April 21
NO, NOT ONE!
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends. . . . (John 15:15)
- He became poor that we might become rich (James 2:5).
- He was born that we might be born again (John 1:14).
- He became a servant that we might become sons (Galatians 4:4-5).
- He had no home that we might have a home in heaven (Matthew 8:20).
- He was made sin that we might be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- He died that we might live (John 5:24-25).
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all your soul's diseases, No, not one! no, not one!
No friend like Him is so high and holy, No, not one! no, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly, No, not one! no, not one!
There's not an hour that He is not near us, No, not one! no, not one!
No night so dark but His love can cheer us, No, not one! no, not one!
Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him? No, not one! no, not one!
Or sinner find that He would not take him? No, not one! no, not one!
Was e'er a gift like the Saviour given? No, not one! No, not one!
Will He refuse us a home in heaven? No, not one! No, not one!
Chorus:
Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done.
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! no, not one!
George C. Huggs, 1848-1907
N.J.Hiebert - 9189
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends. . . . (John 15:15)
- He became poor that we might become rich (James 2:5).
- He was born that we might be born again (John 1:14).
- He became a servant that we might become sons (Galatians 4:4-5).
- He had no home that we might have a home in heaven (Matthew 8:20).
- He was made sin that we might be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- He died that we might live (John 5:24-25).
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all your soul's diseases, No, not one! no, not one!
No friend like Him is so high and holy, No, not one! no, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly, No, not one! no, not one!
There's not an hour that He is not near us, No, not one! no, not one!
No night so dark but His love can cheer us, No, not one! no, not one!
Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him? No, not one! no, not one!
Or sinner find that He would not take him? No, not one! no, not one!
Was e'er a gift like the Saviour given? No, not one! No, not one!
Will He refuse us a home in heaven? No, not one! No, not one!
Chorus:
Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done.
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! no, not one!
George C. Huggs, 1848-1907
N.J.Hiebert - 9189
April 22
But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, (saved) ye endured a great fight of of afflictions.
Hebrews 10:32.
Have you ever wondered how it is that just after you have been "illuminated" in some way, perhaps specially comforted or strengthened, "a great fight of afflictions" has followed? We are not told why this is so, but the words tell us that we are not the first to experience this test of faith.
This morning these words came to me with piercing power: "That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." (1 Thessalonians 3:3) I think that we are often inclined to be surprised when things are difficult or painful.
We entirely forget that we "are appointed thereunto." Let us lay hold on these words appointed thereunto, and we shall not expect the way of the Cross to be like a lovely forest path. But remember this: these afflictions, temptations, trials of the flesh or spirit . . . "the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18). Take courage. Thou Givest...They Gather - Amy Carmichael
N.J.Hiebert - 9190
Hebrews 10:32.
Have you ever wondered how it is that just after you have been "illuminated" in some way, perhaps specially comforted or strengthened, "a great fight of afflictions" has followed? We are not told why this is so, but the words tell us that we are not the first to experience this test of faith.
This morning these words came to me with piercing power: "That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." (1 Thessalonians 3:3) I think that we are often inclined to be surprised when things are difficult or painful.
We entirely forget that we "are appointed thereunto." Let us lay hold on these words appointed thereunto, and we shall not expect the way of the Cross to be like a lovely forest path. But remember this: these afflictions, temptations, trials of the flesh or spirit . . . "the sufferings of this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18). Take courage. Thou Givest...They Gather - Amy Carmichael
N.J.Hiebert - 9190
April 23
THE REASSURANCE OF LOVE
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence." Genesis 45:3
That they did fear is evident enough. Joseph, however, draws them to himself with the cords of love; "Come near to me," he says. "And they came near." And having drawn them to himself, he seeks to remove every fear by reminding them he is still their brother, "I am Joseph your brother" (v.4). He says, I know full well how you treated me in the days that are past, you hated me, you spurned me, you sold me, but fear not, for though I am supreme I am Joseph your brother.
THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE PAST
Moreover, as to the past, Joseph cannot allow that any regrets should rise up to mar their enjoyment of his love. "Now therefore," says Joseph, "be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither" (v.5). The sin had been confessed, and Joseph will not only forgive, but he will remove all lingering regrets and self-reproaches.
He will assure them that behind their sin, yea, by means of their sin, God was working out His purposes of blessing. It is true, "you sold me hither," (v.8) Joseph has to say, but he adds, "God sent me before you to save your lives by a great deliverance." (v.7) Thus he delivers his brethren from occupation with themselves by engaging their thoughts and affections with himself, his glories, and the blessings that flow to them through his exaltation.
THE RELIEF FROM ANXIETY
Then as to the future no care or anxiety need cloud their horizon, for Joseph can say, in the message he sends to his father, "Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near to me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and all that thou hast, and there will I nourish thee" (v.10) Joseph - Hamilton Smith
N.J.Hiebert - 9191
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence." Genesis 45:3
That they did fear is evident enough. Joseph, however, draws them to himself with the cords of love; "Come near to me," he says. "And they came near." And having drawn them to himself, he seeks to remove every fear by reminding them he is still their brother, "I am Joseph your brother" (v.4). He says, I know full well how you treated me in the days that are past, you hated me, you spurned me, you sold me, but fear not, for though I am supreme I am Joseph your brother.
THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE PAST
Moreover, as to the past, Joseph cannot allow that any regrets should rise up to mar their enjoyment of his love. "Now therefore," says Joseph, "be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither" (v.5). The sin had been confessed, and Joseph will not only forgive, but he will remove all lingering regrets and self-reproaches.
He will assure them that behind their sin, yea, by means of their sin, God was working out His purposes of blessing. It is true, "you sold me hither," (v.8) Joseph has to say, but he adds, "God sent me before you to save your lives by a great deliverance." (v.7) Thus he delivers his brethren from occupation with themselves by engaging their thoughts and affections with himself, his glories, and the blessings that flow to them through his exaltation.
THE RELIEF FROM ANXIETY
Then as to the future no care or anxiety need cloud their horizon, for Joseph can say, in the message he sends to his father, "Thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near to me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and all that thou hast, and there will I nourish thee" (v.10) Joseph - Hamilton Smith
N.J.Hiebert - 9191
April 24
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23
Here is displayed a scientific knowledge and accuracy far beyond the times in which Solomon wrote. The great discovery of Harvey, the circulation of the blood, which revolutionized medical thought, is here calmly taken for granted, and used to set forth, or illustrate, a spiritual truth.
Just as the heart is the centre of the physical system, from where flow the issues of life, so, in a moral and spiritual sense, the heart, used as a synonym for the soul, is that which must be jealously guarded, that so may go forth that which is for the upbuilding of the child of God.
"Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. (v.24)
As it is out of the heart's abundance that the mouth speaks, mouth and heart are here intimately connected. A froward mouth and perverse lips imply one who is not in subjection to God. Where His Word has its place in the soul, the lips manifest it. Notes on Proverbs - H. A. Ironside
N.J.Hiebert - 9192
Proverbs 4:23
Here is displayed a scientific knowledge and accuracy far beyond the times in which Solomon wrote. The great discovery of Harvey, the circulation of the blood, which revolutionized medical thought, is here calmly taken for granted, and used to set forth, or illustrate, a spiritual truth.
Just as the heart is the centre of the physical system, from where flow the issues of life, so, in a moral and spiritual sense, the heart, used as a synonym for the soul, is that which must be jealously guarded, that so may go forth that which is for the upbuilding of the child of God.
"Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. (v.24)
As it is out of the heart's abundance that the mouth speaks, mouth and heart are here intimately connected. A froward mouth and perverse lips imply one who is not in subjection to God. Where His Word has its place in the soul, the lips manifest it. Notes on Proverbs - H. A. Ironside
N.J.Hiebert - 9192
April 25
Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time...Speak; for Thy servant heareth. (1 Samuel 3:7-10)
God reveals Himself personally to Samuel and makes him the depository of His word. This young boy is raised to the dignity of a friend of God and, like the man of experience and of faith which Abraham was, God hides nothing from Samuel of what He was about to do. Until that moment Eli's teaching had instructed Samuel concerning the way to enter into communication with God (v.9); now Samuel is in direct relationship with the Lord who is entrusting His secrets to him.
In chapter 1, Eli lacked discernment; in chapter 2, he lacked the moral courage to separate himself from evil; here, his eyes are dim and he cannot see, and nevertheless the lamp of God had not yet gone out--a striking image of his moral condition. And what is more, Eli, this leader of the simple, proves himself to be dull of understanding. Samuel was simply ignorant, which is a thousand times better. When there is godliness, God remedies ignorance. If the new-born babe desires "the sincere milk of the word," he will not be refused.
Here on earth we know only in part (1 Corinthians 13:9) and we will never know otherwise than only in part. That, we are not responsible for; but it is a question of growth: "That ye may grow" (1 Peter 2:2), and our responsibility is to seek, to this end, spiritual food.
"The iniquity which he (Eli) hath known because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not."(v.13). Eli knew the evil, and he had authority to repress it in his sons, but he did not use it. What profit was it to him that this authority had been entrusted to him by God? He displayed a sad forgetfulness of what was due to the Lord's holiness.
1 Samuel - Dr. Henri L. Rossiere
N.J.Hiebert - 9193
God reveals Himself personally to Samuel and makes him the depository of His word. This young boy is raised to the dignity of a friend of God and, like the man of experience and of faith which Abraham was, God hides nothing from Samuel of what He was about to do. Until that moment Eli's teaching had instructed Samuel concerning the way to enter into communication with God (v.9); now Samuel is in direct relationship with the Lord who is entrusting His secrets to him.
In chapter 1, Eli lacked discernment; in chapter 2, he lacked the moral courage to separate himself from evil; here, his eyes are dim and he cannot see, and nevertheless the lamp of God had not yet gone out--a striking image of his moral condition. And what is more, Eli, this leader of the simple, proves himself to be dull of understanding. Samuel was simply ignorant, which is a thousand times better. When there is godliness, God remedies ignorance. If the new-born babe desires "the sincere milk of the word," he will not be refused.
Here on earth we know only in part (1 Corinthians 13:9) and we will never know otherwise than only in part. That, we are not responsible for; but it is a question of growth: "That ye may grow" (1 Peter 2:2), and our responsibility is to seek, to this end, spiritual food.
"The iniquity which he (Eli) hath known because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not."(v.13). Eli knew the evil, and he had authority to repress it in his sons, but he did not use it. What profit was it to him that this authority had been entrusted to him by God? He displayed a sad forgetfulness of what was due to the Lord's holiness.
1 Samuel - Dr. Henri L. Rossiere
N.J.Hiebert - 9193
April 26
There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 2 Peter 3:3,4
It is always when people want to follow their own lusts that they begin to scoff. But man, without God, wants to be independent, to gratify himself, and therefore he thinks he must get rid of God, get rid of His authority; and he would be glad to get rid of God out of the scene altogether if he could.
These scoffers say, the only thing that is durable and abiding is creation. It began far away in remote space; how it came we do not know exactly, but it came, and it goes on, and as for the promise of the coming of the Son of God, it is absurd. "Where is the promise of His coming?" (v.6) they say scoffingly. Judging by appearances, they say that there is no change since the beginning. This is false.
The eye of man may not have detected any change, but the Word of God assures us that there has been. But if they scoff at the Lord's coming, they are obliged to let in creation, and if creation comes in there must be the Creator, and who is the Creator? There they are silenced.
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." (v.5,6)
There are some of the wise men of this world who tell you that you must not believe in the flood. They will tell you it is impossible, and that to believe is a great mistake. If you admit the flood, you admit the judgment of God upon wickedness, and if you admit the judgment of God upon wickedness once, then it is more than probable He will judge a second time. So men will not have it. Simon Peter - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.
N.J.Hiebert - 9194
It is always when people want to follow their own lusts that they begin to scoff. But man, without God, wants to be independent, to gratify himself, and therefore he thinks he must get rid of God, get rid of His authority; and he would be glad to get rid of God out of the scene altogether if he could.
These scoffers say, the only thing that is durable and abiding is creation. It began far away in remote space; how it came we do not know exactly, but it came, and it goes on, and as for the promise of the coming of the Son of God, it is absurd. "Where is the promise of His coming?" (v.6) they say scoffingly. Judging by appearances, they say that there is no change since the beginning. This is false.
The eye of man may not have detected any change, but the Word of God assures us that there has been. But if they scoff at the Lord's coming, they are obliged to let in creation, and if creation comes in there must be the Creator, and who is the Creator? There they are silenced.
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." (v.5,6)
There are some of the wise men of this world who tell you that you must not believe in the flood. They will tell you it is impossible, and that to believe is a great mistake. If you admit the flood, you admit the judgment of God upon wickedness, and if you admit the judgment of God upon wickedness once, then it is more than probable He will judge a second time. So men will not have it. Simon Peter - W. T. P. Wolston, M.D.
N.J.Hiebert - 9194
April 27
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:20
What is this "new covenant" about? Well, the old covenant was dedicated, or inaugurated, with blood (Hebrews 9:18-21). So, the new covenant must be inaugurated with blood likewise, and the blood required for the new covenant is the blood of Christ. When the Lord Jesus shed His blood at Calvary He took away our sins, but He did much more than that. The blood which has taken away our sins is also the blood upon which the new covenant will be established in a coming day with Israel.
Our relationship with God is not on a covenant basis, but some of the blessings of that new covenant are ours today. One of them is, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17). That perfect sin offering is the basis of the future blessing of Israel, but it is also the means of of our eternal blessing today. Our "sins and iniquities" will never be brought up again.
You say, "Yes, but what if I sin again tomorrow?" How many sins had you committed when the Lord died? They were all future, and so when He took our sins He took them all. The prophet Micah says, "Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19). When you say that you know that you are saved, it is not that you are exceptionally good or better than anyone else. Our salvation rests, not on what we have done, but on what Christ has done.
He is the perfect sin offering; It is His blood that has met God's requirements, and it is His acceptance that is now our acceptance before God. "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." This is God's statement to all those who have obtained, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ as their perfect Sin Offering. Jacob Redekop
N.J.Hiebert - 9195
What is this "new covenant" about? Well, the old covenant was dedicated, or inaugurated, with blood (Hebrews 9:18-21). So, the new covenant must be inaugurated with blood likewise, and the blood required for the new covenant is the blood of Christ. When the Lord Jesus shed His blood at Calvary He took away our sins, but He did much more than that. The blood which has taken away our sins is also the blood upon which the new covenant will be established in a coming day with Israel.
Our relationship with God is not on a covenant basis, but some of the blessings of that new covenant are ours today. One of them is, "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17). That perfect sin offering is the basis of the future blessing of Israel, but it is also the means of of our eternal blessing today. Our "sins and iniquities" will never be brought up again.
You say, "Yes, but what if I sin again tomorrow?" How many sins had you committed when the Lord died? They were all future, and so when He took our sins He took them all. The prophet Micah says, "Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19). When you say that you know that you are saved, it is not that you are exceptionally good or better than anyone else. Our salvation rests, not on what we have done, but on what Christ has done.
He is the perfect sin offering; It is His blood that has met God's requirements, and it is His acceptance that is now our acceptance before God. "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." This is God's statement to all those who have obtained, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ as their perfect Sin Offering. Jacob Redekop
N.J.Hiebert - 9195
April 28
For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for Thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Psalm 31:3
Guide us, O Thou gracious Saviour,
Pilgrims through this barren land;
We are weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold us with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven!
Feed us now and evermore.
While we tread this vale of sorrow,
May we in Thy love abide:
Keep us ever, gracious Saviour,
Cleaving closely to Thy side,
Still relying
On the Father's changeless love.
Saviour, come, we long to see Thee,
Long to dwell with Thee above,
And to know in full communion
All the sweetness of Thy love.
Come, Lord Jesus,
Take Thy waiting people home.
W. Williams - 1774
N.J.Hiebert - 9196
Guide us, O Thou gracious Saviour,
Pilgrims through this barren land;
We are weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold us with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven!
Feed us now and evermore.
While we tread this vale of sorrow,
May we in Thy love abide:
Keep us ever, gracious Saviour,
Cleaving closely to Thy side,
Still relying
On the Father's changeless love.
Saviour, come, we long to see Thee,
Long to dwell with Thee above,
And to know in full communion
All the sweetness of Thy love.
Come, Lord Jesus,
Take Thy waiting people home.
W. Williams - 1774
N.J.Hiebert - 9196
April 29
For every man shall bear his own burden (load). Galatians 6:5
In the second verse (6:2) we are exhorted to bear one another's burdens. But I am not to expect that my brother should bear my burden for me, whatever I may do for him: "For everyone shall bear his own load." The word for "bear" is just the same as in the second verse, but the word for load is quite different.
The word in verse 2 means a heavy burden; it is used of troubles, of faults, and of responsibilities in ordinary Greek, and if it refers to the sin of the brother who had a fall in verse 1, then we know that every sin and every fall must be a very heavy burden, when we come to realize what we have done. The load in verse 5 is the same word as the light burden that Christ speaks of in (Matthew 11:30).
It really means "something carried," whether it be heavy or light, and it is often used for a soldier's "pack". You know in an army each soldier has his own pack, and he himself is responsible to carry that. Perhaps here, the Apostle is thinking of those individual packs which he had so often seen the Roman soldiers carrying; so he says, the Christian soldier also has his own pack, and we must each one of us carry that.
Some soldiers put their own private things into their packs and make them heavy, but Christ's pack that He gives to each one of us is light. If we fill it up with gold, books or even the heavy, heavy burden of anxiety (Philippians 4:7), or some other thing that in our eyes is quite innocent and harmless, we will soon find that our "load" has become very heavy. One Christian soldier that I knew used to say: my life motto is: "travel light!"
Do not put anything in that pack except what the Captain of our salvation has put in it, and then we may be sure our load will be as He promised, (light). Meditations on Galatians - G. C. Willis
N.J.Hiebert - 9197
In the second verse (6:2) we are exhorted to bear one another's burdens. But I am not to expect that my brother should bear my burden for me, whatever I may do for him: "For everyone shall bear his own load." The word for "bear" is just the same as in the second verse, but the word for load is quite different.
The word in verse 2 means a heavy burden; it is used of troubles, of faults, and of responsibilities in ordinary Greek, and if it refers to the sin of the brother who had a fall in verse 1, then we know that every sin and every fall must be a very heavy burden, when we come to realize what we have done. The load in verse 5 is the same word as the light burden that Christ speaks of in (Matthew 11:30).
It really means "something carried," whether it be heavy or light, and it is often used for a soldier's "pack". You know in an army each soldier has his own pack, and he himself is responsible to carry that. Perhaps here, the Apostle is thinking of those individual packs which he had so often seen the Roman soldiers carrying; so he says, the Christian soldier also has his own pack, and we must each one of us carry that.
Some soldiers put their own private things into their packs and make them heavy, but Christ's pack that He gives to each one of us is light. If we fill it up with gold, books or even the heavy, heavy burden of anxiety (Philippians 4:7), or some other thing that in our eyes is quite innocent and harmless, we will soon find that our "load" has become very heavy. One Christian soldier that I knew used to say: my life motto is: "travel light!"
Do not put anything in that pack except what the Captain of our salvation has put in it, and then we may be sure our load will be as He promised, (light). Meditations on Galatians - G. C. Willis
N.J.Hiebert - 9197
April 30
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and, let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
There are weights which are not sins in themselves, but which become distractions and stumbling blocks in our Christian progress. One of the worst of these is despondency. The heavy heart is indeed a weight that will surely drag us down in our holiness and usefulness.
The failure of Israel to enter the land of promise began in murmuring, or, as the text in Numbers literally puts it, "as it were murmured." (Numbers 14:2) Just a faint desire to complain and be discontented. This led on until it blossomed and ripened into rebellion and ruin. Let us give ourselves no liberty ever to doubt God or His love and faithfulness to us in everything and forever.
We can set our will against doubt just as we do against any other sin; and as we stand firm and refuse to doubt, the Holy Spirit will come to our aid and give us the faith of God and crown us with victory.
It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubting, fretting, and wondering if God has forsaken us and if after all our hopes are to end in failure. Let us refuse to be discouraged. Let us refuse to be unhappy. Let us "count it all joy" (James 1:2) when we cannot feel one emotion of happiness. Let us rejoice by faith, by resolution, by reckoning, and we shall surely find that God will make the reckoning real. Selected
N.J.Hiebert - 9198
There are weights which are not sins in themselves, but which become distractions and stumbling blocks in our Christian progress. One of the worst of these is despondency. The heavy heart is indeed a weight that will surely drag us down in our holiness and usefulness.
The failure of Israel to enter the land of promise began in murmuring, or, as the text in Numbers literally puts it, "as it were murmured." (Numbers 14:2) Just a faint desire to complain and be discontented. This led on until it blossomed and ripened into rebellion and ruin. Let us give ourselves no liberty ever to doubt God or His love and faithfulness to us in everything and forever.
We can set our will against doubt just as we do against any other sin; and as we stand firm and refuse to doubt, the Holy Spirit will come to our aid and give us the faith of God and crown us with victory.
It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubting, fretting, and wondering if God has forsaken us and if after all our hopes are to end in failure. Let us refuse to be discouraged. Let us refuse to be unhappy. Let us "count it all joy" (James 1:2) when we cannot feel one emotion of happiness. Let us rejoice by faith, by resolution, by reckoning, and we shall surely find that God will make the reckoning real. Selected
N.J.Hiebert - 9198
May 1
Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Hebrews 10:37
Self-sacrifice is always joy where there is grace in it. There is no such joy as self-devotedness.
The soul is tested by afflictions as to how far self-will is active. . . . God searches us. By this means we learn on the one hand what we are, and on the other what God is for us in His faithfulness and daily care. We are weaned from the world, and our eyes become better able to discern and appreciate what is heavenly.
All that makes heaven a home to Christ will make it a home to me. O come, Lord Jesus!
Christ's perfection was not to act, but to suffer; in suffering there was a more entire surrender of Himself.
In His eternal presence, how shall we feel that all our little sorrows and separations were but little drops by the way, to make us feel that we were not with Him, and when with Him what it is to be there.
Footprints for Pilgrims - J. N. Darby
We sing of the realms of the blest, that country so bright and so fair,
The glorious mansions of rest--but what must it be to be there?
We tell of its freedom from sin, from sorrow, temptation, and care,
From trials without and within--but what must it be to be there?
Do Thou, Lord, 'midst pleasure and woe, still for heaven our spirits prepare;
And shortly we also shall know and feel what it is to be there. Mrs. E. Mills - 1829
N.J.Hiebert - 9199
Self-sacrifice is always joy where there is grace in it. There is no such joy as self-devotedness.
The soul is tested by afflictions as to how far self-will is active. . . . God searches us. By this means we learn on the one hand what we are, and on the other what God is for us in His faithfulness and daily care. We are weaned from the world, and our eyes become better able to discern and appreciate what is heavenly.
All that makes heaven a home to Christ will make it a home to me. O come, Lord Jesus!
Christ's perfection was not to act, but to suffer; in suffering there was a more entire surrender of Himself.
In His eternal presence, how shall we feel that all our little sorrows and separations were but little drops by the way, to make us feel that we were not with Him, and when with Him what it is to be there.
Footprints for Pilgrims - J. N. Darby
We sing of the realms of the blest, that country so bright and so fair,
The glorious mansions of rest--but what must it be to be there?
We tell of its freedom from sin, from sorrow, temptation, and care,
From trials without and within--but what must it be to be there?
Do Thou, Lord, 'midst pleasure and woe, still for heaven our spirits prepare;
And shortly we also shall know and feel what it is to be there. Mrs. E. Mills - 1829
N.J.Hiebert - 9199
May 2
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23,24
JOHN RUSKIN, in his Ethics of the Dust, answers the question, "What can mud become when God takes it in hand?" He replies, "Well, what is mud? First of all, mud is clay and sand, and usually soot and a little water."
Then he says, "When God takes it in hand He transforms the clay into a sapphire, for a sapphire is just that; and the sand into an opal, for that is the analysis of an opal; and the soot into a diamond, for a diamond is just carbon which has been transformed by God; and the soiled water into a bright snow crystal, for that is what the crystals are when God takes the water up into the heaven and sends it back again."
Let God have your life. He can do more with it than you can. D. L. Moody
DIAMONDS
Diamonds are only chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs, you see;
If they'd petered out, as most of us do, where would the diamonds be?
It isn't the fact of making a start, it's the sticking that counts. I'll say,
It's the fellow that knows not the meaning of fall, but hammers and hammers away.
Whenever you think you've come to the end, and you're beaten as bad as can be,
Remember that diamonds are chunks of coal, that stuck to their jobs, you see.
Virginia Call
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and do of HIs good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)
N.J.Hiebert - 9200
JOHN RUSKIN, in his Ethics of the Dust, answers the question, "What can mud become when God takes it in hand?" He replies, "Well, what is mud? First of all, mud is clay and sand, and usually soot and a little water."
Then he says, "When God takes it in hand He transforms the clay into a sapphire, for a sapphire is just that; and the sand into an opal, for that is the analysis of an opal; and the soot into a diamond, for a diamond is just carbon which has been transformed by God; and the soiled water into a bright snow crystal, for that is what the crystals are when God takes the water up into the heaven and sends it back again."
Let God have your life. He can do more with it than you can. D. L. Moody
DIAMONDS
Diamonds are only chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs, you see;
If they'd petered out, as most of us do, where would the diamonds be?
It isn't the fact of making a start, it's the sticking that counts. I'll say,
It's the fellow that knows not the meaning of fall, but hammers and hammers away.
Whenever you think you've come to the end, and you're beaten as bad as can be,
Remember that diamonds are chunks of coal, that stuck to their jobs, you see.
Virginia Call
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and do of HIs good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)
N.J.Hiebert - 9200
May 3
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