“. . . thou art ever with me, all that I have is thine.”
(Luke 15:31)
He holds nothing back,
reserves nothing from His dear children,
and what we cannot receive now He is keeping for us.
He gives us (Isaiah 45:3) “hidden riches of secret places” now,
but by and by He will give us more and the glorified intellect will be filled
continually out of His treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
But the sanctified intellect will be, must be,
used for Him, and only for Him, now.”
(Francis Ridley Havergal)
N.J. Hiebert - 6219
April 11
Smitten of God
“The angel of the Lord smote Peter.”
(Acts 12:7)
"The angel of the Lord smote Herod.”
(Acts 12:23)
Nay, child of God! Dost thou repine,
And mourn a stroke that seems so sore?
Hush! ’Tis the touch of Love Divine
Has reached thee, low on dungeon floor.
Know if thy Father smiteth thee,
’Tis but to rouse and set thee free
To blest unfettered liberty.
But thou, proud sinner, howsoever
The world may fawn, applaud, and crown
And set thee up on high: beware!
From thence my God can bring thee down.
Ah! from His stroke of judgment dread,
Fierce anger and damnation red,
What shield can fence thy guilty head!
(Bells & Pomegranates - James M. S, Tait)
N.J. Hiebert - 6220
April 12
He Washed and Came Seeing
"And He said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.)
He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
(John 9:7)
Two things taking place in this incident, in which Jesus heals the man who was blind from birth,
are always evident when God works in or through us.
They are very closely linked to our spiritual journey and
are essential to an effective and fruitful walk with the Lord.
They are OBEDIENCE and FAITH.
The blind man obeyed what Jesus instructed him to do, and he went forth to the pool of Siloam
and washed his eyes in faith. The result was that he received his sight.
God always manifests His presence and power in the lives of believers who walk in obedience,
exercise faith, and give God His rightful place as Sovereign in their lives.
The Pharisees were outraged at this miracle, and proclaimed Christ to be a sinner for
having "worked" on the Sabbath. In their opinion, spitting on the ground to make clay to anoint the
blind man's eyes was breaking the law. They were more interested in the "letter of the law”
than in the miracle that had taken place when the blind man received his sight.
But those who had known the blind man were astounded and sought an explanation.
They took him to the Pharisees, who questioned him and his parents.
Finally, the blind man simply said with conviction and authority,
"One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, NOW I SEE.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Adapted - Daily Devotions)
N.J. Hiebert - 6221
April 13
“I will...set up my standard [banner]...
Thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for
they shall not be ashamed that wait for me."
(Isaiah 49:22, 23)
One of God’s names is Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my Banner.
The banner rallied the troops or was raised to announce the victory.
How wonderful that “His banner over me is love”.
As we face principalities and powers today, whether they be people or problems,
discouragements or fears, let us raise high the banner of His power, His love,
His name, declaring to our foes and reminding ourselves that
He has already won the victory.
Do not be disappointed.
The final chapter is not yet played out.
Hope in Him; give a shout of victory
The strength of His love will never let you down.
(M. MacMullen)
"The Lord is our banner; the battle is His.
The weakest of saints more than conqueror is.”
(J.G. Deck)
N.J. Hiebert - 6222
April 14
“He that descended is the same also that ascended up far
above all heavens, that He might fill all things."
(Ephesians 4:10)
Often people say that one religion is as good as another.
But there is a big difference between religion and Christianity.
Religions tell people to try to climb from earth to heaven.
Christianity is founded on Christ.
He came from heaven to earth,
to give eternal life to those who believe on Him.
(Corrie Ten Boon)
N.J. Hiebert - 6223
April 15
“It doth not yet appear what we shall be;
but we know that when He shall appear
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”
but we know that when He shall appear
we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”
(1 John 3:2)
JESUS!—the answer to all our doubts, the spring of all our courage, the earnest of all our hopes,
the charm omnipotent against all our foes, the remedy for all our sicknesses,
the supply of all our wants, the fulness of all our desires.
JESUS!—melody to our ears, altogether lovely to our sight, manna to our taste, living water to our thirst.
JESUS!—our shadow from the heat, our refuge from the storm, our pillar of fire by night,
our Morning Star, our Sun of Righteousness.
JESUS!—at the mention of Whose name "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess".
JESUS—our power; our righteousness; our redemption; our sanctification; our Jehovah; our Emmanuel!
JESUS—Thy name is the most transporting theme of the Church, as they sing going up
from the valley of tears to their Home on the mount of God;
Thy name shall ever be the richest chord in the harmony of heaven, where the angles and the
redeemed unite their exulting, adoring songs around the throne of God and the Lamb.
JESUS!—Thou only can’st interpret Thine own name, and Thou hast done it by
Thy work on earth, and Thy glory at the right hand of the Father.
JESUS—SAVIOUR!
(Heaven’s Cure for Earth’s Care - George Henderson)
N.J. Hiebert - 6224
April 16
THE LOST COIN
“What woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece,
doth not light a candle, and sweep the house,
and seek diligently till she find it?”
(Luke 15:8)
The painstaking of the Holy Ghost is shown in the acting
of the woman who sought the lost piece of silver;
the piece of silver could have neither
trouble nor joy itself.
The difference in the two is that in the first
the Shepherd (Luke 15:4) bears all the burden;
in the second it is the pains taken in finding the
lost piece, proving the woman cared enough for it
to take all this trouble to search it out.
Thus does God’s love act toward us to bring us out of the dark world to Himself.
What a work it is to bring man’s heart back to God!
“ 'Twas great to speak a world from naught;
’Twas greater to redeem.”
(J.N. Darby)
N.J. Hiebert - 6225
April 17
“The words of the wise are as goads."
(Ecclesiastes 12:11)
It is better to die honourably than live shamefully.
The head may be ripe, and the heart rotten.
Prayer is a great heart-easer.
He that shows any kindness to a saint, is sure to have God for his paymaster.
The sins of teachers are the teachers of sins.
(William Gurnall (1617-1679)
N.J. Hiebert - 6226
April 18
“Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred
pence, and given to the poor?"
(John 12:5)
“What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you?
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”
And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”
(Matthew 26:15)
Judas was the treasurer of our Lord’s disciples and self
appointed estimator of the monetary value of things.
Of the ointment that Mary used to anoint our Lord’s feet he said,
“it’s worth 300 day’s wages”.
A few days later, he would put a value on the life of
Christ and agree on 30 pieces of silver.
This was equivalent to about 120 day’s wages.
What a sad commentary on his judgment!
What is your estimate of the One who gave Himself for you?
(Ken Gross)
“I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
I’d rather have Him that have riches untold.”
(George Beverly Shea)
N.J. Hiebert - 6227
April 19
“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities . . . and
with His stripes we are healed.”
(Isaiah 53:5)
"Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ.”
(Galatians 6:2)
Wounded for me, wounded for me,
There on the cross He was wounded for me;
Gone my transgressions, and now I am free,
All because Jesus was wounded for me.
(W.G. Ovens)
N.J. Hiebert - 6228
April 20
THE CROSS HUMBLES US
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Philippians 3:7
It is the cross of Christ that brings us all down to the same place.
“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
The differences between nations and groups within them and
individuals are nothing when you look at the cross of Christ.
We are all miserable, helpless, hopeless sinners.
There is nothing in which we can boast. As the apostle puts it in Philippians 3:7-9,
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom, I have suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
Once you really see this message of the cross, you see yourself groveling on the dust and the floor,
a miserable failure, a hopeless sinner. You can do nothing, and neither can your neighbour;
you are together in your complete helplessness and hopelessness.
But thank God it does not leave you there. You both
look up together into the face of the one and
only Saviour, the Saviour of the world,
“the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
(From The Cross, pp. 147-148. Martyn Lloyd-Jones- Walking with God.)
N.J. Hiebert - 6229
April 21
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
(Hebrews 12:2)
UNTO JESUS and not at the brightness of our joy, the strength of our assurance, or the warmth of our love.
Otherwise, when for a little time this love seems to have grown cold, this assurance to have vanished,
this joy to have failed us—either as the result of our own faithlessness, or for the trial of our
faith—immediately, having lost our feelings, we think that we have lost our strength,
and we allow ourselves to fall into an abyss of sorrow, even into cowardly
idleness, or perhaps sinful complaints.
Ah! rather let us remember that if the feelings with their sweetness,
are absent, the faith with its strength remains with us.
To be able always to be “abounding in
the work of the Lord”
(1 Corinthians 15:58)
Let us look steadily, not at our ever changeful hearts,
but at JESUS, who is always the same.
(Looking Unto Jesus - Theodore Monod.
Translated from the French by Helen Willis)
N.J. Hiebert - 6230
April 22
“My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
(James 1:2-3)
Recently my wife and I received a panicky phone call from our son and his wife.
The night before, they had found two bats in their house.
I know that bats are an important part of the ecosystem, but they are not my favourite among
God’s creatures, especially when they are flying around inside.
Yet my wife and I were thankful we could go over to our kids’ house and help.
We helped them to plug the holes that might have been used by
these unwelcome visitors to enter their house.
Another unwelcome visitor that often intrudes into our lives is suffering.
When trials come, we can easily panic or lose heart.
But these difficult circumstances can become the instruments our loving heavenly
Father uses to make us more like Christ—That’s why James wrote, as quoted above.
We are not expected to enjoy trials or to celebrate suffering.
But when these unwelcome visitors arrive, we can look
for God’s hand in them and trust that He can
use them to make us more like His Son.
(Bill Crowder)
(Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2014), Grand Rapids, MI. Printed permission.)
N.J. Hiebert - 6231
April 23
“And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love."
(Psalm 109:5)
And yet in spite of His acts of love, and His words of grace, they rewarded
Him evil for good, and hatred for His love. (Psalm 109:5).
Truly He could say, “they hated me without a cause.”
Alas! plenty of cause of hatred, but no cause in Him.
No cause in man to call forth Christ’s love,
and no cause in Christ to call forth man’s hatred.
But why should the evil heart of man hate the
One whose whole life was spent in showing love to man?
Let Joseph’s history supply the answer.
Why was Joseph hated by his brethren?
Was he not in their company as one that served?
Truly, but they were evil and hence,
however desirable his service might be,
his presence exposed their evil,
and called forth their hatred.
And for a like cause, and in far deeper measure, the world hated Christ, as He could say,
“Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil” (John 7:7).
(Hamilton Smith - Joseph)
N.J. Hiebert - 6232
April 24
No comments:
Post a Comment