He that spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32
Do you ask for some proof that God really loves you? How would you have Him prove it? Would you ask Him to give you everything this world affords--friendship, fame, riches, pleasure? That would be no proof that He cared for you. It would cost Him nothing.
By a word He could create a thousand worlds and present them to you. But what would they cost Him? Nothing! And until we find that which has cost Him something, we have no proof of whether He loves, or of how much He loves. Where shall we find this? Where shall we discover the final proof the heart craves for? God Himself alone can disclose it.
Blessed be His name, He has done so--"HE THAT SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON." The choicest and the best, the closest and the dearest, the object of His eternal love and pleasure, has been given. Had God said, "I would like to save; I am ready to do a great deal for My creatures, sinful as they are but I must spare My Son all suffering, I cannot allow Him to enter that dark, sin-stained world, and die," the final proof of His love would have been wanting.
But "He that spared not His Own Son"--this reveals all we need to know. God has given that which cost Him most to give. If we think of all the ills of humanity, let us think of this too--"He that spared not HIS OWN SON." What more can God do than, in the Person of His Own Son, take part in human life and taste its bitterness and woe and then be delivered up to death for us, even the death of the Cross?
The Cross reveals, the awful character of sin and its fearful consequences, and makes known the love which at infinite cost to Itself took the sin and bore the consequences to put them away. Angels in White - Russell Elliott
N.J. Hiebert - 8316
December 1
JOSEPH MISUNDERSTOOD AND IMPRISONED
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Galatians 6:9
Jospeh might have said, "I give all up; of what profit is my godliness? I may as well live as others do." How much nobler was his course of patient continuance in well doing! (Genesis 39) (Romans 2:7) Do right, because it is right to do right; because God sees you; because it puts gladness into the heart. And then, when you are misunderstood and ill-treated, you will not swerve, or sit down to whine and despair.
Above all, do not avenge yourselves. (Romans 12:19) When Joseph recounted his troubles, he did not recriminate harshly on his brethren, Potiphar, or Potiphar's wife. He simply said: "I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon." He might have read the words of the apostle, "Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath."
"If when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." (1 Peter 2:20).
We make a great mistake in trying always to clear ourselves; we should be much wiser to go straight on, humbly doing the next thing, and leaving God to vindicate us.
"He will bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as the noonday." (Psalm 37:6) In Psalm 105:19 there follow words which rightly rendered, "The word of the Lord cleared him." What a triumphant clearing did God give His faithful servant!
Joseph - F. B. Meyer
N.J. Hiebert - 8317
December 2
And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels. Malachi 3:17
Several years ago there was found in an African mine the most magnificent diamond in the world's history. It was presented to the king of England to blaze in his crown of state. The king sent it to Amsterdam to be cut. It was put in the hands of an expert lapidary. And what do you suppose he did with it? He took this gem of priceless value. He cut a notch in it. Then he struck it a hard blow with his instrument and lo! the superb jewel lay in his hand, cut in half.
What recklessness! what wastefulness! what criminal carelessness! Not so. For days and weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, its defects, its lines of cleavage had all been studied with minutest care. The man to whom it was committed was one of the most skillful lapidaries in the world. Do you say that blow was a mistake! No.
It was the climax of the lapidary's skill. When he struck that blow, he did the one thing which would bring that gem to its most perfect shapeliness, radiance, and jewelled splendor. That blow which seemed to ruin the superb precious stone was in fact its perfect redemption. For, from these two halves were wrought the two magnificent gems which the skilled eye of the lapidary saw hidden in the rough, uncut stone as it came from the mines.
So, God lets a stinging blow fall upon your life. The nerves wince. The soul cries out in an agony of wondering protest. The blow seems to you a mistake. But it is not, for you are the most priceless jewel in the world to God. And He is the most skilled lapidary in the universe. Some day you are to blaze in the diadem of the King of Kings. As you lie in His hand now He knows just how to deal with you. Not a blow will be permitted to fall upon your shrinking soul but that the love of God permits it, and works out from it depths of blessing and spiritual enrichment unseen, and unthought of by you. J. H. McConkey
N.J. Hiebert - 8318
December 3
When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against Me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. Luke 22:53
No longer did the Lord pass through their midst and go His way. No longer could it be said that His hour had not yet come. Events took place rapidly. Judas came near with his kiss of betrayal. Peter cut off the ear of one of those approaching. Defense was not the answer, said the Lord as He gave the man healing. The hour had come.
The Lord notified them, "This is your hour." Hatred had reached its zenith. The power of darkness was at work, inciting men to reject the One before Whom they should rightfully have bowed. Had they not heard His authoritative words? Had they not observed His gracious and miraculous works? Did they not know Who this was? It mattered not. The Lord's righteousness only illuminated the darkness of the human heart.
Their hour stands recorded for all humanity ever since. They rapidly demanded His crucifixion upon a Roman cross. The Messiah had come and they had received Him not. Let us ever be mindful that by the grace of God in the hour of the cross, the great atonement for mankind's sins was made. The solemn transaction between a holy God and Christ took place, making possible the salvation of every person who will believe that Christ died for His sins and who will received Him as his own personal Saviour. G. E. Wood
In that hour of shame unbounded,
When Thine own in terror fled,
When God's plans seemed all confounded
In Thee on the tree seen dead,
Then, blest Saviour,
Was the great atonement made.
W. Kelly
N.J. Hiebert - 8319
December 4
STORMS & SAFE HARBOUR
Jesus said: These things have I spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
The Bible tells us that there are bound to be stormy times in our lives. For the trusting Christian, it also promises refuge in times of trouble, not necessarily to be taken out of the problem, but given peace in the midst of it. Following are couplets of verses providing reassurance for the soul in Psalm 107.
ONE. Psalm 107:23 and 24 with verse 30. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. --- Then are they glad because they be quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven. Every believer has the assurance that there is a safe haven in the arms of Jesus, and the ultimate assurance of being with Him forever in the Father's home.
TWO. Psalm 107:25,28. For He commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof --- then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses. Sometimes the stresses of our life seem way beyond us. For the calm to prevail, we need to come to the end of reasoning and logic, and cast ourselves upon our Saviour for relief. There we will find shelter and security.
THREE. Psalm 107: 26, 27 with verse 29. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man --- He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
How can it get so good so quickly? The answer is that the Lord Jesus can give us complete calm in the very depths of the threatening disaster. Lorne Perry
N.J. Hiebert - 8320
December 5
Marvel not, My brethren if the world hate you. 1 John 3:13
In the first great essential divisions of the Bible, the difference between Cain and Abel was in Cain, not in Abel. Cain (the world) hates Abel (likened to the Christian). Look at Joseph and his brethren. Look at David and Saul; read the story of how King Saul treated David and tried to get rid of him -- the jealousy, envy, and malice. Look at the treatment that was meted out to the prophets, those men of God who were trying to save the nation. It is there everywhere.
Look at the supreme example of our Lord Himself. Here is the Son of God incarnate; here is the eternal life in the flesh. Look at the world sneering at Him, how they picked up stones to cast at Him, how they shouted, "Crucify Him, away with Him!" (John 19:15). The world crucified the very Son of God who had come to save it! "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." The world does not hate you because you are hateful people; the case of Cain and Abel proves that. Cain did not hate his brother because there was something hateful about him. There was was nothing hateful in Abel, but Cain hated him in spite of that.
Neither does the world hate us because we are good. Let us be quite clear about that. The world does not hate good people; the world hates Christian people. That is the subtle, vital distinction. If you are just a good person, the world, far from hating hating you, will admire you; it will cheer you. And what is true of the individual is true of the whole Church. The world, we are told, hates Christians, not because they are hateful, not because they are good, not because they do good, but specifically because they are Christians, because they are of God, because they have Christ within them.
A Thought to Ponder The World does not hate good people; the world only hates Christian people. Martyn Lloyd-Jones With thanks B. Lucas
N.J. Hiebert - 8321
December 6
Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29
In a world of trouble and confusion and frustration, rest for the soul appears to many as a delusive dream -- like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It sounds good, but it's never there. And indeed, formidable circumstances can keep even true believers from enjoying this rest:
1. Terrible events beyond our control crowd into our minds. Our inability to influence these events can easily frustrate us.
2. Situations in which we have failed to act aright can trouble us and leave us with a sense of guilt.
3. Situations we are unsure of what to do can confuse and agitate our minds.
And yet our Lord Jesus Christ has distinctly said, "Ye shall find rest unto your souls." How do we find this rest?
First, by learning daily from the Scriptures of His complete control over every event. Nothing takes Him by surprise. And no event can touch our lives unless He allows it.
Second, by quickly availing ourselves of His forgiveness and restoration whenever we fail. Satan would love to keep us floundering in the "slough of despond" because of our failures. But the One who restored erring Peter loves to restore us also. We need to learn afresh the meaning of those precious words, "He restoreth my soul." Psalm 23:3.
Third, we find rest from our confusion and uncertainty as we learn of His guidance for our daily lives. The confusion in our lives can come from a variety of sources, but God is not one them. As our self-will and self-sufficiency give way to His meekness and lowliness, the path becomes plain and simple. We begin echoing the prayer of King Asa: "Help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on Thee." 2 Chronicles 14:11. G. W. Steidl
N.J. Hiebert - 8322
December 7
I (Jesus) am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. Revelation 22:16
The New Testament ends with Christ, the Bright Morning Star, that is the Hope of the Church. Just as the bright morning star is seen before the sun arises, so the Church will see her Lord before Israel will see her Messiah. This title -- the Bright Morning Star -- refers to His coming for His saints, before He comes with His saints as the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings to reign in righteousness over the earth.
No wonder that with such a presentation of Christ the Spirit and the Church say, Come. The heart of God goes out in a last yearning appeal in inviting any, who hear, to say, Come, and any who are athirst to drink of the water of life freely. How good to always keep alive in our hearts a desire for the blessing of others.
A solemn warning is given as to adding to or subtracting from the sayings of the Book, evidently emphasizing the deep importance of these communications. Finally the Lord testifies to His own, as if loath to leave the subject, "Surely I come quickly, Amen." How sweetly solemn is the addition of that "Amen." There is no mistake about it. The response from the heart of the Church comes at once, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
Meanwhile, be the time short or long, circumstances easy or difficult--and surely they will be difficult-- "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" is sufficient for each fainting heart. Surely the coming of the Lord draws nigh. An earnest spirit of expectation is upon the hearts of His people. Events in the world, happening with bewildering rapidity, proclaim the fact that the events narrated in this Book from chapter four are soon to begin. How happy it is that before that time arrives Christ will come for His Church. "A little while, and He that shall come will come and will not tarry" (Hebrews 10:37). How sweet and happy is our prospect. EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS." Things Which Must
N.J. Hiebert - 8323
December 8
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 read of a Christian blacksmith who had a good deal of affliction, and who was challenged by an unbeliever to account for it. This was his explanation: "I don't know that I can account for these things to your satisfaction, but I think I can to my own. You know that I am a blacksmith. I often take a piece of iron, and put it in the fire, and bring it to a white heat. Then I put it on the anvil, and strike it once or twice to see if it will take a temper.
If I think it will, I plunge it into the water, and suddenly change its temperature. Then I put it into the fire again, and again I plunge it into the water. This I repeat several times. Then I put it on the anvil, and hammer it into some useful article which I put into a carriage, where it does good service for twenty-five years. If, however, when I first strike it on the anvil, I think it will not take a temper, I throw it into the scrap heap, and sell it as scrap metal.
Now, I believe that my heavenly Father has been testing me to see if I would take a temper. He has just put me into the fire and put me into the water. I have tried to bear it as patiently as I could, and my daily prayer has been 'Lord, put me into the fire if you think I do need it; do anything you please, O Lord, only, for Christ's sake, don't throw me into the scrap heap'." George Henderson
In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along;
Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary ones feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Refrain: Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long. George A. Young
N.J. Hiebert - 8324
December 9
Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22
A man once said to a preacher after a gospel meeting: "I'd listen to your good news of salvation if I heard it from a great speaker like Spurgeon, but I'm not so convinced when I hear it from the likes of you." He was referring to the great evangelist of the 1800's who preached for more than 30 years to crowds as large as 6000. I wonder if this man would have been persuaded if he had known a little about how C. H. Spurgeon himself was saved.
A blinding snowstorm kept fifteen year-old Spurgeon from reaching the church he normally attended. To get out of the storm, he went into a small meeting room on a side street. There were only a dozen people in the room. The preacher couldn't make it, so after a few hymns and prayer, a simple tailor got up to preach briefly on the above verse. According to Spurgeon, this speaker referred to his own message as "very simple indeed." In fact, he could not even read very well.
But his message went direct to Spurgeon's heart: "All God asks you to do is look. Many of you are looking at yourselves. You'll never find comfort there . . . Look unto Jesus, who died, was buried, rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and is now seated with the Father." Then he looked straight at Spurgeon: "Young man, you look miserable. And you will always be miserable if you do not obey this verse. But if you obey, you will be saved." Then he pointed at Spurgeon--who was not used to preaching that got so personal--and shouted: "Young man, look to Jesus now!" By the end of the message, Spurgeon was saved. Though he became a world-renowned preacher, He would have been the first to tell anyone who wanted to hear him preach, that it is not the preacher, but the Word of God that saves. L. J. Ondrejack
N.J. Hiebert - 8325
December 10
As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself . . . this commandment have I received of My Father. John 10:15,18
What confidence the Father must have had in the Son's love and faithfulness to give Him such a commandment as this! What love the Son must have had for the Father, to bear at His commandment the curse and death of the cross! "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." (Hebrews 10:9).
On the cross our Lord sustained God's wrath against sin; on the tree, He "Was made a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13); in those hours of Calvary's darkness, the Christ of God was forsaken (Matthew 27:46). "Thy wrath lieth hard upon Me, and Thou hast afflicted Me with all Thy waves" (Psalm 88:7).
This is what death meant to the Lord Jesus Christ: made a curse; visited with the wrath of God against sin; in darkness, forsaken, and alone, He died for us. Utterly solitary He died that none of us might have to face death alone.
Crowned with thorns upon the tree; silent in Thine agony;
Dying crushed beneath the load, of the wrath and curse of God."
This was the heart-breaking anguish of his death. God left Him alone in the hour of His deepest suffering. The sorrowing One of Psalm 22 pleaded "Our fathers trusted in Thee: they trusted and Thou didst deliver them. They cried unto Thee and were delivered: they trusted in Thee and were not confounded. But I am a worm and no man; a reproach of men and despised of the people".
The One who was the most faithful and the most beloved was the first to know the bitter sorrow of being left alone by God in the hour of His deep distress. Yet, He who died at Calvary was "glorious in the eyes of the Lord," and He is God's "Salvation unto the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6 Leonard Sheldrake
N.J. Hiebert - 8326
December 11
Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. Philippians 1:27
Earnestly the apostle exhorts these saints to stand fast in one spirit. He saw the need for this earnest appeal. Now he goes a little further, beseeching them to fill full his joy when they mind the same thing. The other conditions for filling full his joy indicate that all in Philippi were not of one mind.
When we come to chapter 4 the apostle speaks out plainly, but oh how gently: "I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord." (Philippians 4:2). Two dear sisters, sisters who had toiled with him in the gospel, were not of one mind: and it kept the apostle's joy from being full. And let us ask what about the Lord's joy in His saints? Did it hinder His tender heart from having the full joy He longed for from His own?
What about us today? We must often fill His heart with grief rather than joy. How few companies of saints do we find where they mind the same thing! Rather, how often do all seek their own; do all look on their own thing; do all mind different things. Oh, the shame and sorrow of it! We know it grieves the Spirit of God and must fill our Lord's heart with sorrow.
We all know something of the exceeding difficulty of healing coldness and divisions that arise between the saints. "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city." (Proverbs 18:19) Note the skill of the apostle, taught by the Spirit of God. Before ever he mentions the need for them to mind the same thing, he turns their eyes to Christ. "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love" (Philippians 2:1). He reminds them of that mighty bond, the "fellowship of the Spirit," and once again he looks off to Christ: "if any bowels and mercies." Only in Christ will we find healing for these sad rents that come between God's people. Let us be found "Looking unto Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). G. C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8327
December 12
For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better. Philippians 1:23
These words were penned in a dark Roman dungeon. For the apostle it would have been"far better" to exchange it for the light and glory of Heaven. But he recognizes that God might have a reason for him to remain.
There are times in the lives of suffering saints when it would be "far better" to be "absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). At such times, peace can be found in knowing that this blessed release will be given, once His purposes for us in this world have been fulfilled. W. H. Burnett
Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is oe'r,
Wait till I see the morning, break on the golden shore. Fanny Crosby
Shepherds - Where have all the shepherds gone,Those we loved and knew?
Who helped us with each falt'ring step, and through each face plant too!
Some are gone before our time to pastures green and bright,
Where all is peace, and joy, and love in the Saviour's glorious light.
Others have stumbled in the way, beset by trials sore
Or hindered by the cares of day and hazards of the road.
Some still carry on the fight with foes on every side,
Praying daily for our lives and helping stem the tide.
Will you step in and fill the ranks, thinned and harried so?
To lift each heavy, burdened soul and make their cares your own?
For if you stop with brotherly love to share your neighbour's care,
The Lord will stoop with heavenly love and all your burdens bear! A.Scharf
N.J. Hiebert - 8328
December 13
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