Gems from December 21- 31, 2016

December 21

“These all . . . confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

(Hebrews 11:13)

Lord, since we sing as pilgrims, O give us pilgrims’ ways;

Low thoughts of self, befitting proclaimers of Thy praise;

O make us each more holy, in spirit pure and meek;

More like to heavenly citizens, as more of heaven we speak.

(Mary Bowley)

The early Christians presented in a beautiful way the Nazarite character.

They walked as those whose hearts Christ had taken away with Him into heaven.

So immensely are our lives below the mark as nominal Christians that we have next to no idea of the distance at which we walk from God, and when the soul is turned to seek . . . Him only . . . we discover with amazement how many false props we have had, and how often we have been leaning

on the love and approbation of others and not upon a Father’s love alone.

(G.V.Wigram)

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December 22

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that

ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,

and having done all, to stand."

(Ephesians 6:13)

Satan wastes no ammunition on those who are dead in trespasses and sins.

Christians are far more strategic targets for him.

Travelling all over the world, I saw Satan,

with his timely shots, attacking 

Christians more than 

ever before.

What a joy that we have so many promises in the Bible.

We are holy, chosen, beloved, hidden in

the hollow of His hand. We

have a living Saviour, 

legions of angels.

Count your many blessings!

(Corrie Ten Boom)

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December 23

“And the famine was over all the face of the earth:

And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto  

the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.  

And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn;

 because that the famine was so sore in all the lands."

(Genesis 41:56-57)

We have traced Joseph’s path to a position of exaltation and 

power, and we have seen how he used that power during the years of 

plenty.  But “the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt,

 were ended.  And the  seven years of dearth began to come.” 

(Genesis 41:53-54).

How will Joseph act in the years of dearth?

His brethren had consigned him to the pit, the Gentiles had flung him into 

prison.  Will Joseph take occasion by the world’s extremity, and his 

brethren’s need to use his power in taking vengeance?   

Nature might act thus, but grace will take another way.

Joseph will use his place of supremacy and power for universal blessing.

But while showing grace he will maintain righteousness, 

hence a cry of need will be wrung from the Gentiles

and they must submit themselves to Joseph

before the blessing is received. 

So too repentance must precede blessing in the case of the brethren.

(Joseph - Hamilton Smith)

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“. . . whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away.”

(1 Corinthians 13:8

We are a generation today of exhausted, overly particular people.

We are experts but not examples.    We know so much - too much.

We want to be thought of as philosophers, not little children; scholars 

not babes.  Childlike?  Never!  We miss the secrets God has hidden from 

the wise and prudent and revealed unto babes.

We go on trying to be wise, noble, mighty; but not many wise, 

noble and mighty have been chosen by God.

It is possible for a wise man too become as a little child, but not many of 

them do it.  How often preachers miss some deep truths but the simple soul among the

saints of God has received the hidden lesson

 and applied it and pressed through to heaven’s best.

"We know too much!”  

What does it matter if I go not to God’s Word to seek

The truth, of that which I so glibly speak,

And the need for His guiding hand on my earthly way — 

Does it really matter just what I may say?

(Selected - Streams in the Desert)

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December 24

“They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee.”

(Psalm 9:10) 

A Gem From the Seventeenth Century

"The reason why God is trusted so little, is because He is so little known. 

We say of some men, "They are better known than trusted," and if we knew some men more,

 we should trust them less; but the truth is, God is always trusted as much as He 

is known, and if we knew Him more, we would trust Him more. 

Every discovery of God shows somewhat which 

renders Him more worthy of trust."

(Caryl, 1602-1672)

"Trust in Him ye saints, forever,

He is faithful, changing never;

Neither force nor guile can sever

Those He loves from Him.”

(T. Kelly)

(Christian Truth: Vol. 4 - Dan Hopkins)

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“The words of the wise are as goads.”

(Ecclesiastes 12:11)

Christ passeth oft by palaces to visit the poor cottages. 

Pilate missed Christ on the bench, while the poor thief finds Him,

and heaven with Him, on the cross.

Ignorance is the mother of persecution.

We must come to good works by faith, and not to faith by good works.

It was a charge long ago laid upon Christianity, that it was better known in

pages of books than in the lives of Christians. 

It is easier to bow at the name, than to stoop to the cross of Jesus Christ.   

(William Gurnall -1617-1679)

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December 25

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes,

and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

(Luke 2: 7)

The natural human heart is like that inn at Bethlehem—no room for Christ!

Every true saint of God for four thousand years had been gazing out into the 

future, looking and listening that they might hear the footfall of the coming One.

Bible students think that when Eve brought forth her firstborn and said: 

“I have got a man from the Lord,” (Genesis 4:1) she thought he was the promised One.

And right on for four thousand years the mothers in Israel had been looking for that child.

And now the time had arrived.  He appears on earth; 

and the first thing we read is that there is no room for Him! (Luke 2:7) 

He came on no secret mission.  He tells us what He came for, (Luke 19:10) 

“to seek and to save that which was lost.”

He came to get His arm under the vilest sinner and lift him up to God; to bind up the 

broken-hearted, and to comfort those that mourn (Luke 4:18).

And yet from time to time it was announced in Jerusalem that He had come,

until He was put to death on the cross, the sword was not put back into

its scabbard until it had pierced the very heart of the God-man.

(D.L. Moody)

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December 26

“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin

to their charge.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

(Acts 7:59-60)  

In connection with the stoning of Stephen, Christ said,

"I am in the glory watching the whole scene.”

He is presented standing  up in the place of glory where He is, 

letting the glory down into the soul of a man.  

As knowing Christ in heaven, my life should, as it were, wrap itself round Him,

but in this scene I learn how His affections are wrapped around me; 

how, up there, His thoughts are occupied about me, not merely 

blessing me, but all His sympathy flowing down to me, 

as it did to the man who was being stoned. 

(G.V. Wigram)

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December 27

 “. . . Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see . . .”

(Luke 2:15)

IF HE HAD NOT COME

There would have been no salvation, 

there would have been no revelation of God in understandable human 

hearts, there would have been no living faith to encourage us each new day,

there would have been no everlasting doctrine of Peace-on-earth, Good will to men!

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, 

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold Him, born the King of angels, 

O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!

Sing Choirs of angel, sing in exultation, 

O sing, all ye bright hosts of heav’n above;

Glory to God, all glory in the highest

O Come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

Yea Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning,

Jesus, to Thee be all glory given; Word of the Father,

Now in flesh appearing 

O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!

(John Wade)

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December 28

“I will lead them in paths that they have not known.”

(Isaiah 42:16)

Uphold my steps in Thy paths, that my footsteps may not slip!

(Psalm 17:5) 

No matter what corner I go around on the winding road of life . . .

I do not know what is around that next turn in this winding trail  

of life. But I know this--whatever there is around that corner I 

shall have my hand in Another's hand when I go and face it. 

And if I feel a little bit disturbed, I shall move my finger around in the palm of that 

hand till I find the scar, and then I shall know that Jesus Christ, who on the 

cross was wounded for my sins--is not going to leave me no matter 

what corner I go around on the winding road of life.

(W.B. Hinton)

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December 29

“The Word that I have spoken, the same shall  judge him in the last day.”

(John 12:48)

The written Word is the manifestation of Christ, and is a

discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

Man cannot judge God’s word without judging himself;

so if he judges it to be wrong, he is judged himself.

"He that believeth not is condemned already.”

(John 3:18)

He is incapable of seeing Christ, who was God manifested in the flesh,  

and the Word judges him.

You may talk about colours or light to a blind man; but if a man is blind he  

cannot understand you; it is his non-perception of light 

and colours that proves he is blind.

It must be so where God is manifested.

If I am incapable of discerning what manifests Christ,

and the Word does not reach my soul, it is that which judges me.

(J. N. Darby)

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December 30

THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,

and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” 

(Hebrews 12:1)

What a tremendous challenge this verse is to every believer. There are many 

things in our lives that are not sin in themselves; however, when they dominate 

our lives they often become distractions and hinder our relationship with the Lord. 

Satan is very clever and infiltrates our mind and heart to make stumbling blocks of the

the very things that are good but supersede what should be of utmost importance. 

One of the tools Satan uses that becomes a heavy weight to us is despondency. . . to be 

discouraged and depressed. Our hearts become heavy, our countenance 

becomes sad, and our attitude becomes defeated. 

This becomes a weight that easily besets us and drags us down. 

We become discontent, critical, and spiritually useless. 

Such an attitude opens the door, ever so slightly, to Satan's insidious ways to disrupt, 

discourage, and defeat us at every turn. Let us not give ourselves any occasion 

to yield to self-pity or question those encounters that will hinder 

God's work of grace in our lives.

 Throw off everything that hinders!

(Selected - Daily Devotions)

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December 31

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?

by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.”

(Psalm 119:9)

“How can a young man keep his way pure?

by guarding it according it to Your Word.”

(ESU translation)

. . . how can youth keep its way shining through a dark world?

How can you reach the goal—Christ?

By taking heed thereto, by stepping carefully and guiding your

life by what your soul is learning of God in the text of Holy Scripture,

and by keeping company with Christ as your best Friend, and never ceasing

until you are on such terms with Him that you talk to Him more intimately than

to wife or child, lover or friend, and He talks with you.

That does not only mean you have a Bible in your pocket—thank God if you have—

but it means that you have Christ in your heart.

(Harold St. John - Portrait by his daughter)   

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“And she (Ruth) went, and came, 

and gleaned in the field after the reapers.”  

(Ruth 2:3)

In Ruth’s day, gleaning was to gather the grain left by the reapers (Leviticus 19:9-10).

In its figurative sense gleaning means to gather knowledge and wisdom bit by bit.

As a young believer, my Christian friends and I greeted each other by asking,

"Where are you gleaning today?”

We wanted to encourage each other to be in the Word. Daily reading of God’s Word 

often brings “choice gleanings”, golden surprises from God’s heart to ours.

As we start a NEW YEAR, glean from the Word of God daily.

(Robert Gentile)

The Word of God, a river of pleasure;

The Word of God, ’tis food for the mind;

The Word of God, its light faileth never,

The Word of God, what treasure we find.

The Word of God, a message of love,

The Word of God, it came from above.

(Arthur E. Smith)

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