Gems from July 21- 31, 2020

July 21

Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.  Micah 7:19

When we were college boys, our old professor used to tell us of a spot in the sea off our western coast which was five miles deep.  Think of a solid mile of depth.  Then add another mile to that.  Then double this, and finally climax it with another mile on top of these four.  Five miles deep!

Into those almost fathomless deeps nothing which sinks ever comes back.  All is shrouded in dense and impenetrable darkness.  No eye can pierce into those black deeps of the ocean.  No ray of light illumines the darkness.  No message ever comes back from that which is swallowed up in this abyss.

And into such a gulf of oblivion has God cast all the sins of those who accept His Son as their sin-bearer.

In Christ His work of remission of sins is complete.  Not as into the shallow depths of the brook which murmurs through the field and valley where the eye can rest upon them and the heart grieve for them, has He cast them.

Nor does it please His heart of love, nor do honour to the riches of His grace that we should sorrow over them as though they were still upon our own hearts and staining our own innermost souls.
James H.McConkey

Gone, gone, gone, gone!  Yes my sins are gone.
Now my soul is free, and in my heart's a song;
Buried in the deepest sea, yes that's good enough for me;
I shall life eternally, praise God!  My sins are gone.
Helen Griggs 

N.J. Hiebert - 8184

July 22

If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth.  Ecclesiastes 11:3

Why, then, do we dread the clouds which now darken our sky?  True, for awhile they hide the sun, but the sun is not quenched; he will be out again before long.  Meanwhile those black clouds are filled with rain; and the blacker they are, the more likely they will yield plentiful showers.

How can we have rain without clouds?  Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will.  They are the dark chariots of bright grace.  These clouds will empty themselves before long, and every tender herb will be happier for the shower.

Our God may drench us with grief but He will refresh us with mercy.  Our Lord's love-letters often come to us in black-edged envelopes.  His wagons rumble, but they are loaded with benefits.  His rod blossoms with sweet flowers and nourishing fruits.

Let us not worry about the clouds, but sing because May flowers are brought to us through the April clouds and showers.

"O Lord, the clouds are the dust of Thy feet!  (Nahum 1:3)!"  How near Thou art in the cloudy and dark day!  Love beholds Thee, and is glad. Faith sees the clouds emptying themselves and making the little hills rejoice on every side.

The blue of heaven is larger than the clouds.
C.H. Spurgeon

N.J. Hiebert - 8185

July 23

WONDERFUL  COMPANION

Lo, I am with you alway.  Matthew 28:20

Some of us think and say a good deal about a sense of His presence; sometimes rejoicing in it, sometimes going mourning all the day long because we have it not; praying for it, and not always seeming to receive what we ask; measuring our own position, and sometimes even that of others by it; now on the heights, now in the depths about it.

All our trouble and disappointment about it is met by His own simple word, and vanishes in the simple faith that grasps it.

For if Jesus says simply and absolutely, "Lo,  I am with you alway,"  what have we to do with feeling or "sense" about it?  We have only to believe it, and to recollect it.  And it is only by thus believing and recollecting that we can realize it.

He is with thee! - thine own Master,
Leading, loving to the end;
Brightening joy and lightening sorrow,
All today, yet more tomorrow,
King and Saviour, Lord and Friend.
Opened Treasures

N.J. Hiebert - 8186         

July 24

A  PRESENT  YIELD

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.   Hebrews 12:11 

We think of trials as intended to do us good in the long run and in a general sort of way, but the Lord says of each one, "It yieldeth."  Apply this to the present:

- The particular annoyance which befell you this morning,
- the vexatious words which met your ear, and grieved your spirit,
- the disappointment which was His appointment for you today,
- the  slight but hindering ailment,
- the presence of someone who is a grief of mind to you.

Whatever this day seemeth not joyous but grievous is linked in "The good pleasure of His goodness" 2 Thessalonians 1:11 with a corresponding afterward of peaceable fruit, the very seed from which if you only do not choke it, shall spring up and ripen.

If we set ourselves to watch the Lord's dealings with us, we shall soon be able to detect a most beautiful correspondence and proportion between each individual chastening and its own resulting afterward. The habit of thus watching and expecting will be very comforting and a great help to quiet trust when some new chastening is sent, for then we shall simply consider it as the herald and earnest of a new afterward.

What shall Thine "afterward" be, O Lord?
How long must Thy child endure?
Thou knowest!  'Tis  well that I know it not!
Thine "afterward!' cometh, I cannot tell what,
But I know that Thy Word is sure.  Frances Ridley Havergal

N.J. Hiebert - 8187   

July 25

PRAYER  AND  THANKSGIVING

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  Daniel 6:10.

Daniel, when in the very shadow of death, the plot being laid to take away his life, prayed three times a day, and gave thanks before his God.  (Daniel 6:10).  To have heard him pray in that great strait would not have afforded so much matter for wonder; but to have his heart in tune for giving thanks in such a sad hour was admirable. 

MORNING  AND  EVENING  PRAYER

Prayer must be the key of the morning, and lock of the night.  We show not ourselves Christians, if we do not open our eyes with prayer when we rise, and shut them again with the same key when we lie down at night. Pray as often as you please besides. 

BROKEN  PRAYER

Sometimes thou hearest one pray with a moving expression, while thou canst hardly get out a few broken words in duty, and thou art ready to accuse thyself and admire him; as if the gilt of the key made it open the door better.

"Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain . . . "  (James 5:17). 

A weak hand with a sincere heart is able to turn the key in prayer.
The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall  (1665)

N.J. Hiebert - 8188  

July 26

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.   Isaiah 66:13

"Our Jesus hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37) has long been our song.  And so it must be, whatever we may feel; for if the Father of an only-begotten Son settles everything for us which is for the glory of that Son, surely all is well.

He loves you and wants His will to be all your satisfaction; wants you to find your all in Him and in His Son.  He thinks that if all His pleasure is found in the Son of His love He can make that Son of His love enough for you when all else is gone.  He so loves you in Him that He is making every affection in you, every thought in you, to find the Lord Jesus as its centre.   G. V. Wigram

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."

All worlds His glorious power confess,
His wisdom all His works express;
But oh, His love!--what tongue can 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."

And when on that bright day we rise,
And join the anthems of the skies,
In heavenly songs this note shall swell,
"Our Jesus hath done all things well."  Samuel Medley

N.J. Hiebert - 8189

July 27

For I have no man likeminded who will naturally care for your state.  Philippians 2:20
Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.  1 Peter 5:7  

A large company hired by the government, assembled a group of highly skilled scientists, engineers and technicians to develop and build an extremely complex piece of military equipment.  The many hours of intensely high pressure work, the frustrations of failed experiments, and the constant intimidation from overly zealous military officials anxious to have the project successfully completed, took a heavy emotional toll on the workers.

However, their boss by his kindness, honesty, hard work and affectionate caring, had won their loyalty and confidence.  There was very little complaining and no thought of quitting, though much of the time the work was intense and overwhelming.

One day, a lead scientist came to his boss and said; "I've made a promise to my kids for this evening since for the last several weeks we haven't had any time together.  I plan to take them out to eat and then to the circus that's in town tonight, but I'll need to leave at 5:00 this evening. Is that okay with you?"

His boss replied, "Well, we desperately need that sensor you're developing finished in the next day if we are to maintain our scheduled time line.  But ...sure.  You go and have a good time with your kids.

The scientist began his work.  He faced some very difficult technical problems.  Yet as the day wore on everything seemed to fall into place.  Finally the sensor was working just as he had planned!  Totally absorbed in his work, he hadn't looked at his watch until then.  The circus performance was to begin at 7 PM, but his watch read 8:30 PM!  He looked for his boss but the lab was empty.  Feeling terribly guilty for disappointing his children, he raced home.  His wife was sitting alone in the living room.  But instead of the sharp reprimand and scolding he expected, she just smiled and calmly asked whether he would like her to get him something to eat.

The scientist, taken aback, stammered, "Well, yes, if you'll have coffee with me.  But what about the kids?"

Grinning, his wife said, "Guess you didn't know your boss stopped by at 5:30, picked up the kids and took them out to eat and then to the circus!"
The Christian Shepherd - January 2010

N.J. Hiebert - 8190   

July 28

For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 

Our immediate hope, that of meeting the Lord in the air, does not necessarily wait for anything.  His coming to the earth, I surely know, must wait for much.  But that is not our first prospect.  I do not say when the rapture will be.  It may be more distant than our hope would have it, and hope deferred should make the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12).

But the delay is not for the purpose of sickening the hearts of saints, but for saving the souls of sinners. "The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation." 2 Peter 3:15  We should remember that; every moment of the delay, be it long or short.  And our patience should be unmurmuring, as God's patience is saving and gracious.
Ephesians - J. G. Bellett

N.J. Hiebert - 8191  

July 29

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.    Matthew 26:38 

The word used in the Greek New Testament for "exceeding sorrowful" is one word, peri-lupos.  Peri, the first half of the word, means "around".  We get our word "perimeter" from it.  The last half of the word, lupos, means "sorrow".  The whole word literally means, "surrounded with sorrow".  Which ever way our Lord looked, there was sorrow: unutterable sorrow, on every side.  Then He, the Man of Sorrows, turned to His Father in prayer.  Then, only, do we hear Him say, "Abba, Father".  It was then, being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  (Luke 22:44). 

It was at this time that Judas came to betray the Lord.  He had given those with him a sign, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He: hold Him fast." (Matthew 26:48).  The fact that the traitor came just at that time, and with such a sign, seems to add greatly to the sorrow and anguish of our Saviour; and at the same time makes the awful hardness and cruelty of Judas' act more terrible than ever.

In our English Bible we read, "And forthwith came he to Jesus, and said, 'Hail, Master'; and kissed Him."  (Matthew 26:49).  The word translated "Hail" is Chaire, and literally means 'Rejoice!' though it is true it was also commonly used for a greeting or farewell. But the true, literal meaning of the word is 'Rejoice!'  "Rejoice Master and he kissed HIm."

It is difficult for us to conceive of anything more horrible than Judas' method of betraying his Master; and we know from the Psalms how keenly our Lord felt it.  "Yea, Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me." Psalm 41:9.  "For it was not an enemy that reproached Me then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated Me that did magnify himself against Me . Psalm 55:12-14.
Hid Treasures - G. C. Willis

N.J. Hiebert - 8192  

July 30

And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!   Matthew 27:29

We find this word Chaire, 'Rejoice!' (Hail) next in the Greek New Testament is when the Roman soldiers put the crown of thorns on Jesus'  holy brow, and smote Him on the head with the reed, driving those thorns into that beloved brow. They spat upon Him, they abused Him till "His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men: and then they said to Him, Chaire!  "Rejoice, King of the Jews!"

The cruelty,  the heartlessness, the wickedness of such mockery is beyond words.  "Rejoice!" at such a moment!  (Matthew 27:29).
     
But, wonder of wonders, we find the same word again in the very next chapter Matthew 28: the resurrection chapter.  Perhaps the very first word that our Saviour spoke after His resurrection was this very word, Chaire: 'rejoice!'

Twice over during that terrible time before He was crucified, He had listened to that word in mockery: and now it is the first, or almost the first, word that He uses when He meets His own, alive from among the dead.  In Matthew 28:9, we read, "As they (Mary Magdalene and the other Mary) went to tell HIs disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice!"   'Chairete (the plural of Chaire.')

The sorrow, the unutterable sorrow on every side, was all His own.  The joy, the unspeakable joy, He immediately shares with those He loves.
The disciples rejoiced (John 20:20: the same word) when they saw the Lord, their own beloved, living Lord.  Listen again to His own sweet word: "REJOICE,"  Yes, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice!" 
Hid Treasures - G. C. Willis 

N.J. Hiebert - 8193   

July 31

"Then the spirit . . . said unto me, Go, shut thyself within."  Ezekiel 3:24 

'Tis good to be with Jesus from all the world apart,
Enjoying sweet communion, that blessed 'better part'.

Get a place, some familiar place, for being alone with God - and a time.  What time, it is not for me to say.  I would not have anybody to be bound by rules concerning times or anything else; but have a time - times if you will - but a time at least.

We shall all agree that, for the young, strong and healthy, there is no time like the morning.  Remember that God can do a wonderful amount of work in five minutes, if you can spare no more, but He can do nothing in five minutes if you can give Him sixty.  All this is between yourself and Him. Have a time, the time when the door is shut, the best loved on earth excluded, the soul brought face to face with God.

A Christian lad giving a testimony for Jesus, told his secret when he said that from the time of his conversion he trusted the Lord with his morning hour; and the way he spoke of it indicated the radiancy of the light that shone from him then.  Do you want a glad and rejoicing life?  Do you want  to live by the wells that never dry up or freeze?  There is no hour like that of the morning prime for fellowship with God.  The filling of that hour will overflow into all the hours that follow.  Mountain Trailways for Youth

"Do not have your concert first, then tune you instruments afterwards.  Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all, in harmony with Him."  J. Hudson Taylor.

"When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries,
Let Jesus Christ be praised!"   Edward Caswall

N.J. Hiebert - 8194

August 1

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on Thee.  Psalm 25:21

Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.  Hebrews 13:18

Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 2 Corinthians 8:21

Integrity means having the courage of your convictions.  This includes the capacity to cling to what you think is right, to go it alone when necessary, and speak out against what you know is wrong.

In the operating room of a great hospital a young nurse had her first day of full responsibility.  "You've removed eleven sponges, doctor," she said to the surgeon. "We used twelve."

"I've removed them all," the doctor declared.  "We'll close the incision now."

"No," the nurse objected.  "We used twelve."

"I'll take the responsibility,"  the surgeon said grimly.  "Suture!"

"You can't do that!" blazed the nurse."  "Think of the patient!"  The doctor smiled, lifted his foot, showed the nurse the twelfth sponge.  "You'll do," he said.  He had been testing her integrity - and she had it.

Integrity means having a conscience and listening to it.

"It is neither safe nor prudent," said Martin Luther, facing his enemies in the city where his death had been decreed, "To do aught against conscience.  Here I stand; God help me, I cannot do otherwise."    Arthur Gordon

N.J. Hiebert - 8195       

August 2

"Rebuke her (Ruth) not.  So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of  barley" Ruth 2:16-17).

The two disciples that went from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-36) on the day of resurrection were gleaners in the field until even: for they were talking together of all these things which had happened, and as they communed and reasoned together, Jesus drew near and went with them, and many handfuls did he spread out before them on that memorable journey.

May we, like the two privileged disciples on the way to Emmaus constrain Him, to "Abide with us: for it is toward evening."  (Luke 24:29).

Ruth knew at the close of her day's gleaning what she had got, for she had beaten it out, and she had an ephah of barley.

And the two disciples knew as they returned to Jerusalem that they had seen the Lord for they rested not until they had returned to tell others the blessed news, and when they were assembled together the Lord stood in their midst, and said "Peace be unto you" (Luke 24:36).

May we all be conscious of this peace, which only the presence of our Lord can give.  We may hear, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25).  But, as the Holy Spirit opens to us the scriptures and unfolds to us the glories of our Redeemer, we are no longer heard saying, "We trusted that it had been" this or that, but we gladly bow down in worship and adoration, by the Holy Spirit, offering up to Him the sacrifice of praise continually.  (Hebrews 13:15)
Meditations on the Book of Ruth - C.McKendrick

N.J. Hiebert - 8196 

August 3

And He (Jesus) said unto them . . . Why do thoughts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Luke 24:38-39

Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean.  Leviticus 11:36

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.  Colossians 3:16

"When we think about Christ, it keeps bad thoughts out," said a young Christian.  He had proved the truth of this doctrine. By occupation of heart with Christ, the Christian grows like Him.

As a measure well filled with grain has no room for chaff, so a heart stored with Christ is preserved from evil.  (Selected)

When hearts are full of Christ, they long
Their glorious matter to declare!
Of Him they make their loftier song-
They cannot from His praise forbear;
Their ready tongues make hast to sing
The glories of the heavenly king.

Fairer than all the earth - born race,
Perfect in comeliness Thou art;
Replenished are Thy lips with grace,
And full of love Thy tender heart:
God ever blest! we bow the knee,
And own all fullness dwells in Thee.
Charles Wesley

N.J. Hiebert - 8197