Gems from April 10- 21, 2020

April 10

IN  THE  SUMMER  SILENCE

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen (nations), I will be exalted in the earth.  Psalm 46:10.

Most of us want an instant fix. We want immediate renewal. We demand an overnight remedy for all our hurts.

We will not give God in Christ either the time or opportunities to bring us back from the bleak disasters that overwhelm us.  Instead we turn to every sort of human device or manmade technology in an attempt to find consolation and comfort amid the chaos of our calamity.

The one great lesson I have learned above and beyond all other amid the great distress of recent months is this: Be still, Be quiet, Be calm, and know that I am God!  It takes time to do this.  It means one must, by a deliberate act of the will, learn to repose confidently in Christ . . . to rest assuredly in the faithfulness of our Father.
He is our hope.
He is our healing.
He is our helper.
The wondrous work which He accomplishes in our souls is done in silence.  It is nothing less than the persistent incoming of His own Presence to generate in us new life, new vitality, new confidence to carry on.  He actually transmits to us His hope, His love, His energy, His ability to begin anew.
Songs of My Soul - W. Phillip Keller

N.J. Hiebert - 8082  

April 11

R E S C U E D

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.   
Galatians 6:2

It was winter and a small river running into the Chesapeake Bay was once again hosting many white swans, Canada Geese and ducks.  Infrequently snow and freezing sleet would move into the area causing the small river inlet to harden into ice over night.

One morning, after a freezing ice storm had blanketed the area, a couple, living in a house on the shore of the river were enjoying breakfast as they viewed the pretty winter scene through ice frosted windows.

With a sudden exclamation of surprise, the lady snatched a pair of binoculars and peered intently at the far edge of the frozen river.  She saw a large Canada goose, sitting very still, its wings folded tight to its side, and its feet frozen to the ice.

Just then the couple saw a line of swans flying overhead in perfect formation.  They flew across the river heading in the opposite direction of the bird frozen to the ice.  Quite unexpectedly the leader of the swans brought the string of white birds into a white circle  which floated down to the river which floated down to the ice and circling the Canada goose.  The couple were sure it would be pecked to death by the swans for they knew that Canada geese and white swans are not friendly and don't mix with each other.

Instead of pecking the trapped goose however, the swans' strong powerful bills began to peck the ice!  After a long time the goose was rimmed by just a narrow margin of thin ice.  The swans rose into the air and hovering, circled as the goose struggle to free itself.

Finally it broke free.  As it stood on the small island of ice no longer a prisoner, the goose tried to fly.  But the bird could not overcome the weight of the ice which had caked its body and wings.  Four swans left their flock overhead and dropped back down, landing by the goose.  Again their powerful beaks went to work slowly chipping and scrapping ice off the helpless bird's wings and body.  When the goose was finally able to stretch its wings back and forth to their fullest spread, the four swans flew back to rejoin their flock and resume their journey.

Behind them, rising with incredible speed and seemingly unbounded joy, the liberated Canada goose caught up with them.  Following at the end of the line of swans, it flew away with them in perfect formation.
The Christian Shepherd - September 2009 - Doug Nicolet.

N.J. Hiebert - 8083       

April 12

D E L I V E R A N C E

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:2

'Tis only in Thee hiding we feel ourselves secure;
Only in Thee abiding, the conflict can endure:
Thine arm the victory gaineth o'er every hateful foe;
Thy love our hearts sustaineth in all their cares and woe.

"To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do"  Romans 7:18-19. 

If souls would be honest many would confess that this has been their condition for years - a condition which brings no glory to God and no happiness to themselves.

What is the cause?  Simply the mistake of thinking that all depends upon their own efforts instead of accepting the truth that they are utterly without strength, and that, therefore, everything depends upon God.

You have fought with your foes again and again with undaunted courage, but you have never gained the victory.

Pause, for a moment, and ask this simple question,  "What am I to learn by this sorrowful experiment?"  It is that the enemy is too strong for you, that you cannot cope with his power.

If you continue upon the present line of effort it is only to court defeat in the future as in the past.  Your case is, as far as your own strength is concerned, hopeless.  If, on the other hand, you come to the end of your own strength, it will bring rest to your soul, because you will understand that your help, strength and succour come from Christ and not from yourselves.

O wretched man that I am!  who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 7:24-25.

Deliverance is found, just as salvation is found, not through self, and the labours of self, but through Christ.
Edward Dennett - Footprints for Pilgrims

N.J. Hiebert - 8084   

April 13

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He saith unto the ruler of synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.   Mark 5:36

Jairus had just learned that his beloved daughter had died.  Instantly the Lord Jesus offered sympathy: "Be not afraid, only believe."

What was the man afraid of?  Were his fears physical?  Emotional?  Spiritual?  Whatever they may have been, the Lord counselled him to believe - literally to "place his confidence" in the Lord Jesus.

Perhaps you are in sorrow today.  Is your heart aching over the death of a loved one?  Does the future fill you with anxiety?  Regardless of what your fears are, follow the Lord's advice and put your confidence in Him.
L. Shatford

Be not dismayed what'er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.

     God will take care of you, through every day, o'er all the way;
     He will take care of you, God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you asked will be denied, God will take of you.

No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.
C. D. Martin

N.J. Hiebert - 8085

April 14

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him.  Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength.               
Step 1: Believe that all our strength comes from Him.

The Lord is my shield.
Step 2: Believe that He is our protector.

I am helped.
Step 3: Start to see the benefits.

Therefore my heart greatly rejoiced.
Step 4: Inner peace and contentment result.

And with my song will I praise Him.
Step 5: Remember to return and give thanks and praise.

Here, in one verse, is the ideal process to go through when we find ourselves in a tough situation.  This is the effective antidote to feeling sorry for oneself, feeling abandoned, getting depressed. It is a return to first principles, such as when we first trusted in the Lord for salvation.

At that time we had to recognize that we were sinners in desperate need of a Saviour, and that all strength and protection would thereafter come from Him.

The same principle applies all the way through the ups and downs of the Christian experience.  What we discovered at the beginning was that thanks and praise is not a duty or a ritual, but is simply the natural out-pouring of a redeemed heart delighting in its Saviour.
Lorne Perry

Now in a song of grateful praise,
To our dear Lord the voice we'll raise;
With all His saints we'll join to tell,
"Our Jesus hath done all things well."

And since our souls have known His love,
What mercies has He made us prove,
Mercies which all our praise excel;
"Our Jesus hath done all things well."
Samuel Medley  1738-1799

N.J. Hiebert - 8086 

April 15

". . . The wind was contrary."  Matthew 14:24

Rude and blustering the winds of March often are.  Do they not typify the tempestuous seasons of my life?  But, indeed, I ought to be glad that I make acquaintance with these seasons.

Better it is that the rains descend and the floods come than that I should stay perpetually in the Lotus Land where it seems always afternoon, or in that deep meadowed Valley of Avilion where never wind blows loudly.

Storms of temptation appear cruel, but do they not give intenser earnestness to prayer?  Do they not compel me to seize the promises with a tighter handgrip?  Do they not leave me with a character refined?

Storms of bereavement are keen; but, then, they are one of the Father's ways of driving me to Himself, that in the secret of His presence His voice may speak to my heart, soft and low.  There is a glory of the Master which can be seen only when the wind is contrary and the ship tossed with waves.

"Jesus Christ is no security against storms, but He is perfect security in storms.  He has never promised you an easy passage, only a safe landing."
Streams in the Desert

Oh, set your sail to the heavenly gale,
And then, no matter what winds prevail,
No reef can wreck you, no calm delay;
No mist shall hinder, no storm shall stay;
Though far you wander and long you roam
Through salt sea sprays o'er white sea foam,
No wind that can blow but shall speed you home.
Annie Johnson Flint

N.J. Hiebert - 8087 

April 16

He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  Matthew 28:6

In all the world, there is no place so dear to me,
As in an empty tomb within Gethsemane.

Men sing the praises of the Cross, and, rightly so,
Yet, it is to the Empty Tomb I love to go.

It's there with Paul, I daily die when sorrow pressed,
It's there, where men are loathe to go I sweetly rest.

It's there, when heart ache's angry waves envelope me,
In faith, I lift my mournful face my Lord to see.

There is no place so fraught with power our souls to save,
As is our Lord's last resting place, His empty grave.

In darkest hours of grief, beside a new made mound,
I go again, the depths of God's great love to sound.

And while I view the grave and clothes, the echoes ring:
"O, Grave, where is thy victory?  O, Death, thy sting?

As, one by one, the loved ones cross the threshold's gloom,
I fain believe, embrace, receive, the Empty Tomb.
Mary D. Sammons

That ye may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness
of His power to us-ward who believe . . . which He
wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from
the dead . . .Ephesians 1:18-20.

N.J. Hiebert - 8088   

April 17

He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.  1 John 5 :18 

The Christian does not isolate himself from a needy world.  The salt of the earth must be rubbed into the decay and misery of humanity, but he can be insulated against the contagion, the evil, he encounters everywhere.

One would be foolish to shut himself up in a house for fear of germs outside.  Let him rather develop his health until he is immunized against the microbes.

So may a healthy Christian move uncontaminated among men of iniquity.  Of course, it is Christ who keeps him as he abides in Him.
All The Days - Vance Havner  (1901- 1986)

N.J. Hiebert - 8089   

April 18

S A T I S F I E D

As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.   2 Samuel 9:11 

In every thought connected with the King's table we see Jesus only.

- He prepares the feast - "Thou preparest a table before me."
- He gives the invitation - "Come thou over with me, I will feed thee with me."
- He gives the qualifying position of adoption, receiving us as the King's sons.
- He bring us into His banqueting house.
- He bids us partake, saying, "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."
- He is with us at the feast, for the king sitteth at His table.
- He Himself is the heavenly food, the bread and the meat of His table; for -
- He says, "the bread that I will give is My flesh"; and "My flesh is meat indeed."
- He Himself! nothing less is offered to us, for nothing less can truly satisfy.

His righteousness all glorious, thy festal robe shall be;
And love that passeth knowledge His banner over thee.
A little while, though parted, remember, wait, and love,
Until He comes in glory, until we meet above.
Till in the Father's kingdom the heavenly feast is spread,
And we behold His beauty, whose blood for us was shed!
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal

N.J. Hiebert - 8090   

April 19

And her mother in law said unto her, (Ruth) Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest (worked) thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee.  And she showed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.  Ruth 2:19 .

Ruth knew where she had gleaned, with whom she had gleaned, and how much she had gleaned.  Now if we were asked the same question, could the inquirers say by what they see in us, "Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee."  Is the reflection of Jesus so manifest in our countenance that it is clearly seen that we have been with Him, or have we been taken up with the vain, frivolous things of this world instead of Him?

How could you expect to be happy, away from Jesus, with nothing for your labours in the field; for you have laboured at "that which satisfieth not"? (Isaiah 55:2).   You have gained nothing, but you have lost much.

See, then, that you continue, not in the spirit of worldly-mindedness, but at once confess your shortcomings and so be restored to the place of communion and blessing; or, in other words, "Set your affection (mind) on things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."   (Colossians 3:1-2)
Meditations on Ruth - C. McKendrick

N.J. Hiebert - 8091

April 20

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.  Proverbs 14:14

A backslider is one who has given up ground once taken for God.  Many a soul gives up in heart long before it is manifested in the life. The conscience becomes defiled; and if self-judgment does not follow, the truth begins to lose its power over the heart.

The sad result of a broken-down testimony soon follows, till he is filled with his own ways.  It is important, however, to carefully distinguish between backsliding and apostasy.

The backslider is one who fails in practically carrying out the truth.  The apostate, on the other hand, gives up the truth entirely, even denying the Lord that bought him; thus proving his unreality, whatever his previous profession may have been.  It is to such that John, (1 John 2:19), as also Paul, (Hebrews 6:10), refer.  Needless to say, no true believer ever becomes an apostate.

The good man - that is, the man who is real for God - shall be filled from what is in himself.  The testimony of the Lord controls the reins of his being.  His life will be in accord therewith.

Peter was a backslider in heart long before he fell; so, we may rest assured, was David.  In the faithful stand of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we see men whose hearts were under the sway of divine principles when in seclusion, and who therefore overcame in public. (Daniel 3).
Notes on Proverbs - H. A.Ironside 

N.J. Hiebert - 8092  

April 21

He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, . . . That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.   Philippians 2:8-10.

- The officers of the Sanhedrin slapped and buffeted Him and thought they humbled Him.
- The rulers had Him crucified and thought they humbled Him.
- The Roman soldiers stripped Him and gambled for His clothes and thought they humbled Him.

But such was His power that their efforts were only as He allowed.  The truth is He humbled Himself.

Wherefore God has highly exalted Him.
God asks us to bow our knees to the Saviour today.
Some day in the future, as Judge, He will demand it.
What a privilege to do it now.
Ken Gross

Within the holiest of all cleansed by His precious blood;
Before the throne we prostrate fall and worship Thee our God.
J. Deck

N.J. Hiebert - 8093 

April 22

". . . Ye shall find rest for your souls . . ."  (Jeremiah 6:16)

Laid aside by illness?  No, laid aside for stillness.  I have found a great deal of comfort more than once in my own experience in a little word of the Shepherd Psalm - "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."

I like to emphasize the "maketh" for we are not always willing  ourselves to stop for rest,  and gentle compulsion is needed.  He will not have me always on the stretch.

The bow of the best violin sometimes needs to have its strings loosened, and so my Lord gives me rest.

Then it is pleasant to know that it is not on the dusty road, nor on the dreary, parched hillside, that we are made to lie down, but in the green pastures.  It is only and always for rest and renewal that we are made to stop and lie down.  The time is not lost.
Dr. J. R. Miller

N. J. Hiebert - 8094   

April 23