Gems from Sept. 1- 10, 2016

“The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”

(Galatians 2:20)

Out of the realized “for me” grows the practical “for Thee.”

If the former is a living root, the later will be its living fruit. “For Thee!”

This makes the difference between forced or formal, and therefore unreasonable service,

and the reasonable service, which is the beginning of the perfect service where they see His face.

This makes the difference between slave work and free work.

For Thee, my Redeemer; for Thee who has spoken to my heart; 

for Thee, who has done for me—what?

Let us each pause, and fill up that blank with the great things the Lord hath done for us.

For Thee, who art to me—what?

Fill that up, too, before Him!

For Thee, my Saviour Jesus, my Lord and my God!

Help us lovingly to labour, looking for Thy present smile,

Looking for Thy promised blessing, thro’ the brightening “little while.”

Words for Thee in weakness spoken, Thou wilt here accept and own,

And confess them in Thy glory, when we see Thee on Thy throne.

(Opened Treasures - Francis Ridley Havergal)

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“To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye 

might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

(Ephesians 3:19)

God, in giving me eternal life, has also given me a nature and capacity to enjoy Him for ever.

I am brought into an association with God, a relationship to God, 

and an enjoyment of God, which the angels know not, 

although holy in their nature, and exalted.

We are thus brought near 

that we might -

“know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, 

that ye may be filled to all the fulness of God.”

(J.N. Darby)

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September 1

“Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee 

the desires of thine heart.”

(Psalm 37:4)

If I am really delighting myself in the Lord,

I will want only those things which will glorify 

God, I will not be asking from a selfish viewpoint.

I shall want God to do for me that which will magnify 

Christ in my life and make Him more precious to my soul.

(Selected)

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September 2

“BEHOLD, HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT IT IS FOR

BRETHREN TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY." 

(Psalm 133:1) 

Lo, how pleasant and how well,

When in unity saints dwell:

Like the hands and feet together,

Serve and love and help each other.

Like the precious ointment poured

On to Aaron’s head and beard:

Flowing to his garment’s skirt,

Making all the house smell sweet.

As the dew of Hermon’s mount

Of refreshment is the fount:

So when brethren dwell in love

Blessings flow from Thee above.

All Thy words are true and sure,

They bring peace and pleasures pure:

Peace, how good and pleasant now,

E’en like heaven here below. 

(From Chinese)

(Sacrifices of Joy - G. Christopher Willis)

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September 3

“Esther had not yet showed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him.”

(Esther 2:20)

Oh, but there are enemies, and Esther had not made herself know as to being 

a Jewess.  Mordecai, sitting in the gate, was despised and rejected. 

It makes us think of the Lord Jesus and His pathway down here.

God had arranged so that the captive maiden was brought 

in to the very centre of the kingdom of 127 provinces. 

And He so ordered it that in the finality Esther  

was the one who dictated all the terms.

Is not this just like God?

Have you come up against that stone wall which you could  

not possibly get through, and the door opened and you went through?

Faith will take you where nothing else will.

It will take you right into the very presence of God Himself, 

you cannot get here any other way. Possibly  —  (Hebrews 11:33) 

“…through faith subdued kingdoms” refers to Esther.

All the time that she was in the palace ordering her domestic responsibility,

she was in constant contact with Mordecai, receiving instructions 

from him and bowing to those instructions,

because she knew he was a man of God.

What simplicity of faith!

These are the simple principles of a happy Christian life, a path leading us into 

blessing and blessing for others, keeping our own souls in the 

right path of communion and enjoyment.

(Esther - C.E. Lunden)

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September 4

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.”

(Ephesians 6:14)

It does not make any difference what I think.  My thoughts do not amount to anything.

The great question is, What has God said?   What is written in the Word?

If the Word does not speak we have no right to attempt to speak,

but where it has given a clear definite declaration, 

we should be positive and sure in our faith.

That is what it is to have the loins of the mind girt about with the truth of God,

our thoughts all brought into subjection to His Holy Word.  

How important that is when you have to face the devil, 

because he works through wily error, 

 presenting all kinds of false systems 

and views and evil-speaking in regard to Christ.

(H.A. Ironside)

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September 5

“And God heard their groanings and God remembered His

covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and Jacob.”

(Exodus 2:24)

This verse teaches us that it is not wrong to sigh and groan at times.

Tell the Father about your misery and problems—

we are guaranteed a listening ear, and we 

are assured of a response.

Although the Lord allows His own to experience times of suffering,

there is aways a good reason, and they are always 

accompanied by sympathy and deliverance.

(Brian Russell)

There’s not a secret sigh we breathe,

But meets the ear divine,

And every cross grows light beneath,

The shadow, Lord, of Thine.

(Mrs. Crewdson)

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September 6

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,

therewith to be content.”

(Philippians 4:11)

“He satisfieth the longing soul."

(Psalm 107:9)

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;

but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water

springing up into everlasting life.”

(John 4:14)

To ensure that this blessing may be permanently yours, read meditatively and frequently 

Philippians 4, and note the wondrous treasures 

that meet you there at every turn: 

- Abiding joy (v. 4) 

- Celestial peace (v. 6 and 7)

- Divine companionship (v. 8 and 9)

- Absolute contentment (v. 11)

- Omnipotent strength  (v. 13)

- Illimitable wealth (v. 19)

- Matchless grace (v. 23)

Let your contented heart revel in all the wonder of it:

Above—Overshadowing wings (Ruth 2:12).

Around—Guardian angels (Psalm 34:7).

Underneath—Everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Within—God’s peace (Isaiah 26:3).

    (In Pastures Green - George Henderson)

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September 7

"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of 

Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?  He saith unto Him, 

Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee.  

He saith unto him, Feed My lambs.”

(John 21:15)

This thrice repeated question seared into Peter’s consciousness.

But the Lord had earlier given to His disciples and

to us a simple test of love for Him.

“If a man love Me, He will keep My words.”

(John 14:23)

It is remiss to profess love for Christ unless 

we are obedient to the Word of God. 

If we love Him we will obey Him.

(Doug Kazen)

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were an offering far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my heart, my life, my all."

(Isaac Watts) 

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September 8

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

(2 Timothy 3:7)

All throughout history the quest for new and different things has been an almost insatiable lust of mankind.

New this, modern this, the latest . . . and the best this, seem to be the mantra of humanity.

2 Timothy 3 is a long series of verses that describe the last days.

That list is ugly but accurate, and the above indictment surely applies.

Granted, there are a lot of advantages to some things new, but when it comes to satisfying the craving of our spirit, only one thing brings the peace so sought after.

Here’s a clue:

“Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” 

(Jeremiah 6:16). 

The Bible provides us with the truth we long for, the direction we need, the peace that seems to elude us and the joy which is deep and enduring.  It introduces us to Jesus, God’s eternal Son, who is the way (path), the truth, and the life.

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

(Matthew 11:28). 

Are you standing at the crossroads?

Then “take the road of the cross,” as a friend used to say.

Yes, it may be an ancient path, but it is the only one that counts.

(Lifelines - F.P.)

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September 9

“And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, 

He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” 

(Deuteronomy 31:8)

Every page in our heart is laid open under His eye.

Does He read you, and occupy Himself with every thought and intent of 

your heart? Does He see all in you that is of the flesh judged? or 

does He see things germinating for self, and for time?

Ah! if He does read in us what is contrary to His mind, will He turn from us?

No; but He will have us know what sort of a people we are;

He knows all our weakness, and we must know it too.

“And when I (John) saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. 

And He laid His right hand upon me,

saying unto me, Fear not; I am 

the first and the last."   

(Revelation 1:17)

If John is lying at His feet, it is indeed that He may say, “I shall touch you and make 

you feel what my strength is; but you must feel your own weakness.” 

All who know Christ have a deeper and deeper sense of that as they go on.

But all the way through the wilderness we have Him for us, saying,

“You cannot take a step without me, and I am going before you.”

(G.V. Wigram)

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September 10

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, making a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”

(Psalm 95:2-3)

 IN THE SECRET of HIS PRESENCE

“In the secret of His presence how my soul delights to hide!

Oh, how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus' side!

Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low;

For when Satan comes to tempt me, to the secret place I go.

When my soul is faint and thirsty, ‘neath the shadow of His wing

There is cool and pleasant shelter, and a fresh and crystal spring;

And my Saviour rests beside me, as we hold communion sweet;

If I tried, I could not utter what He says when thus we meet.

Only this I know: I tell Him all my doubts and griefs and fears;

Oh, how patiently He listens! and my drooping soul He cheers;

Do you think He ne’er reproves me? what a false friend He would be,

If He never, never told me of the sins which He must see.

Would you like to know that sweetness of the secret of the Lord?

Go and hide beneath His shadow; this shall then be your reward;

And when e’er you leave the silence of that happy meeting-place,

You must mind and bear the image of the Master in your face.”

The hymn In the Secret of His Presence was written by a remarkable woman, Ellen Lakshmi Goreh 1853.  She was

 a high-caste native of India, the daughter of of a Christian convert.  Her mother died when she was in infancy, and 

she eventually went to England, where she was educated.  When she was twenty-seven she returned

to India and engaged in mission work among the women in Alllahabad having set aside the

social privileges of her caste.  She was found to be a modest, devoted Christian, 

held in high regard by the missionaries and all who knew her.

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September 11

BED-RIDDEN TRUTH

“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

(John 13:17)

Our Lord conditions true happiness not on knowledge alone but on knowledge of His Word plus obedience.

Coleridge says: “Truths, of all others the most awful and interesting, are too often considered as so 

true that they lose the power of truth, and lie bed-ridden in the dormitory of the soul,

side by side with the most despised and exploded errors.”

Here lies a fearful peril to us all, that we take for granted the very things God never meant

should become a matter of course, and because we know them so well and have

heard them so often we assume that what is a fact in our

heads is a force in our hearts.

May it not be that this is why we never finish the verse,

“Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only"

by adding the most terrific part of it,

"deceiving your own selves”? 

(James 1:22)

We pleasantly assent to a Gospel we ought powerfully to assert.

How it needs to be rescued “from neglect caused by the 

very circumstance of its universal admission”!

What great truth lies bed-ridden in the dormitory of you soul?

(Day by Day - Vance Havner)

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