book. Every one is endorsed by the Mediator, and His Word and honour are pledged to their fulfillment. To make them yours you must sign your name upon the back of the promise and then personally appropriate it.
Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. Romans 10:11
Springs in the Valley
N.J.Hiebert - 9071
December 25
Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. Deuteronomy 2:3
It would take too long to tell what this word has said to me. I will only say it spoke about a mountain of thought round which I have walked rather often. It is time to stop compassing that mountain.
After settling that matter, I remembered one who for two whole years has been walking around a certain Mountain of Desire. When the desired thing was not given at the expected time, there was great disappointment.
Perhaps the Lord is saying to that one and to others who are constantly praying about something personally desired, Leave the matter to Me: you have prayed enough about it. You have compassed that mountain long enough.
I know another who always seems to be walking round a mountain of rubble. Self and the feeling of self, doubts, and questions, grumblings, little piled-up ingratitudes--what are these but rubble? Is it not very dull to keep on compassing so dull a mountain?
Hear the heartening word of the Lord, "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. "Rise ye up, take your journey," (v.24) "Fight the good fight of faith," (1 Timothy 6:12) begin to "possess your possessions." (Obadiah 17) Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J.Hiebert - 9072
It would take too long to tell what this word has said to me. I will only say it spoke about a mountain of thought round which I have walked rather often. It is time to stop compassing that mountain.
After settling that matter, I remembered one who for two whole years has been walking around a certain Mountain of Desire. When the desired thing was not given at the expected time, there was great disappointment.
Perhaps the Lord is saying to that one and to others who are constantly praying about something personally desired, Leave the matter to Me: you have prayed enough about it. You have compassed that mountain long enough.
I know another who always seems to be walking round a mountain of rubble. Self and the feeling of self, doubts, and questions, grumblings, little piled-up ingratitudes--what are these but rubble? Is it not very dull to keep on compassing so dull a mountain?
Hear the heartening word of the Lord, "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. "Rise ye up, take your journey," (v.24) "Fight the good fight of faith," (1 Timothy 6:12) begin to "possess your possessions." (Obadiah 17) Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
N.J.Hiebert - 9072
December 26
HIS COMING AGAIN
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" Act 1:11
Angels usually call Him Lord. Yet when He ascended in glory the angels say, "This same Jesus." Now that our Lord has gone to heaven, clothed with all the majesty that rightly belongs to Him, our God does not want us to think that He is not still the same as when He walked the roads of Judea and Galilee, dispensing mercy and healing everywhere. Though shining with a glory above the brightness of the sun, He is the very same Saviour as when He sat on Sychar's well.
John, who leaned on Jesus' bosom, has not lost the Friend with a tender heart. Thomas who said, "My Lord, and my God," could still look for Him who said, "Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side, and be not faithless but believing" (John 20:27).
Peter, who held Him by the feet, and who said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68), will see that same blessed Saviour unchanged in the glory. Lazarus, who sat at the table with Him, and Zacchaeus of the sycamore tree can look for the very same Jesus to come back again. And Mary, who sat at His feet, will enjoy such a place forever.
The words of the angels would impress the hearts of each of the disciples with the precious fact that the One they had known would be eternally the same. None of them had lost the Saviour who spoke peace to their hearts. Not one had lost the Friend who so tenderly cared for him. It would have been so natural for all the disciples to feel that their exalted Lord, so marvellously transported to heaven, would not be the same as when He fed them with loaves and and fishes in the wilderness.
A Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake
N.J.Hiebert - 9073
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" Act 1:11
Angels usually call Him Lord. Yet when He ascended in glory the angels say, "This same Jesus." Now that our Lord has gone to heaven, clothed with all the majesty that rightly belongs to Him, our God does not want us to think that He is not still the same as when He walked the roads of Judea and Galilee, dispensing mercy and healing everywhere. Though shining with a glory above the brightness of the sun, He is the very same Saviour as when He sat on Sychar's well.
John, who leaned on Jesus' bosom, has not lost the Friend with a tender heart. Thomas who said, "My Lord, and my God," could still look for Him who said, "Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side, and be not faithless but believing" (John 20:27).
Peter, who held Him by the feet, and who said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68), will see that same blessed Saviour unchanged in the glory. Lazarus, who sat at the table with Him, and Zacchaeus of the sycamore tree can look for the very same Jesus to come back again. And Mary, who sat at His feet, will enjoy such a place forever.
The words of the angels would impress the hearts of each of the disciples with the precious fact that the One they had known would be eternally the same. None of them had lost the Saviour who spoke peace to their hearts. Not one had lost the Friend who so tenderly cared for him. It would have been so natural for all the disciples to feel that their exalted Lord, so marvellously transported to heaven, would not be the same as when He fed them with loaves and and fishes in the wilderness.
A Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake
N.J.Hiebert - 9073
December 27
- I am not able. Numbers 11:14
- He is able. 2 Timothy 1:12
Does the burden you bear seem too heavy for you? Moses declared, "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." (Numbers 11:14) He wanted the Lord to just end his life and relieve him of his wretchedness.
But rather than removing the burden, God added His grace. How? through:
- His presence, "I will come down and talk with thee" Numbers11:17
- His power, "The spirit rested upon them." (v.25).
- His promise, "My word shall come to pass" (v.23).
The Lord has given us the very same resource! Today, let's be sure to enjoy the Lord's presence, draw on His power and rest in His promises.
Brian Cretney
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase.
A. J. Flint
N.J.Hiebert - 9074
- He is able. 2 Timothy 1:12
Does the burden you bear seem too heavy for you? Moses declared, "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." (Numbers 11:14) He wanted the Lord to just end his life and relieve him of his wretchedness.
But rather than removing the burden, God added His grace. How? through:
- His presence, "I will come down and talk with thee" Numbers11:17
- His power, "The spirit rested upon them." (v.25).
- His promise, "My word shall come to pass" (v.23).
The Lord has given us the very same resource! Today, let's be sure to enjoy the Lord's presence, draw on His power and rest in His promises.
Brian Cretney
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase.
A. J. Flint
N.J.Hiebert - 9074
December 28
A certain man...fell among thieves which...wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead...But a certain Samaritan...came where he was...and had compassion on him, 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 10:30-35).
Yesterday I was admitted to hospital for pacemaker surgery. Today, Lorne Perry sent the following message:
"Speaking of hearts, some dozen years before the invention of the heart pacemaker, there was a Pacemaker fast freight service between Chicago and New York, with dedicated boxcars. I remember some of those cars gravitating to my neighbourhood, long after this special service had been discontinued.
Now you have the latest model. The results are usually quite positive. Just a silent partner until needed.
Wonderful that our hearts can just keep ticking for so long. Something like our marriages, where heartfelt love beats just as strongly. The Lord is in charge. I have thought of medical procedures this way: when the Lord was here He spoke about the Good Samaritan who went to where the needy traveller lay wounded, pouring in oil (for soothing) and wine (as an antiseptic).
This was the best medical practice of the day, and endorsed by the Lord. So now we can, with confidence of His encouragement, accept the best that today's medical practitioners offer". Lorne Perry
"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26
N.J.Hiebert - 9075
Yesterday I was admitted to hospital for pacemaker surgery. Today, Lorne Perry sent the following message:
"Speaking of hearts, some dozen years before the invention of the heart pacemaker, there was a Pacemaker fast freight service between Chicago and New York, with dedicated boxcars. I remember some of those cars gravitating to my neighbourhood, long after this special service had been discontinued.
Now you have the latest model. The results are usually quite positive. Just a silent partner until needed.
Wonderful that our hearts can just keep ticking for so long. Something like our marriages, where heartfelt love beats just as strongly. The Lord is in charge. I have thought of medical procedures this way: when the Lord was here He spoke about the Good Samaritan who went to where the needy traveller lay wounded, pouring in oil (for soothing) and wine (as an antiseptic).
This was the best medical practice of the day, and endorsed by the Lord. So now we can, with confidence of His encouragement, accept the best that today's medical practitioners offer". Lorne Perry
"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26
N.J.Hiebert - 9075
December 29
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4:4-5
What an exciting thought-- "When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son." For centuries, which grew darker, the faithful people of God waited for the promised Messiah who would reign, according to Isaiah 9:6, as "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Isaiah goes on to say that "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end...to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. (v.7)
But when would He come? When would be this "fullness of the time"? It is not too difficult for us today to identify with the desire and longing expressed in the prophesies of the Old Testament that speak of a Redeemer who would come to deliver His people from the oppression and trouble all around them. We too live in similar times. While there are a few bright spots of hope, they are quickly overshadowed by the vast amounts of selfishness, misery, strife, despair, and destruction all around us.
But there is one great difference between then and now. The "fullness of the time" has come! And all who believe "God sent His Son...that we might receive the adoption of sons" can join with the writer Phillips Brooks and sing that "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight."
The millennial time is yet to come when our Lord will reign physically upon the earth in the manner described by Isaiah and the other prophets. But the time is here and now for each one of us to receive "the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7). We can enjoy Him now if we recognize and own Him as the One sent to redeem us from our sins. L. J. Ondrejack
N.J.Hiebert - 9076
What an exciting thought-- "When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son." For centuries, which grew darker, the faithful people of God waited for the promised Messiah who would reign, according to Isaiah 9:6, as "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Isaiah goes on to say that "of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end...to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. (v.7)
But when would He come? When would be this "fullness of the time"? It is not too difficult for us today to identify with the desire and longing expressed in the prophesies of the Old Testament that speak of a Redeemer who would come to deliver His people from the oppression and trouble all around them. We too live in similar times. While there are a few bright spots of hope, they are quickly overshadowed by the vast amounts of selfishness, misery, strife, despair, and destruction all around us.
But there is one great difference between then and now. The "fullness of the time" has come! And all who believe "God sent His Son...that we might receive the adoption of sons" can join with the writer Phillips Brooks and sing that "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight."
The millennial time is yet to come when our Lord will reign physically upon the earth in the manner described by Isaiah and the other prophets. But the time is here and now for each one of us to receive "the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7). We can enjoy Him now if we recognize and own Him as the One sent to redeem us from our sins. L. J. Ondrejack
N.J.Hiebert - 9076
December 30
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Living in obscurity at Nazareth, our Lord began His public ministry when about thirty years of age. That wonderful ministry only lasted a brief time. What a wonderful three-and-a-half years it was! His life was unique. No life was ever like His.
He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He cast out devils. The common people heard Him gladly. They wondered at the gracious words that fell from His lips. He answered questions with a wisdom none could gainsay. He never apologized.
He never withdrew a single thing that He did. He never uttered a word He had to withdraw. His life was without reproach. Nay, every step He took, every word He spoke, was music to heaven. A stream of miracles followed Him wherever He went.
He undid the works of the Devil. And He went on to the cross of Calvary to die the sacrificial death, to be the mediator, the Saviour. The Christian religion is the only religion that presents a Saviour to mankind. All man-made religions appeal to the pride of man in that they put salvation before him as the climax of his own endeavours. A. J. Pollock - Why I believe the Bible
N.J.Hiebert - 9077
Living in obscurity at Nazareth, our Lord began His public ministry when about thirty years of age. That wonderful ministry only lasted a brief time. What a wonderful three-and-a-half years it was! His life was unique. No life was ever like His.
He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He cast out devils. The common people heard Him gladly. They wondered at the gracious words that fell from His lips. He answered questions with a wisdom none could gainsay. He never apologized.
He never withdrew a single thing that He did. He never uttered a word He had to withdraw. His life was without reproach. Nay, every step He took, every word He spoke, was music to heaven. A stream of miracles followed Him wherever He went.
He undid the works of the Devil. And He went on to the cross of Calvary to die the sacrificial death, to be the mediator, the Saviour. The Christian religion is the only religion that presents a Saviour to mankind. All man-made religions appeal to the pride of man in that they put salvation before him as the climax of his own endeavours. A. J. Pollock - Why I believe the Bible
N.J.Hiebert - 9077
December 31
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not whither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3.
One day, deep in the forest, we came upon a rock in midstream scooped by the backwash of immemorial waters to a hollow like the palm of a man's hand. Over this rock fell a crystal sheet of water, and through that moving clearness we saw maidenhair fern growing in lovely profusion in the hollow of the hand.
It was not the place where we should have planted a fern; at any moment it might have been tossed, a piteous, crumpled mass, down the shouting river--this is how it seemed to us. But it was safe. The falls flowed over it, not on it. And it was blessed.
When the fern on the bank shrivelled in heat, it was green, for it was watered all the year long by dust of spray. So does our wonderful God turn that which had seemed to be a perpetual threat to a perpetual benediction. Is there anything to fear with such a God? Rose From Briar - Amy Carmichael
Be not dismayed what e'er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Thro' days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one upon, His breast, God will take care of you. C. D. Martin
N.J.Hiebert - 9078
One day, deep in the forest, we came upon a rock in midstream scooped by the backwash of immemorial waters to a hollow like the palm of a man's hand. Over this rock fell a crystal sheet of water, and through that moving clearness we saw maidenhair fern growing in lovely profusion in the hollow of the hand.
It was not the place where we should have planted a fern; at any moment it might have been tossed, a piteous, crumpled mass, down the shouting river--this is how it seemed to us. But it was safe. The falls flowed over it, not on it. And it was blessed.
When the fern on the bank shrivelled in heat, it was green, for it was watered all the year long by dust of spray. So does our wonderful God turn that which had seemed to be a perpetual threat to a perpetual benediction. Is there anything to fear with such a God? Rose From Briar - Amy Carmichael
Be not dismayed what e'er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Thro' days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one upon, His breast, God will take care of you. C. D. Martin
N.J.Hiebert - 9078
January 1
COVERED by the MOST HIGH
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Hebrews 8:12
- The beach does not cover itself.
- It is covered by the sea.
- The shore does not change itself.
- It is shaped by the tides.
- The sea edge does not diminish its own size.
- The ocean does this as it sweeps in upon it.
- The alterations and rearrangements of the coast are the eternal work of the eternal tides.
And in my life as one who lies open, exposed and receptive to the action of The Most High, it is He who will cover and conform me to His own pattern of ultimate perfection.
- He does not relent.
- He does not rest.
- He neither slumbers nor sleeps.
It is He who is at work upon my soul and within my spirit both to will and to do according to His own grand designs.
The incoming of Christ by His sublime Sprit always changes the contours of our lives. Once we have been filled with all the fullness of His grace and goodness we are never the same again. His presence can inundate every crevice, can fill every corner of our convoluted lives. Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller
N.J.Hiebert - 9079
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Hebrews 8:12
- The beach does not cover itself.
- It is covered by the sea.
- The shore does not change itself.
- It is shaped by the tides.
- The sea edge does not diminish its own size.
- The ocean does this as it sweeps in upon it.
- The alterations and rearrangements of the coast are the eternal work of the eternal tides.
And in my life as one who lies open, exposed and receptive to the action of The Most High, it is He who will cover and conform me to His own pattern of ultimate perfection.
- He does not relent.
- He does not rest.
- He neither slumbers nor sleeps.
It is He who is at work upon my soul and within my spirit both to will and to do according to His own grand designs.
The incoming of Christ by His sublime Sprit always changes the contours of our lives. Once we have been filled with all the fullness of His grace and goodness we are never the same again. His presence can inundate every crevice, can fill every corner of our convoluted lives. Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller
N.J.Hiebert - 9079
January 2
THE BIBLE
For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
My Book! my Book! my grand old Book! by inspiration given!
There every page from age to age, reveals the path to heaven;
My Lamp of Light! in nature's night, thy un-beclouded ray
Has turned the gloom of death's cold tomb to everlasting day.
My Chart! my Chart! my changeless Chart by thee I guide my bark,
A simple child on ocean wild, o'er mountain billows dark;
By thee I steer my safe career, with canvas all unfurled,
And onward sail before the gale, to yonder blissful world.
My Staff! my Staff! my trusty Staff! I'll grasp thee in my hand,
As faint and weak on Pisgah's peak, I view the promised land;
Not sadly told, as one of old, to see--but to explore,
My hold I'll keep through Jordan's deep till safe on Canaan's shore.
My Sword! my Sword! my two-edged sword! by thy unerring might,
I deal my foe the deadly blow, in faith's unequal fight;
Thy tempered blade, that lent me aid in every conflict past,
Shall make me more than conqueror, through Him who loved, at last.
My Book! my Chart! my Staff! my Sword! heaven speed thee on thy way
From pole to pole, as ages roll, the harbinger of day,
Till Christ "the Light," shall banish night from this terrestrial ball,
And earth shall see her Jubilee, and God be all in all.
(Author unknown) Christian Treasury December 1990
N.J. Hiebert - 9080
For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
My Book! my Book! my grand old Book! by inspiration given!
There every page from age to age, reveals the path to heaven;
My Lamp of Light! in nature's night, thy un-beclouded ray
Has turned the gloom of death's cold tomb to everlasting day.
My Chart! my Chart! my changeless Chart by thee I guide my bark,
A simple child on ocean wild, o'er mountain billows dark;
By thee I steer my safe career, with canvas all unfurled,
And onward sail before the gale, to yonder blissful world.
My Staff! my Staff! my trusty Staff! I'll grasp thee in my hand,
As faint and weak on Pisgah's peak, I view the promised land;
Not sadly told, as one of old, to see--but to explore,
My hold I'll keep through Jordan's deep till safe on Canaan's shore.
My Sword! my Sword! my two-edged sword! by thy unerring might,
I deal my foe the deadly blow, in faith's unequal fight;
Thy tempered blade, that lent me aid in every conflict past,
Shall make me more than conqueror, through Him who loved, at last.
My Book! my Chart! my Staff! my Sword! heaven speed thee on thy way
From pole to pole, as ages roll, the harbinger of day,
Till Christ "the Light," shall banish night from this terrestrial ball,
And earth shall see her Jubilee, and God be all in all.
(Author unknown) Christian Treasury December 1990
N.J. Hiebert - 9080
January 3
