Gems from May 21- 23, 2026

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . .In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.  and the light shineth in the darkness: and the darkness comprehended it not.  

John 1:1, 4, 5. 

Not long ago a friend of mine was preaching in this town to a very large audience.  At the close of the meeting, I came in contact with an excessively intelligent, and withal earnest young fellow, one of your own set.  I got into conversation with him, and asked him if he were saved.  He said, "How can I know?"  "Well," I replied, "I know that I am saved, thank God.  Don't you know it?"  "No," he replied, "but I am doing my best to live a proper, moral, straight, and square life."  "Quite right," I said, "that is exactly what you should do." 

"Won't that have some weight with God?" he asked.  "Won't that curry favour with God?"  "Well," I said, "stop a moment.  Will your life compare with the life of Jesus?" He thought a minute, and then said, "What do you mean?"  I mean this--Do you think your life will compare with the life of Jesus?"  After thinking a little, he replied, "I could not say that.  I am doing my best to live a moral, proper and square life, but I cannot say that it could compare with that of Jesus." 

Well then, "I said, "you won't do for God; because only one Man will suit Him, and that is Jesus; He is the truth.  He is what man should be.  A man should be holy, spotless, sinless, undefiled, absolutely devoted and true to God.  That is what Jesus was."  He thought a moment, and then turning round sharply to me, said, "If what you say is true, every man is lost."  "Yes," I said, "you have hit the nail on the head this time.  That is exactly what Scripture says.  Every man is lost, and 'the Son of Man is come to seek, and to save that which was lost.'  (Luke 19:10) 
Seekers For Light - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.

N.J. Hiebert - 20314

May 20

If any man thirst, let him come unto ME, and drink.  He that believeth on ME, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  John 7:37,38. 

I saw that it was a matter of thirsting, coming, drinking, believing, overflowing.  There was no great emotional experience, but just as I had trusted Christ as my Saviour, so by simple faith I received the the Holy Spirit, Who dwells within. 

It has been said that the two words "believe"  and "receive" are the hardest for most people to spell correctly, because it is "ie" in one and "ei" in the other.  Surely, in Christian experience they are slowly learned by so many of us, and yet they are the key words in the language of things spiritual. 

To as many as RECEIVE Him our Lord gives the right to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE on His name.  What things soever we desire when we pray, we are to BELIEVE that we RECEIVE them, and we shall have them.  And Jesus spoke of the Spirit  which they that BELIEVE on Him should RECEIVE. 

Believe and receive the Saviour, God's gift of love divine.
And Christ and heaven and glory shall evermore be thine.

Believe and receive the Saviour, forth to the conflict go,
With the Word, the sword of the Spirit, to meet the advancing foe.

Go forth in the Spirit's  power, in the all-prevailing name
Of Christ, the world's Redeemer, His Gospel to proclaim. 

Chorus: Believe and receive the Saviour, for you His blood was shed;
He took your sins upon Him, and suffered in your stead.  
J. Ward Childs

N.J. Hiebert - 20315

May 21

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee... Psalm 55:22 

Two young Christian men who lived many years ago were walking from their small village through the country side, heading towards another village where they planned to earn some money helping with the fall harvesting of crops.  As they walked, they came to a wide river.  There was no bridge in that particular location but since the river was shallow, people who needed to cross  at that place often waded through the water.  The two young men decided to do the same thing. 

When they came to the river they saw an elderly woman sitting at the edge of the water.  She had come from the village with a bundle of food and some other supplies.  She was quite downcast because since there was no bridge, with the weight of her burdens, she was now afraid to try to wade back across the river, fearing she would lose her balance. 

The first young man kindly spoke to her.  "We will be glad to carry you across with your bundle, if you would like us to do that."  The old lady was very grateful,  "Oh, thank you so much" she said.  "I would very much appreciate your help."  The two young men joined hands together and carefully lifted the elderly woman and her bundle between them. They slowly walked through the river, carrying her to the other side.  They put her down on the opposite shore and she heartily thanked them as she continued on her journey.

After the two had walked about a mile, the second young man began to complain.   "Look at my shoes and pants" he said.  "They are wet and stained from carrying that woman across the river.  Besides, my back is very stiff and hurts from lifting her."  The first young man just smiled and nodded.  After four more miles the second man began to complain again.  "My back is really hurting--all because we had to carry that silly old woman across the river!  I can't continue" he said  "as he lay down moaning.  The first man looked at him and asked; "Do you wonder why I'm not complaining?  You're back hurts because you're still carrying that woman. I set her down five miles ago."  The Christian Shepherd - December 2017

N.J. Hiebert - 20316

May 22

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.  Mark 2:22

No man puts new wine into old wine-skins; else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perishes, and the skins: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins. 

The reference is to the custom of using leather bottles, made of skins, for carrying wine, and to the fact that new wine, by its increasing fermentation, would burst "old skins," which were already stretched, or worn thin by age.

So, as Jesus suggested, it would be impossible for the old forms and ceremonies of Judaism to contain the spirit of religion as taught by Him.  Christianity cannot be comprehended by any system of rites and observances, it cannot be bound up by any set of rules and requirements, it is not to be confused with any ritual.

Its very essence is a new life, imparted by faith in Christ; it controls men, not by rules but by motives; its symbol is not a fast, but a feast, for its pervasive spirit is joy.  If Christianity was to have any forms, they must be new; the followers of Christ could not be bound by the fasts and other observances which had been invented or multiplied by Jewish formalists and Pharisees.
The Gospel of Mark - Charles R. Erdman

N.J. Hiebert - 20317

May 23

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. 
Proverbs 21:4

As long as man persists in rebellion against God, he can do nothing that will be acceptable in His sight.  Not only are lofty eyes and a proud heart evil, but even what might otherwise be meritorious is sin while man refuses to bow in repentance before Him.

Let a province rebel against its lawful ruler, the inhabitants may carry on many useful occupations and labour diligently in them, but all are tainted with sedition, so cannot be considered profitable or right.

When they laid down their weapons at the feet of the king, and own his sway, these same occupations become pleasing and proper in his sight.  So it is with man away from God, and with those who turn to Him in contrition of heart.  See the Holy Spirit's estimate of Israel while God's anointed is rejected.
(Roman's 10:1-3)  Proverbs - H. A. Ironside

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:1-3) 

The perfect righteousness of God is witnessed in the Saviour's blood;
'Tis in the cross of Christ we trace His righteousness, yet wondrous grace.

God could not pass the sinner by, His sin demands that He must die;
But in the cross of Christ we see how God can save, yet righteous be. 

The sinner who believes is free, can say, "The Saviour died for me:"
Can point to the atoning blood, and say, "This made my peace with God."   

N.J. Hiebert - 20318

May 24

In My Father's house are many mansions.  John 14:2 

Their earthly sun was sinking, but the stars were coming out in the in the sky to tell of a greater and and a grander universe.  Somewhere in that great universe, in the infinite realms of space, God has a place which He calls His "Home"; a house of many mansions, to which, one by one, He welcomes His children; and to which, sooner or later, He shall conduct all who are His.

"My Father's house!  No strange and foreign land;
No wonderful new world, too coldly grand;
But Home--and a Father's outstretched, welcoming hand"

Those whose experiences in this world have made them conscious of homelessness and loneliness, can look forward to mansions of eternal rest.  Meantime, they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth: strangers because they are from Home; pilgrims because they are going home. 

"I will come again, and receive you unto Myself" John 14:3.  It is the personal presence of the Lord Jesus that elicits the affections, and brings abiding rest to the heart.  John 14:3 tells us of the One  Who is coming to conduct us Home;  1John 3:2, of the transformation which takes place when we shall see Him face to face. 

1Thessalonians 4:17 assures us that we shall be with Him always; and Psalms 17:15, that when these things shall become an accomplished facts, we shall be abundantly and everlastingly satisfied. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us; but the childlike acceptance of it is as being literally true, will send us joyfully along the pathway of Christian discipleship.

"Until at last when earth's day's work is ended,
We meet Thee in the blessed realms above
From whence Thou camest,  where Thou hast ascended,
Thy everlasting Home of peace and love.  The Last Words - Henry Durbanville  

N.J. Hiebert - 20319

May 25

By faith Abraham...offered up Isaac...his only begotten son...accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. Hebrews 11:17-19 

In Abraham we have a picture of God the Father who was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son for our sins. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. (Romans 8:32)  The heartache that Abraham experienced as he and Isaac journeyed toward Mount Moriah gives us only a small glimpse of God's heartache as He walked with His perfect Son to a mountain called Calvary. 

The depth of God's love for us is shown in His willingness to give His beloved Son in sacrifice for us--with no strings attached.  What a startling picture of God's great love for sinners!

In Isaac we see our Lord Jesus as the perfect Son, completely obedient to the Father's will.  The fact that Isaac, who was at least a strong teenager at the time, allowed Abraham to bind him and put him on the altar enhances the picture of the willingness of Christ to go to the cross for us.  Isaac was unaware of what lay ahead, but our Lord was fully aware of what lay ahead as He walked together with the Father toward Calvary.

And yet "He steadfastly set HIs face to go to Jerusalem." (Luke 9:51)  Never has there been such a determined love as that which was demonstrated in our Lord's steadfast walk to that cross which He knew lay before Him.    He knew that there He would be painfully crucified and would suffer the awful judgment of God for our sins.  In Isaac we catch, in picture form, a small glimpse of the perfect Son submissive to the known will of the Father.

Thus we have here what is probably one of the clearest types of the sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.   D. R. Reid

N.J. Hiebert - 20320

May 26

May 27

Gems from May 11- 20, 2026

A  TRUE  SERVANT  DOES  NOT  ATTRACT  ATTENTION  TO  HIMSELF 

God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Galatians 6:14 

Daniel could have used the crisis in the palace of Babylon as an opportunity to glorify himself, he studiously avoids doing so.  Daniel told the king, "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh know to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the later days. ...But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living. Daniel 2:28.30  Daniel made it his business to ensure that he was given no credit for the revelation, and that glory was ascribed to God alone.  

We are living in days when men vie with each other for a place in the lime light.  Whether it be in the political arena, the sports field, or wherever, man is always striving for self-glorification.  Sadly this spirit is also at work among the people of God. Remember when the Lord was nearing the cross and the disciples were striving among themselves as to "who should be the greatest" (Mark 9:34). 

As the servants of God we cannot allow ourselves to be caught up in the frenzied attempt to get the glory.  We have to remind ourselves constantly that, at best, we are only servants.  The Apostle Paul grasped this when he tells us that everything that man would count as a credit towards self, he counted but dung. 

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ...and do count them but dung that I may win Christ...let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:7,8) - (2:5), and he went on to describe the downward path taken by the Lord Jesus, which culminated in the cross. 
 
May God grant us the same spirit of self-effacement that we see in Daniel,  refusing to take any glory to ourselves.  We are but bond-slaves.  The glory belongs to Him whom we serve, and to Him alone.  W Burnett - Daniel

N.J. Hiebert - 20305

May 11

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him.  

Matthew 17:5

God's beloved Son, the Author of life, entered a scene of disease and death but remained untainted, unspotted, flawless and faultless.  He took on Himself human flesh, partook of our humanity and unresistingly went to Gethsemane, Gabbatha (John 19:13) and Golgotha. 

There He would make reconciliation between a righteous God and the fallen man He had created in His image!
Drew  Craig   

Lamb of God!  when we behold Thee
Lowly in the manger laid;
Wandering as a homeless stranger 
In the world Thy hands had made;
When we see Thee in the garden 
In Thine agony of blood,
At Thy grace we are confounded,
Holy, spotless Lamb of God!

When we see Thee as the Victim 
Nailed to the accursèd tree,
For our guilt and folly stricken,
All our judgment borne by Thee,
Lord, we own, with hearts adoring,
Thou hast washed us in Thy blood:
Glory, glory everlasting,
Be to Thee, Thou Lamb of God!
J. G. Deck

N.J. Hiebert - 20306

May 12

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 

Not only has my Saviour paid my mighty debt, but He has bought me.  I am His, altogether His, and His only.  What love!  What grace!   How can I doubt Him?  Yet this is what the Galatians were doing. 

God is satisfied with that price, but the senseless Galatians had forgotten.  And they wanted to add their own works, circumcision, and the law, to the price that Christ had paid.

If I owe a mighty debt, and my friend pays every cent of it for me, and hands me the receipt, how can I add a further payment?  This is what the Galatians were doing. If a man pays a great price to set a slave free, why should the freed slave add to the price that is already completed?  But this is what the Galatians were doing.       

They could not, or they would not, trust to Christ alone.  They wish to add their own wretched works.  "O foolish (senseless) Galatians!" (Galatians 3:1) . 

This salvation was all "according to the will of our God and Father."  On the one hand "Christ gave Himself," (Galatians 2:20) on the other hand "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. (John 3:16)  

They have one mind in rescuing poor lost sinners.  Well may the Apostle exclaim, "To whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen!" (Galatians 1:5)    Gladly do we who believe  also say "Amen"    
Meditations on Galatians - G.C. Willis 

 N.J. Hiebert - 20307

May 13

God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16.

ORIGINAL TITANIC BOARDING PASS: "Designed by the elite in engineering, built by the best in the business, and crewed by the cream of the White Star line, this new ship incorporates the very latest advances in science and technology and features every modern convenience to ensure you the ultimate in SAFETY and comfort.  Enjoy your voyage - Edward J. Smith, Captain"
  
In April 1912 the passengers and crew of the famous and ill-fated Titanic, set out from Southhampton, England--bound for New York, USA--with very high expectations.  For a few days, all went well.  Then, disaster!  On April 15, the ship struck an iceberg in the dead of night and sank in less than three hours--and more than two-thirds of the 2,224 people who had been aboard went down with the ship.

They made elaborate plans.  They set out with great expectation--only to meet with disappointment, or worse.  How many of the Titanic passengers would have abandoned the ship before it sailed had they known that the ship was doomed.  They believed what they had read and heard.  And, had they heard otherwise, would they have believed it?  This world is a doomed ship--just as certainly as the Titanic 

Men have tried their best and done their worst.  Many today are desperately occupied with trying to improve a world which they recognize is in very bad shape and getting worse. Scientists, politicians abound with suggestions, and many around us are making frantic efforts to plug the holes and to paint the ship.  Others are just as desperately pursuing passing pleasures--apparently indifferent to current conditions and to coming catastrophe.  All are doomed--by sin.

"There is is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that seeketh after God....There is none  that doeth good, no, not one. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10-12, 23).   

Because of sin, this world, and everybody in it, faces judgment: "God commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by the that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He raised Him from the dead" Acts 17:30-31  The Titanic did not have adequate lifeboats and there was no help at hand when the ship went down.  But because Jesus died and rose again, there is hope and immediate help.  He is worthy of your trust.  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31)   BTP, Adapted

N.J. Hiebert - 20308

May 14

Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.  Mark 6:31

It should be recognized once for all that the laws of nature are the will of God for the body; and that if we violate these laws knowingly or unknowingly we will suffer.  Soul and body are so strangely and so strongly interlinked that undue strain on any one of them vitally affects the other. 

Now, since manual work builds up the muscles, and mental work wears out the nerves, it is found that those who suffer most from dejection are the people who have excessive sedentary and brain work.  The monotony and strain of their daily tasks have the effect of lowering the vitality of the body, and of damping the ardour of their sprits; and these in turn blur the outlook and darken the sky, depress the mind and sadden the heart.

But despondency is not limited to such.  The courageous Elijah faced over eight hundred of the enemies of God (1 Kings 18:19) and did so unflinchingly (verse 27).  And yet, when the ordeal was over, the inevitable reaction came even to him.  "He went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, 'It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.' " (19:4).

But see how tenderly God dealt with him, providing just what he needed--rest and food (verses 5-8). Ah! our Maker remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14; Genesis 2:7); it is we who forget it and act as if we, were made of iron.  After a season of strenuous activity, the Master said to his disciples:"Come ye...rest awhile (Mark 6:31).  And possibly all that is needed to lift from the life of any one of us the gloom and heaviness that have fallen upon it, is a little change and holiday in the country.

If the reader is indoors all day, exercise in the fresh air, if possible is indispensable to the maintenance of health.  Of the various forms of recreation none can exceed in utility work in the garden.  Contact with the soil--digging, pruning, planting, watering--gives the body just the exercise which it needs, and reacts most helpfully on mind and heart and nerves.  Heaven's Cure for Earth's Care - George Henderson

N.J. Hiebert - 20309

May 15

David went on going and growing, and the Lord . . . was with him. 

2 Samuel  5:10

When a believer stops going he ceases growing also. There must be obedience to the truth of God, a "going" on in the ways that be in Christ, as they are learned from His Word.  No shirking of the cross that obedience often brings with it, but steady "going and growing" steadily and constantly. 

They are the happy saints who thus go on growing, and they are fruitful ones too.  They are not toppled over with every wind, for they grow like the cedar in Lebanon, striking down their roots deeper every year, and flourish like the palm tree, evergreen, amid burning deserts.   J. Ritchie

The cedar boughs once touched the grass;
But every year they grew
A little farther from the ground
And nearer to the blue.
So live that that you may each year be,
While time glides swiftly by,
A little farther from the earth,
And nearer to the sky.

N.J. Hiebert  - 20310

May 16

THE  WORD  OF  GOD  AND  PRAYER

Mary . . . sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word. Luke 10:39
Lord teach us to pray.  Luke 11:1 

The principle of all prevailing intercession lies in the soul entering into the thoughts of God and turning them into prayer. 

"Pray for them which despitefully use you." (Luke 6:28)  If a brother treats you coldly, if a sister speaks against you, do you make it your habit to pray for them?  Oh, how different we would be, if we thus bare one another up before the Lord. 

Luther said, "To pray well is to study well," and we may add, to preach well. 

All that is outside of the Bible, all that presumes to come into competition with it and challenges the ears of men, is but a sea, an unformed mass, of opinions and reasonings.  How welcome therefore to the soul, wearied in its quest after some stable foundation on which to rest in view of death and eternity, is the immutable basis laid for faith in the infallible scriptures. 

If we would be preserved from the snares of mysticism and imagination the Word of God must be the basis of our contemplations.  Resting on the Word . . . we are on a sure rock, against which all the waves of error dash themselves only to be scattered as mist and foam. 

The unchanging God imparts His own character to His own truth, and it thus abides through all times as changeless in its perfections as He whose word it is.  Footprints for Pilgrims - Edward Dennett

N.J. Hiebert - 20311

May 17

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.  1 Timothy 4:9-10 

It was because of his piety that the Apostle can say, "for this we labour and suffer reproach". We may be prepared to labour and be prominent before men, and thus labour and gain applause, or labour to exalt self.  But if piety is behind our labour, it will inevitably mean labour and reproach. 

The Apostle proceeds to show that the spring of piety is confidence in God.  We trust in the living God Who is the preserver of all men, specially of those that believe.  Piety is that individual confidence in God that takes up every circumstance of life in relation to God.

The unregenerate man leaves God out of his life; the believer recognizes God in all the details of life and thankfully receives, and uses, every mercy that God places within his reach, without abusing the mercies.  Thus piety is the antidote to all the evil influences of the latter days.

Personal precepts for the Servant of the Lord (Vv 11-16) 

(Vv 11,12).  These things Timothy was to enjoin and teach.  Being a young man he was to be specially on his guard against any assumption or youthful pride that would mar his testimony by leading him to be despised because of his youth.   

If his exhortations and instructions to others were to be effectual, he would have, in his life, to be "a model of the believers" -- "in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity".  Alas! how often we mar our testimony through failing to exhibit these beautiful qualities of Christ.  If the truths we teach do not affect our own lives, can we expect our teaching to affect others?    1 Timothy - Hamilton Smith.

N.J. Hiebert - 20312

May 18

Such mighty works are wrought by His hands.  Mark 6:2 
And He could there do no mighty work.  Mark 6:5 

Many people knew what the Lord could do (vs. 2) but only a few sick folk were healed that day (vs. 5).  Instead of believing what they knew to be true and being blessed, they chose their own reasoning, and were impoverished. 

We, as believers, know what He has done with His hands--especially when they were nailed to a cross on our behalf! Psalm 111:7 says, "The works of His hands are verity and judgment." In truth and judgment, He brought salvation and consequently "Thou hast made Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands." (Psalm 8:6).  Let us thank Him today for His mighty work. E.N. 

Before Thy throne my Surety stands, 
My name is written on His hands.   
Charles Wesley 

When we survey the wondrous cross on which the Lord of glory died,
Our richest gain we count but loss, and pour contempt on all our pride. 

Forbid it, Lord, that we should boast, Save in the death of Christ, our God;
All the vain things that charm us most, We'd sacrifice them to His blood. 

There from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flowed mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?   

Were the whole realm of nature ours, that were an offering far too small;
Love that transcends our highest powers, Demands our soul, our life, our all.
Isaac Watts 

N.J. Hiebert - 20313

May 19

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . .In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.  and the light shineth in the darkness: and the darkness comprehended it not.  

John 1:1, 4, 5. 

Not long ago a friend of mine was preaching in this town to a very large audience.  At the close of the meeting, I came in contact with an excessively intelligent, and withal earnest young fellow, one of your own set.  I got into conversation with him, and asked him if he were saved.  He said, "How can I know?"  "Well," I replied, "I know that I am saved, thank God.  Don't you know it?"  "No," he replied, "but I am doing my best to live a proper, moral, straight, and square life."  "Quite right," I said, "that is exactly what you should do." 

"Won't that have some weight with God?" he asked.  "Won't that curry favour with God?"  "Well," I said, "stop a moment.  Will your life compare with the life of Jesus?" He thought a minute, and then said, "What do you mean?"  I mean this--Do you think your life will compare with the life of Jesus?"  After thinking a little, he replied, "I could not say that.  I am doing my best to live a moral, proper and square life, but I cannot say that it could compare with that of Jesus." 

Well then, "I said, "you won't do for God; because only one Man will suit Him, and that is Jesus; He is the truth.  He is what man should be.  A man should be holy, spotless, sinless, undefiled, absolutely devoted and true to God.  That is what Jesus was."  He thought a moment, and then turning round sharply to me, said, "If what you say is true, every man is lost."  "Yes," I said, "you have hit the nail on the head this time.  That is exactly what Scripture says.  Every man is lost, and 'the Son of Man is come to seek, and to save that which was lost.'  (Luke 19:10) 
Seekers For Light - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.

N.J. Hiebert - 20314

May 20

If any man thirst, let him come unto ME, and drink.  He that believeth on ME, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  John 7:37,38. 

I saw that it was a matter of thirsting, coming, drinking, believing, overflowing.  There was no great emotional experience, but just as I had trusted Christ as my Saviour, so by simple faith I received the the Holy Spirit, Who dwells within. 

It has been said that the two words "believe"  and "receive" are the hardest for most people to spell correctly, because it is "ie" in one and "ei" in the other.  Surely, in Christian experience they are slowly learned by so many of us, and yet they are the key words in the language of things spiritual. 

To as many as RECEIVE Him our Lord gives the right to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE on His name.  What things soever we desire when we pray, we are to BELIEVE that we RECEIVE them, and we shall have them.  And Jesus spoke of the Spirit  which they that BELIEVE on Him should RECEIVE. 

Believe and receive the Saviour, God's gift of love divine.
And Christ and heaven and glory shall evermore be thine.

Believe and receive the Saviour, forth to the conflict go,
With the Word, the sword of the Spirit, to meet the advancing foe.

Go forth in the Spirit's  power, in the all-prevailing name
Of Christ, the world's Redeemer, His Gospel to proclaim. 

Chorus: Believe and receive the Saviour, for you His blood was shed;
He took your sins upon Him, and suffered in your stead.  
J. Ward Childs

N.J. Hiebert - 20315

May 21

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee... Psalm 55:22 

Two young Christian men who lived many years ago were walking from their small village through the country side, heading towards another village where they planned to earn some money helping with the fall harvesting of crops.  As they walked, they came to a wide river.  There was no bridge in that particular location but since the river was shallow, people who needed to cross  at that place often waded through the water.  The two young men decided to do the same thing. 

When they came to the river they saw an elderly woman sitting at the edge of the water.  She had come from the village with a bundle of food and some other supplies.  She was quite downcast because since there was no bridge, with the weight of her burdens, she was now afraid to try to wade back across the river, fearing she would lose her balance. 

The first young man kindly spoke to her.  "We will be glad to carry you across with your bundle, if you would like us to do that."  The old lady was very grateful,  "Oh, thank you so much" she said.  "I would very much appreciate your help."  The two young men joined hands together and carefully lifted the elderly woman and her bundle between them. They slowly walked through the river, carrying her to the other side.  They put her down on the opposite shore and she heartily thanked them as she continued on her journey.

After the two had walked about a mile, the second young man began to complain.   "Look at my shoes and pants" he said.  "They are wet and stained from carrying that woman across the river.  Besides, my back is very stiff and hurts from lifting her."  The first young man just smiled and nodded.  After four more miles the second man began to complain again.  "My back is really hurting--all because we had to carry that silly old woman across the river!  I can't continue" he said  "as he lay down moaning.  The first man looked at him and asked; "Do you wonder why I'm not complaining?  You're back hurts because you're still carrying that woman. I set her down five miles ago."  The Christian Shepherd - December 2017

N.J. Hiebert - 20316

May 22

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.  Mark 2:22

No man puts new wine into old wine-skins; else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perishes, and the skins: but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins. 

The reference is to the custom of using leather bottles, made of skins, for carrying wine, and to the fact that new wine, by its increasing fermentation, would burst "old skins," which were already stretched, or worn thin by age.

So, as Jesus suggested, it would be impossible for the old forms and ceremonies of Judaism to contain the spirit of religion as taught by Him.  Christianity cannot be comprehended by any system of rites and observances, it cannot be bound up by any set of rules and requirements, it is not to be confused with any ritual.

Its very essence is a new life, imparted by faith in Christ; it controls men, not by rules but by motives; its symbol is not a fast, but a feast, for its pervasive spirit is joy.  If Christianity was to have any forms, they must be new; the followers of Christ could not be bound by the fasts and other observances which had been invented or multiplied by Jewish formalists and Pharisees.
The Gospel of Mark - Charles R. Erdman

N.J. Hiebert - 20317

May 23

Gems from May 1- 10, 2026

All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3)  For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven,  and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions,  or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him" (Colossians  1:16).

When this perfect creation was ruined by the entrance of sin, when man fell and all creation on account of that fall was brought into the bondage of corruption, the work of redemption became a necessity.  No creature of God was fitted or fit to do this.  Only the Son of God, the Creator Himself, could undertake this mighty work and accomplish it to the Praise and Glory of God.  To do this great work, He had to appear on this earth in the form of man.

This work of the Son of God has a threefold aspect. It is a past work, a present work  and beyond the present there is His future work.  His work and service will terminate when He delivers up the kingdom, so that God will be all in all  (1 Corinthians 15: 24-28).  It has a special meaning for the church. "Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it." (Ephesians 5:25-27)  This is His past work. 

Since then He is sanctifying the the church by the washing of water by the Word, and in the future He will present it to Himself, a glorious church.  In virtue of this threefold work of our Lord, believers are saved, are being saved, and will be saved. A. C. Gabelein - The Work of Christ.

N.J. Hiebert - 20294

April 30

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.    2 Peter 1:10 

Diligence: constant effort to accomplish what is undertaken. The characteristics of diligence are: (1) a destination or objective, (2) the power to get there, and (3) the purpose of heart to continue in spite of whatever looms up to discourage. 

If you look up "diligence" in either an English or French dictionary, one of the meanings is "a stage-coach".  Diligence was the term applied in Quebec in the days before trains, to a "coach" that ran between towns on a schedule.  This was an appropriate use of the word given the characteristics listed earlier.

(1) A destination or objective: Certainly the reason for taking the coach down the bumpy roads of early Quebec was to get to a desired destination town.  Each believer has the objective of living out the new life that is in us through the work of Christ; that is, making our calling and election sure  (2 Peter 1:10).  Not that we are responsible for the fact that it is "sure", but making that fact assured in our own hearts and then demonstrating it to others.  

(2) The power to get there: The passenger on a "diligence" had no direct power to get it over the road to their destination.  That power resided in sturdy horses, commanding coachman and reliable coach.  So for the believer; the power to be diligent in spiritual things does not come from us, it comes from the Lord by His Spirit working within us. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."  (Philippians 2:13)

(3) The purpose of heart to continue: There was no point in getting off the coach midway in the wilderness.  The journey once begun needed to be completed, even if the road was boggy and slow, or the cold penetrated the unheated coach, or highwaymen threatened.  For the believer, we need to "Continue thou in the things which thou has learned." (2 Timothy 3:14)  Whatever comes our way, it is important to continue thus all the way to our ultimate destination, heaven. 

Our coachman is the Lord.  He knows the way; He knows the dangers, and HE WILL bring us safely to the end of our journey.  Meanwhile, trust Him, to keep us safely on course, while we diligently seek to remain assured of our relationship with Him, and diligently demonstrate this to others by our love, our patience and our words. 
Lorne Perry

N.J. Hiebert - 20295

May 1

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

As we meditate on this first chapter of Jonah, and follow the disobedient servant of Jehovah along his pathway from his home in Gath-Hepher, down, down, down, till he reaches the belly of the fish, and thus saves the heathen sailors, we may realize that all this pathway is a picture of the perfect, obedient Servant of Jehovah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

He went down, down, down--down from His home in the glory, down to the manger, and from thence down to the cross, and down into the grave, and so saves us poor sinners.  How marvellously is that pathway traced for us in Philippians.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."  Philippians  2:5-8

Little wonder that the Spirit of God should then burst forth: "Wherefore God also hath exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."    Lessons From Jonah - G. C. Willis

N.J. Hiebert - 20296

May 2

NOW  OR  NEVER

They that were ready went in . . . and the door was shut.  Matthew 25:10

When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door . . . he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not.  (Luke 13:25) 

There are plenty of things besides immediate death which may just as effectually prevent your ever coming to Christ at all, if you do not come now.  This might be your last free hour for coming. 

Tomorrow the call may be less urgent, and the other things entering in may deaden it, and the grieved Spirit  may withdraw and cease to give you even your present inclination to listen to it, and so you may drift on and on, farther and farther from the haven of safety (into which you may enter NOW  if you will), till it is out of sight on the horizon. 

And then it may be too late to turn the helm,  and the current may be too strong; and when the storm of mortal illness at last comes, you may find that you are too weak mentally or physically to rouse yourself even to hear, much less to come.  What can one do when fever or exhaustion are triumphing over mind and body?  Do not risk it.  Come now! and "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) .     

What will you do without Him, in the long and dreary day
Of trouble and perplexity, when you do not know the way,
And no one else can help you, and no one guides you right,
And hope comes not with morning, and rest comes not with night.  
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal

N.J. Hiebert - 20297

May 3

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28 

Among the property owned jointly by two young brothers who were carpenters was the old tumble-down place of their birth.  One of the brothers was soon to be married and the old house was to be torn down and a new one erected on its site.  For years neither of the brothers had visited the cottage, as it had been leased.

As they entered now and started the work of demolishing the place, again and again floods of tender memories swept over them.  By the time they reached the kitchen they were well-nigh overcome with their emotions.  There was the place where the old kitchen table had stood--with the family Bible--where they had knelt every evening.  They were recalling now with a pang how in later years they had felt a little superior to that time-honoured custom carefully observed by their father.

Said one: "We're better off than he was, but we're not better men.   

The other agreed, saying, "I'm going back to the old church and the old ways, and in my new home I'm going to make room for worship as Dad did." 

The strength of a nation lies in the homes of its people.   Abraham Lincoln     

Says Dr. J. G. Paton: "No hurry for market, no rush for business, no arrival of friends or guests, no trouble or sorrow, no joy or excitement, ever prevented us from kneeling around the family altar while our father offered himself and his children to God."  And on his father's life in his home was based Dr. Paton's decision to follow the Lord wholly.  "He walked with God--why not I?" 
Springs in the Valley

"Stand ye in the . . .  old paths, where is the good way."  (Jeremiah 6:16)

N.J. Hiebert - 20298

May 4

And there were also two other, malefactors, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  Luke 23:32-33

These four words describe the most terrible scene enacted upon earth--"THERE THEY CRUCIFIED HIM." The place, a graveyard; the actors, the whole civilized world; the act, the cruelest and most shameful form of death; the victim, God's own beloved Son!  The selected spot was a graveyard--Calvary, Golgotha, "the place of a skull." (Matthew 27:33).

And why there?  Had not Jesus talked about life?  Had He not raised the dead?  Had He not unstopped deaf ears, and given sight to the blind?  Had He not done many wonderful miracles?  Had He not talked about the Lord of Life coming from glory; and had He not spoken about being the Son of God?  He had. 

And why did they take Him there?  To insult Him in that graveyard.  They use the signs of death on every hand to mock Him who was the Lord of Life.  They bring Him, who was "the resurrection and the life," (John 11:25), to the scene where there is every evidence of death around Him, as much as to say, Let us see if you can avoid death.  It was the most solemn mockery.  They had crowned Him with thorns, and now they put Him to death.

But see what that death meant as viewed by God.  It was this--that He who was Lord of Life came into the scene of death that He might bring life to us.  As regards the world, it was the violent effort to get rid of God and of His Son.  And the world is unchanged today; "There they crucified Him" is the declaration of what the world's estimate of Christ is.  Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.

N.J. Hiebert - 20299

May 5

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.   Psalm 141:3 

Let me no wrong or idle word, unthinking say;
Set Thou a seal upon my lips--just for today. 

Keep still!  When trouble is brewing, keep still!  When slander is getting on its legs, keep still!  When your feelings are hurt, keep still till you recover from your excitement at any rate!  Things look different through and un-agitated eye.

In a commotion once I wrote a letter and sent it, and wished I had not.  In my later years I had another commotion and wrote another long letter; my life had rubbed a little sense into me, and I kept that letter in my pocket until I could look it over without agitation, and without tears, and I was glad I did--less and less it seemed necessary to send it.  I was not sure it would do any harm, but in my doubtfulness I learned reticence, and eventually it was destroyed, 

Time works wonders!  Wait till you can speak calmly and then perhaps you will not need to speak.  Silence is the most powerful thing conceivable, sometimes.  It is strength in its grandeur; it is like a regiment ordered to stand still in the mad fury of battle.  To plunge in were twice as easy.  Nothing is lost by learning to keep still. 

Lord, keep me still, Though stormy winds may blow,
And waves my little bark may overflow, or even if in darkness I must go,
Yet keep me still, yet keep me still. 

Lord, keep me still, the waves are in Thy hand, the roughest winds subside at Thy command. Steer Thou my bark in safety to the land,
And keep me still, and keep me still.

Lord, keep me still, and may I ever hear Thy still small voice 
To comfort and to cheer; so shall I know and feel Thee ever near.
And keep me still, and keep me still.  Selected

N.J. Hiebert - 20300

May 6

"ALL  THINGS  ARE  YOURS"

For all things are your's; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's;  And ye are Christ's;  and Christ is God's.  1 Corinthians 3:21-23  

Then take Him for everything, salvation, strength, guidance, every need of the whole man.  "Having nothing, and yet possessing all things (2 Corinthians 6:10)--blessed paradox!  I bring Him my nothingness and take His allness.  "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling."  (Agustus Toplady) From nothing to everything!

And there is power to do.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13)  "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8).

I am not just to enjoy all this for myself.  All things are mine except myself.  I am not my own, I am "bought with a price: therefore I ought to glorify God in my body and in my spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

Move out of Nothing into Everything!  It is all in Christ and it is all for you.  And you are then not a despository but a dispenser.   "Freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8  
Day by Day -Vance Havner

N.J. Hiebert - 20301

May 7

SURVIVING  THE  STRAIN

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.  James 5:10  

The individual whose life has been exposed to stormy weather and survived the strain is most often the one with a quiet inner calm, a sweet serenity of spirit.

Beyond and above this, the picturesque trees above timberline--the battered, beaten, bent, and beautiful trees of the high country--possess the finest aroma.  Their wood is impregnated with pitch and resins that act as lubricants between the flexing fibers of their wind-tossed timber.  When this wood is sawn and planed and shaped under the master craftsman's  cutting tools, its fragrance fills the air and all the building. 

Such perfume is produced only by adversity.
God, give me grace to thank Thee for hardship. 
When I do, my life and spirit will grow beautifully winsome--not bitter or cynical.
Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller

N.J. Hiebert - 20302

May 8

They that dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine.  Hosea 14:7 

The day closed with heavy showers.  The plants in my garden were beaten down before the pelting storm, and I saw one flower that I had admired for its beauty and loved for its fragrance exposed to the pitiless storm.  The flower fell, shut up its petals, dropped its head; and I saw that all its glory was gone.  "I must wait till next year," I said, "before I see that beautiful thing again."   

The night passed, and morning came; the sun shone again, and the morning brought strength to the flower.  The light looked at it, and the flower looked at the light.  There was contact and communion, and power passed into the flower.  It held up its head, opened its petals, regained its glory, and seemed fairer than before.  I wonder how it took place--this feeble thing coming into contact with the strong thing, and gaining strength!

I cannot tell how it is that I should be able to receive into my being a power to do and to bear by communion with God, but I know it is a fact.

Are you in peril through some crushing, heavy trial?  Seek this communion with Christ, and you will receive strength and be able to conquer.  "I will strengthen thee." (Philippians 4:13)    Selected

N.J. Hiebert - 20303

May 9

And He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.  Psalm 23:2

Have you ever felt discouraged in prayer because words would not come?  Often our Lord Jesus turned Bible words into prayer.  The Psalm book was the prayer book of the early church.  It is ours still.  We cannot ever fathom the depths of the book. 

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.  Is any merry? let him sing psalms.  James 5:13

H. Moule said that a hymnbook was a good prayer book, too.  Real hymns, like real songs, are born only when the soul is very near God.  This is why they have power to help.  They offer words to us when we have none of our own. 

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.  (Ephesians 5:19)

Thank God for our hymns and songs and books.  Above all, thank God for His Book of books, The Bible.  Is there a need it cannot meet?  Is there a dryness it cannot refresh?  Not one.  In a place of green grass, there He has made me dwell.    Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael

Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye?  Go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.  And He commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.  And they did all eat and were filled.   (Mark 6:38,39,42)

N.J. Hiebert - 20304

May 10

A  TRUE  SERVANT  DOES  NOT  ATTRACT  ATTENTION  TO  HIMSELF 

God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Galatians 6:14 

Daniel could have used the crisis in the palace of Babylon as an opportunity to glorify himself, he studiously avoids doing so.  Daniel told the king, "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh know to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the later days. ...But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living. Daniel 2:28.30  Daniel made it his business to ensure that he was given no credit for the revelation, and that glory was ascribed to God alone.  

We are living in days when men vie with each other for a place in the lime light.  Whether it be in the political arena, the sports field, or wherever, man is always striving for self-glorification.  Sadly this spirit is also at work among the people of God. Remember when the Lord was nearing the cross and the disciples were striving among themselves as to "who should be the greatest" (Mark 9:34). 

As the servants of God we cannot allow ourselves to be caught up in the frenzied attempt to get the glory.  We have to remind ourselves constantly that, at best, we are only servants.  The Apostle Paul grasped this when he tells us that everything that man would count as a credit towards self, he counted but dung. 

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ...and do count them but dung that I may win Christ...let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:7,8) - (2:5), and he went on to describe the downward path taken by the Lord Jesus, which culminated in the cross. 
 
May God grant us the same spirit of self-effacement that we see in Daniel,  refusing to take any glory to ourselves.  We are but bond-slaves.  The glory belongs to Him whom we serve, and to Him alone.  W Burnett - Daniel

N.J. Hiebert - 20305

May 11

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him.  Matthew 17:5

God's beloved Son, the Author of life, entered a scene of disease and death but remained untainted, unspotted, flawless and faultless.  He took on Himself human flesh, partook of our humanity and unresistingly went to Gethsemane, Gabbatha (John 19:13) and Golgotha. 

There He would make reconciliation between a righteous God and the fallen man He had created in His image!
Drew  Craig   

Lamb of God!  when we behold Thee
Lowly in the manger laid;
Wandering as a homeless stranger 
In the world Thy hands had made;
When we see Thee in the garden 
In Thine agony of blood,
At Thy grace we are confounded,
Holy, spotless Lamb of God!

When we see Thee as the Victim 
Nailed to the accursèd tree,
For our guilt and folly stricken,
All our judgment borne by Thee,
Lord, we own, with hearts adoring,
Thou hast washed us in Thy blood:
Glory, glory everlasting,
Be to Thee, Thou Lamb of God!
J. G. Deck

N.J. Hiebert - 20306

May 12

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 

Not only has my Saviour paid my mighty debt, but He has bought me.  I am His, altogether His, and His only.  What love!  What grace!   How can I doubt Him?  Yet this is what the Galatians were doing. 

God is satisfied with that price, but the senseless Galatians had forgotten.  And they wanted to add their own works, circumcision, and the law, to the price that Christ had paid.

If I owe a mighty debt, and my friend pays every cent of it for me, and hands me the receipt, how can I add a further payment?  This is what the Galatians were doing. If a man pays a great price to set a slave free, why should the freed slave add to the price that is already completed?  But this is what the Galatians were doing.       

They could not, or they would not, trust to Christ alone.  They wish to add their own wretched works.  "O foolish (senseless) Galatians!" (Galatians 3:1) . 

This salvation was all "according to the will of our God and Father."  On the one hand "Christ gave Himself," (Galatians 2:20) on the other hand "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. (John 3:16)  

They have one mind in rescuing poor lost sinners.  Well may the Apostle exclaim, "To whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen!" (Galatians 1:5)    Gladly do we who believe  also say "Amen"    
Meditations on Galatians - G.C. Willis 

 N.J. Hiebert - 20307