Gems from March 20- 31, 2017

March 19

Divine Possibilities - Part 1

“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 His 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.

(E. Dennett)

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March 20

Divine Possibilities - Part 2

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

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

(Ephesians 3:19)

It is written, “All things are possible to him that believeth”; we read the words, do not doubt 

them, and yet we seldom think of the possibility of their being verified in our own experience. 

Circumstances may be the form of the expression of God’s will for us, but the normal 

thing for the Christian should be the inward apprehension of the Lord’s mind.

“I will counsel thee with Mine eye upon thee.”  If this is true, we have to

wait until we hear His voice, and if that attitude be maintained,

I am sure that we never should be confounded.

It must ever be remembered that guidance is a matter of faith, not sight.

The Christian ought to be the most dignified person in the world. We 

do not think half enough of ourselves as we are before God.

If the cross be applied to ourselves and then to the world, you have two crucified things, and

consequently there could not be the least attraction between the two (Galatians 6:14).

That, therefore, is the true way of overcoming the attractions of the world.

When the heart is at leisure from itself, through being satisfied with Christ,

the Holy Spirit is free to lead it out into all the circle of God’s interests, 

whether as regards the church, His ancient people or the world.

An open door in service is from the Lord and not from man.

We may, therefore, be independent of man altogether, and we shall 

be if we keep our eyes wholly upon the Lord, remembering He always sets 

an open door before us if we keep His word and do not deny His name. (Revelation 3:8).

“As thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

The whole force of this scripture depends upon the connection.

The last words of verse 24 are, “Let him dip his foot in oil”; that is, 

in its Christian interpretation, let him walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, 

and then his shoes should be as iron and brass—a firm and consistent walk,

and his spiritual strength should never decay.  As your days, your strength shall be.

(Edward Dennett - with thanks F.P.)

N.J. Hiebert - 6562   

March 21

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: 

but the word preached did not profit them, not being 

mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

(Hebrews 4:2)

Faith is very important.

It is the link that binds us to every promise of God—it brings us every blessing.

I do not mean a dead faith, but a living faith.  There is a great difference between the two.

A man may tell me that ten thousand dollars are deposited in a certain bank in my name.

I may believe it, but if I don’t act upon it and get the money it does me no good.

Unbelief bars the door and keeps back the blessing.

Someone has said there are three elements in faith—knowledge, assent, laying hold.

Knowledge!  A man may have a good deal of knowledge about Christ, but that does not save him.

I suppose Noah’s carpenters knew as much about the ark as Noah did, 

but they perished miserably nevertheless, because they were not in the ark.

Our knowledge about Christ does not help us if 

we do not act upon it.  But knowledge is very important.

Many also assent and say—“I believe”; but that does not save them.

Knowledge, assent, then laying hold: it is that last element that saves,

that brings the soul and Christ together.

(D.L. Moody)

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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March 22

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 

withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of 

utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:  

That I may make manifest, as I ought to speak.”

(Colossians 4:2-4)

Christ has a special service for each saint.

We often want to arrange things beforehand; 

But that is never Christ’s plan;

He expects us to look to Him to get the word which He wants us to speak, 

showing by that, that we believe He is a living person. 

We cannot see the hearts of those to whom we speak, but He can; He knows every

thought of every heart, and we must look to Him for guidance what to say.

If you are walking with Christ as a living Lord, you will

find that He guides you in everything.

He has all the feelings of a man, and is entering into all ours.

(G.V. Wigram - Gleanings)

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March 23

OLD AGE NO BARRIER

"Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.”

(Psalm 92:13-14)

Some of the fruits of the Spirit seem to be especially and peculiarly characteristic of sanctified older years; and do we not want to bring them all forth?

Look at the splendid ripeness of Abraham’s faith in his old age;

the grandeur of Moses’ meekness when he went up the

 mountain alone to die; the mellowness of Paul’s joy in his later Epistles;

and the wonderful gentleness  of John which makes us almost forget his early character 

of “a son of thunder” wanting to call down God’s lightenings of wrath.

And the same Spirit is given to us, that we, too, may bring forth

“fruit that may abound,” and always more fruit.

Now, the pruning, sharp, unsparing; scattered blossom, bleeding shoot!

Afterward, the plenteous bearing of the Master’s pleasant fruit.

(Francis Ridley Havergal - Opened Treasures)

N.J. Hiebert # 6565  

March 24

“For Thou wilt lighten my candle:

the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”

(Psalm 18:28)

YOU CANNOT EXHAUST GOD

We would in Thee abide,

In Thee be glorified,

And shine as candles 

“lighted by the Lord.”

(Selected)

Let us not flinch when the snuffers are 

used; they only cut away the black charred debris.

He thinks so much of His work that He uses golden snuffers!

And the hand that holds the snuffers bears

the nail-print of Calvary!

(F.B. Meyer)

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March 25

“I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning.

I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.

I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

 (1 John 2:13)

The Apostle distinguishes growth.

The fathers have known Christ, who is from the beginning, the true Christ who guards the soul, 

knowing Him perfectly—no ambiguity, no uncertainty; and all the exercises and 

experiences of the Christian, which are often so much dwelt 

on, are but the scaffolding of the soul to get at this—

"Known Him that is from the beginning.” 

(J.N. Darby)

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March 26

“. . . If a son, then an heir, . . . “ 

(Galatians 4:7)

A dying judge said to his pastor, “Do you know enough about the law to understand what is meant by joint tenancy?”  “No,” was the reply; “I know nothing about law; I know a little about grace, and that has satisfied me.”

“Well,” he said, “if you and I were joint tenants on a farm I could not say to you, 'That is your hill of corn, and this is mine; that is your blade of grass, and this is mine," 

but we would share alike in everything on the place.

I have just been lying here and thinking with unspeakable joy that Christ Jesus has nothing apart from me; that everything He has is mine, and that we will share alike through all eternity.”

(Selected)     

Oh, how sweet a sight it is to see a cross betwixt Christ and us, to hear our Redeemer say, 

at every sigh, and every blow and every loss of a believer, “Half Mine!”

(Samuel Rutherford)

“From whence shall WE buy bread?” John 6:5

The Master said  “WE!”

(Mountain Trailways for Youth)

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March 27

The Straw

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

(Psalm 34:8)

The wonderful  man who was my mentor, my spiritual father, used this illustration once.

He was to address a large group of young people and he came to 

the podium sipping a chocolate shake.  

Most of us thought that was, at the very least unusual and strange, and perhaps inappropriate as well.

But His point was this, and it was a very good point.

This shake was something very good—it is something tasty, 

refreshing and something anyone probably would enjoy. 

The way of getting the good shake to him (and to each of us) was/is via this straw.

The straw in itself has no taste and most often is not even thought about as being important.

But it is very useful for this one purpose.  I am like this plain old straw;

I can be used to bring Jesus to you.

Can you think of the person(s) who were used as ’straws’ to bring Jesus to you?

“. . . we, being many, are one body in Christ, and each one members one of another . . .

having different gifts, according to the grace which has been given to us . . .

let us occupy ourselves in service . . . Let love be unfeigned; abhorring

evil; cleaving to good . . . in spirit fervent; serving the 

Lord . . . distributing to the necessities of the saints;

given to hospitality . . .” (Romans 12:5-17)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Christian Shepherd/Lifelines, F.P.

December 2014*

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March 28

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”

(John 14:6)

The politics professor stated at the beginning of his course,

“There is no such thing as an absolute truth.”

One of his students replied, 

"does that include that statement?”

Dear friend, in a world filled with philosophies each claiming to be the truth,

Jesus proclaimed He was the only way, the only truth

and the only life.

Do you want peace with God?

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Bob Cretney)

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, that’s what Jesus said.

Without the Way there is no going;

Without the Truth there is no knowing;

Without the Life there is no growing.

I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life; 

That’s what Jesus said.

(N. Woychuk)

N.J. Hiebert - 6570 

March 29

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

(Genesis 18:15)

There is far more wisdom in this method of settling an apparent difficulty,

than in the most elaborate argument; for it is perfectly certain that

the heart which is in a condition to “reply against God,”

will not be convinced by the arguments of man.

However, it is God’s prerogative to answer all the proud reasonings, and

bring down the lofty imaginations of the human mind. He can write 

the sentence of death upon nature, in its fairest forms.

“It is appointed unto men once to die.”  

This cannot be avoided.  

Man may seek to hide his humiliation in various ways,—to cover his retreat through the valley of death in the most heroic manner possible,—to call the last humiliating stage of his career by the most 

honourable title he can devise,—to gild the bed of death with a false light,— to adorn the 

funeral  procession and the grave with the appearance of pomp, pageantry, and glory,

—to raise above the mouldering ashes a splendid monument, on which are graven 

the records of human shame,—all these things he may do; but death is death 

after all, and he cannot keep it off for a moment, or make it aught 

else than what it is, namely,

“The wages of sin is death;

BUT 

the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

(Romans 6:23)

(C.H. Mackintosh)

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March 30

TAKE HEART AGAIN

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

(1 Timothy 1:15)   

William Archer has pointed out that one of the singular things about the Bible is that some of its outstanding men had serious moral lapses.

Abraham practiced deceit, and yet is called “the friend of God” James 2:23.

Jacob was a crafty schemer, yet is called a Prince with God—Genesis 32:28.

David committed sins that cast deep shadows over other lives as well as his own, yet is called a man after God’s own heart—Acts 13:22.

Peter said that he would follow the Master to prison and to death, but when the test came, he denied Him to a little maid—Matthew 26:69-72. 

Mr. Archer instances these things, however, not to throw stones at these good men, nor to condone their faults. He does so to show, on the one hand, that if God were strict to mark iniquity, not one of us could stand; and, on the other that it is the trend of a life that is the true test of character.

A battle may be lost, but the campaign may be won;
the wave may be defeated, but the tide is sure to triumph.  

(In Green Pastures)

George Henderson - 1866-1912)

N.J. Hiebert - 6572

March 31

“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, 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 12:1-2)

And, as the path of duty is made plain,

May grace be given that I may walk therein—

Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain,

With backward glances and reluctant tread,

Making a merit of his coward dread—

But cheerful in the light around me thrown,

Walking as one to pleasant service led,

Doing God’s will as if it were my own,

Yet trusting not in mine,

But in His strength alone!

(Johm Greenleaf Whittier - 1807-1892)

With thanks - J. Kaiser

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