Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore." Psalm 105:4
The first words of Psalm 105 are jubilant commands that, when all goes well with us, seem so gloriously easy to obey. It would be hard to do anything else.
But the Spirit knew that there would be different hours, hours when the natural foundations of courage, hope, peace and joy would be quicksand under our feet. And so He pauses, as it were, to remind us of our Strength, the Rock of our hearts. Seek His face.
Someone has written, that when we reach heaven, "then shall none of us be stirred to say: Lord, if it had been thus, then it had been well; but we shall all say with one voice: Lord, blessed may Thou be, for it is thus; it is well.
Moreover He that shall be our bliss when we are there is our Keeper while we are here; and the last word of Revelation is the same as the first: (Revelation 21:7,2:7) Thou shalt not be overcome.
He said not: "thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be distressed;" but He said "Thou shalt not be overcome." Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael
N.J. Hiebert - 9228
May 31
Nay...but if one went unto them from the dead (to his five brothers) they will repent...if they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:28-31
A child can understand the Holy Scriptures, "and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15) There is not one beneath the canopy of God's heaven, who possesses a copy of the holy Scriptures, who is not solemnly responsible before God for the use he makes of them.
If professing Christians were split up into ten thousand times as many sects as they are; if they were ten thousand times as inconsistent as they are; if schools and doctors of divinity were ten thousand times more conflicting than they are--still the word to each possessor of the Bible is, "You have Moses and the prophets, and the New Testament, hear them."
Oh! that we could persuade the unconverted, the unawakened, the unbelieving reader to think of these things, to think of them now, to ponder them, in the very hidden depths of his moral being, to give them his heart's undivided attention, ere it be too late.
We contemplate, with ever-deepening horror, the condition of a lost soul in hell--of one opening his eyes, in that place of endless torment, to the tremendous fact that God is against him and against him forever; that all hope is gone; that nothing can ever bridge the chasm that separates the region of the lost from the heaven of the redeemed; that "there is a great gulf FIXED." Luke 16:26)
The Lord's Coming - C. H. Mackintosh
God's house is filling fast, yet there is room!
Some guest will be the last, "yet there is room!"
Yes! soon salvation's day to you will pass away,
Then grace no more will say--"yet there is room!" (G. W. Frazer)
N.J.Hiebert - 9229
A child can understand the Holy Scriptures, "and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15) There is not one beneath the canopy of God's heaven, who possesses a copy of the holy Scriptures, who is not solemnly responsible before God for the use he makes of them.
If professing Christians were split up into ten thousand times as many sects as they are; if they were ten thousand times as inconsistent as they are; if schools and doctors of divinity were ten thousand times more conflicting than they are--still the word to each possessor of the Bible is, "You have Moses and the prophets, and the New Testament, hear them."
Oh! that we could persuade the unconverted, the unawakened, the unbelieving reader to think of these things, to think of them now, to ponder them, in the very hidden depths of his moral being, to give them his heart's undivided attention, ere it be too late.
We contemplate, with ever-deepening horror, the condition of a lost soul in hell--of one opening his eyes, in that place of endless torment, to the tremendous fact that God is against him and against him forever; that all hope is gone; that nothing can ever bridge the chasm that separates the region of the lost from the heaven of the redeemed; that "there is a great gulf FIXED." Luke 16:26)
The Lord's Coming - C. H. Mackintosh
God's house is filling fast, yet there is room!
Some guest will be the last, "yet there is room!"
Yes! soon salvation's day to you will pass away,
Then grace no more will say--"yet there is room!" (G. W. Frazer)
N.J.Hiebert - 9229
June 1
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7
Two Christian women were talking together. One said to the other, "I have got a very comforting text, which helps me much; "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." (Psalm 56:3)
The other Christian replied, "I have a better text than that: I will trust and not be afraid' " (Isaiah -12:2) Now we would not compare one text with another where all are from God's Word, and are the expression of His people's confidence in Him, and as such are comforting.
There is the infirmity of human nature, and in this our great High Priest has sympathy. No one need chide himself if a certain amount of fear and apprehension possesses the heart during those times of stress, if only in the fear there is a turning to the Lord to find a refuge in Him. (Psalm 56:3).
Happy is the one who has this experience, happier still if this leads to a deeper acquaintance with God, so that in quiet confidence in Him they can really say, "I will trust and not be afraid." For let us remember: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." (Isaiah 26:3) A. J. Pollock
N.J.Hiebert - 9230
Two Christian women were talking together. One said to the other, "I have got a very comforting text, which helps me much; "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." (Psalm 56:3)
The other Christian replied, "I have a better text than that: I will trust and not be afraid' " (Isaiah -12:2) Now we would not compare one text with another where all are from God's Word, and are the expression of His people's confidence in Him, and as such are comforting.
There is the infirmity of human nature, and in this our great High Priest has sympathy. No one need chide himself if a certain amount of fear and apprehension possesses the heart during those times of stress, if only in the fear there is a turning to the Lord to find a refuge in Him. (Psalm 56:3).
Happy is the one who has this experience, happier still if this leads to a deeper acquaintance with God, so that in quiet confidence in Him they can really say, "I will trust and not be afraid." For let us remember: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." (Isaiah 26:3) A. J. Pollock
N.J.Hiebert - 9230
June 2
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself...and he saw, and believed. (John 20:6-8)
The seemingly unimportant detail of the linen clothes, that wrapped the body of our Lord, being left in the tomb, though unnoticed by the women, was a convincing proof of resurrection to both Peter and John. It was not merely the fact that the linen was there, although that was a matter to arrest attention; but the place of the linen of the body, separated from the napkin of the head, and the way the linen was wrapped together--these forced on the observant disciples the conviction of their Lord's resurrection.
Had the body of Christ been carried from the grave, linen clothes would have gone with Him. However, had the hand of man removed the linen from both body and head, all would have been thrown on a heap in the grave. No human hand could have folded the linen so. What purpose would any person have to attempt to wrap the linen in this way even if it had been possible?
Those linen clothes were a miracle. Both Peter and John knew without a doubt what they meant. The body that was wrapped in those garments had disappeared from them without disturbing them. Resurrection had taken place. Although Peter and John did not yet know the scripture that He must rise again, those linen clothes convinced them absolutely that their Lord rose from the tomb. (John 20:9). Our Lord Jesus Christ - A Plant of Renown Leonard Sheldrake
N.J.Hiebert - 9231
The seemingly unimportant detail of the linen clothes, that wrapped the body of our Lord, being left in the tomb, though unnoticed by the women, was a convincing proof of resurrection to both Peter and John. It was not merely the fact that the linen was there, although that was a matter to arrest attention; but the place of the linen of the body, separated from the napkin of the head, and the way the linen was wrapped together--these forced on the observant disciples the conviction of their Lord's resurrection.
Had the body of Christ been carried from the grave, linen clothes would have gone with Him. However, had the hand of man removed the linen from both body and head, all would have been thrown on a heap in the grave. No human hand could have folded the linen so. What purpose would any person have to attempt to wrap the linen in this way even if it had been possible?
Those linen clothes were a miracle. Both Peter and John knew without a doubt what they meant. The body that was wrapped in those garments had disappeared from them without disturbing them. Resurrection had taken place. Although Peter and John did not yet know the scripture that He must rise again, those linen clothes convinced them absolutely that their Lord rose from the tomb. (John 20:9). Our Lord Jesus Christ - A Plant of Renown Leonard Sheldrake
N.J.Hiebert - 9231
June 3
And when she (Jochebed) could not longer hide him (Moses) she took for him an ark of bullrushes...and laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister (Miriam) stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
(Exodus 2:3-4)
The angels could hardly have had a more interesting sight than they had when, more than 3000 years ago, they watched little Miriam minding the baby. If they only could have known who the baby that lay in that rude cradle was to become and what stupendous work he was to accomplish!
But poor little Miriam, the Hebrew slave-child, probably felt only a horrible dread when the retinue of the princess of Egypt approached and a suffocating fright when the crying baby was drawn forth from his hiding place by the people who had decreed his death. Moses' parents were godly people, and evidently they recognized God's special grace in giving them this child. No doubt Miriam was quite thankful to observe that the princess was evidently pleased with the child.
This is the moment which Miriam seizes to run forward and ask the princess whether she would like her to fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for her. Do so, says the princess, and the girl hurries away to bring the baby's own mother. The courage and resourcefulness shown by Miriam, together with her devotion to a task monotonous and dangerous gives an impression that she was being taught by God for the part she had yet to fill.
We do not usually rate the services of a nursemaid very high, but still she may be, like Miriam, doing work of enormous importance in guarding the beginning of some God-inspired life. Yes, Miriam may have thought she was only minding the baby, when all the time she was watching over the destinies of the planet. When the princess had received the infant, most watchers would have quietly gone away home quite satisfied, but Miriam clinches the nail and makes it a rivet. "Shall I go and call to thee a nurse..." Exodus 2:7-9)
The Christian - J. C. Bayley
N.J.Hiebert - 9232
The angels could hardly have had a more interesting sight than they had when, more than 3000 years ago, they watched little Miriam minding the baby. If they only could have known who the baby that lay in that rude cradle was to become and what stupendous work he was to accomplish!
But poor little Miriam, the Hebrew slave-child, probably felt only a horrible dread when the retinue of the princess of Egypt approached and a suffocating fright when the crying baby was drawn forth from his hiding place by the people who had decreed his death. Moses' parents were godly people, and evidently they recognized God's special grace in giving them this child. No doubt Miriam was quite thankful to observe that the princess was evidently pleased with the child.
This is the moment which Miriam seizes to run forward and ask the princess whether she would like her to fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for her. Do so, says the princess, and the girl hurries away to bring the baby's own mother. The courage and resourcefulness shown by Miriam, together with her devotion to a task monotonous and dangerous gives an impression that she was being taught by God for the part she had yet to fill.
We do not usually rate the services of a nursemaid very high, but still she may be, like Miriam, doing work of enormous importance in guarding the beginning of some God-inspired life. Yes, Miriam may have thought she was only minding the baby, when all the time she was watching over the destinies of the planet. When the princess had received the infant, most watchers would have quietly gone away home quite satisfied, but Miriam clinches the nail and makes it a rivet. "Shall I go and call to thee a nurse..." Exodus 2:7-9)
The Christian - J. C. Bayley
N.J.Hiebert - 9232
June 4
O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my REFUGE in the day of affliction. Jeremiah 16:19
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of REFUGE. Proverbs 14:26
God is known . . . for a REFUGE. Psalm 48:3
Let us walk with Him, lean on Him, cling to Him;
He will uphold e'en the weakest that live;
Glory to God! for with strength He does gird us;
Power and might to the faint He does give;
Here in this bulwark our faith finds a REFUGE,
Ne'er may we measure its breadth and its length;
When all the arms that we leaned on have failed us,
Praises to Him, for His joy is our strength.
N.J.Hiebert - 9233
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of REFUGE. Proverbs 14:26
God is known . . . for a REFUGE. Psalm 48:3
Let us walk with Him, lean on Him, cling to Him;
He will uphold e'en the weakest that live;
Glory to God! for with strength He does gird us;
Power and might to the faint He does give;
Here in this bulwark our faith finds a REFUGE,
Ne'er may we measure its breadth and its length;
When all the arms that we leaned on have failed us,
Praises to Him, for His joy is our strength.
N.J.Hiebert - 9233
June 5
Above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves. 1 Peter 4:8
Love one another with a pure heart fervently. 1 Peter 1:22
Apollos was "fervent in the spirit" Acts 18:25--the word means to boil, be hot or fervid as in Paul's "be...fervent in spirit". (Romans 12:11). (It was this Apollos, he of the fervent heart, whom Paul wanted to have with him in prison.)
Love one another with a pure heart fervently. 1 Peter 1:22
Apollos was "fervent in the spirit" Acts 18:25--the word means to boil, be hot or fervid as in Paul's "be...fervent in spirit". (Romans 12:11). (It was this Apollos, he of the fervent heart, whom Paul wanted to have with him in prison.)
(Titus 3:13)
I should like to think that we all desired a fervent heart. If we are anywhere but in the Love of God, we drift apart. If any have been cooling, drifting, if any are not warm in love towards one another, will they not find time for drawing near once more, first to their Lord, then, as His love re-kindles them, to one another? Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
I am Thine, O Lord; I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine. Fanny Crosby
N.J.Hiebert - 9234
I should like to think that we all desired a fervent heart. If we are anywhere but in the Love of God, we drift apart. If any have been cooling, drifting, if any are not warm in love towards one another, will they not find time for drawing near once more, first to their Lord, then, as His love re-kindles them, to one another? Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael
I am Thine, O Lord; I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine. Fanny Crosby
N.J.Hiebert - 9234
June 6
Into a desert place apart." Matthew 14:13
There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it. In our whole life-melody the music is broken off here and there by "rests," and we foolishly think we have come to the end of the tune.
God sends a time of forced leisure, sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated efforts, and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives; and we lament that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator. How does the musician read the "rest"? See him beat the time with unvarying count, and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come between.
Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not be dismayed at the "rests." They are not to be slurred over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us.
With the eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear. If we sadly say to ourselves, "There is no music in a 'rest,' " let us not forget "there is the making of music in it." The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this life. How patiently God works to teach us! How long He waits for us to learn the lesson! Ruskin
N.J.Hiebert - 9235
There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it. In our whole life-melody the music is broken off here and there by "rests," and we foolishly think we have come to the end of the tune.
God sends a time of forced leisure, sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated efforts, and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives; and we lament that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator. How does the musician read the "rest"? See him beat the time with unvarying count, and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come between.
Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not be dismayed at the "rests." They are not to be slurred over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us.
With the eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear. If we sadly say to ourselves, "There is no music in a 'rest,' " let us not forget "there is the making of music in it." The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this life. How patiently God works to teach us! How long He waits for us to learn the lesson! Ruskin
N.J.Hiebert - 9235
June 7
Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:8
It was an entirely new thing for the glorious Son of God to learn obedience. He who commanded all things from all eternity came into this world of sin, and took the place of obedience, and in a pathway of suffering in which He never yielded to temptation--"He suffered being tempted" (Hebrews 2:18)--never yielded--He learned what it was in this world to obey.
We learn obedience by the subjection of our wicked hearts and wills to God. He learned it as One with Whom it was a new thing, and Who had a perfect will, but Who laid it aside--("not My will but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42) Who submitted to everything, obeyed in everything, and depended on God for everything.
His obedience ended in death rather than fail in faithfulness or obedience to His Father. How contrary to the first Adam was the second, (Jesus) (1 Corinthians 15:45-47) in all this! And the Christian is "sanctified unto the obedience. . . . Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:2) May we have grace to be conformed to Him and to obey! Scripture Notes and Queries - F. G. Patterson
N.J.Hiebert - 9236
It was an entirely new thing for the glorious Son of God to learn obedience. He who commanded all things from all eternity came into this world of sin, and took the place of obedience, and in a pathway of suffering in which He never yielded to temptation--"He suffered being tempted" (Hebrews 2:18)--never yielded--He learned what it was in this world to obey.
We learn obedience by the subjection of our wicked hearts and wills to God. He learned it as One with Whom it was a new thing, and Who had a perfect will, but Who laid it aside--("not My will but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42) Who submitted to everything, obeyed in everything, and depended on God for everything.
His obedience ended in death rather than fail in faithfulness or obedience to His Father. How contrary to the first Adam was the second, (Jesus) (1 Corinthians 15:45-47) in all this! And the Christian is "sanctified unto the obedience. . . . Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:2) May we have grace to be conformed to Him and to obey! Scripture Notes and Queries - F. G. Patterson
N.J.Hiebert - 9236
June 8
And Joseph said unto his brethren, come near to me, I pray you...moreover he kissed all his brethren...after that his brethren talked with him. Genesis 45:4,15.
The love of Joseph has brought his brethren into sweet communion with himself. Now those whom Joseph has won for himself he will enlist in his service. His brethren shall become his witnesses.
In like manner, the Lord deals with the demoniac (Luke 8:29,35,39): Clothed, in his right mind, and brought to sit at the feet of Jesus, he is prepared for the service of the Lord by the directions from the Lord, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee." (v.39)
So too, the Lord deals with his disciples on the evening of His resurrection day. Like Joseph in the presence of his brethren; He makes Himself known to the terrified and affrighted disciples and speaks to their troubled hearts the word of peace. Then it is He gives them the great commission and speaks of the high privilege of being His witnesses.
As with the brethren of Joseph, the demoniac of a later day, and the disciples of the resurrection day, so with ourselves: preparation for service must precede service. We are often times more anxious to be used than exercised to be "meet for the Master's use and prepared for every good work." (2 Timothy 2:21) Further, our preparation for service is only gained as we are found alone with Christ, learning His mind in communion with Him and in the realization of His love.
How touchingly is this prefigured in the fine scene between Joseph and his brethren, when, apart from all others, "he kissed all his brethren...and after that his brethren talked with him." Then the commission to serve and every detail of the service they receive from the lips of Joseph. H. Smith
N.J.Hiebert - 9237
The love of Joseph has brought his brethren into sweet communion with himself. Now those whom Joseph has won for himself he will enlist in his service. His brethren shall become his witnesses.
In like manner, the Lord deals with the demoniac (Luke 8:29,35,39): Clothed, in his right mind, and brought to sit at the feet of Jesus, he is prepared for the service of the Lord by the directions from the Lord, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee." (v.39)
So too, the Lord deals with his disciples on the evening of His resurrection day. Like Joseph in the presence of his brethren; He makes Himself known to the terrified and affrighted disciples and speaks to their troubled hearts the word of peace. Then it is He gives them the great commission and speaks of the high privilege of being His witnesses.
As with the brethren of Joseph, the demoniac of a later day, and the disciples of the resurrection day, so with ourselves: preparation for service must precede service. We are often times more anxious to be used than exercised to be "meet for the Master's use and prepared for every good work." (2 Timothy 2:21) Further, our preparation for service is only gained as we are found alone with Christ, learning His mind in communion with Him and in the realization of His love.
How touchingly is this prefigured in the fine scene between Joseph and his brethren, when, apart from all others, "he kissed all his brethren...and after that his brethren talked with him." Then the commission to serve and every detail of the service they receive from the lips of Joseph. H. Smith
N.J.Hiebert - 9237
June 9
He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3)
And then notice the next title Paul gives Him, "The Father of Mercies." That is, our God is the source of every mercy that comes to us. David says, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalm 23:6). Some of these mercies we do not always appreciate. We sometimes think perhaps that God is dealing hardly with us when He is really dealing with us in mercy.
A friend of mine who went to heaven some years ago, told of a time when he was riding on the top of an omnibus in Vienna, Austria, and they were held up because a flock of sheep was going down the street. As the folk on the bus leaned over to see what was going on, they noticed that there were two dogs running hither and thither to keep the sheep in the way.
This friend turned to a stranger seated beside him and said, "Do you know the names of those two dogs?" The man said, "Indeed, I do not; I have never seen a sight like this before." Well, said my friend , "I think I know their names." "Do you?" "Yes; one of them is 'Goodness' and the other is 'mercy,' for David wrote about goodness and mercy following him all the days of his life."
You might not think it was goodness and mercy to have a couple of dogs yapping at you to keep you from going to the left or to the right, but it is God's mercy that keeps us in the straight and narrow way, and He uses trial and difficulty for that very purpose. He is "the Father of mercies."
2 Corinthians - H. A. Ironside
N.J.Hiebert - 9238
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3)
And then notice the next title Paul gives Him, "The Father of Mercies." That is, our God is the source of every mercy that comes to us. David says, "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalm 23:6). Some of these mercies we do not always appreciate. We sometimes think perhaps that God is dealing hardly with us when He is really dealing with us in mercy.
A friend of mine who went to heaven some years ago, told of a time when he was riding on the top of an omnibus in Vienna, Austria, and they were held up because a flock of sheep was going down the street. As the folk on the bus leaned over to see what was going on, they noticed that there were two dogs running hither and thither to keep the sheep in the way.
This friend turned to a stranger seated beside him and said, "Do you know the names of those two dogs?" The man said, "Indeed, I do not; I have never seen a sight like this before." Well, said my friend , "I think I know their names." "Do you?" "Yes; one of them is 'Goodness' and the other is 'mercy,' for David wrote about goodness and mercy following him all the days of his life."
You might not think it was goodness and mercy to have a couple of dogs yapping at you to keep you from going to the left or to the right, but it is God's mercy that keeps us in the straight and narrow way, and He uses trial and difficulty for that very purpose. He is "the Father of mercies."
2 Corinthians - H. A. Ironside
N.J.Hiebert - 9238
June 10
That in all things He might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18
Of the vast universe of bliss, the centre Thou, and Sun;
The eternal theme of praise is this, to heaven's beloved One;
Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou, that every knee to Thee should bow!
E. Condor
Christ is everything. He is everything to the heart of God, and He desires to be everything to the hearts of His people. That it may be so with you is the highest blessedness I can desire for you. There is never any difficulty about guidance when the eye is on Christ, but if other considerations come in then you miss His leadings.
"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body." (Philippians 1:20).
Is it our desire to be able to adopt Paul's language? Do we hold our bodies as vessels for the display of Christ? As we rise in the morning do we look upon the coming day as another opportunity of making Christ great?
We can present Christ to the hearts of men in our lives as well as by our words. We may not be able to explain a single passage of scripture, but we can live Christ. You may teach a Sunday school, or visit among the poor, and that is all right and good, but there is something far better--live Christ, present Christ. Edward Dennett
N.J.Hiebert - 9239
Of the vast universe of bliss, the centre Thou, and Sun;
The eternal theme of praise is this, to heaven's beloved One;
Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou, that every knee to Thee should bow!
E. Condor
Christ is everything. He is everything to the heart of God, and He desires to be everything to the hearts of His people. That it may be so with you is the highest blessedness I can desire for you. There is never any difficulty about guidance when the eye is on Christ, but if other considerations come in then you miss His leadings.
"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body." (Philippians 1:20).
Is it our desire to be able to adopt Paul's language? Do we hold our bodies as vessels for the display of Christ? As we rise in the morning do we look upon the coming day as another opportunity of making Christ great?
We can present Christ to the hearts of men in our lives as well as by our words. We may not be able to explain a single passage of scripture, but we can live Christ. You may teach a Sunday school, or visit among the poor, and that is all right and good, but there is something far better--live Christ, present Christ. Edward Dennett
N.J.Hiebert - 9239
June 11
And He took them, and went aside privately into a desert place. (Luke 9:10)
In order to grow in grace, we must be much alone. It is not in society that the soul grows most vigorously. In one single quiet hour of prayer it will often make more progress than in days of company with others. It is in the desert that the dew falls freshest and the air is purest. Andrew Bonar.
"Come ye yourselves apart and rest awhile,
Weary, I know it, of the press and throng,
Wipe from your brow the sweat and dust of toil,
And in My quiet strength again be strong.
"Come ye aside from all the world holds dear,
For converse which the world has never known,
Alone with Me, and with My Father here,
With Me and with My Father not alone.
"Come, tell Me all that ye have said and done,
Your victories and failures, hopes and fears.
I know how hardly souls are wooed and won:
My choicest wreaths are always wet with tears.
"Come ye and rest; the journey is too great,
And ye will faint beside the way and sink;
The bread of life is here for you to eat,
And here for you the wine of love to drink.
"Then fresh from converse with your Lord return,
And work till daylight softens into even:
The brief hours are not lost in which ye learn
More of your Master and His rest in Heaven. - Streams in the Desert
N.J.Hiebert - 9240
In order to grow in grace, we must be much alone. It is not in society that the soul grows most vigorously. In one single quiet hour of prayer it will often make more progress than in days of company with others. It is in the desert that the dew falls freshest and the air is purest. Andrew Bonar.
"Come ye yourselves apart and rest awhile,
Weary, I know it, of the press and throng,
Wipe from your brow the sweat and dust of toil,
And in My quiet strength again be strong.
"Come ye aside from all the world holds dear,
For converse which the world has never known,
Alone with Me, and with My Father here,
With Me and with My Father not alone.
"Come, tell Me all that ye have said and done,
Your victories and failures, hopes and fears.
I know how hardly souls are wooed and won:
My choicest wreaths are always wet with tears.
"Come ye and rest; the journey is too great,
And ye will faint beside the way and sink;
The bread of life is here for you to eat,
And here for you the wine of love to drink.
"Then fresh from converse with your Lord return,
And work till daylight softens into even:
The brief hours are not lost in which ye learn
More of your Master and His rest in Heaven. - Streams in the Desert
N.J.Hiebert - 9240
June 12
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, Who raised Him from the dead;)...
from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father...
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than (beside) that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed..." (Galatians 1:1-8)
If I have the happy privilege, and the solemn responsibility of announcing God's good news, how earnestly I should seek to see to it, that what I announce is in very truth God's good news, and not my own thoughts or ideas; else it may be that solemn word may come to me: "Cursed be he!" If anyone tells me I must keep the law for salvation, or as a "rule of life", that is not "good news." It is very, very, bad news, for I never can keep the law, and I must perish. The false teachers were perverting the good news.
Sad to say, there are many today who preach the law, without the least idea that they are putting themselves under this terrible curse, because they preach a different good news which is not another. It is Christianity with something added. But you say, surely if an angel from heaven brings me this good news, then I can believe it! No, not even if an angel bring it! Remember that Satan himself is changed into an angel of light (Galatians 1:8,9).
Will you believe Satan or God? Notice that little word "beside" "good news beside the good news which we brought to you". God does not allow any rival good news. And God will not allow any mixture with His good news; nor will He allow anything to be added beside the good news that He has given to us. You cannot have the gospel of God and the law added to, or mixed with, it. God's good news stands alone. Galatians - G. C. Willis
N.J.Hiebert - 9241
from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father...
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than (beside) that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed..." (Galatians 1:1-8)
If I have the happy privilege, and the solemn responsibility of announcing God's good news, how earnestly I should seek to see to it, that what I announce is in very truth God's good news, and not my own thoughts or ideas; else it may be that solemn word may come to me: "Cursed be he!" If anyone tells me I must keep the law for salvation, or as a "rule of life", that is not "good news." It is very, very, bad news, for I never can keep the law, and I must perish. The false teachers were perverting the good news.
Sad to say, there are many today who preach the law, without the least idea that they are putting themselves under this terrible curse, because they preach a different good news which is not another. It is Christianity with something added. But you say, surely if an angel from heaven brings me this good news, then I can believe it! No, not even if an angel bring it! Remember that Satan himself is changed into an angel of light (Galatians 1:8,9).
Will you believe Satan or God? Notice that little word "beside" "good news beside the good news which we brought to you". God does not allow any rival good news. And God will not allow any mixture with His good news; nor will He allow anything to be added beside the good news that He has given to us. You cannot have the gospel of God and the law added to, or mixed with, it. God's good news stands alone. Galatians - G. C. Willis
N.J.Hiebert - 9241
June 13
FAITH OR "IT"?
"According to your faith be it unto you . . ." Matthew 9:29
"According to your faith be it . . ." Be what? How much does "it" include? Here is one of the smallest and one of the biggest words--small in the dictionary but large in our text! For "it" includes all our need which God will supply according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And the measure of that supply is "according to your faith."
You may have all you need and all that faith will take. Whether that need be trivial or tremendous makes no difference to God--everything is His, anyway. You need not mind bringing to him the simplest matter.
The sparrow's fall does not escape His notice. Nor will you strain the heavenly resources with a stupendous request. The ocean will hold up a boat or a battleship, and God's grace will stand any weight you put upon it.
So, whatever "it" may be that you are facing, no matter how hard or hopeless "it" may seem, do not let "it" dominate your faith, make "it" submit to your faith. "According to your faith be it" is God's yardstick, not according to it be you faith."
Are you living by the tyranny of "it" or by the triumph of Faith?
Day by Day with Vance Havner
N.J.Hiebert - 9242
"According to your faith be it unto you . . ." Matthew 9:29
"According to your faith be it . . ." Be what? How much does "it" include? Here is one of the smallest and one of the biggest words--small in the dictionary but large in our text! For "it" includes all our need which God will supply according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And the measure of that supply is "according to your faith."
You may have all you need and all that faith will take. Whether that need be trivial or tremendous makes no difference to God--everything is His, anyway. You need not mind bringing to him the simplest matter.
The sparrow's fall does not escape His notice. Nor will you strain the heavenly resources with a stupendous request. The ocean will hold up a boat or a battleship, and God's grace will stand any weight you put upon it.
So, whatever "it" may be that you are facing, no matter how hard or hopeless "it" may seem, do not let "it" dominate your faith, make "it" submit to your faith. "According to your faith be it" is God's yardstick, not according to it be you faith."
Are you living by the tyranny of "it" or by the triumph of Faith?
Day by Day with Vance Havner
N.J.Hiebert - 9242
June 14
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