Gems from April 1- 6, 2025

He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey Him. Luke 8:25 

Even.  Is there anything you find quite impossible to command in your circumstances or character?  Something as deaf to command as the winds and the water?  Something that has baffled you a thousand times, and appears as if it would win in the end?  Do not despair.  Better hath He been for years than thy fears.  Better can He be, far better.  He can command even this that seems as if it would not be commanded.  Let that "even" be a comfort to you.  "He arose, and rebuked the wind,  and said unto the sea, Peace be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39).

Is there one who is facing something that seems impossible?  Does the appointed burden feel too heavy to be carried?  The disappointment too sharp to be welcomed?  The duty too toilsome to be performed with joy?  You have not to do it in your unaided strength: it is God who is all the while supplying the impulse, giving you the power to resolve, the strength to perform, the execution of His good pleasure. And so, I am equal to every lot through the help of Him who gives me inward strength.  (Philippians 4:13)

And  here is another beautiful word written down long, long ago for us:  "Thy God hath commanded thy strength." (Psalm 68:28)  So we need never be weak. We can be sure that every day  strength is sent forth for us.  So we need never be defeated, but can always be strong in the strength of our mighty God.

All the tremendous forces of Nature in the world today are at the call of our God, and are only a faint shadow of the spiritual power that is His, and that He is ready to put forth for us. Is it not amazing?  How utterly foolish it is to plead weakness when we, even we, may (if we will) move into the stream of that power.  Amy Carmichael

N.J. Hiebert - 9899

April 1

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 
1 Corinthians 10:16,17

A young man in New Guinea who had been away to school and had gotten a good education after his conversion, returned to his own island and to his own village.  On the Lord's Day the group of missionaries and believers were gathered together to observe the Lord's Supper.

As this young man sat by one of the older missionaries, the missionary recognized that a sudden tremor had passed through the young man's body and that he had laid his hand upon the arm of the other in a way that indicated he was under a great nervous strain.  Then in a moment all was quiet again.  The missionary whispered, "What was it that troubled you?" 

"Ah," the young man said, "it is all right.  But the man who just came in killed and ate the body of my father.  And now he has come in to remember the Lord with us.  At first I was so shocked to see the murderer of my own father sit down with us at the table of the Lord, I didn't know whether I could endure it.  But it is all right now.  He is washed in the same precious blood."  And so together they had communion.  Does the world know anything of this?  It is a marvellous thing, the work of the blessed Holy Spirit of God.

I think of Saul of Tarsus seated there with that little group of believers around him.  And I think of them looking over and saying, "That is the man that arrested my father.  That is the man that threw my mother into prison.  That is the man that tried to make me blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus.  There he sits, a humble, contrite believer, receiving the bread and the wine in commemoration of the Lord who died."  What a wonderful fellowship!   H. A. Ironside

N.J. Hiebert - 9900

April 2

He (a certain Samaritan) set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and  took care of him.    (Luke 10:33,34)

A certain man went down from Jerusalem, to Jericho, the city of the curse.  But on the way he fell among thieves, who left him naked and wounded and half dead. A priest and a Levite passed by, but did nothing to help the wretched man.  Then came "a certain Samaritan", and as he journeyed, he came where he was; and he had compassion on him, and went right down into the ditch with him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine.  I am sure he clothed him with his own clothes and he put him on his own beast, and he took him to an inn.

Will there be room for him in this inn?  Yes, Thank God, there is room, abundance of room, for him: for the Greek name of this inn is pan-docheion: 'the place that receives all.'  Not one has ever been turned away from this inn.

Poverty, wretchedness, sin will never keep a person outside the inn called 'Pan-docheion.'  It is God's own inn.  Never yet has an applicant been told there is 'no room.'  It 'receives all'.  "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out," (John 6:37) is inscribed over that door. 

And this inn has a "Host," and the Spirit of God tells us His name: "Pan-docheus": "The person who receives all."  And the Samaritan only stayed a short time, for He went away the next day; but before He left, He promised to come back, and in the meantime, He left orders with the "Host": to take care of this poor man.  He left Him two pence, but added, Whatsoever Thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay Thee. Luke 10:35.

Since He only paid "two pence" the poor man knew that his good Friend meant to come again soon; and I am sure he kept watching down the road to see if He was coming. "Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.  (Revelation 22:20).  Hid Treasures - G. C. Willis

N.J. Hiebert - 9901

April 3

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  Philippians 1:21

THE KING AND QUEEN OF ENGLAND

King George VI and the Queen of England were visiting President and Mrs. Roosevelt in the White House.  The Queen later became known to us as the Queen Mother after her husband passed away and her daughter Elizabeth ascended the throne.  The Queen mother lived to be 101, passing away in 2002.

On that  particular visit to the United States, a well-known Native American singer, Chief Whitefeather, was invited to sing for the king and queen and President and Mrs. Roosevelt.  After singing two operatic arias, for which his small audience showed great appreciation, the chief asked, "May I sing something from deep within my heart?"

Soon they were hearing the beautiful words of "I'd Rather Have Jesus."  When he finished, in the silence of the moment, the queen said to him, "This song bespeaks the sentiment of my heart--and that of my husband."

The inspiring and challenging words of this hymn, written by Rhea F. Miller,  so influenced twenty-three year-old George Beverly Shea that they determined the direction of his entire life.  As he began to compose a melody for these moving lines, he decided to devote his singing talents to God's glory alone.

Growing up with devoted Christian parents, Bev was encouraged to use his fine singing voice as his career.  One Sunday as Bev went to the family piano to prepare a song he found there the poem "I'd Rather Have Jesus."  His mother, who collected beautiful quotations and literary selections, had begun to leave some of them around the house for her son to read, hoping to guide him spiritually.  Bev was deeply moved with the challenging message of this text.  Immediately he began to compose the music for the lines and used the song the same day. 
 
I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.  I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame; I'd rather be true to His holy name.

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He's sweeter than honey from out of the comb; 
He's all than my hungering spirit needs, I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

CHORUS: 
Than to to be the king of a vast domain and be held in sin's dread sway;
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today. 

N.J. Hiebert - 9902

April 4

And the (thief) said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.   Luke 23:42,43

There is not a more striking instance of grace--the grace of Christ--in all Scripture, than in the case of the dying robber.  In all the pages of the Word of God you cannot find anything more touching, or more expressive, of the blessed grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, than the way in which He deals with this man; for every person must admit it was a desperate case.

He was a pest on earth, and he certainly was not fit for heaven.  His faults nailed him to the tree.  He was a man whose history was of such a character, that he was going out of the world in ignominy  and shame, a sinner in his sins, to meet God.  He was within six hours of his death, and Christ met him, and saved him. 

Has He met you yet? Has He saved you yet?  Perhaps--nobody knows--you may be within six hours of your death.  Who can tell?  I am not a prophet, but I am a physician, and I have in my day seen many a healthy man, and know that he has been cut off in less than six hours.  If you have never met that robber's Saviour, if you have never met my Saviour, do not let the few minutes that we shall spend together pass without your coming into contact with Him now. Seekers of light - W. T. P. Wolston, MD  

Behold the Saviour at the door!  He gently knocks--has knocked before;
Has waited long--is waiting still: You use no other friend so ill.

Admit Him, ere His anger burn, lest He depart and n'er return;
Admit Him or the hour's at hand  when at His door denied you'll stand.

REFRAIN  Open the door, He'll enter in,
And and sup with you , and you with Him.   Joseph Grigg

N.J. Hiebert - 9903

April 5

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19  And they remembered His words. Luke 24:8

The only writing of our Lord was with His finger, and that in the loose sand of the ground. (John 8:6)  Other men who spoke words acclaimed by their fellows wrote in books to preserve to themselves a perpetual memorial of literary glory. Not so the Son of God.  When He expired, forsaken on the cross, His words only remained sown on the hearts of men.  There the Holy Spirit, like the sun and the rain, made them bear fruit after His resurrection.

When the Lord Jesus died, His works were doubted; His disciples seemed hopeless, and His words appeared lost, like the seed of the harvest, in the cold ground during the frozen winter.  Peter had said, "Thou hast the words of eternal life," (John 6:68) but those words were not written, and now Peter has denied Him in the  presence of His enemies. 

The officers testified, "Never man spake like this man." (John 7:46) but now they have seen Him answering not a word, "as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7). All His friends were disappointed, and despaired when He was crucified.  Who now would care about His words?  The tree is cut down; how can it now bear any fruit?  No other person's words have been so cherished as the words of the Lord Jesus; no other person's words would be remembered at all, were they not written when he was living.

Imperishable words!  Here then is one of the wonders of words of Christ.  His words are indestructible.  He said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Mathew 24:35).  Millions of people lived when He lived.  Countless millions had lived and died before Him.  How very few of them spoke words that have survived the centuries!   But of Him they said, "How knoweth this man letters, having never leaned?" (John 7:15)  
Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake 

N.J. Hebert - 9904

April 6

Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."  Matthew 7:24,25.

The wise man is the believer whose life is built upon the Rock, "Christ".
Looking at the trees at timberline we see a dimension to their growth not often recognized by the casual passerby.

It is the rare and elegant quality of the actual wood produced within the wind-tossed trees.  Its grain is of exquisite texture interspersed with whorls and curving lines of unusual gracefulness.  The stresses and strains of being tossed and twisted by the wind and sleet and deep snows of winter produce an extra flow of resins in the tree.  Not only does this give the fibres a remarkable tight-grained texture but it gives off also an exquisite fragrance.

An expert violin maker, who is a master craftsman, tells me that he spends weeks each summer searching for special trees above timberline.  From these he takes his choicest materials to create musical instruments of the finest quality and tone.

Wood produced in the high and tough terrain above the usual timber bears within it a rare  timbre and lovely resonance not found in ordinary lumber cut at lower elevations.  The fury of storms, the shortness of the growing season, the wrenching of the winds, the strain of survival in such an austere setting--all these combine to produce some of the toughest, choicest, most wondrous wood in all the world. Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller

Make us Thy mountaineers; we would not linger on the lower slope.
Fill us afresh with hope, Thou God of hope, that undefeated,
We may climb the hill, as seeing Him who is invisible.    Amy Carmichael  

N.J. Hiebert - 9905

April 7

Gems from March 21- 31, 2025

"I am crucified with Christ."  Galatians 2:20

So wondrous--so real--so perfect, is our oneness with Christ, the church's Head, that the apostle says, "I am crucified with Christ." And of all Christians he says, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him."  And in different parts of scripture, he speaks of it under seven distinct aspects, which give us the idea of divine completeness. 

1.We are crucified together. 
2. Quickened together. 
3. Raised up together.
4. Seated together. 
5. Heirs together. 
6. Sufferers together. 
7. Glorified together. 

And so precious to the heart of Jesus is this oneness, or identity of the church with Himself, that in each place where our future state is spoken of in scripture, it is defined as being with Christ. 

"Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise."  "Absent from the body, present with the Lord."  "Having a desire to depart  to be with Christ, which is far better."  "And so shall we ever be with the Lord."  "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."  Amen!

This is rest, perfect rest, to the heart for ever.  Refreshed, as if bathed in the ocean of His shoreless love, return to thy meditations on the beautiful Song of Songs, yet still to dwell on the volume of His heart, which only loves.
Song of Solomon - Andrew Miller -1810-1883

N.J. Hiebert - 9887

March 20

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  Isaiah 40:31

The chapter from which the above words are taken is full of wonderful contrasts.  God is presented to us in the completeness of His power and majesty, and yet in the most tender, gracious light conceivable. It is this combination which is so marvellous. 

He feeds "His flock like a shepherd," and yet, "He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand:  He gathers the lambs in His arm and carries them in His bosom;" yet He "weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance; and nations before Him are as nothing;"  He "sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers."  No wonder the question is raised, "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." 

In this combination of qualities; how a God so immense that He fills all things; so great that He is above and beyond all things; so powerful that He supports all things, can accommodate Himself to creatures such as we?  How He who has a universe to uphold and care for can concern Himself with our affairs; and how a Being, who in one respect is so distant, can also be so near?

Yet such is God as He is presented to us in this chapter; complete in power and majesty, and yet, mindful of His creatures, and actually making Himself the servant of their needs.  His resources are endless, yet they are at our disposal. His promise is: 

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

Wait upon the Lord, tarrying in His presence--to learn His mind, to hear His message, and to receive His strength?  Russell Elliott - Angels in White

N.J. Hiebert - 9888

March 21

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone:
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit".  John 12:24   

Life out of death 

The seed in an acorn, ever so small
Dies to produce the next oak so tall. 
An example of Jesus who died one day,
Then rose again to open the way.

Witnesses saw and recorded their news,
"He is risen again", said hundreds of Jews.
Never before had this been made true,
God raised Him up for me and for you.

An empty tomb, the evidence plain,
Stone rolled away, so hard to explain,
Unless it was by God's power alone,
Approving the work of the Lord to atone.

We deserved death, there was no other way,
Until Jesus died to take death away.
Resurrection day put the seal on His work,
Not one suspicion can dare to lurk. 

Life everlasting is what we now gain,
If we believe, not one sin will remain.
Christ led the way to the glory above.
We soon will follow, led by His love.

What can we say but "Thank-you, Lord",
For being so true to your written Word.
Risen with Christ, our new life begun.
Living with Him in the place He has won.
Lorne Perry

N.J. Hiebert - 9889

March 22

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  Ephesians 3:19

The Lord that I have known as laying down His life for me, is the same Lord I have to do with every day of my life, and all His dealings with me are on the same principles of grace.  How precious, how strengthening it is to know that Jesus is at this moment feeling and exercising the same love towards me as when He died on the cross for me.

His death opened the flood-gates, in order that the full tide of love might flow over poor sinners.

(1 Corinthians 11:26)  Impossible to find two words, the bringing together of which has so important a meaning, the death of the Lord.  How many things are comprised in that He who is called the Lord had died!  What love!  what purposes! what efficacy! what results!

O Jesus, Lord, who loved me like to Thee?
Fruit of Thy work, with Thee, too, there to see
Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll,
Myself the prize and travail of Thy soul. 

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  (Ephesians 3:19)

O what rest for the poor soul when he sees he has to do with One who has conquered all enemies for him. Before he came to the consciousness of this, the book of his daily transgressions appeared to ascend up before God, black with the catalogue of his offences, on every leaf of which was written, Sin, sin, sin; but now these blackened characters are effaced, and on each page is transcribed in letters of blood, in the blood of God's dear Lamb, Love, love, love.  Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - J.N.D. 

N.J. Hiebert - 9890

March 23

AS PRAYERS GO UP BLESSINGS COME DOWN

See, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. 
1 Samuel 25:35 

We must be accepted in the Beloved before we can expect to be answered through the Beloved.  Is there a doubt about this, and a sigh over the words?  There need not be; for now, at this moment, the old promise stands with its unchangeable welcome to the weary; "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37)

Then, if you come now, at this moment, on the strength of His word, you cannot be rejected, there is nothing but one blessed alternative--accepted.  Then come the answers!  As surely as the prayers go up from the accepted One, so surely will blessings come down.

When Esther had touched the golden scepter, then said the king unto her, "What wilt thou Queen Esther, and what is thy request?  it shall be given thee to the half of the kingdom" (Esther 5:3). But there is no half in our King's promise.  He says,  "All things," and "Whatsoever."  And He does do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, and more than fulfills our little scanty requests.  And then, by every fresh fulfillment we should receive ever new assurance of our acceptance--then (shall it not be today?) as we give thanks for each gracious answer, we may look up confidingly and joyfully, and say, "Thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in Thy sight"
( 2 Samuel 14:22).

Accepted, perfect and complete, for God's inheritance made meet!
How true, how glorious, and how sweet!  In the Beloved--by the King
Accepted, though not anything but forfeit lives had we to bring.
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal

N.J. Hiebert - 9891

March 24

It is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people.  John 11:50

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us.  

1 John 3:16

During the Falkland Islands War, a 500-pound bomb landed in the engine room of the H.M.S. Antelope, but failed to explode.  The crew miraculously escaped death and fled to safety.  One man went down to the heart of the ship and attempted to defuse the bomb.  However, it exploded, killing him and six others standing ready to assist.

Is there not a striking resemblance between this and God's gracious dealings with man in relation to sin and its condemnation?  This world was under judgment and fit for destruction because of man's sin.  God in grace sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth to save us from God's wrath.  He asked that this cup be removed from Him, but added,"nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done," (Luke 22:42) and went to Calvary. 

There in the lowest place man could afford Him, He bore the full load of God's righteous judgment.  Others in fellowship with His sufferings, have subsequently died bearing witness to Him, the One who died for the many.

This earth by God through sin was cursed, and judgment had to come;
But Jesus Christ came down to earth, to save us every one.

He bore God's judgment for our sins, upon that cruel tree;
And so our hymn of praise begins, "my Saviour died for me!"

Delay not for a second more, to put thy trust in Him
Who all your condemnation bore, to set you free from sin.
J. Neufeld - November 18,1995

N.J. Hiebert - 9892

March 25

Even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us...let us keep the feast...with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  1 Corinthians 5:7-8  

The Passover lies at the very foundation of all the joy we can or ever shall realize here or hereafter; but we  must ever think of the death of Christ, His sufferings, His sorrows--all that He passed through when the waves and billows of God's righteous wrath passed over His soul.  It is upon these profound mysteries that our hearts ought to be mainly fixed when we are at the Lord's table and keep that feast by which we show the Lord's death till He come.

Now, it is plain to the spiritual and thoughtful reader that the feelings proper to such a holy and solemn institution are not of a jubilant character.  We certainly can and do rejoice that the sorrows and sufferings of our blessed Lord are over forever--that those terrible hours are passed; but what we recall in the feast is not simply their being over, but their being gone through, and that for us. 

". . . ye do show the Lord's death" (1 Corinthians 11:26) and we know our blessings flow from that precious death.  Yet when we are called to meditate upon it, our joy is chastened by those profound exercises of soul which the Holy Spirit produces by unfolding to us the sorrows, the sufferings, the cross, and passion of our blessed Saviour. 

Our Lord's words are, " . . . this do in remembrance of Me." (vs 24); but what we especially remember in the supper is, Christ suffering and dying for us; what we show, is His death; and with these solemn realities before our souls, in the power of the Holy Spirit, there will, there must be, subduedness and seriousness.  C. H. Mackintosh 

O solemn hour! O hour alone in solitary might,
When God the Father's only Son, as man, for sinners to atone,
Expires--amazing sight!  The Lord of glory crucified!
The Lord of life has bled and died!  J. G. Deck

N.J. Hiebert - 9893

March 26

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.... And all that believed were together... Acts 2:42,44.

Years ago we decided to plant a little garden in an open place in our backyard.  We loved strawberries, so that's what we planted.  We followed all the prescribed procedures  for a successful crop, but nothing materialized other than the leafy part of the plants, and even they didn't look healthy.  We were perplexed until we happened to read somewhere that one should never plant strawberries near a walnut tree (which we had inadvertently done).  Something about walnut trees is toxic to strawberries.

It matters the company we keep.  It matters the environment we choose to be in.  Granted, most of us need to work, and sometimes the people with whom we work can be a negative influence if we let them.  Maybe, even, where we live could be a bad environment.  But do we let those things affect us? 

The question becomes, when I can choose with whom I can be, do I chose people and places that will uplift me spiritually and morally?  Here is a great verse for consideration: "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33)  There's a Spanish proverb that translates, "Tell me who you hang out with and I'll tell you who you are." 

Yes, we have to be in the world, but we don't have to stoop to their level and adopt their ways.  The early church in our verse devoted themselves to the fellowship.  Being together as Christians was one of the four things to which they devoted themselves.  There was a time when Peter and John were set free after being imprisoned for preaching Christ.  On their release, they went to their own companions (the other believers) (Acts 4:32). They sought out their brothers and sisters in Christ.  With whom do you and I choose to be?   
Life Lines - Daily Devotions 

N.J. Hiebert - 9894

March 27

Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth."  Hebrews 12:5.

Chastisement is not always the result of sin.  It is quite true, that  "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7); "... Sorrow follows wrong, as echo follows song.  But retribution does not exhaust the purposes of God in chastisement.  He has also lessons of education and soul culture to teach by its means--lessons which, when learned, will issue in "the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11).  If we examine this verse carefully we find that chastisement has always one of three effects upon us; we either despise it, faint under it, or are exercised by it.

The famous philosopher, Lokman, while a slave, being presented by his master with a bitter melon, immediately ate it all.  "How was it possible," said the master, "for you to eat so nauseous a fruit?"  Lokman replied, I have received so many favours from you, it is no wonder I should, for once in my life, eat a bitter melon from your hand".  The generous answer of the slave struck the master so forcibly that he immediately gave him his liberty.

Unlike Lokman's master, however, our God never chastens arbitrarily or unnecessarily.  He always chastens for our profit  and the recognition of that grand fact will act as a mighty deterrent in the soul that is in danger of "despising the chastening of the Lord". 

Then there is the danger of fainting under it.   Those of us who have examined coal cars on the railway have noticed that each is endorsed with its carrying capacity: one "to carry 12 tons", another, "To carry 20 tons", and so on. The builder of these cars knows their frame and prescribes exactly how much weight they are to carry.  And He Who "knows our frame" (Psalm 103:14) never suffers us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Chastisement yields it peaceable fruits only to those who are exercised by it (v.11).  The Pearl of Psalms - George Henderson

N.J. Hiebert - 9895

March 28

The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him. Deuteronomy 33:12  

A wonderful story is told by a missionary in connection with angelic protection. 

An American missionary and his wife bravely went to their station, where, twenty year before, two missionaries had been killed and eaten by the natives.  They said as they took up their work it seemed as if often they were surrounded not only by the hostile natives, but by the very powers of darkness.  These latter were so real, that night after night they were forced to get up and strengthen their hearts by reading the Word of God.  Again, they would pray.

One day a man came and said, "I would like to see your watchmen close at hand.  The missionary replied: "I have no watchman; I have only a cook and a little herd boy.  What watchman do you mean?" The man asked permission to look through the missionaries' home.  Every corner of the house was carefully searched, and the man came out of the house greatly disappointed.

Then the missionary asked the man to tell him about the watchman to whom he referred.  Here is the man's answer:  "When you and your wife came here we determined to kill you as we did the missionaries twenty years ago.  Night after night we came to carry out our intentions, but there always stood around your house a double row of watchmen with glittering weapons, and we dared not come near.  At last we hired a professional assassin, who said he feared neither God nor devil.

Last night he came close to your house brandishing his spear.  We followed at a distance.  There stood the shining watchman, and the killer fled in terror.  So we have given up our purpose to kill you, but tell me, who are the watchmen?" 

The missionary opened the Word of God and read: "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them." 
Psalm 34:7  The Lord hid them.  Jeremiah 36:26    Springs in the Valley

N.J. Hiebert - 9896

March 29

Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall  set us in the way of His steps.  Psalm 85:13 

How I ascertain the will of God:  I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. 

Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is right here.  Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be.  When one is truly in this state it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

Having surrendered my own will, I do not leave the result to feeling or simply impressions.  If I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with the Word of God.  The Spirit and the Word must be combined.  If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures, and never contrary to them.

Next I take into account providential circumstances.  These often plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and Spirit. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright. 

Thus, through prayer to God, the study of His Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.  In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.     George Müller

Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way;
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay;
Mold me and make me after Thy will;
While I am waiting, yielded and still.  A. A. Pollard

N.J. Hiebert - 9897

March 30

As soon as the soles of the feet of the priests . . . shall rest in the waters
. . . the waters shall be cut off.  Joshua 3:13

The people were not to wait in their camps until the way was opened, they were to walk by faith.  They were to break camp, pack up their goods, form in line to march, and move down to the very banks before the river would be opened.

If they had come down to the edge of the river and then had stopped for the stream to divide before they stepped into it, they would have waited in vain.  They must take one step into the water before the river would be cut off.

We must learn to take God at His Word, and go straight on in duty, although we see no way in which we can go for forward.  The reason we are so often balked by difficulties is that we expect to see them removed before we try to pass through them.

If we would move straight on in faith, the path would be opened for us.  We stand still, waiting for the obstacle to be removed, when we ought to go forward as if there were no obstacles.  Evening Thoughts

Worship, and thanks, and blessing, and strength ascribe to Jesus!
The Lord alone defends His own, when earth or hell oppresses.
Omnipotent Redeemer! Our ransomed souls adore Thee;
Our Saviour Thou, we own it now, and give to Thee the glory.

Thine arm hath safely brought us  a way no more expected,
Than when Thy sheep passed through the deep, by crystal walls protected.
Thy glory is our rear-ward, Thy hand our lives doth cover;
And we, even we, have passed the sea, and marched triumphant over.
Charles Wesley
 
N.J. Hiebert - 9898

March 31

He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey Him. 
Luke 8:25 

Even.  Is there anything you find quite impossible to command in your circumstances or character?  Something as deaf to command as the winds and the water?  Something that has baffled you a thousand times, and appears as if it would win in the end?  Do not despair.  Better hath He been for years than thy fears.  Better can He be, far better.  He can command even this that seems as if it would not be commanded.  Let that "even" be a comfort to you.  "He arose, and rebuked the wind,  and said unto the sea, Peace be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39).

Is there one who is facing something that seems impossible?  Does the appointed burden feel too heavy to be carried?  The disappointment too sharp to be welcomed?  The duty too toilsome to be performed with joy?  You have not to do it in your unaided strength: it is God who is all the while supplying the impulse, giving you the power to resolve, the strength to perform, the execution of His good pleasure. And so, I am equal to every lot through the help of Him who gives me inward strength.  (Philippians 4:13)

And  here is another beautiful word written down long, long ago for us:  "Thy God hath commanded thy strength." (Psalm 68:28)  So we need never be weak. We can be sure that every day  strength is sent forth for us.  So we need never be defeated, but can always be strong in the strength of our mighty God.

All the tremendous forces of Nature in the world today are at the call of our God, and are only a faint shadow of the spiritual power that is His, and that He is ready to put forth for us. Is it not amazing?  How utterly foolish it is to plead weakness when we, even we, may (if we will) move into the stream of that power.  Amy Carmichael

N.J. Hiebert - 9899

April 1

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 
1 Corinthians 10:16,17

A young man in New Guinea who had been away to school and had gotten a good education after his conversion, returned to his own island and to his own village.  On the Lord's Day the group of missionaries and believers were gathered together to observe the Lord's Supper.

As this young man sat by one of the older missionaries, the missionary recognized that a sudden tremor had passed through the young man's body and that he had laid his hand upon the arm of the other in a way that indicated he was under a great nervous strain.  Then in a moment all was quiet again.  The missionary whispered, "What was it that troubled you?" 

"Ah," the young man said, "it is all right.  But the man who just came in killed and ate the body of my father.  And now he has come in to remember the Lord with us.  At first I was so shocked to see the murderer of my own father sit down with us at the table of the Lord, I didn't know whether I could endure it.  But it is all right now.  He is washed in the same precious blood."  And so together they had communion.  Does the world know anything of this?  It is a marvellous thing, the work of the blessed Holy Spirit of God.

I think of Saul of Tarsus seated there with that little group of believers around him.  And I think of them looking over and saying, "That is the man that arrested my father.  That is the man that threw my mother into prison.  That is the man that tried to make me blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus.  There he sits, a humble, contrite believer, receiving the bread and the wine in commemoration of the Lord who died."  What a wonderful fellowship!   H. A. Ironside

N.J. Hiebert - 9900

April 2

He (a certain Samaritan) set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and  took care of him.    (Luke 10:33,34)

A certain man went down from Jerusalem, to Jericho, the city of the curse.  But on the way he fell among thieves, who left him naked and wounded and half dead. A priest and a Levite passed by, but did nothing to help the wretched man.  Then came "a certain Samaritan", and as he journeyed, he came where he was; and he had compassion on him, and went right down into the ditch with him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine.  I am sure he clothed him with his own clothes and he put him on his own beast, and he took him to an inn.

Will there be room for him in this inn?  Yes, Thank God, there is room, abundance of room, for him: for the Greek name of this inn is pan-docheion: 'the place that receives all.'  Not one has ever been turned away from this inn.

Poverty, wretchedness, sin will never keep a person outside the inn called 'Pan-docheion.'  It is God's own inn.  Never yet has an applicant been told there is 'no room.'  It 'receives all'.  "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out," (John 6:37) is inscribed over that door. 

And this inn has a "Host," and the Spirit of God tells us His name: "Pan-docheus": "The person who receives all."  And the Samaritan only stayed a short time, for He went away the next day; but before He left, He promised to come back, and in the meantime, He left orders with the "Host": to take care of this poor man.  He left Him two pence, but added, Whatsoever Thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay Thee. Luke 10:35.

Since He only paid "two pence" the poor man knew that his good Friend meant to come again soon; and I am sure he kept watching down the road to see if He was coming. "Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.  (Revelation 22:20).  Hid Treasures - G. C. Willis

N.J. Hiebert - 9901

April 3

Gems from March 11- 20, 2025

[We] worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:3 

By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually.  Hebrews 13:15

Petition and praise are often mingled into worship, but properly speaking they alone do not constitute worship. "Lord, save me" is petition; "Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul," is praise; but "Thank you, Lord, for what you are" is worship.

Petition.  To illustrate, let us suppose that a person who cannot swim falls into a river.  As he struggles to save himself, he realizes how hopeless it is, and cries out from his heart,  "Help! help! Save me!"  This is petition.

Praise.  Suddenly, a well-dressed man appears and, risking his own life, without hesitation dives into the river and rescues the drowning man.  The response is overwhelming praise.  "How brave  you were in saving me!  How can I ever express my gratitude to you for saving my life!  Thank you, thank you!"  This illustrates what takes place when a sinner accepts Christ's substitutionary work on Calvary.  He is assured that he is saved from his sins' penalty and his soul is filled with joy and with praise for the One who saved him.

Worship.  Now the rescuer says, "Please come to my home tomorrow and dine with me so we can become better acquainted."  To his surprise his rescuer is wealthy!  Then during an excellent dinner, he becomes aware of his host's, nobility, kindness, graciousness, and humility--his moral character and true worth.  While he does not forget that his host was the rescuer, he now admires and appreciates what the rescuer is in himself.  The expression of this is worship.

We can never forget that Christ is our Saviour and has redeemed us at the cost of His blood, but as the Spirit reveals His character, we are increasingly able to worship Him.     The Lord is Near - 2007  A. P. Gibbs 

N.J. Hiebert - 9877

March 10

While He thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.   Luke 9:34 

This evening the clouds lay low on the mountains, so that some times we could hardly see them, and sometimes the stars were nearly all covered.  But always, just when it seemed as though the mountains were going to be quite lost in the mist, the higher peaks pushed out, and whereas the dimmer stars were veiled, the brighter ones shone through. 

Even supposing the clouds had wholly covered the face of the mountains, and not a star had shone through the piled-up masses, the mountains would still have stood steadfast, and the stars would not have ceased to shine.  Our feelings do not affect God's facts.  They may blow up like clouds and cover the eternal things that we do most truly believe.  We may not see the shining of the promises, but still they shine; and the strength of the hills that is His also, is not for one moment less because of our human weakness. 

How often we fear as we enter into some cloud of the unknown.  The unknown year--or perhaps only the unknown day, can make us fear.  Shall we be led through it, always caused to triumph? or shall we fail?  Or the cloud may be the sorrow which all of us know so well, the grief  (that fills the hour like a cloud) over some well-loved soul that has taken the wrong turn.  "They feared as they entered into the cloud."

But "there came a Voice out of the cloud saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him", and as we listen we hear.  To each heart comes the word it needs most at that moment, and often the first word will be, "Fear thou not", and with the words will come an assurance of His Presence, or a promise of His succour.  "And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone." (Luke 9:36)  Edges of His ways - Amy Carmichael

N.J. Hiebert - 9878

March 11

She laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. . . .  They spit in His face, and buffeted Him; and others smote Him with the palms of their hands . . . [Pilate]  scourged Jesus, and he delivered Him to be crucified.  Luke 2:7 Matthew 26:67,27:26   

EYEWITNESSES OF HIS MAJESTY 
The common, overwhelming picture we have of Christ in the Gospels is that of the despised, lowly, suffering Servant; however, we do find occasional glimpses of His divine glory and majesty:

1.  Even while the infant Jesus was lying in a feed trough in a dark and dirty stable, the glory of the Lord shone down to reveal to the shepherds the glory and majesty that belonged to this wondrous Being (Luke 2:9-14); 
2.  Later, the wise men visited Jesus and worshipped Him Matthew 2:1-11;
3.  Peter confessed Him as  "the Christ, the Son of the living God"
Matthew 16:16;
4. The centurion exclaimed, Truly this Man was the Son of God Mark 15:39,

These people accorded to Jesus the honour and place that were rightfully His even though He did not make an outward display of glory and majesty.

But we do find one instance in the Gospels of His divine glory and majesty breaking through the veil of His humanity.   We read that "He was transfigured" before Peter, James and John (Matthew 17:2-5).  This is the scene Peter refers to in (2 Peter 1:16-18) "We. . . were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

The more we meditate upon the glory, the majesty of our Lord, the more deeply we are impressed with how worthy He is to receive from our lives continual honour, glory, praise, adoration, worship, and obedience. P. L. Canner

N.J. Hiebert - 9879

March 12

Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. 

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 
Psalm 4:7,8. 

Where there is peace, such peace as peace wth God and conscience, there can want no pleasure.  David goes merry to bed, when he had nothing to eat but the gladness that God by this puts into his heart, and promises himself a better night's rest than any of them all, that are feasted with the world's cheer.

This same peace with God, enjoyed in the conscience, redounds to the comfort of the body.  Now David can sleep sweetly, when he lies on a hard bed; what here he says he would do, he has done, "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me."  Psalm  3:5

The title of this psalm (A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.), tells us when David had this sweet night's rest; not when he laid in his bed of down in his stately palace at Jerusalem, but when he fled for his life from his unnatural son Absalom, and possibly was forced to lie in the open field, under the canopy of heaven.

The great care that Christ took for His disciples, when He left the world, was not to leave them a quiet world to live in, but to arm them against a troublesome world: He bequeaths unto them His peace.  
The Christian in Compete Armour - William Gurnall (1617-1679)

In Jesus for peace I abide, and as I keep  close to His side,
There  is nothing but peace doth betide, sweet peace, the gift of God's love.
P. P. Bilhorn

N.J. Hiebert - 9880

March 13

Exercise thyself rather unto godliness, For bodily exercise profiteth little (a little while) but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.  1 Timothy 4:7,8

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize?  So run, that ye may obtain.  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.  I therefore so run.  1 Corinthians 9:25,26  

Three things to remember when running the race.  The first is, while running get your instructions from your Trainer.  "Let not your peace be in the mouths of men." (Amy Carmichael)  Listen only to what the Trainer says.

The second is, when running the race endeavour to keep your mouth closed, otherwise it will get dry.  "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, . . . this man's religion is vain."  James 4:26  Oh, what trouble a backbiting tongue causes!  It is a sad fact that so many people who once ran so well have got their mouth wide open, as they lag behind.  Their tongues are very much like a wasp's sting and leave the poison the devil has given them, wherever they touch.  Yes, put the bridle of self-restraint in your mouth, and keep your mouth tight shut.

The third is--never look behind.  I have seen races lost by the man turning round to look behind him to see what the other racers were doing.  As the man turned he has lost his step; it has been but a little, but the man with his eye straight before him has just caught up and passed him.
 
The runner, if he be wise, will "forget those things which are behind."  Having his eyes fixed upon the goal, he will see that all that irrevocable past, really repented of, is under the blood, and he will "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 3:14,15) 
(The Christian Athlete - George Clarke 1887)      

N.J. Hiebert - 9881

March 14

Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.  Joshua 1:9.

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest, . . . it is here  wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here.  And David said, There is none like that; give it me.  1 Samuel 21:9

If our Lord does not despair of us, we must not despair of ourselves.  A teacher has no chance with a despairing child, nor has a doctor with a despairing patient.  If the child says "I can't" often enough, it simply cannot, and nothing any one can do can help. 

So we must not say, "I can't.  Others can, but they are different.  It is not in me to conquer.  I shall be defeated to the end."

That is folly, and treachery too, for it is disbelieving the word of our God.  His word is always, "fear not; you can."  Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage.   Is there one discouraging word in our Bible?  Not one.

Try using Bible words as a sword with which to fight the devil of discouragement.  There is none like that; give it me, David said about the sword of Goliath the Philistine.  How much more may we say about the strong word of our God: "There is none like that; give it me." 

Ask, and He will.     Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael

N.J. Hiebert - 9882

March 15

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him.  Acts 7:9 

This is one of the many "But Gods" in the Bible that spell quite a difference.  Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt, but God was with him.  Joseph himself put it this way: "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good"  (Genesis  50:20). What men thought was overruled by what God wrought.  "Man proposes but God disposes."

"He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Hebrews 13:5,6).

No plotting of men, no combinations of circumstances can defeat the man who has God as his helper.  Here is the secret of many a life, conspired against by ill health, poverty, evil men, foes in the household, the world, the flesh and the devil,  but victorious, anyway--God was with Him. 

The devil and men often overstep themselves, sell Joseph into Egypt, but God makes him Prime Minister!  "If God be for us, who can be against us?"  (Romans 8:31)

And even in the last dark chapter we need not tremble at our adversary, but triumph with our Ally--"I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." (Psalm 23:4)

But God was with him.  What a difference that makes!
Day By Day with Vance Havner

N.J. Hiebert - 9883

March 16

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Genesis 6:5 

What God had done Himself was "very good," (Genesis 1:31) and He made man for His glory.  But what glory had man rendered to God?  The earth, where man was to have been God's representative, he had "filled with violence," "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5).  "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence"  (Genesis 6:11). It might well repent God that He had made man, and it might well grieve Him at His heart!

The "very good" has passed away.  The image of God and His likeness has gone for ever for the first  man, and it repented God that He had made him.  It is only judgment that could fall upon such a scene as this--the righteous judgment of a holy God upon man, who had filled the earth with violence, and whose wickedness was great.

"I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth," (Genesis 6:7) said Jehovah. "But Noah  found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8). "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Hebrews 11:7). 

He who believes what God has said, because God, who cannot lie, has said it, honours God; and He says:
"Them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." (1 Samuel 2:30)
The Ways of God With Man - W. M. Sibthorpe

N.J. Hiebert - 9884

March 17

If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  1 John 1:9

"If any man sin" it means, if any man commit a sin at a given point of time, what then?  According to the thought that some have, that immediately severs the link that binds the believer to Christ.  Oh No.  If that were true, not one of us would have the assurance that he was really a Christian for an hour at a time; but see, there are two links that bind us to Christ.

First there is the link of union.  That link is so strong that the weight of the world could not break it.  Our blessed Lord Himself said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life: and they shall never perish" (John 10:27,28).  Nothing can ever break that link when once it has been formed by the Spirit of God.  But there is another link that binds the believer to the Lord, and that is the link of communion.  

We speak of the finished work of Christ, and rightly so.  Our blessed Lord as He hung upon the cross cried, "IT IS FINISHED," John 19:30 and bowed His head and dismissed His spirit. Here the work that saves our guilty souls was completed.  "Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him" Ecclesiastes 3:14. That finished work of Christ stands alone in its absolute perfection, and on that finished work we may rest our souls.

It is finished, yes, indeed; finished, every jot!
Sinner, this is all you need! Tell me, is it not?"  

So it is with our God and Father.  Sin does not touch the question of relationship, but it does touch communion, or fellowship; but our blessed Lord is in the presence of God the Father to plead for His people, and as as a result of His advocacy we are  brought to repent and confess, and He graciously restores our souls.  H. A. Ironside 

N.J. Hiebert - 9885

March 18

Then came Jesus forth wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe.  Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him.  Pilate saith unto them, Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault in Him. The Jews answered him, we have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.  (John 19:5-7) 

What a sad misconception of both Pilate and the Jewish people in evaluating this glorious person, Jesus Christ!  Pilate, under Caesar, the appointed governor of this tiny captive nation, presents Jesus as a mere man: yet there was something peculiar, something special about this Man.  Pilate would rather not have had to make any decision concerning the life of this Person, but he was forced to.  And ever since that time everyone has had to make a personal decision about Christ.  Either he accepts Him as Saviour, or rejects Him.  Thereby he determines the eternal status of his own soul.

The Jewish leaders were very religious, but were spiritually as bankrupt and dead as the law they promoted and claimed to keep.  They called Him a man who "made Himself Son of God," When in actuality He was the Son of God who had become Man! ". . . And the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:1,14).  Jesus Christ first of all was God, the Eternal Son, sharing all the inherent glories of the God-head; then He became Man, sharing all the temptations peculiar to us, but without sin.

The holiness and sinlessness of His holy nature qualified Him as Man to die a substitutionary death for our sins.  He, the Holy One, hated and abhorred sin: yet as Man He was made sin for us and was judged accordingly.  Oh what a Saviour is Jesus the Lord!      T. Van Ryn 

Oh! what a Saviour is Jesus the Lord,
Well might His name by His saints be adored!
He has redeemed them from hell by His blood,
Saved them for ever, and brought them to God.  

N.J. Hiebert - 9886

March 19

"I am crucified with Christ."  Galatians 2:20

So wondrous--so real--so perfect, is our oneness with Christ, the church's Head, that the apostle says, "I am crucified with Christ." And of all Christians he says, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him."  And in different parts of scripture, he speaks of it under seven distinct aspects, which give us the idea of divine completeness. 

1.We are crucified together. 
2. Quickened together. 
3. Raised up together.
4. Seated together. 
5. Heirs together. 
6. Sufferers together. 
7. Glorified together. 

And so precious to the heart of Jesus is this oneness, or identity of the church with Himself, that in each place where our future state is spoken of in scripture, it is defined as being with Christ. 

"Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise."  "Absent from the body, present with the Lord."  "Having a desire to depart  to be with Christ, which is far better."  "And so shall we ever be with the Lord."  "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."  Amen!

This is rest, perfect rest, to the heart for ever.  Refreshed, as if bathed in the ocean of His shoreless love, return to thy meditations on the beautiful Song of Songs, yet still to dwell on the volume of His heart, which only loves.
Song of Solomon - Andrew Miller -1810-1883

N.J. Hiebert - 9887

March 20

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  Isaiah 40:31

The chapter from which the above words are taken is full of wonderful contrasts.  God is presented to us in the completeness of His power and majesty, and yet in the most tender, gracious light conceivable. It is this combination which is so marvellous. 

He feeds "His flock like a shepherd," and yet, "He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand:  He gathers the lambs in His arm and carries them in His bosom;" yet He "weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance; and nations before Him are as nothing;"  He "sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers."  No wonder the question is raised, "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." 

In this combination of qualities; how a God so immense that He fills all things; so great that He is above and beyond all things; so powerful that He supports all things, can accommodate Himself to creatures such as we?  How He who has a universe to uphold and care for can concern Himself with our affairs; and how a Being, who in one respect is so distant, can also be so near?

Yet such is God as He is presented to us in this chapter; complete in power and majesty, and yet, mindful of His creatures, and actually making Himself the servant of their needs.  His resources are endless, yet they are at our disposal. His promise is: 

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

Wait upon the Lord, tarrying in His presence--to learn His mind, to hear His message, and to receive His strength?  Russell Elliott - Angels in White

N.J. Hiebert - 9888

March 21

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone:
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit".  John 12:24   

Life out of death 

The seed in an acorn, ever so small
Dies to produce the next oak so tall. 
An example of Jesus who died one day,
Then rose again to open the way.

Witnesses saw and recorded their news,
"He is risen again", said hundreds of Jews.
Never before had this been made true,
God raised Him up for me and for you.

An empty tomb, the evidence plain,
Stone rolled away, so hard to explain,
Unless it was by God's power alone,
Approving the work of the Lord to atone.

We deserved death, there was no other way,
Until Jesus died to take death away.
Resurrection day put the seal on His work,
Not one suspicion can dare to lurk. 

Life everlasting is what we now gain,
If we believe, not one sin will remain.
Christ led the way to the glory above.
We soon will follow, led by His love.

What can we say but "Thank-you, Lord",
For being so true to your written Word.
Risen with Christ, our new life begun.
Living with Him in the place He has won.
Lorne Perry

N.J. Hiebert - 9889

March 22

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  Ephesians 3:19

The Lord that I have known as laying down His life for me, is the same Lord I have to do with every day of my life, and all His dealings with me are on the same principles of grace.  How precious, how strengthening it is to know that Jesus is at this moment feeling and exercising the same love towards me as when He died on the cross for me.

His death opened the flood-gates, in order that the full tide of love might flow over poor sinners.

(1 Corinthians 11:26)  Impossible to find two words, the bringing together of which has so important a meaning, the death of the Lord.  How many things are comprised in that He who is called the Lord had died!  What love!  what purposes! what efficacy! what results!

O Jesus, Lord, who loved me like to Thee?
Fruit of Thy work, with Thee, too, there to see
Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll,
Myself the prize and travail of Thy soul. 

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  (Ephesians 3:19)

O what rest for the poor soul when he sees he has to do with One who has conquered all enemies for him. Before he came to the consciousness of this, the book of his daily transgressions appeared to ascend up before God, black with the catalogue of his offences, on every leaf of which was written, Sin, sin, sin; but now these blackened characters are effaced, and on each page is transcribed in letters of blood, in the blood of God's dear Lamb, Love, love, love.  Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - J.N.D. 

N.J. Hiebert - 9890

March 23