Gems from January 21- 31, 2017

January 21

THE NEW BIRTH

"No man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”  

(John 10:29)

If you are regenerate, you will remain regenerate. It seems to me that this is absolutely inevitable because regeneration is the work of God. 

Yet there are those who seem to think that people can be born again as the result of believing the truth, and then if they backslide or fall into sin or deny the truth, they lose their regeneration, but if they come back again and 

believe again, then they are regenerate again—as if one can be born again and die and be born again and die an endless number of times! 

How important doctrine is! How important it is that we should be clear as to what the Scripture teaches about these things! 

It tells us that regeneration is the work of God Himself in the depths of the soul and that He does it in such a way that it is permanent. 

“No man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” 

(John 10:29). 

(Martyn Lloyd Jones)

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January 22

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee:

He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

(Psalm 55:22)

 The Burden - Bearer

A man had a vision in which he saw a multitude of people bearing burdens,
which greatly afflicted him to behold. 

Strong men were bowed down under heavy loads,
fragile women were staggering under burdens ,

even children were weighed down.

All classes of people were represented, toiling and staggering under heavy burdens.

In the vision the dreamer thought he saw the Lord, and to his utter amazement 

He was busily employed in increasing the burdens.

Still the burdened ones toed on, ready to drop—but not quite.

Still the Lord aded to their burdens again and again,

till at last the man’s curiosity and surprise

could be restrained no longer.

He enquired of the Lord why He was adding to the burdens and distress of those he saw.

The reply was:

“I am adding to their burden till they cannot do without Me any longer,

and THEN I WILL CARRY BOTH THEM AND THEIR BURDENS.”     

(Comforted of God - A.J. Pollock)

Days are filled with sorrow and care, hearts are lonely and drear .

Burdens are lifted at Calvary.  Jesus is very near.

Cast your care on Jesus today, leave your worry and fear.

Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near.

Troubled soul, the Saviour can feel every heartache and tear.

Burdens are lifted at Calvary, Jesus is very near.

(John M. Moore)

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January 23

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble: 

I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”

(Psalm 50:15)

“I will deliver thee.”  I WILL," not “I may,” not “perhaps.”

It is definite, certain— “I will deliver thee.”

Mark, it does not say when.  We often fix a time; it must be immediately, 

and so we get disappointed.

It does not say how.  We would like deliverance brought about in a way of 

our own; and because it does not appear to be coming in 

our way we are tempted to rebel.

Nor does it say what form the deliverance will take.

We have already made up our minds, perhaps,

what form we would prefer; but it may

be God has something better for us.

Let us leave the form of the deliverance—the how and when—all to Him,

resting only in the certainty of the fact,

“I will deliver thee.”

(Angels in White - Russell Elliot)

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January 24

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

(Genesis 3:21)

We have here, in figure, the great doctrine of divine righteousness set forth.

The robe which God provided was an effectual covering, because HE provided it;

just as the apron was an ineffectual covering, because man had provided it.

Moreover, God’s coat was founded upon blood-shedding; Adam’s apron was not.

So also now, God’s righteousness is set forth in the cross; man’s righteousness 

is set forth in the works—the sin-stained works—of his own hands. When Adam stood clothed in the coat of skin he could not say he was naked, nor had he any occasion to hide himself.

The sinner may feel perfectly at rest when, by faith, he knows that God has clothed him; 

but to feel at rest till then, can only be the result of presumption or ignorance.

To know that the dress I wear, and in which I appear before God, is of His own providing,

must set my heart at  perfect rest.

There can be no true, permanent rest in aught else.

(Genesis - C. H. Macintosh)

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Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? 

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? 

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you wash’d in the blood in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?

Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?

Are you wash’d in the blood of the Lamb?

(E.A. Hoffman) 

January 25

“For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, 

but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

(1 Samuel 16:7)

If our value to society was measured by the size of our house or our bank account, many would have little influence.

The misfit and those who are limited would be overlooked as insignificant. But in the sight of the Lord, these are often the real heroes of faith.

God the Creator, wisely teaches and trains each one of His children for service here below and later in heaven above.

His ultimate goal is to have us conformed to the image of His Son. Are we like Him?

(E. Dyck)

"And is it so! I shall be like Thy Son,  
Is this the grace which He for me has won?

Father of glory, thought beyond all thought, 
In glory, to His own blest likeness brought.

(J.N. Darby) 

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January 26

“The Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet.”  (Exodus 15:25)

"The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

(1 Corinthians 1:18)

The cross! The cross! Oh that’s our gain,

Because on that the Lamb was slain;

’Twas there the Lord was crucified;

’Twas there for us the Saviour died.

(Miss C. Taylor, 1742)

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January 27

“Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.”

(Hebrews 12:6)

Pride and stoical resistance to sorrow will not do.

That does not draw the soul to God, but effectually

. . .keeps it from Him. 

. . . Sorrow, when it is complete and helpless, 

gives intimacy with Him who is willing and 

able to help, and this is now with God.

The time will come when all our sorrow will be over,

but our Friend will remain.

He is our tried an true Friend.

He has entered into the deepest woes of our 

heart, and will make us the sharers of His joy forever.

(Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest -J.N.Darby)

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January 28

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

(1 Peter 5:10)

Oh, what a place has the saint got, in the call of God, and not only in the call of God, but in that invigorating power which He makes 

His people to know all along the way!  

Himself who has called you shall make you perfect.

What have we not in God?

Have we not everything which encourages our hearts, 

strengthens them, comforts them, sustains them?

God’s purpose, God’s call, God’s sustaining grace all along the way,

bring us at last into His glory.

(W.T.P. Wolston)

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January 29

In those days there was no king in Israel; 

every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

First, “There was no king in Israel.” This reminds us that there was no authority, 

no one to hold them accountable, no bottom line. 

We often hear this today, there are no absolutes, there is no authority. 

This is what happens when you lay aside the Word of God and ignore its teachings!

Proverbs 29:18 reminds us “Where there is no revelation, 

the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.” 

This is the result of ignoring the Word of God; soon there is no fresh revelation, no “What does the Bible say?” Then anything goes and restraint is cast off! We see this in 1 Samuel 3:1-4, which was written during or following the time of the Judges.

There we see the moral condition: the Word of the Lord was rare in those days; 

— there was no widespread revelation; — the high priest was lying down; — his eyes were dim, 

so he could barely see; — the lamp of God was about to go out.

Even though the moral conditions may be dark around us and many may ignore the 

Word of God, God will not leave Himself without a witness! 

He will not let the lamp of testimony go out. 

He is looking for those who would return to their first love.

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”  (Revelation 2:5).

(Tim Hadley, Sr.- with thanks D.H.)

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January 30

“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself,

lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

(Hebrews 12:3)

There are times in one’s life when all the world seems to turn against us.

Our motives are misunderstood, our words misconstrued.

A malicious smile or an unkind word reveals to us 

the unfriendly feelings of others.

Our advances are repulsed or met with icy coldness;

a dry refusal arrests on our lips the offer of help. 

Courage, patience, poor disconsolate one!

God is making a furrow in your heart, 

where He will surely sow His grace. 

It is rare when injustice, or slights patiently borne, do not leave the heart

at the close of the day filled with marvellous joy and peace.

It is the seed God has sown, springing up and bearing fruit.

A disappointment, a contradiction, a harsh word received and endured as in

His presence, is worth more than a long prayer.

(Traveling Toward Sunrise)

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January 31

"To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,

that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

(Ephesians 3:19)

O Lord! Thy rich, Thy boundless love no thought can reach, no tongue declare;

Oh give our hearts its depths to prove, and reign without a rival there.

From Thee, O Lord, we all receive, Thine, wholly Thine, alone we’d live.

(Gerhardt) 

“Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

(1 John 1:3)

Fellowship with the Father is to be filled with His thoughts,

 His desires, His objects and His affections.

It is also so with fellowship with the Son. . . . It is our privilege to be taken out  

of ourselves altogether—to be lost in the affections and aims of the Father and the Son! . . . 

Self disappears before such a blessed possibility.

Shall I cling to my own thoughts and purposes when 

I may be occupied with those of the Father and the Son? 

Shall I have my own affections when I may be possessed with

those that fill the heart of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ?

Far be the thought!

Rather let me be lost in this illimitable sea of 

bliss opened out before me in the marvellous grace of God.  

(Divine Possibility -  Edward Dennett - with thanks - F.P.)

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