GRACE OPENS THE DOOR
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14
And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Do we not always fail when God confers a responsibility upon us? Only grace can keep us. How thankful we can be that grace always overrules when we have spoiled everything. It gives us an "open door."
No, this is not to return to what we have ruined. Rather, grace gives us something entirely new--something better than what we previously possessed.
When Sardis did not repent, the Lord gave an open door--not a door back to the beginning of Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6), but a door to Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). The meaning of this open door is not liberty in preaching the gospel; it has nothing to do with this.
Even when it concerns the gospel an open door does not mean that we will not have any opposition. On the contrary the apostle Paul writes: "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries."
(1 Corinthians 16:9).
An open door means that the Lord is clearly showing us which way He wants us to go. In a world where Satan has his way there will always be tremendous opposition and problems to overcome.
The Book of Ruth - H. L. Heijkoop
N.J. Hiebert - 8061
March 21
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
And stayed by joy divine, as hireling fills his day,
Through scenes of strife, and desert life, I tread in peace my way.
It is a serious thing, whatever be the goodness of God, to find peace with a God of holiness. Christ has made peace; but He would have us feel what it is to have need of it, in order that we may know it.
You look to getting the victory in order to get peace; we must get peace to get the victory--peace already made by Christ's work--then you will get strength. We do not find it till we see we have none.
The gospel of peace is ours in Christ; but I must have the spirit of peace in my heart. Peace has been made for us that we may dwell in peace.
It is Christ's work which gives peace to the conscience; but it is subdued will, having none of our own, which in great and in little things makes us peaceful in heart in going through a world of . . . trial.
In all things . . . instead of disquieting ourselves . . . we ought to present our request to God with prayer, with supplication . . . so that, even while making our petition to Him, we can already give thanks, because we are sure of the answer of His grace, be it what it may. . . . It does not say, you will have what you ask; but God's peace will keep your hearts. . . . Oh, what grace! that even our anxieties are a means of our being filled with this marvellous peace.
Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest. - J.N.D,
N.J. Hiebert - 8062
March 22
VINEYARD - KEEPING
They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Song of Solomon 1:6
Busy running to and fro,
Busy toiling here and there;
Not an idle hour to show,
Not a minute left to spare.
To every call a ready ear,
For every task a hand adept;
But one thing's left undone, I fear--
"My own vineyard I have not kept."
I would not slow the busy pace,
I would not stay the helpful hands;
Nor would I, with averted face,
Pass by when need my help demands.
But teach me, Lord (for was Thou not
The busiest, yet the holiest Man?)
How first to tend my private plot,
Then haste to do what else I can.
Bells and Pomegranates - James M. S. Tait
N.J. Hiebert - 8063
Busy running to and fro,
Busy toiling here and there;
Not an idle hour to show,
Not a minute left to spare.
To every call a ready ear,
For every task a hand adept;
But one thing's left undone, I fear--
"My own vineyard I have not kept."
I would not slow the busy pace,
I would not stay the helpful hands;
Nor would I, with averted face,
Pass by when need my help demands.
But teach me, Lord (for was Thou not
The busiest, yet the holiest Man?)
How first to tend my private plot,
Then haste to do what else I can.
Bells and Pomegranates - James M. S. Tait
N.J. Hiebert - 8063
March 23
He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters to stand as a heap. And He led them on safely,
so that they feared not.
Psalm 78:13,53
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair. 2 Corinthians 4:8
Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, "Thou passest THROUGH."
Annie Johnson Flint
N.J Hiebert - 8064
March 24
MY GENERATION
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.
Acts 13:36.
"David served his own generation by the will of God." Could you have a nobler motto than that to write on the flyleaf of your Bible? "I will serve my own generation by the will of God."
This is life at its highest and best.
"The great secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes."
Lord Beaconsfield
"Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished?
Yes; work never begun." Christina Rossetti
Mountain Trailways for Youth
N.J. Hiebert - 8065
March 25
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
In one of London's galleries there stands an unfinished piece of statuary - crude and imperfect - with barely the outline of a human form emerging.
Some one remarked, "The rough block of white marble is here to indicate the crudeness from which these perfect forms have been chiseled."
There was the touch of genius in the outline. Why could not the ideal there have been released? Upon closer observation one notices these words inscribed upon the pedestal, "The artist died at this stage of the work."
Many a youth has started out as this artist did but died to God and high ideals and went into sin with his life not finished as God had planned it should be.
To each man is given a marble to carve for the wall!
A stone that is needed to heighten the beauty of all:
And only his soul has the magic to give it grace,
And only his hands have the cunning to put it in place.
Yes, the task is given to each man, no other can do:
So the errand is waiting; it has waited ages for you,
And now you appear; the hushed ones are turning their gaze
To see what you do with your chance in the chamber of days.
Mountain Trailways for Youth
N.J. Hiebert - 8066
Some one remarked, "The rough block of white marble is here to indicate the crudeness from which these perfect forms have been chiseled."
There was the touch of genius in the outline. Why could not the ideal there have been released? Upon closer observation one notices these words inscribed upon the pedestal, "The artist died at this stage of the work."
Many a youth has started out as this artist did but died to God and high ideals and went into sin with his life not finished as God had planned it should be.
To each man is given a marble to carve for the wall!
A stone that is needed to heighten the beauty of all:
And only his soul has the magic to give it grace,
And only his hands have the cunning to put it in place.
Yes, the task is given to each man, no other can do:
So the errand is waiting; it has waited ages for you,
And now you appear; the hushed ones are turning their gaze
To see what you do with your chance in the chamber of days.
Mountain Trailways for Youth
N.J. Hiebert - 8066
March 26
CORONA MEANS CROWN
The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 4:10-11
Corona
Corona is a short - term blip along the line of time,
Selective shut-down slows it, but can't stop it on a dime.
But spread is sped by airplane trips by thousands every day,
Best to be alerted, cautious, wash your hands, and pray.
Corona is a worldly crown, but this one spells corruption
For cases in the older group, a major life disruption.
Attacking lungs and breathing tubes to varying degrees,
Breathing may get difficult, the ventilator please.
There's a better crown for Christians, one that cannot fade away,
That is the crown of glory, that our Saviour gives one day.
When we get to heaven; he'll say as He bestows,
Well done thou faithful servant, it was earned while down below.
Forever with our Saviour is the promise in His Word,
And all diseases will have gone and justice is His sword.
We'll be among the number when He greets the Holy City,
Then all the world will bow to Him - His love and grace and pity.
But what about those future crowns, handed out on high,
We all know why we have them, because the Saviour died.
Will we get to keep them, like Olympic athletes do?
We'll cast them at His feet someday; Lord we all love you.
Lorne C. Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8067
Corona
Corona is a short - term blip along the line of time,
Selective shut-down slows it, but can't stop it on a dime.
But spread is sped by airplane trips by thousands every day,
Best to be alerted, cautious, wash your hands, and pray.
Corona is a worldly crown, but this one spells corruption
For cases in the older group, a major life disruption.
Attacking lungs and breathing tubes to varying degrees,
Breathing may get difficult, the ventilator please.
There's a better crown for Christians, one that cannot fade away,
That is the crown of glory, that our Saviour gives one day.
When we get to heaven; he'll say as He bestows,
Well done thou faithful servant, it was earned while down below.
Forever with our Saviour is the promise in His Word,
And all diseases will have gone and justice is His sword.
We'll be among the number when He greets the Holy City,
Then all the world will bow to Him - His love and grace and pity.
But what about those future crowns, handed out on high,
We all know why we have them, because the Saviour died.
Will we get to keep them, like Olympic athletes do?
We'll cast them at His feet someday; Lord we all love you.
Lorne C. Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8067
March 27
MARVELLOUSLY HELPED
But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Matthew 14:30
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen [helped] with a little help. Daniel 11:34
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Then shall we not "be holpen with a little help", which is too often all we really expect from our omnipotent Helper, just because we do not feel that we have "no might." (2 Chronicles 20:12).
Peter was a good swimmer (John 21:7), but he did not say, "Lord help me to swim!" He said, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30) And so the Master's help was instant and complete.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
The Lord hath done great things for thee!
All through the fleeted days
Jehovah hath dealt wondrously;
Lift up thy heart and praise!
For greater things thine eyes shall see,
Child of His loving choice!
The Lord will do great things for thee;
Fear not, be glad, rejoice!
Royal Bounty - F. R. Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 8068
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen [helped] with a little help. Daniel 11:34
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Then shall we not "be holpen with a little help", which is too often all we really expect from our omnipotent Helper, just because we do not feel that we have "no might." (2 Chronicles 20:12).
Peter was a good swimmer (John 21:7), but he did not say, "Lord help me to swim!" He said, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30) And so the Master's help was instant and complete.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
The Lord hath done great things for thee!
All through the fleeted days
Jehovah hath dealt wondrously;
Lift up thy heart and praise!
For greater things thine eyes shall see,
Child of His loving choice!
The Lord will do great things for thee;
Fear not, be glad, rejoice!
Royal Bounty - F. R. Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 8068
March 28
All things are against me. Genesis 42:36
All things work together for good to them that love God. Romans 8:28
Many people are wanting (lacking) power. Now how is power produced? The other day** we passed the great works where the trolley engines are supplied with electricity. We heard the hum and roar of the countless wheels, and we asked our friend, "How do they make the power?"
"Why," he said, "just by the revolution of those wheels and the friction they produce. The rubbing creates the electric current."
And so, when God wants to bring more power into your life, He brings more pressure. He is generating spiritual force by hard rubbing. Some do not like it and try to run away from the pressure, instead of getting the power and using it to rise above the painful causes.
Opposition is essential to a true equilibrium of forces. The centripetal and centrifugal forces acting in opposition to each other keep our planet in her orbit. The one propelling, and the other repelling, so act and re-act, that instead of sweeping off into space in a pathway of desolation, she pursues her even orbit around her solar centre.
So God guides our lives. It is not enough to have an impelling force--we need just as much a repelling force, and so He holds us back by the testing ordeals of life, by the pressure of temptation and trial, by the things that seem against us, but really are furthering our way and establishing our goings.
Let us thank Him for both, let us take the weights as well as the wings, and thus divinely impelled, let us press on with faith and patience in our high and heavenly calling .
A. B. Simpson (1843-1919)**
N.J. Hiebert - 8069
March 29
BLESSED AND BLESSING
". . . my cup runneth over." Psalm 23:5
The cup of judgment was drained for us by our Lord (Matthew 26:42); the cup of salvation He has mixed for us out of the chalice of His supreme sufferings (Psalm 116:13); and now the cup of blessing overflows from us to others (Psalm 23:5).
This is ever the divine order: we must be vessels of mercy ere we can be channels of blessing; the "well" of living water meeting all local requirements must precede the "rivers" which are to flow out in blessing to others (compare John 4:14 and John 7:37,38).
"My cup runneth over." What does that mean? Abundance? It means more than that; it means redundance. How does a vessel overflow? Only by being under, and as long as it is kept under, a flowing fountain.
He is the fountain of living water (Jeremiah 2:13); and if we are in touch with Him there is no limit to what He can accomplish in, and by, and with, and for, and through us. Then, indeed, shall we be like Abraham of old - blessed and made a blessing (Genesis 12:2).
The Pearl of the Psalms - George Henderson
N.J. Hiebert - 8070
March 30
He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly.
Revelation 22:20
A sign on a plot of land in my home town announced the development of luxury homes, "Coming Soon!" was splashed across it.
Five years later the sign is still there. No new houses have been built. Reputedly, the builder did not have enough money to even get the project started.
Christians are assured that a future home has been prepared for them - every thing is ready and paid for and the Lord is coming soon to collect us.
There is nothing to hinder His coming. Could it be today?
Brian Powlesland
I am waiting for the coming of the Lord Who died for me;
O His words have thrilled my spirit "I will come again for thee".
S. Trevor Francis
N.J. Hiebert - 8071
March 31
"By faith Moses . . . choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Hebrews11:24-25.
"By faith Moses refused". Faith rests on promise; to faith the promise is equivalent to fulfillment; and if only we have the one, we may dare to count on the other as already ours.
It matters comparatively little that the thing promised is not given; it is sure and certain because God has pledged His word for it, and in anticipation we may enter on its enjoyment.
Had Moses simply acted on what he saw, he had never left Pharaoh's palace. But his faith told him of things hidden from his contemporaries; and these led him to act in a way which to them was perfectly incomprehensible.
One blow struck when the time is fulfilled is worth a thousand struck in premature eagerness. "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power" (Acts 1:7). Wait thou only upon God; let your expectation be from Him.
F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 8072
April 1
ENTANGLED CIRCUMSTANCES
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. Exodus 14:3
Some times when problems come up and we see no way through, or when souls we love seem entangled, we are tempted to think of what Pharaoh will say.
There can be no entanglement, the wilderness cannot possibly shut in anyone whom God is leading Home. It has been said, "What we see as problems, God sees as solutions"; and what we have to do through the age-long minute before we see, is to wait in peace and refuse to be hustled.
"Fear ye not, stand still," and sooner or later, "see the salvation of the Lord" Exodus 14:13. There will be no entanglement.
And is it not comforting that the Lord Jesus knows beforehand what Pharaoh will say? So we need not pay the slightest attention to him, even if he does make discouraging remarks.
The last word is never with Pharaoh. "They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise" (Jeremiah 46:17). So let us trust and not be afraid.
Amy Carmichael - Thou Givest . . . They Gather
N.J. Hiebert - 8073
April 2
April 1
ENTANGLED CIRCUMSTANCES
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. Exodus 14:3
Some times when problems come up and we see no way through, or when souls we love seem entangled, we are tempted to think of what Pharaoh will say.
There can be no entanglement, the wilderness cannot possibly shut in anyone whom God is leading Home. It has been said, "What we see as problems, God sees as solutions"; and what we have to do through the age-long minute before we see, is to wait in peace and refuse to be hustled.
"Fear ye not, stand still," and sooner or later, "see the salvation of the Lord" Exodus 14:13. There will be no entanglement.
And is it not comforting that the Lord Jesus knows beforehand what Pharaoh will say? So we need not pay the slightest attention to him, even if he does make discouraging remarks.
The last word is never with Pharaoh. "They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise" (Jeremiah 46:17). So let us trust and not be afraid.
Amy Carmichael - Thou Givest . . . They Gather
N.J. Hiebert - 8073
April 2
HIS RESURRECTION
To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ was attested by "many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3). On one occasion He was seen by "over five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:6). Peter included the other eleven apostles with him when he said, "this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses" (Acts 2:32).
Our Lord's disciples handled Him (Luke 24:39), talked with Him (Acts 1:6-9), and "did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead" (Acts 10:41). This companying with the disciples after our Lord's resurrection was for "forty days" (Acts 1:3).
Others were raised from the dead, like Lazarus (John 11:43-44), and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-16), and the twelve year old daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35-43); but these all rose to die again.
The renown of our Lord's resurrection is that when He emerged from death He brought the "keys of hell and death" with Him (Revelation 1:18). He was a conqueror, not conquered. Our Lord took His life again in resurrection (John 10:17-18). Resurrection was His own act by His own inherent power.
Our Lord will never die again, for death has "no more dominion over Him" (Romans 6:9). He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
Our Lord Jesus Christ - A Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake
N.J. Hiebert - 8074
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ was attested by "many infallible proofs (Acts 1:3). On one occasion He was seen by "over five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:6). Peter included the other eleven apostles with him when he said, "this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses" (Acts 2:32).
Our Lord's disciples handled Him (Luke 24:39), talked with Him (Acts 1:6-9), and "did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead" (Acts 10:41). This companying with the disciples after our Lord's resurrection was for "forty days" (Acts 1:3).
Others were raised from the dead, like Lazarus (John 11:43-44), and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-16), and the twelve year old daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:35-43); but these all rose to die again.
The renown of our Lord's resurrection is that when He emerged from death He brought the "keys of hell and death" with Him (Revelation 1:18). He was a conqueror, not conquered. Our Lord took His life again in resurrection (John 10:17-18). Resurrection was His own act by His own inherent power.
Our Lord will never die again, for death has "no more dominion over Him" (Romans 6:9). He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).
Our Lord Jesus Christ - A Plant of Renown - Leonard Sheldrake
N.J. Hiebert - 8074
April 3
April 3
No comments:
Post a Comment