“My meditation of Him shall be sweet . . . “
(Psalm 104:34)
I heard a Quaker lady, who had to spend half an hour every day sitting
quietly and doing nothing, calling it her still lesson.
I wish we could enjoy such a half-hour daily in God’s presence.
Our still lesson would be one of the most useful lessons of the day.
Let us seek to become better acquainted with God by more inward
and diligent meditation over the Word and on Himself.
How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.
(Traveling Toward Sunrise)
N.J. Hiebert - 7449
May 12
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may
believe on the name of the Son of God.”
(1 John 5:13)
# 1
Reality, reality,
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!
From the spectral mists and driving clouds,
From the shifting shadows and phantom crowds;
From unreal words and unreal lives,
Where truth with falsehood feebly strives;
From the passings away, the chance and change,
Flickerings, vanishings, swift and strange,
I turn to my glorious rest on Thee,
Who art the grand Reality.
#2
Reality in greatest need,
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art indeed!
Is the pilot real, who alone can guide
The drifting ship through the midnight tide?
Is the lifeboat real, as it nears the wreck,
And the saved ones leap from the parting deck?
Is the haven real, where the boat may flee
From the autumn gales of the wild North Sea?
Reality indeed art Thou,
My Pilot, Lifeboat, Haven now!
(Francis Ridley Havergal)
N.J. Hiebert - 7450 (1&2) of 9 verses
May 13
The Artist’s Boy
"He gave authority to His servants, and to every man his work” (Mark 13:34).
Some years ago there lived and worked in Italy a great artist in mosaics. His skill was wonderful.
With bits of glass and stone he could produce the most striking works of art,
works that were valued at thousands of pounds.
In his workshop was a poor little boy whose business it was to clean up the floor and tidy up the room after the day’s work was done. He was a quiet little fellow, and he always did his work well. That was all the artist knew about him.
One day he came to his master and asked timidly, “Please, master, may I have for my
own the bits of glass you throw upon the floor?” “Why, yes," said the artist.
“The bits are good for nothing. Do as you please with them.”
Day after day, then, the child might have been seen studying the broken pieces on the floor, laying
some on one side and throwing others away. He was a faithful little servant, and so year
by year went by and saw him still in the workshop.
One day his master entered a storeroom little used, and in looking round he came upon a piece of work carefully hidden behind the rubbish. He brought it to light and, to his surprise, found it to be a noble work of art nearly finished. He gazed at in speechless amazement. "What great artist can have hidden his work in my study?” he cried.
At that moment the young servant entered the door. He stopped short on seeing his master, and when he saw the work in his hands a deep dye flushed his face. “What is this?” cried the artist. "Tell me what great artist has hidden his masterpiece here!”
"Oh, master!” faltered the astonished boy. “It is only my poor work. You know you said I might have the broken bits you threw away.” The child having the artist soul had gathered up the fragments and patiently, lovingly wrought them into a wonderful work of art.
Do you catch the hint? Gather up the bits of time and opportunity lying about and patiently work out your life mosaic—a masterpiece by the grace of God. God does not give many of us great things to do, but it is the odds and ends of everyday life which He sets us to pick up and make morally beautiful and glorious. “Gather up the fragments . . . that nothing be lost” (John 6:12).
Are we doing it, day by day? When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, to give account of what we did with our life here, what answer shall we be able to give if He asks, “How many baskets full of fragments took ye up?” (Mark 8:20).
(To Every Man His Work)
N.J. Hiebert - 7451
May 14
The Man of God
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
(1 Timothy 6:12)
The man of of God has been defined as “God’s emergency man.” In times of peculiar difficulty and need, such have arisen both in the Church and in Israel. If the order divinely established were working correctly, there would be no necessity for the man of God.
No persons thus described appear in the Spirit’s records of the earliest days of Christianity.
For a time all was well.
For a time all was well.
There was indeed a moment when the whole Church was “filled with the Holy Ghost,” and when it could be said that “great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:31-33).
But when first love declined and disorder set in, we read of the man of God, and Timothy is the first person thus designated in the New Testament Scriptures.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
(1 Timothy 6:11)
There have doubtless been many such during the succeeding centuries, and their faithfulness is written on high, and it will be rewarded in the day of Christ.
(W. W. Feredy)
N.J. Hiebert - 7452
May 15
“Look not every man on his own things,
but every man also on the things of others.”
(Philippians 2:4)
We once knew a poor old Christian man who trudged miles to repair the county stiles that
they might be a little easier for the aged and infirm.
English Country Stiles
The people voted him mentally weak, but in the Great Day
he will out shine Napoleon.
To take a stumbling block out of our brother’s way,
and to help the cripple over the stile, is to reveal the mind that was in Christ Jesus.
Let me be a little sweeter—
Make my life a bit completer,
By doing what I should do
Every minute of the day.
Let me toil without complaining,
Not a humble task disdaining.
(Author unknown)
"It is astounding that so much is actually accomplished in life when
we reflect upon these age-old maxims:
Moment by moment
Step by step
One by one
Day by day
Little by little”
(M. Taylor)
N.J. Hiebert - 7453
May 16
REALITY
“He is altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:16)
# 3
Reality, reality,
In brightest days Thou art to me!
Thou art the sunshine of my mirth,
Thou art the heaven above my earth,
The spring of the love of all my heart,
And the fountain of my song Thou art;
For dearer than the dearest now,
And better than the best, art Thou,
Beloved Lord, in whom I see
Joy giving glad reality.
# 4
Reality, reality,
Lord Jesus, Thou hast been to me.
When I thought the dream of life was past,
And “the Master’s home-call” come at last;
When I thought I only had to wait
A little while at the Golden Gate,—
Only another day or two,
Till Thou Thyself shouldest bear me through,
How real Thy presence was to me,
How precious Thy Reality!
#5
Reality, reality,
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!
Thy name is sweeter than songs of old,
Thy words are better than “most fine gold,”
Thy deeds are greater than hero-glory;
Thy life is grander than poet-story;
But Thou, Thyself, for aye the same,
Art more than words and life and name!
Thyself Thou hast revealed to me,
In glorious Reality.
(Francis R. Havergal)
N.J. Hiebert - 7454 (3,4,5 of 9 verses)
May 17
“There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”
(Proverbs 18:24)
“A friend loveth at all times.”
(Proverbs 17:17)
“He was called the Friend of God.”
(James 2:23)
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
(Joseph Scriven)
N.J. Hiebert - 7455
May 18
Step By Step
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
(Deuteronomy 33:25)
One who carries a lantern on a dark road at night sees only a step before him. If he takes that step he carries the lantern forward and that makes another step plain.
At length he reaches his destination in safety without once stepping into darkness. The whole way is made light to him, though only a single step of it was made plain at one time.
This is the method of God’s guidance — one step at a time.
It is a blessed secret, this of living by the day.
Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, till nightfall.
Anyone can do this work, however hard, for one day. And in the strength of God, anyone can live trustingly, lovingly, and purely till the sun goes down. And this is all that life really means to us — just one little day.
“Day by day the manna fell;
Oh! to learn this lesson well.”
(A. J. Pollock)
N.J. Hiebert - 7456
May 19
“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing,
than for evil doing.”
(1 Peter 3:17)
I grant you it may seem a hard thing to carry out this verse but it is what Christ did.
He did well, and suffered for it, and took it patiently.
Why ought the Christian never to suffer as an evil doer? Because Christ
once suffered for sin—let that be enough.
The apostle says, If you suffer for righteousness’ sake, be happy in it; if for Christ’s sake,
glory in it; but for doing evil let not a Christian suffer, because Christ has once
suffered for those very sins: a most touching reason.
(W. T. P. Wolston, MD)
N.J. Hiebert - 7457
May 20
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
(Deuteronomy 33:27)
One afternoon in 1887, music teacher A. J. Showalter dismissed his class and
returned to his rooming house in Hartsville, Alabama.
There he found letters from two former students, each with a similar story. Both of them had
lost their wives, and both wives had died on the same day.
Showalter began writing letters of condolence. The Scripture that came to mind was from
Deuteronomy, the assurance of God’s “everlasting arms” supporting us.
Then he wrote a third letter, to Elisha Hoffman, a hymn writer in Pennsylvania.
Showalter suggested that Hoffman write a hymn on that theme. He even suggested the
wording of the chorus. Hoffman responded quickly with three stanzas, and Showalter supplied the music.
With God’s arms beneath us, and His love surrounding us, we can find strength in even the most sorrowful
situations. This does not mean that we deny the emotions of each moment. When a loved one dies,
its normal and right to mourn. But we know that God is still in control—He
has not abandoned us. And that keeps us going.
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.
CHORUS: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms;
O, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Elisha Albright Hoffman (1839-1929)
N.J. Hiebert - 7458
May 21
“Who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 2:4)
Here we have a glimpse of the expansiveness of the heart of God —
that all men should be saved.
There is no one on the face of the earth, however distant from God,
who is beyond the pale of the great salvation that God offers.
Sir Robert Anderson wrote “There is no deception in it. If forgiveness is preached to all,
it is because all may share it . . . it is impossible that election can ever limit the
value of the death of Christ, or the power of that name to save and bless.”
May we continue, in accord with the mind of God, to preach the “whosoever” Gospel,
and to have the expectation that any hearing it can be saved.
(W. H. Burnett)
Sinners Jesus will receive, sound this word of grace to all,
(Erdmann Neumeister)
N.J. Hiebert - 7459
May 22
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