Gems from August 1- 7, 2026

I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.  Job 42:5 

Job was a good man already.  He feared God and eschewed [shunned] evil, and God called him "My servant Job" and said of him, "There is none like him in the earth." (Job 1:8) 

Job had heard and had believed.  That is good enough to start with.  "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).  Moreover, Job had lived an exemplary life. But, like many who have come that far, he needed to see God, not in a vision or manifestation to the senses but in a personal, overwhelming, humbling, pride-shattering consciousness of the very presence of God Himself. 

Through the ages, such an experience, though wide and diverse in its patterns, has marked the men God has used most.  Too many have heard and believed and lived but have not seen.  God brings us to where we can say, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee" (Job 42:5) 

Faith is a very simple thing, tho' little understood;
It frees the soul from death's dread sting, by resting on the blood.

It looks not on the things around, nor on the things within;
It takes its flight to scenes above, beyond the sphere of sin.

It sees upon the the throne of God  a victim that was slain;
It rests its all on His shed blood, and says, "I'm born again."

Faith is not what we see or feel; It is a simple trust 
In what the God of love has said of Jesus as the Just.  Asa Hull
Day by Day with Vance Havner  

N.J. Hiebert - 20387

August 1

BEING  USABLE

"If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work.  2 Timothy 2:21
  
Have we any prayer like "Use me, O Lord," in the Bible?  We have it in hymns; I expect we have often prayed to be used.  But as I looked through my Bible for an answer to this strange question, I could not find any such prayer anywhere. 

The word in 2 Timothy 2:21 simply says that if the vessel be clean it will be ready for the Master to use; and in Isaiah 6, the "Send me" was in answer to the question,"Who will go?" 

It is at least  interesting and suggestive to find many other verbs occurring in prayer--Teach me, lead me, bless me, and so on--and not this verb which we would naturally expect.  Is it that there is no need for it? 

If the vessel be clean and ready to hand, the Master will use it.  It is not necessary that it should ask Him to do so.  The Captain will use the soldier if he be prepared for use; words of beseeching on the soldier's part are not required.  The one thing that matters is that we should be usable.

Each day brings us, like a new gift, a quite new opportunity.  Our precious handful of days may be partly or almost wholly spent, but God does not, as earthly masters often do, pay off a worker saying, "You are no use to me now"; He gives us each day a new chance. 
Thou Givest...They Gather - Amy Carmichael 

N.J. Hiebert - 20388

August 2

A brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?  Philemon 16

Though we are to pray for all saints, yet some call for a more special remembrance at our hands: for instance, those that are near to us by bond of nature as well as of grace. (Philemon 16)  You are to pray particularly for those that are in distress: whoever you forget, remember these: this is a fit season for love. 

A friend for adversity is as proper as fire for for a winter's day: Job's friends chose the right time to visit him, but took not the right course of improving their visit: had they spent the time in praying for him which they did in hot disputes with him, they would have profited him, and pleased God more. 

Prayer and Thanksgiving.  Prayer is a means to dispose the heart to praise.  When David begins a psalm with prayer, he commonly ends it with praise.  That Spirit which leads a soul out of itself to God for supply, will direct to the same God with His praise.  We do not borrow money of one man and return it to another. 

If God has been your strength, surely you will make Him your song.  The thief comes not to thank a man for what he steals out of his yard.  Mercies ill got are commonly as ill spent, because they are not sanctified, and so become fuel to feed lusts.

As, a necessary ingredient in all our prayers: "...with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6).  This spice must be in all our offerings.  He that prays for a mercy he wants, and is not thankful for mercies received, may seem mindful of himself, but is forgetful of God, and so takes the wrong course.  God will not put His mercies into a torn purse; and such is an unthankful heart. Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall 1617-1679   
N.J. Hiebert - 20389

August 3

Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in paradise...When Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost. Luke 23:43,46 

Jesus, the sinless Son of Man, was hanging on the cross between two guilty criminals.  Those who passed by wagged their heads and said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save" (Matthew 27:42)  This reminds us of the words of the prophet Jeremiah, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow, which is done unto Me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted Me in the day of His fierce anger." Lamentations 1:12.

The two thieves had witnessed the silent suffering of Jesus, and they had heard Him pray, "Father, forgive them." (Luke 23:34)  One thief turned in faith to the Saviour, acknowledging his guilt and and claiming that forgiveness.  We are not told his name; indeed, he represents all who believe. One moment he feared eternal separation from God, and the next moment he received the promise to be with the Saviour "today."  This newborn man now becomes a gospel preacher to the other thief on the cross, and this story still preaches to you today.  Have you come to the Saviour?  Come right now, for you may not have a tomorrow!

Luke records these last words of Jesus, as He cried with a loud voice, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit."  The very first words of Jesus are also recorded in (Luke 2:49) after Jesus was found in the temple and said to His mother, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business." 
 
Jesus was about His Father's business from first to last.  He went about doing good, healing the sick, and opening the eyes of the blind.  In every circumstance, even in the garden of Gethsemane, He submitted in perfect obedience to the Father's will.  With all our hearts, we agree with the centurion who saw what happened on that cross and glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man! 
(Luke 23:47)  Jacob Redekop

N.J. Hiebert - 20390

August 4

"I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: . . ." Luke 22:32 

Christian, take good care of thy faith, for recollect, that faith is the only means whereby thou canst obtain blessings.  Prayer cannot draw down answers from God's throne except it be the earnest prayer of the man who believes. 

Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth to Heaven, on which God's messages of love fly so fast that before we call, He answers, and while we are yet speaking, He hears us. (Isaiah 65:24)   But if that telegraphic wire of faith be snapped, how can we obtain the promise? 

Am I in trouble?  I can obtain help for trouble by faith.  Am I beaten about by the enemy?  My soul on that dear Refuge leans by faith. 

But take faith away, then in vain I call to God.   There is no other road between my soul and heaven.  Blockade the road, ahow can I communicate with the Lord?  Faith links me wit Divinity.  Faith clothes me with the power of Jehovah.  Faith insures every attribute of God in my defence.  It helps me to defy the hosts of hell.  It makes me march triumphant over the necks of my enemies.  But without faith how can I receive anything from the Lord? 

Oh then, Christian, watch well thy faith.  "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."  Mark 9:23  C.H. Spurgeon

"Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, and looks to that alone,
Laughs at impossibilities, and cries, 'It shall be done!' "

Queen Victoria said, "We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.  They do not exist!" 

N.J. Hiebert - 20391

August 5

I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  John 15:1-2 

Sunshine is essential.  Without it the branches bear "--nothing but leaves"--leaves in perfusion, but leaves only.  It is not enough for us to be connected by a living faith to Jesus: we must hold fellowship with Him, sunning ourselves in His smile communing with Him, and surrendered to His companionship; so only can we hope to bear something more than the leaves. 

But though the branches need sunshine, they must also have the darkness. During the night it is said to rest: it does not grow; but it recuperates itself and prepares for the putting forth of fresh energy.  And this may suggest why sometimes after periods of much activity the great Husbandman draws down the blinds and plunges us into the black night of sorrow, or solitude.  

The fruitfulness, of the branches largely depends on the care with which it is pruned.  There is no tree pruned so mercilessly and incessantly, first with a sharp knife, and then with scissors.  The Lord has many such implements.  There is the golden pruning knife of His Word by which He would prune us if we would let Him (John 15:3), so escaping the iron pruning knife of affliction. 

Our Lord uses the knife, with its sharp clean strokes, which cut deep into our nature, and leaves scars which it will take years to heal, or even to conceal.  And there are also scissors in His hand--cross events, daily circumstances which appear contrary to each other, but which nevertheless work together in the end for good. 

What a comfort it is that the Vine-dresser leaves the pruning to no apprentice hand! No hand but the most skilled may handle the knife. "My Father is the Husbandman."  F. B. Meyer

N.J. Hiebert - 20392

August 6

He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.   Matthew 12:30

Make sure that you are not just for Christ but first of all with Him; your life hid with Christ in God.  Without Him, you can do nothing.  Then, when death comes, you depart to be with Him. "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain ...with Christ which is far better."  Philippians 1:21,23. 

When He returns, all sleep in Jesus He will bring with Him. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord...shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...for the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). "With them--With Him!"

Our Lord said to the penitent thief, "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Blessed with-ness!  Make sure of it here and hereafter!
All The Days - Vance Havner.

N.J. Hiebert - 20393

August 7

FOR  OUR  CHILDREN

For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.  And he worshipped the Lord.  

1 Samuel 1:27,28

FATHER, hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.

Keep them from the powers of evil,
From the secret, hidden peril,
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand, pluck them.

From the worldling's hollow gladness
From the sting of faithless sadness
Holy Father, save our children.

Through life's troubled waters steer them,
Through life's bitter battle cheer them,
Father, Father, be Thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging,
Holy Father, for our children. 

And wherever they may bide,
Lead them Home at eventide.
Amy Carmichael

N.J. Hiebert - 20394

August 8

PROPHESIES  AND  THEIR  FULFILMENT

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Timothy 3:16,17

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved moved by the Holy Ghost.  2 Peter 1:21   

The great bulk of the prophecies of the Old Testament refer to the coming of the Son of God into this world as Man in order to be the Redeemer.  They refer to His Person as God and Man, the place and manner of His birth, the wonder of His life, and above all His death and its sacrificial meaning and His glorious resurrection. 

- He was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  Fulfilment  Luke 2:4-6. 
- He was to be born of a virgin.  Isaiah 7:14  Fulfilment Matthew 1:125.  
- He was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver.  Zechariah 11:12
Fulfilment Matthew 26:14-15.
This money was to be cast to the potter.  It was to be silver and thirty pieces, and thrown down in the house of the Lord. Fulfilment  Matthew  27:3-10). 
-His hands and feet were to be pierced. Psalm 22:16 Fulfilment John 20:24-29. 
- His side was to be pierced.  Zechariah 12:10 Fulfilment  John 19:34-37.
- His garments were to be divided among the soldiers, who crucified Him, and for His vesture they were to cast lots. Psalm 22:18.  Fulfilment  John 19:23,24.
- They were to give Him gall and vinegar as He hung on the cross. Psalm 69:21. Fulfilment. Matthew 27:34. 
- He was to be buried in a rich man's tomb. Isaiah 53:9. Fulfilment Matthew 27:57.  
Why I Believe the Bible - A. J. Pollock

N.J. Hiebert - 20395

August 9

August 10

One Another New Testament commands

 Love one another (Romans 12:10, 13:8, 1 Thes. 3:12, 4:9, 2 Thes. 1:3, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John   3:11, 3:23, 1 Peter 4:7, 4:11-12, 2nd John 5)

2)      Serve one another (Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 4:10)

3)      Be patient one another (Eph. 4:2, Col 3:13)

4)      Be kind to one another (Eph. 4:32)

5)      Encourage one another (1 Thes. 4:18, 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 10:25)

6)      Forgive one another (Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:13)

7)      Live in harmony with one another (Rom. 12:16, 15:5, Gal. 5:26, 1 Thes. 5:13)

8)      Stir up one another (Heb. 10:24, 1 Tim. 6:17-18)

9)      Admonish one another (Romans 15:14, Col. 3:16)

10   Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)

11   Welcome one another (Romans 15:7, Romans 16:16)

12   Care for one another (1 Cor. 12:25)

13   Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

14   Sing praises with one another (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16)

15   Regard one another as more important (Phil. 2:3)

16   Speak truth to one another (Col. 3:9)

17   Seek good for one another (1 Thes. 5:15)

18   Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

19   Pray for one another (James 5:16)

20   Be humble toward one another (1 Peter 5:5)

Gems from July 21- 31, 2026

July 21

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  James 1:5 

Christ could never lack divine wisdom.  But with us it is very possible that wisdom may be lacking, even when will is subject, and we truly desire to do the will of God.  Therefore the promise follows, "if any of you lack wisdom..."(quoted above).  Absence of will, obedience, and the spirit of confiding dependence which waits on God, characterize the new life. 

We pass through tribulation in the world; but this life develops itself in these qualities.  But it is necessary this confidence should be in exercise; otherwise we can receive nothing.  It does not honour God to distrust Him.  Such a man is double-minded, like a wave of the sea driven by the wind. (v.1:6)  He is unstable, (v.1:8) because his heart is not in communion with God; he does not live in a way to know Him; such an one is, of course, unstable.

If a believer keeps in the presence of God, near Him, he knows Him, and will understand His will; he will not have a will of his own, and will not wish to have one; not only on the ground of obedience, but because he has more confidence in the thoughts of God concerning Him than he has in his own will.

Faith in the goodness of God gives courage to seek and to do His will.  We have in Christ Himself a perfect and beautiful example of these principles of the divine life.  Tempted by Satan, He has no will of HIs own; it does not stir; but  He shows that man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  It is absolute and perfect obedience.  The will of God is not only the rule but the sole motive for action.

When the tempter desires Him to throw Himself down from the temple, to see whether God will be true to His promises, Jesus will in no way  be tempted; He cannot question His faithfulness.  He waits quietly for the power of God, whenever the occasion may present itself for manifesting it, in the path of His will.  Brief Exposition of the Epistle of James - J. N. Darby 

N.J. Hiebert - 20377

July 22

And God said, let there be light: and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  Genesis 1:3-4 

Let the light into your hearts!  Well, the light has come, in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  "God is light"--bear that in mind--and "in Him is no darkness at all."  But, since God is light, the light reveals the true relation of things.  Light first of all shows where man is, and for that purpose  Light came into the world.  "That was the true Light ,which coming into the world lightens every man" (John 1:9).  You must not understand by that statement that every man was converted. 

Oh no!  The light was there, and was for everybody, but alas, nobody had eyes to see it, until God had wrought in the heart and opened the eyes; that is the solemn side of the truth.  Sin has plunged us in such a condition of distance from God, that really we do not see who Christ is, or what He is, until God opens our eyes.  When Paul appears before Agrippa he says, that the Lord had commissioned him to go to "the Gentiles, unto whom I now send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified, by faith that is in me" 
(Acts 26:17,18).

Now would you like to have light?  Would you like to have peace?  Light will discover to you your lost condition; for it exposes you.  Yes, but I will tell you what takes place after the light makes manifest to you that you are a  poor, wretched, hell-deserving sinner.  The next thing that light will do, is to reveal that "God is love," and that He has given His blessed Son for your salvation.  Light will reveal your guilt, and Love will blot it all out.  Light will make manifest your lost condition, and love will meet it.  God is light, and God is love.  Both are seen in Jesus. Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D. 

N.J. Hiebert - 20378

July 23

THE  SOVEREIGN  REMEDY  FOR  DESPONDENCY

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?  hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 42:11 

(1) The cure for the depression occasioned by overwork--is rest;
(2) For that caused by introspection--heart-occupation with the exalted Lord;
(3) And for that which is sometimes brought on by trial--a view of the beneficent purposes which God is accomplishing by its means.  

But referring once more to Psalm 42:11, we have a sovereign remedy for despondency which never fails.  "Hope Thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him..." Hope lightens the heart and enable us endure; praise brightens the face and enables us to sing away what we cannot reason away "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:23). 

The volume of praise may be very small to begin with; but if you keep lifting up the face to God that volume will steadily increase.  Bless God for starlight and He will give you moonlight;  praise Him for moonlight and He will give you sunlight; thank Him for sunlight, and you shall yet come to that land where they need not the light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light for ever and ever.

On that bright strand the blood-washed ones of Jesus
Are safe, no more the weary feet shall roam;
They find at last all that the heart has longed for,
Within God's house at home.
George Henderson

N.J. Hiebert - 20379

July 24

A sower went forth to sow...some seeds fell by the wayside...some fell among stony places...some fell among thorns...but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  Matthew 13:3-8 

This is true whether the seed be good or bad, and whether the ground be good or bad.  Jacob deceived his old father and stole his brother's birthright.  That was bad sowing, but he did not expect the harvest he received.  Laban deceived him about his wife, and and he had to work another seven years in order to win her.  Nor was this all the harvest.  Laban changed his wages ten times in his effort to cheat him. 

That was only part of the harvest.  He had twenty years of bitter labour in Syria.  Then his own sons deceived him about Joseph, and he spent twenty two years in bitter sorrow, mourning him as dead.  This was part of the harvest of his own sowing. 

David committed adultery with Bathsheba, but he never expected the harvest would come as it did; his own son defiled his sister.  David murdered Bathsheba's husband, but he never expected the harvest this brought; his son Amon was murdered by his brother, his baby died, and his son Absalom was killed in battle, without the hope of ever seeing him again in the world to come.  And finally Solomon the king puts his older brother to death for what was really conspiracy.  Yes, we reap more than we sow, and we reap that very thing we sow. 

These are most solemn thoughts, and should make us every one "consider" our "ways" (Haggai 1:7)  Even by a thought we may sow to the flesh. How many books, pictures and magazines in these days sow to the flesh, and will bring forth a harvest unto corruption.  Meditations on Galatians - G.C. Willis 

N.J. Hiebert - 20380

July 25

I  SHALL  YET   PRAISE   HIM

Hope Thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.  Psalm 42:5 

I shall yet praise Him--though blossoms have withered,
Empty the fold is and barren the field,
All the fair promise of harvest has vanished,
Fig-tree and olive have failed in their yield.

I shall yet praise Him--though now the mists shroud me,
Though through the darkness there shineth no star,
Though long delayed be the word of His counsel,
And to all seeming He hideth afar.

I shall yet praise Him for victory given;
Though fierce the the sifting, His prayer cannot fail; 
Till the fourth watch He may leave me in darkness;
Then clouds shall lift and the light shall prevail.

I shall yet praise Him who knoweth my pathway,
For all His leading through desert and sea,
For the sure promise that standeth forever,
For all His purpose fulfilled unto me.

I shall yet praise Him--mute mouth filled with laughter,
Silent lips opened and tongue tuned to song;
Surely praise waiteth; joy sown for my reaping,
Cometh to harvest, though lingering long.
Flint's Best-Loved Poems

N.J. Hiebert - 20381

July 26

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 10:3) 

This was true of Israel after the flesh. It is just as true of millions of Gentiles, who, ignoring the solemn testimony of God's word regarding man's utterly lost condition, still persist in trying to work out a righteousness of their own, deceived by the Adversary into believing that they can in some way satisfy an offended God and put Him in their debt  so that they can earn His salvation.  "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags...and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6)  It is just this attempt to work out a human, legal righteousness that God's Word calls "dead works". 

What then is meant by "repentance from dead works" (Hebrews 6:1)?  It is a complete change of mind, whereby the convicted sinner gives up all thought of being able to propitiate God by effort of his own and acknowledges that he is as bad as the Word has declared him to be.  He turns about his face.  Instead of relying on his own fancied merits, he turns to the Lord for deliverance and seeks for mercy through the Saviour God has provided.

In Old Testament times, the legal code with its forms  and ceremonies was given, not as a means of justifying righteousness but as a test of obedience.  It was as true then as now that the righteous requirement of the Law was was only fulfilled (and that, of course, only in measure) in those who were already regenerated. God has never had two ways of saving people, but different dispensations, have been committed to His people as standards of living, in the various ages.

No one was ever saved by law-keeping or by sacrificial observances.  To trust in these things would never avail.  Not sacrifices, nor offerings, but a broken and a contrite heart, was acceptable to God.  All outward forms or legal efforts, apart from faith, were merely dead works, from which the prophets were constantly calling upon men to repent.  Unless You Repent - H. A, Ironside 

N.J. Hiebert - 20382

July 27

Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.  Revelation 1:17-18

Deep and varied as are the necessities of the soul they are all met by the death and resurrection of Christ.  If it be a question of sin that affects the soul, the resurrection is the glorious proof of the complete putting away of sin.  The moment I see Jesus at the right hand of God I see an end of sin, for I know He could not be there if sin was not fully atoned for. 

He was delivered for our offences; He stood as our representative; He took upon Himself our iniquities and went down into the grave under the weight thereof.  But God raised Him up from the dead, and by so doing expressed His full approbation of the work of redemption.  Hence we read, He "was raised again for our justification".  Resurrection, therefore, meets the need of the soul as regards the question of sin. 

Then, when we enter upon the trying and difficult path of Christian testimony, we find that Jesus risen is a sovereign remedy for all the ills of life.  This is exemplified for us in John 20.  Mary returns to the sepulchre early in the morning.  Her heart was not only sad at the loss fo her gracious Friend, but also tried by the difficulty of removing the stone.

The resurrection removed at once her sorrow and her burden.  Jesus risen filled the blank in her desolated affections and removed from her shoulders the load which she was unable to sustain.  She found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, and she found also her beloved Lord whom death had for a season snatched from her view.  Such mighty things could resurrection accomplish on behalf of a poor needy mortal!   C. H. Mackintosh

N.J. Hiebert - 20383

July 28

THE  MINISTRY  OF  BENEVOLENCE

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14

The New Testament speaks of three kinds of works: dead work--the activities of the self-righteous man;  wicked works--the activities of the unrighteous man (Colossians 1:21); and good works--the activities of the Christian man (Ephesians 2:10).  It tells us that the Lord Jesus went about continually doing good (Acts 10:38); and that He has left His people an example that they should follow His steps (1 Peter 2:21). 

Christian women are asked are to adorn themselves with good works (1 Timothy 2:9,10); Christian men are urged to separate from everything that hinders in order that they may be meet for the Master's use and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:21). 

We are to be fruitful In every form of benevolence (Colossians 1:10); and are not to restrict our activities to the children of God but, as we have opportunity, are to show kindness  to all (Galatians 6:10);  (Hebrews 13:16).  The power by which we are equipped for these delightful ministries is the illimitable grace of God (2 Corinthians 9:8). 

In calling us, thus, to lives of unselfishness and of devotedness to the well-being of others, God is not only conferring on us an inestimable privilege, He is also placing  within our reach one of the great secrets of true happiness.  For experience shows that the saddest of mortals is the man who lives solely for his own selfish interests and advantages.  Heaven's Cure for Earth's Care - George Henderson 

N.J. Hiebert - 20384

July 29

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."  1 John 5:7 

What was it blessed God, led Thee to give Thy Son,
To yield Thy well-beloved for us by sin undone?
'Twas love unbounded led Thee thus to give Thy well-beloved for us. 

What  led Thy Son, O God! to leave Thy throne on high,
To shed His precious blood, to suffer and to die!
'Twas love unbounded love to us, led Him to die and suffer Thus. 

What moved Thee to impart Thy Spirit from above,
Therewith to fill our heart, with heavenly peace and love!
'Twas love, unbounded love to us, moved Thee to give Thy Spirit thus. 

What love to Thee we owe, our God, for all Thy grace;
Our hearts may well o'erflow in everlasting praise! 
Make us, O Lord to praise Thee thus for all Thy boundless love to us. Ann Taylor

Stanzas 1, 2, and 3 each enlarge on one of these wonderful persons.  They are all God, and thus is hard for us to comprehend, but it was so generous of God to delineate Himself in three characters so that we could appreciate each one, never losing sight of their singleness of mind and purpose. Notice also the hymn is the seven great gifts of God high lighted:
1. God Himself, whom we have come to know as our Father.
2. Divine love, the starting point for all blessing, and which continues into eternity.
3. The Son, the greatest gift of all.
4. The precious blood, the clear evidence of His death.
5. The Holy Spirit, whose chief delight is to point us to Christ.
6. Heavenly peace; perfect and eternal.
7. Grace, that which takes us into all our spiritual blessings in Christ; way beyond anything we might imagine.  Lorne Perry

N.J. Hiebert - 20385

July 30

Seeing then that we have a great High priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Hebrews 4:14 

Now, what is the Christ of verse 14?  A Christ crucified?  No, Christ glorified.  You are made partakers of Christ in the kingdom if you hold fast by Christ crucified. Holding to a crucified Christ is my title to the rest of a glorified Christ. 

Two things contest this with you--sin and unbelief.  Do you not recognize these two enemies as you pass along?  Shall I continue in sin?  Am I to give place to one wrong thought? I may be overtaken, but am I to treat them other than as enemies?  Then unbelief is an action of the soul towards God.  You and I do not know what saintly character is--what it is to be between Egypt and Canaan--if we are not aware that those two things stand out to withstand our passage every day. 

Christ glorified--rest glorious. He has us out of "Egypt".  The exhortation attaches to a people out of "Egypt".  We have passed the blood sprinkled lintel.  The glorious Canaan is before us.  The gospel not only of the blood of Christ, but of the glory of Christ. It took  one form in the ear of the Israelites  and it takes another form to us; but to them, as to us, rest was preached.  The blessed Creator provided Himself a rest after creation.  He promised Himself a rest in Canaan  after bringing them through the wilderness. 

Adam disturbed His creation-rest.  Israel disturbed His Canaan-rest.  Is He, therefore, disappointed in His rest? No; He has found it in Christ when man in every way had disappointed Him.  Christ is the One who has worked out that rest, and who holds it now, and it remains with Him both for God, and for His saints.   Musings on Hebrews - J. G. Bellett

N.J. Hiebert - 20386

July 31

I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.  Job 42:5 

Job was a good man already.  He feared God and eschewed [shunned] evil, and God called him "My servant Job" and said of him, "There is none like him in the earth." (Job 1:8) 

Job had heard and had believed.  That is good enough to start with.  "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).  Moreover, Job had lived an exemplary life. But, like many who have come that far, he needed to see God, not in a vision or manifestation to the senses but in a personal, overwhelming, humbling, pride-shattering consciousness of the very presence of God Himself. 

Through the ages, such an experience, though wide and diverse in its patterns, has marked the men God has used most.  Too many have heard and believed and lived but have not seen.  God brings us to where we can say, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee" (Job 42:5) 

Faith is a very simple thing, tho' little understood;
It frees the soul from death's dread sting, by resting on the blood.

It looks not on the things around, nor on the things within;
It takes its flight to scenes above, beyond the sphere of sin.

It sees upon the the throne of God  a victim that was slain;
It rests its all on His shed blood, and says, "I'm born again."

Faith is not what we see or feel; It is a simple trust 
In what the God of love has said of Jesus as the Just.  Asa Hull
Day by Day with Vance Havner  

N.J. Hiebert - 20387

August 1

BEING  USABLE

"If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work.  2 Timothy 2:21
  
Have we any prayer like "Use me, O Lord," in the Bible?  We have it in hymns; I expect we have often prayed to be used.  But as I looked through my Bible for an answer to this strange question, I could not find any such prayer anywhere. 

The word in 2 Timothy 2:21 simply says that if the vessel be clean it will be ready for the Master to use; and in Isaiah 6, the "Send me" was in answer to the question,"Who will go?" 

It is at least  interesting and suggestive to find many other verbs occurring in prayer--Teach me, lead me, bless me, and so on--and not this verb which we would naturally expect.  Is it that there is no need for it? 

If the vessel be clean and ready to hand, the Master will use it.  It is not necessary that it should ask Him to do so.  The Captain will use the soldier if he be prepared for use; words of beseeching on the soldier's part are not required.  The one thing that matters is that we should be usable.

Each day brings us, like a new gift, a quite new opportunity.  Our precious handful of days may be partly or almost wholly spent, but God does not, as earthly masters often do, pay off a worker saying, "You are no use to me now"; He gives us each day a new chance. 
Thou Givest...They Gather - Amy Carmichael 

N.J. Hiebert - 20388

August 2