November 11
Years ago my work took me to the woods in the North of Canada, far from any Christian services. One Sunday morning I was reading the first chapter of Colossians. I got as far as the eleventh verse, and I read: "Strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory . . ." and I stopped there, somewhat overwhelmed by the stupendous display of mighty power.
And as I stopped, I dreamed of the great deeds I would some day do for the Lord, with all this mighty power on which I might so freely draw; what crowds might be converted; how the heathen might be won for Christ!
Then I decided to finish the verse: "Strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy." It was a bit of a shock, for in those days I had never thought very much of endurance, or patience either, as it is put in our English Bible.
But God's thoughts are not our thoughts; and God knows the true worth of Endurance, and just the power that is needed for it, especially when "longsuffering", or "suffering-for-a-long-time", is connected with it; and the whole is done not with a spirit of being sorry for ourselves, but, "with joy." You will find you do indeed need to be "strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory", if you are to have "all endurance and longsuffering with joy."
We never, never can do it in our own strength, but Thanks be to God, He does not ask us to use our own strength, and He offers us all this vast store of power on which to freely draw, with unlimited demands, and all for the sake of endurance: "Endurance and longsuffering with joy". It is not easy, but, Thank the Lord, He can do it for us; He can work it in us. G. C. Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 8297
November 12
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? . . . And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. (Mark 15:33-37)
At the sixth hour--this answers to our twelve noon--the sun was, as it were, blotted out of the heaven. From the time that the darkness overspread the scene no sound escaped the lips of Jesus, according to the record, until the three hours were drawing to a close; and then, we are told in two other gospels, He cried out in agony, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" In those first three hours of darkness He was suffering at the hands of man: He endured without a murmur all the shame and ignominy that man could heap upon Him.
But during the last three hours of darkness He was suffering at the hand of God--the God Who made His soul an offering for sin. There He drank the bitter cup of judgment, that our sins had filled--the cup from which He shrank in Gethsemane, which if we had to drink could not be exhausted throughout eternity. God "hath made Him to be made sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" 2 Corinthians 5:21.
It was God as Judge Who was there dealing with His holy Son on our behalf as Christ took the sinner's place. At the last "Jesus said it is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost!" (John 19:30).
"It is Finished!" That was His cry of triumph. He had finished the work the Father gave Him to do. He had glorified God to the full in the place where He had been so terribly dishonoured, and now because of that finished work God can "be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Romans 3:26) Luke - H. A. Ironside
N.J. Hiebert - 8298
November 13
I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Acts 27:25
I went to America some years ago with the captain of a ship, who was a very devoted Christian. When off the coast of Newfoundland he said to me, "The last time I crossed here, five weeks ago, something happened which revolutionized the whole of my Christian life. We had George Mueller of Bristol on board. I had been on the bridge twenty-four hours and never left it.
George Mueller came to me, "Captain, I have come to tell you that I must be in Quebec Saturday afternoon." "It is impossible," I said. "Very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement for fifty-seven years. Let's go down into the chart-room and pray."
I looked at that man of God, and thought to myself, what lunatic asylum can this man have come from? I never heard of such a thing as this. "Mr. Mueller," I said, "do you know how dense this fog is?" "No," he replied, "my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life."
He knelt down and prayed one of the most simple prayers, and when he had finished I was going to pray; but he put his hand on my shoulder, and told me not to pray. "First, you do not believe He will answer; and second I BELIEVE HE HAS, and there is no need whatever for you to pray about."
I looked at him, and he said, "Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to get audience with the King. Get up, Captain and open the door, and you will find the fog gone." I got up, and the fog was indeed gone. On Saturday afternoon, George Mueller was in Quebec for his engagement. Selected
"If our love were, but more simple, we should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine, in the sweetness of our Lord.
N.J. Hiebert - 8299
November 14
Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. Genesis 45:1
Joseph must make "himself known" (verse 1). Nothing less will satisfy his heart; nothing less will give rest to their hearts. And this is still the way of the loving Saviour with the anxious sinner. Nothing will roll away the burden of guilt but the discovery that all is fully known and fully forgiven, by the One against whom we have sinned.
The knowledge of our hearts, however necessary, will bring no rest to the soul. We mourn over the past, and weary ourselves with our sins, but no discovery of evil in our hearts, no repentance, however real, no sorrow for our sin, however sincere, will bring comfort to the soul.
For rest and peace Jesus must make Himself known. Then we discover with great delight that His heart is full of grace for man that is full of sin. That, with the full knowledge of all our sins, there is nothing but love in His heart towards us.
Then we can rest, but we rest in what He is and not in anything we find in ourselves. For such discoveries of His heart we must be alone with Him. Even so Joseph, before he could make himself known, has to say, "Cause every man to go out from me" (verse1).
Wonderful moment in the history of our souls when all men fade from view and we see "no man anymore, save Jesus only" (Mark 9:8); when alone with Him in the consciousness of our sinfulness, we discover that He knows us through and through, and yet knowing us, He loves us. Joseph - Hamilton Smith
N.J. Hiebert - 8300
November 15
ROYAL BOUNTY
And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. 1 Kings 10:13
Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Psalm 104:28
According to Thine own heart, hast Thou, done all this greatness. 1 Chronicles 17:19
His hand, HIs heart, and His word--what an immeasurable measure of His bounty! The great hand that holds the ocean in its hollow is opened to satisfy our desire, and to go beyond that exceeding abundantly, giving us according to the heart that so loved the world, and according to the word which is so deep and full that all the saints that ever drew their hope and joy from it cannot fathom its ever up-springing fountain.
Perhaps nobody knows the Bible well enough to know the full significance of saying, "be it unto me according to Thy word"; Luke 1:38 how much less can we imagine what shall be the yet unrevealed royal bounty according to His heart of infinite love and hand of infinite power. "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." (John 13:7) "And ye shall . . . be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you." (Joel 2:26).
Great our need, but greater far, is our Father's loving power;
He upholds each might star, He unfolds each tiny flower.
He who numbers every hair, earnest of His faithful care,
Gave His Son for us to die; God shall all your need supply.
Opened Treasures - Frances Ridley Havergal.
N.J. Hiebert - 8301
November 16
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation. Hebrews 2:3
In the mercy of the Lord He still holds open the opportunity to accept His offer of salvation. It is available at this moment but may not be tomorrow, for we have only this moment to hold in our hands. By accepting God's free gift of salvation (eternal life) the individual can rest knowing there is no more trying to gain God's favour by good works. Never again wondering if they will be in heaven, but being assured that when death comes, even though their body will go to dust, their spirit will be forever with the Lord Jesus Christ.
He offers that blessed salvation in time but never in eternity. Wise is the individual who can face death knowing they will be at home with the Lord. Their ears will never hear the cries of the doomed in a ceaseless eternity of darkness where there is no hope, no light at the end of that tunnel, for that tunnel will never end. Rowan Jennings
There's a line that is drawn by rejecting our Lord, where the call of His Spirit is lost,
And you hurry along with the pleasure-mad throng - have you counted, have you counted the cost?
You may barter your hope of eternity's morn for a moment of joy at the most,
For the glitter of sin and the things it will win - have you counted, have you counted the cost?
While the door of His mercy is opened to you, ere the depth of His love you exhaust,
Won't you come and be healed, won't you whisper, I yield - I have counted, I have counted the cost.
Chorus: Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost, tho' you gain the whole world for your own?
Even now it may be that the line you have crossed, have you counted, have you counted the cost? Arthur J. Hodge
N.J. Hiebert - 8302
November 17
Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. James 4:14
We are living in the period of time (referred to as the Day of Grace) between the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ to heaven (Luke 24:51), and His return to the clouds to call His redeemed company up to join Him in heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) The Bible does not indicate how long that period of time will be. No detail about the "Day of Grace" has been disclosed, except to say that it is the time of harvest, when everyone who trusts in Jesus and His completed work of salvation is urged to engage in gathering in the lost perishing sinners. Happily, we who believe are not given this task without abundant support.
The Hoy Spirit, has come and lives within the heart of every believer. He leads to souls that are ready to receive the message of the gospel and then, unlocks the heart to receive it.
But time is passing by. The world situation doesn't get any better. There is no utopia in view, and there seems to be no limit to the depths of sin being exposed every day. It seems evident to anyone who has looked carefully into the Scriptures, that the second coming of Christ must be right at the doorstep. That makes the message we carry all the more urgent. God is certainly plowing the ground; that is, adjusting conditions so that men's hearts are failing them for fear, making them more open to the good news from above.
It is remarkable that a short message posted here on the internet can be almost instantly read by someone in India or Australia. Such is our shrunken world. Another example is the current wave of Covid-19, felt in every country round the world. Lorne Perry
Time is gliding swiftly by; death and judgment both draw nigh.
To the arms of Jesus fly - Be in time! Oh! I pray you count the cost,
Ere the fatal line be crossed, and your Christless soul be lost - Be in Time
N.J. Hiebert - 8303
November 18
Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6
Though we are to pray for all saints, yet some call for a more special remembrance at our hands: for instance, those that are near to us by bond of nature as well as of grace. "A brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord." (Philemon 16).
You are to pray particularly for those that are in distress: whoever you forget, remember these: this is a fit season for love. A friend for adversity is as proper as fire for a winter's day: Job's friends chose the right time to visit him, but took not the right course of improving their visit. Had they spent their time in praying for him which they did in hot disputes with him, they had profited him, and pleased God more.
That cloth which an incompetent worker thinks is to little for a garment, a good worker can make one out of it, and leave some for another use also. O, there is a great deal of art in cutting out time with little loss. Some look upon every minute of time spent in prayer, is lost in the shop.
Does the husbandman mow the less for sharpening his scythe? Does a blessing before a meal spoil the dinner? No: nor doth prayer hinder the Christian either in his employments or enjoyments, but expedites the one, and sanctifies the other. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:6).
"No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalms 84:11
The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall 1617-1679
N.J. Hiebert - 8304
November 19
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24:27.
The Lord Jesus' earthly life began in a manger and ended on the cross, and along the way He had not where to lay His head.
Jesus dying on the cross for the vilest, meets the wants and burdens of the vilest. If their sins are a burden to them they may see Christ bearing them, and they may be free and have peace. The more we see the value of the cross the more precious will Christ be to us. If Jesus sees perfection in us we need nothing more.
Jesus crucified was more than King--He was Saviour. The poor malefactor was a testimony to it, and the joy and consolation of the Lord's heart--the first fruits of the love which had placed them side by side, where, if the poor thief bore the fruit of his sins from man, the Lord of glory at His side was bearing the fruit of them from God.
Through a work unknown to man save by faith, the sins of His companion were forever put away. They no longer existed. Their remembrance was only of the grace which had taken them away, and which had forever cleansed his soul from them, making him that moment as fit to enter paradise as Christ Himself, his companion there!
Come now, and view the manger, the Lord of glory see,
A houseless, homeless Stranger, in this poor world for thee.
Oh, strange, yet fit beginning of all that life of woe,
In which Thy grace was winning poor man His God to know.
Blessed Babe! who lowly liest in manger-cradle there;
Descended from the highest, our sorrows all to share. J. N. Darby
N.J. Hiebert - 8305
November 20
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord. 1 Kings 17:14-16
Three hundred children were dressed and seated for breakfast, and a prayer of thanks was offered for the food. But there was no food!
Situations like this were not unusual for orphanage director and missionary George Mueller (1805-1898). Here was yet another opportunity to see how God would provide. Within minutes of Mueller's prayer, a baker who couldn't sleep the night before showed up at the door. Sensing that the orphanage could use bread, he had made three batches. Not long afterward, the town milkman appeared. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. Not wanting the milk to spoil, he offered it to Mueller.
It's normal to experience bouts of worry, anxiety, and self-pity when we lack resources essential to our well-being--food, shelter, health, finances, friendships. 1 Kings 17:8-16 reminds us that God's help can come through unexpected sources like a needy widow. "I don't have any bread--only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug." (v.12).
Earlier it was ravens that provided for Elijah (vv.4-6). Concerns for our needs to be met can send us searching in many directions. A clear vision of God as the Provider who has promised to supply our needs can be liberating. Before we seek solutions, may we be careful to seek Him first. Doing so can save us time, energy, and frustration. (Arthur Jackson)
N. J.Hiebert - 8306
"Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2020) Grand rapids, MI Reprinted permission.)
November 21
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Matthew 5:14. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Philippians 2:15
The most exciting moment of our vacation up the New England coast was seeing a light house through the thick fog as we approached Nova Scotia by ferry boat. We couldn't see anything. Alone on the deck, we felt lost--as if we were in the middle of nowhere! But then we saw the light and knew where we were and that we would be safe.
Later we visited a lighthouse museum. The guide told us an interesting bit of recent history about lighthouses along the east coast. At some point, the Coast Guard decided that it would be more economical to automate the light houses than to continue to pay keepers to live in them and maintain them. While this did save some money initially, it eventually proved disastrous. If a light failed, there was no one on hand immediately to trouble shoot the problem and repair it. Being unoccupied, the houses themselves fell into disrepair and eventually were vandalized. Finally, it was discovered that the repair costs far outweighed the cost of preventative maintenance. So, the Coast Guard reversed its policy and began turning over the light houses to private groups to care for them.
There is a message here for believers as well. We cannot expect to serve well as beacons of the truth to a lost world if we are not properly maintained. We do this by continually renewing (2 Corinthians 4:16) our inner light:
- through our relationship with Christ who is "the light". (John 1:4-5)
- through the Spirit who is our power. (Acts 1:8)
- through the Word which is our guide. (Psalm 119:105)
- through fellowship with believers which daily keeps us clean.(John 13:5-20)
Being a lighthouse is not an optional occupation for the Christian. The question then is not "Do I want to be a lighthouse?" but rather "What kind of lighthouse am I?" L. J. Ondrejack
N.J. Hiebert - 8307
November 22
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:20
The fruit of the Bible is good and only good. Millions of lives can can testify to the truth of this. A striking example of good and bad fruit is seen in the following incident.
An uncle and nephew were travelling with a large sum of money over a wild and very thinly populated prairie land of America. Nightfall came on, and the travellers had to look for a shelter. They discovered a log cabin, and knocked at the door. An old man with long shaggy beard and unkept appearance answered their call. They asked for accommodation, which was willingly offered. They were shown into a room where they could sleep on the floor.
It was arranged that the uncle should lie down to rest, and the nephew should sit up with loaded revolver to make sure that their treasure was safe. Presently the uncle saw the nephew preparing to sleep. He reminded him of the vigil he had promised to keep. The nephew replied, "There is no need to sit up with loaded revolver. We are perfectly safe here. I looked through the keyhole to see what the old man was doing. I saw him take a Bible down from the shelf, and read a chapter to his wife. I then heard him pray for the blessing of God to rest on the travellers under his roof."
I ask, would the sight of a pack of cards, a whisky bottle and a handy revolver, have produced the confidence and sense of security that the sight of the open Bible and bended knee did? This incident was told me when quite young, and made a great impression on my mind. Whenever a life is moulded by the Word of God you get purity, honesty, truthfulness, goodness, kindness. Wherever its teaching and influences are refused you get evil of every kind abounding.
Surely the Bible stands its own test triumphantly, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). Why I Believe the Bible- A. J. Pollock
N.J. Hiebert - 8308
November 23
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