Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Exodus 17:10,11
While Joshua fought, Moses prayed. As long as Moses held up his hands in prayer, Israel prevailed in battle, but when his hands drooped, Amalek prevailed. This battle was not won by Israel's fighting ability, since they were not experienced soldiers nor adept at warfare.
The battle was won by Moses through prayer. What a reminder as to the value, power, and absolute necessity of prayer! Have you prayed today?
W. Ross Rainey
Behold the throne of grace!
The promise calls us near!
To seek our God and Father's face,
Who loves to answer prayer.
Thy rich atoning blood,
Which sprinkled round we see,
Provides for those who come to God
An all prevailing plea.
My soul, ask what thou wilt;
Thou canst not be too bold;
Since His own blood for thee He spilt,
What else can He withhold?
Beyond thy utmost wants
His love and pow'r can bless;
To praying souls He always grants
More than they can express. John Newton
N.J. Hiebert - 8528
July 1
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Let us consider Christ's work on the cross and what has been accomplished by it. But who is able to speak worthily of this theme of all themes? Who can fathom the solemn yet blessed fact, the death of the Son of God on the cross? What tongue or pen can describe the sad, yet glorious truth, that the Just One died for the unjust, that Christ died for the ungodly! And what human mind can estimate the wonderful results of His work on the cross!
There can be nothing deeper than the death of God's Son on the cross. Depths are here which are unfathomable. We must ever turn back to the cross. Always we shall learn something new. With unspeakable Glory upon us and greater glory before us in eternal ages to come, the cross of Christ and the Lamb of God which has taken away the sin of the world can never be forgotten. But we shall never know what that death on the cross meant for Him and what it meant to God.
"Through the eternal He Spirit offered Himself without spot to God" (Hebrews 9:14). The Holy Lamb of God, with no spot or blemish upon Him, shed His precious blood on the cross, to procure redemption. But what it all meant for Him who was as truly Man as He is God! Here was a Being perfectly holy, One who had always pleased God and did His will, yea, His meat and drink was to do the will of Him that sent Him.
Sin was the horrible defiling thing to Him. He, too, like the Holy God hated and hates sin. And yet such a One was made sin for us. He had to stand in the place of guilty sinners and all the waves and billows of divine judgment and wrath had to pass over Him. He drank the cup of wrath to the last drop.
A. C. Gaebelein (1861-1945)
N.J. Hiebert - 8529
Let us consider Christ's work on the cross and what has been accomplished by it. But who is able to speak worthily of this theme of all themes? Who can fathom the solemn yet blessed fact, the death of the Son of God on the cross? What tongue or pen can describe the sad, yet glorious truth, that the Just One died for the unjust, that Christ died for the ungodly! And what human mind can estimate the wonderful results of His work on the cross!
There can be nothing deeper than the death of God's Son on the cross. Depths are here which are unfathomable. We must ever turn back to the cross. Always we shall learn something new. With unspeakable Glory upon us and greater glory before us in eternal ages to come, the cross of Christ and the Lamb of God which has taken away the sin of the world can never be forgotten. But we shall never know what that death on the cross meant for Him and what it meant to God.
"Through the eternal He Spirit offered Himself without spot to God" (Hebrews 9:14). The Holy Lamb of God, with no spot or blemish upon Him, shed His precious blood on the cross, to procure redemption. But what it all meant for Him who was as truly Man as He is God! Here was a Being perfectly holy, One who had always pleased God and did His will, yea, His meat and drink was to do the will of Him that sent Him.
Sin was the horrible defiling thing to Him. He, too, like the Holy God hated and hates sin. And yet such a One was made sin for us. He had to stand in the place of guilty sinners and all the waves and billows of divine judgment and wrath had to pass over Him. He drank the cup of wrath to the last drop.
A. C. Gaebelein (1861-1945)
N.J. Hiebert - 8529
July 2
Looking unto Jesus. Hebrews 12:2
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS in the Scriptures,
to learn there what He is, what He has done, what He gives, what He desires; to find in His character our pattern, in His teachings our instruction, in His precepts our law, in His promises our support, in His person and in His work a full satisfaction provided for every need of our souls.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Crucified,
to find in His shed blood our ransom, our pardon, our peace.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Risen,
to find in Him the righteousness which alone makes us righteous, and permits us, all unworthy as we are, to draw near with boldness, in His Name, to Him Who is His Father and our Father, His God and our God.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Glorified,
to find in Him our Heavenly Advocate completing by His intercession the work inspired by His loving-kindness for our salvation; (1 John 2:1) Who even now is appearing for us before the face of God (Hebrews 9:24), the kingly Priest, the spotless victim, bearing the iniquity of our holy things (Exodus 28:38).
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Who gives repentance,
as well as forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31) because He give us the grace to recognize, to deplore, to confess, and to forsake our transgressions.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS NOW, if we have never looked unto Him,--
UNTO JESUS AFRESH, if we have ceased doing so,--
UNTO JESUS ONLY, STILL, ALWAYS, thus awaiting the hour when He will call us to pass from earth to heaven, and from time to eternity,--when at last "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2 Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 8530
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS in the Scriptures,
to learn there what He is, what He has done, what He gives, what He desires; to find in His character our pattern, in His teachings our instruction, in His precepts our law, in His promises our support, in His person and in His work a full satisfaction provided for every need of our souls.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Crucified,
to find in His shed blood our ransom, our pardon, our peace.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Risen,
to find in Him the righteousness which alone makes us righteous, and permits us, all unworthy as we are, to draw near with boldness, in His Name, to Him Who is His Father and our Father, His God and our God.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Glorified,
to find in Him our Heavenly Advocate completing by His intercession the work inspired by His loving-kindness for our salvation; (1 John 2:1) Who even now is appearing for us before the face of God (Hebrews 9:24), the kingly Priest, the spotless victim, bearing the iniquity of our holy things (Exodus 28:38).
LOOKING UNTO JESUS Who gives repentance,
as well as forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31) because He give us the grace to recognize, to deplore, to confess, and to forsake our transgressions.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS NOW, if we have never looked unto Him,--
UNTO JESUS AFRESH, if we have ceased doing so,--
UNTO JESUS ONLY, STILL, ALWAYS, thus awaiting the hour when He will call us to pass from earth to heaven, and from time to eternity,--when at last "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2 Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 8530
July 3
Looking unto Jesus . . . Hebrews 12:2 (Continued from Gem # 8530)
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS to receive from Him the task and the cross for each day, with the grace which is sufficient to carry the cross and to accomplish the task;
the grace that enables us to be patient wth His patience, active with His activity, loving with His love;
never asking "What am I able for?" but rather: "What is He not able for?" and waiting for His strength which is made perfect in our weakness.
(2 Corinthians 12:9)
LOOKING UNTO JESUS to go forth from ourselves and to forget ourselves; so that our darkness may flee away before the brightness of His face; so that our joys may be holy, and our sorrow restrained;
- that He may cast us down, and that He may raise us up;
- that He may afflict us, and that He may comfort us;
- that He may deprive us, and that He may enrich us;
- that He may teach us to pray, and that He may answer our prayers;
- that while leaving us in the world, He may separate us from it, our life being hidden with Him in God, and our behaviour bearing witness to Him before men.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and at nothing else,
as our text expresses it in one untranslatable word (aphoroontes),
which at the same time directs us to fix our gaze upon Him, and to turn it away from everything else.
Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 8531
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS to receive from Him the task and the cross for each day, with the grace which is sufficient to carry the cross and to accomplish the task;
the grace that enables us to be patient wth His patience, active with His activity, loving with His love;
never asking "What am I able for?" but rather: "What is He not able for?" and waiting for His strength which is made perfect in our weakness.
(2 Corinthians 12:9)
LOOKING UNTO JESUS to go forth from ourselves and to forget ourselves; so that our darkness may flee away before the brightness of His face; so that our joys may be holy, and our sorrow restrained;
- that He may cast us down, and that He may raise us up;
- that He may afflict us, and that He may comfort us;
- that He may deprive us, and that He may enrich us;
- that He may teach us to pray, and that He may answer our prayers;
- that while leaving us in the world, He may separate us from it, our life being hidden with Him in God, and our behaviour bearing witness to Him before men.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and at nothing else,
as our text expresses it in one untranslatable word (aphoroontes),
which at the same time directs us to fix our gaze upon Him, and to turn it away from everything else.
Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 8531
July 4
Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:20
Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear. Rather look at them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto; do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms.
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
Frances de Sales
The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1
Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The Lord is my Shepherd," is on Sunday, is on Monday, and is through every day of the week; is in January, is in December, and every month of the year; is at home, and is in China; is in peace, and, is in war; in abundance, and in penury.
J. Hudson Taylor
N.J. Hiebert - 8532
Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear. Rather look at them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto; do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms.
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
Frances de Sales
The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1
Not was, not may be, nor will be. "The Lord is my Shepherd," is on Sunday, is on Monday, and is through every day of the week; is in January, is in December, and every month of the year; is at home, and is in China; is in peace, and, is in war; in abundance, and in penury.
J. Hudson Taylor
N.J. Hiebert - 8532
July 5
The trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:3
Again and again we see it, that suffering instead of knocking the truth of the gospel out of the young convert most effectually knocks it in, and if you want to find stabilized Christians, strengthened Christians, settled Christians, you will have to discover tested Christians.
The strong winter winds shake the sapling down to the utmost ramifications of its roots; and it is that shaking, that testing that the young tree gets, that enables it to break up the soil round the roots and get ready for the underground growth of the spring, when above the ground the fresh leaves and twigs appear. The process is going on beneath the surface and even the winter winds prepare the ground for the strengthening and establishment and settlement of that tree in the site where it has been placed.
James tells us that the trying of our faith, "works patience." It is the testing of your faith that works endurance. The common notion is that temptations and testings and trials are merely dreadful weights. We say, if only I were not tied down by these difficulties what a good kind Christian I could be. But again I have had to revise my thoughts. I discovered after all I was not right.
A little lad flies his kite in the March winds. It goes soaring into the sky and here he is down beneath. He has hold of the cord and if you could give that kite a mouth it might reason to itself, "Look how well I am flying and, doing all this in spite of the aggravating circumstance. That annoying lad continually hangs on to the end of the string. Does he think I am going to lift him as well as myself in the wind? Seeing I fly so well under this handicap, I think I could fly up and hit yonder moon if only I got free. What could I not do if I were not tied down in this foolish way?"
Then the little lad is inattentive for a moment, the string goes slack, and the kite going up again with a jerk, the string snaps. The kite goes wobbling down, and gets tangled in the old oak. A poor sorry thing it looks. Supposing the kite could speak what would it say now? "Well I never! The very thing I thought was keeping me down was keeping me up."
It is the trials, the testings, the awkward circumstances you and I have to face that are God's education for us. We are learning what God can do for us in the midst of those temptations. F. B. Hole - with thanks to Bill Weiss
N.J. Hiebert - 8533
Again and again we see it, that suffering instead of knocking the truth of the gospel out of the young convert most effectually knocks it in, and if you want to find stabilized Christians, strengthened Christians, settled Christians, you will have to discover tested Christians.
The strong winter winds shake the sapling down to the utmost ramifications of its roots; and it is that shaking, that testing that the young tree gets, that enables it to break up the soil round the roots and get ready for the underground growth of the spring, when above the ground the fresh leaves and twigs appear. The process is going on beneath the surface and even the winter winds prepare the ground for the strengthening and establishment and settlement of that tree in the site where it has been placed.
James tells us that the trying of our faith, "works patience." It is the testing of your faith that works endurance. The common notion is that temptations and testings and trials are merely dreadful weights. We say, if only I were not tied down by these difficulties what a good kind Christian I could be. But again I have had to revise my thoughts. I discovered after all I was not right.
A little lad flies his kite in the March winds. It goes soaring into the sky and here he is down beneath. He has hold of the cord and if you could give that kite a mouth it might reason to itself, "Look how well I am flying and, doing all this in spite of the aggravating circumstance. That annoying lad continually hangs on to the end of the string. Does he think I am going to lift him as well as myself in the wind? Seeing I fly so well under this handicap, I think I could fly up and hit yonder moon if only I got free. What could I not do if I were not tied down in this foolish way?"
Then the little lad is inattentive for a moment, the string goes slack, and the kite going up again with a jerk, the string snaps. The kite goes wobbling down, and gets tangled in the old oak. A poor sorry thing it looks. Supposing the kite could speak what would it say now? "Well I never! The very thing I thought was keeping me down was keeping me up."
It is the trials, the testings, the awkward circumstances you and I have to face that are God's education for us. We are learning what God can do for us in the midst of those temptations. F. B. Hole - with thanks to Bill Weiss
N.J. Hiebert - 8533
July 6
The Man Daniel - Early Choices
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. Psalm 25:14
If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine. John 7:17
Daniel was cruelly uprooted and transported to Babylon when he was a teenager. It would have been easy for him to forget his past, and his God, but even as a youth, he took a stand for God, and remained faithful to Him during a long life of active service. This was the kind of man to whom God revealed His secrets. There are a number of lessons for us here.
First, It is never too early to take a stand for God. Most of the major decisions that will determine the course of our entire life do not face us when we have decades of experiences behind us, but when we are in our teens and twenties. It is in these years that we make all the major decisions--what career we will pursue, who we will have as a partner for life, the standards that we will maintain, etc. So it is in our spiritual lives.
The critical decisions that will determine our spiritual priorities, and our commitment to God and His things, are made in the early formative years of our lives. Daniel made some weighty decisions as a teenager, and we encourage the young reader to do the same.
Secondly, knowing the mind of God is not merely a matter of intellectual capacity, or of determination to study the Word, but rather of being intimate with Him, and faithful to Him in the matters of everyday living. It is to such that God will unveil the treasures of His Word. God will reveal Himself to those who are humble of heart and submissive to the Holy Spirit's teaching and guidance.
Daniel - Godly Living in a Hostile World - William Burnet
N.J. Hiebert - 8534
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. Psalm 25:14
If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine. John 7:17
Daniel was cruelly uprooted and transported to Babylon when he was a teenager. It would have been easy for him to forget his past, and his God, but even as a youth, he took a stand for God, and remained faithful to Him during a long life of active service. This was the kind of man to whom God revealed His secrets. There are a number of lessons for us here.
First, It is never too early to take a stand for God. Most of the major decisions that will determine the course of our entire life do not face us when we have decades of experiences behind us, but when we are in our teens and twenties. It is in these years that we make all the major decisions--what career we will pursue, who we will have as a partner for life, the standards that we will maintain, etc. So it is in our spiritual lives.
The critical decisions that will determine our spiritual priorities, and our commitment to God and His things, are made in the early formative years of our lives. Daniel made some weighty decisions as a teenager, and we encourage the young reader to do the same.
Secondly, knowing the mind of God is not merely a matter of intellectual capacity, or of determination to study the Word, but rather of being intimate with Him, and faithful to Him in the matters of everyday living. It is to such that God will unveil the treasures of His Word. God will reveal Himself to those who are humble of heart and submissive to the Holy Spirit's teaching and guidance.
Daniel - Godly Living in a Hostile World - William Burnet
N.J. Hiebert - 8534
July 7
And Jesus took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when He had taken him in his arms, He said unto them, whosoever shall receive one of such children in My name, receiveth Me: and whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him that sent Me. Mark 9:36,37
On the way to Capernaum Jesus had been speaking of His coming humiliation, of His sacrifice and death for the sake of others; but the disciples, when they supposed Jesus did not hear them, were disputing as to which of them was greatest. Could we imagine a more pitiful contrast, or on the other hand a more striking illustration of the lesson Jesus found occasion to teach? The One among them who was incomparably great was He who was about to stoop to the death of the cross, that others might live.
The disciples are ashamed to have Jesus know of their dispute; they must have felt, in His presence, that there was something wrong about their pride and jealousy and deceit and anger. Some modern disciples might be ashamed of their disputes if they realized the presence of their Lord. However, He does not rebuke them severely; He calls them to Him and says, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35).
Then Jesus Impresses the lesson by an acted parable of peculiar beauty: (Mark 9:36). To care for a little child, or for one who like a little child needs our sympathy, our protection, our guidance, our help, is really to do a great thing; so great, indeed, that to do so in the name of Christ, and for the sake of Christ, is really to render the service to Christ. It is even more, if more can be; it is to render a service directly to God (Mark 9:37).
True greatness, then, consists not in attaining the first place in the notice and praise of the world, not in being served by many, but in being willing to stoop down to a humble place, not for the sake of self-effacement, not in timid diffidence, but in order to serve others for the sake of Christ. Charles Erdman
N.J. Hiebert - 8535
On the way to Capernaum Jesus had been speaking of His coming humiliation, of His sacrifice and death for the sake of others; but the disciples, when they supposed Jesus did not hear them, were disputing as to which of them was greatest. Could we imagine a more pitiful contrast, or on the other hand a more striking illustration of the lesson Jesus found occasion to teach? The One among them who was incomparably great was He who was about to stoop to the death of the cross, that others might live.
The disciples are ashamed to have Jesus know of their dispute; they must have felt, in His presence, that there was something wrong about their pride and jealousy and deceit and anger. Some modern disciples might be ashamed of their disputes if they realized the presence of their Lord. However, He does not rebuke them severely; He calls them to Him and says, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35).
Then Jesus Impresses the lesson by an acted parable of peculiar beauty: (Mark 9:36). To care for a little child, or for one who like a little child needs our sympathy, our protection, our guidance, our help, is really to do a great thing; so great, indeed, that to do so in the name of Christ, and for the sake of Christ, is really to render the service to Christ. It is even more, if more can be; it is to render a service directly to God (Mark 9:37).
True greatness, then, consists not in attaining the first place in the notice and praise of the world, not in being served by many, but in being willing to stoop down to a humble place, not for the sake of self-effacement, not in timid diffidence, but in order to serve others for the sake of Christ. Charles Erdman
N.J. Hiebert - 8535
July 8
"The thief said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him...today shalt thou be with Me in paradise. Luke 23:42,43
There is no scene in the history of the world like that which is before us in Luke 23. There is a page in God's Word, and a page in the history of man's world, that stands alone, stands unique, because you have there the death of the only absolutely sinless, spotless, holy Man, by the side of two men who were sinners, and one of them becomes the companion of that sinless Man for eternity. The other got his chance but missed it.
Between these three seen here, each nailed to a cross, there is an immense difference. Of One I can say this--there was no sin in Him; although there was sin on Him. Then I come to the man who had no sin on him, though there was sin in him. And there was a third of these men, who had sin on him and sin in him. So he died. Ah! do not you be the eternal companion of that third man, I implore you.
You may perhaps say, what do you mean? One of these three had no sin in Him, and yet had sin on Him, when He was nailed to that tree! Yes! that was Jesus. Perfect He was. He was the holy, spotless Man; and the charm of this scene is this, that the thief confesses not only his own guilt and his own sin, but he makes, if I may say so, a public confession of what his faith is in regard to Christ. "This man hath done nothing amiss" (verse 41), was his true and blessed declaration.
That man reversed everybody's judgment; that man stood alone that day in his witness, and in his testimony, to Jesus. If you glance through what went before, you will find that everybody was against Christ,--Judas, Pilate, Herod, priests, scribes, populace, everybody; there was nobody for Him. Not one solitary soul stood for Him in all that company that day. What a scene! Betrayed by a false friend, denied by true friends, and deserted by all His followers; with the chief priest, who instigated the populace to demand His death, against Him; The governor against Him; the king against Him; the world against Him; everybody against Him. The dying thief changed his company and fell in with God in rich appreciation of Christ.
There was no sin on that thief, though there was sin in him. How is this? His sins were laid on Christ; they were taken off the poor thief who trusted Him. Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston M.D.
N.J. Hiebert - 8536
There is no scene in the history of the world like that which is before us in Luke 23. There is a page in God's Word, and a page in the history of man's world, that stands alone, stands unique, because you have there the death of the only absolutely sinless, spotless, holy Man, by the side of two men who were sinners, and one of them becomes the companion of that sinless Man for eternity. The other got his chance but missed it.
Between these three seen here, each nailed to a cross, there is an immense difference. Of One I can say this--there was no sin in Him; although there was sin on Him. Then I come to the man who had no sin on him, though there was sin in him. And there was a third of these men, who had sin on him and sin in him. So he died. Ah! do not you be the eternal companion of that third man, I implore you.
You may perhaps say, what do you mean? One of these three had no sin in Him, and yet had sin on Him, when He was nailed to that tree! Yes! that was Jesus. Perfect He was. He was the holy, spotless Man; and the charm of this scene is this, that the thief confesses not only his own guilt and his own sin, but he makes, if I may say so, a public confession of what his faith is in regard to Christ. "This man hath done nothing amiss" (verse 41), was his true and blessed declaration.
That man reversed everybody's judgment; that man stood alone that day in his witness, and in his testimony, to Jesus. If you glance through what went before, you will find that everybody was against Christ,--Judas, Pilate, Herod, priests, scribes, populace, everybody; there was nobody for Him. Not one solitary soul stood for Him in all that company that day. What a scene! Betrayed by a false friend, denied by true friends, and deserted by all His followers; with the chief priest, who instigated the populace to demand His death, against Him; The governor against Him; the king against Him; the world against Him; everybody against Him. The dying thief changed his company and fell in with God in rich appreciation of Christ.
There was no sin on that thief, though there was sin in him. How is this? His sins were laid on Christ; they were taken off the poor thief who trusted Him. Seekers for Light - W. T. P. Wolston M.D.
N.J. Hiebert - 8536
July 9
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:22,25.
We find here an important expression-- "The law of liberty." If I tell my child to remain in the house when he wishes to go out, he may obey; but it is not a law of liberty to him; he restrains his will. But if I afterwards say, "Now go where you wish to go;" he obeys, and it is a law of liberty, because his will and the command are the same; they run together.
The will of God was for Jesus a law of liberty. He came to do His Father's will, He desired nothing else. Blessed state! It was perfection in Him, a blessed example for us. The law is a law of liberty when the will, the heart of man, coincides perfectly in desire with the law imposed upon him--imposed in our case by God--the law written in the heart.
It is thus with the new man as with the heart of Christ. He loves obedience, and loves the will of God because it is His will, and as having a nature which answers to what His will expresses, since we partake of the divine nature; in fact it loves that which God wills.
But there is an index to what is found in the heart, which, more than any other, betrays what is within. This index is the tongue. He who knows how to govern his tongue is a perfect man, and able to bridle the whole body. (James 3:2)
The appearance of religion is vain if the tongue be not bridled; such a man deceives his own heart. True religion is shown by love in the heart, and by purity--keeping himself unspotted from the world. It thinks of others, for those who are in distress, in need of protection, and the help and support of love, as widows and orphans. The truly religious heart, full of the love of God, and moved by Him, thinks, as God does, upon sorrow, weakness, and need. It is the true christian character. (James 1:26,27) James - JND
N.J. Hiebert - 8537
We find here an important expression-- "The law of liberty." If I tell my child to remain in the house when he wishes to go out, he may obey; but it is not a law of liberty to him; he restrains his will. But if I afterwards say, "Now go where you wish to go;" he obeys, and it is a law of liberty, because his will and the command are the same; they run together.
The will of God was for Jesus a law of liberty. He came to do His Father's will, He desired nothing else. Blessed state! It was perfection in Him, a blessed example for us. The law is a law of liberty when the will, the heart of man, coincides perfectly in desire with the law imposed upon him--imposed in our case by God--the law written in the heart.
It is thus with the new man as with the heart of Christ. He loves obedience, and loves the will of God because it is His will, and as having a nature which answers to what His will expresses, since we partake of the divine nature; in fact it loves that which God wills.
But there is an index to what is found in the heart, which, more than any other, betrays what is within. This index is the tongue. He who knows how to govern his tongue is a perfect man, and able to bridle the whole body. (James 3:2)
The appearance of religion is vain if the tongue be not bridled; such a man deceives his own heart. True religion is shown by love in the heart, and by purity--keeping himself unspotted from the world. It thinks of others, for those who are in distress, in need of protection, and the help and support of love, as widows and orphans. The truly religious heart, full of the love of God, and moved by Him, thinks, as God does, upon sorrow, weakness, and need. It is the true christian character. (James 1:26,27) James - JND
N.J. Hiebert - 8537
July 10
Looking unto Jesus . . . Hebrews 12:2 (continued from Gems #8530, 8531)
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and not at His enemies or at our own.
In place of hating them and fearing them, we shall then know how to love them and to overcome them.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and not at the obstacles which meet us in our path. As soon as we stop to consider them, they amaze us, they confuse us, they overwhelm us, incapable as we are of understanding either the reason why they are permitted, or the means by which we may overcome them.
The apostle began to sink as soon as he turned to look at the waves tossed by the storm; it was while he was looking at Jesus that he walked on the waters as on a rock. The more difficult our task, the more terrifying our temptations, the more essential it is that we look only at Jesus.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and not at our troubles,
to count up their number, to reckon their weight, to find perhaps a certain strange satisfaction in tasting their bitterness. Apart from Jesus trouble does not sanctify, it hardens or it crushes. It produces not patience but rebellion; not sympathy, but selfishness; not hope (Romans 5:3,4) but despair.
It is only under the shadow of the cross that we can appreciate the true weight of our own cross, and accept it each day from His hand, to carry it with love, with gratitude, with joy; and find in it for ourselves and for others a source of blessings.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS with a gaze more and more constant, more and more confident, "Changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 8538
Only three words, but in those three words is the whole secret of life.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and not at His enemies or at our own.
In place of hating them and fearing them, we shall then know how to love them and to overcome them.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and not at the obstacles which meet us in our path. As soon as we stop to consider them, they amaze us, they confuse us, they overwhelm us, incapable as we are of understanding either the reason why they are permitted, or the means by which we may overcome them.
The apostle began to sink as soon as he turned to look at the waves tossed by the storm; it was while he was looking at Jesus that he walked on the waters as on a rock. The more difficult our task, the more terrifying our temptations, the more essential it is that we look only at Jesus.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS and not at our troubles,
to count up their number, to reckon their weight, to find perhaps a certain strange satisfaction in tasting their bitterness. Apart from Jesus trouble does not sanctify, it hardens or it crushes. It produces not patience but rebellion; not sympathy, but selfishness; not hope (Romans 5:3,4) but despair.
It is only under the shadow of the cross that we can appreciate the true weight of our own cross, and accept it each day from His hand, to carry it with love, with gratitude, with joy; and find in it for ourselves and for others a source of blessings.
LOOKING UNTO JESUS with a gaze more and more constant, more and more confident, "Changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Theodore Monod
N.J. Hiebert - 8538
July 11
HE GIVETH MORE
"He giveth more grace," James 4:6
"He increaseth strength." Isaiah 40:29
"Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied." Jude 2
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.
Annie Johnson Flint
N.J. Hiebert - 8539
"He giveth more grace," James 4:6
"He increaseth strength." Isaiah 40:29
"Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied." Jude 2
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.
Annie Johnson Flint
N.J. Hiebert - 8539
July 12
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