"The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)
The disfigured face of Jesus Christ radiated forth the essential glories of a God whose very essence is love and grace. Men spat upon that face (Matthew 26:67). Men struck that face (Luke 22:64). Men tore the beard from that face (Isaiah 50:6).
Their abuse only made the glory glisten brighter.
Some day in heaven we are going to gaze on that face and fall down in wonder and worship. What a prospect is ours! It could be today. If it is not, may we, through the eyes of faith, see that face and worship Him in spirit and truth. (John M. Clegg)
N.J.Hiebert — 9573
"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine,
but His that sent Me.
(John 7:16)
It is a very serious thing to attach undue importance or give an undue place to men, how much they may be used in the Lord's work. We have seen the work marred and workmen morally ruined by this very thing. It is a fatal mistake. Men are taken out of the place in which God has put them. They are lauded, lionized, and gazed at as a sort of phenomenon. In this way, they are lifted into an entirely false position, like a person walking on stilts, and then some terrible fall comes, to bring them to their senses, and recall them to their true place.
See how the blessed Master ever retired from human applause and human excitement. When men wondered at His teaching, He said, "My doctrine is not Mine but His that sent me." Oh, to drink more of His spirit and walk in His footsteps! To be well content to be a nothing and a nobody, so that Christ may be magnified! (C.H Mackintosh)
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"To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good
I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil
which I would not, that I do." (Romans 7:18,19)
If souls would be honest, many would confess that this has been their condition for years - a condition which brings no glory to God and no happiness to themselves. What is the cause? Simply the mistake of thinking that all depends upon their own efforts instead of accepting the truth that they are utterly without strength, and that, therefore, everything depends upon God.
(Edward Dennett)
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"Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
I recall walking along a Texas creek many years ago with my brother-in-law, Ed and his 3 year old son David. David had been collecting smooth, round stones from the stream while we walked. He called them "piggies," because their rounded shape reminded him of little pigs.
David had stuffed a number of "piggies" in his pockets, and after running out of pockets he began carrying them in his arms. After a while he began to stagger under the load and lag behind. It was obvious he would never make it back to the house without help, so Ed said, "Here, David, let me carry your piggies."
Reluctance clouded David's face for a moment, and then it lit up. "I know," he said. "You carry me and I'll carry my piggies!"
I've often thought of that incident and my own childish insistence that I must carry my own load. Jesus offers to take all of my burdens but I resist out of stubbornness and pride. "You carry me," I say, "but I'll carry my 'piggies."
How foolish it is to try to carry all your burdens on your own when Jesus asks you to cast "all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
Have you put all of your "piggies" in Jesus' strong arms today? (David Roper)
I would tell the Lord my longings,
Roll on Him my every care,
Cast upon Him all my burdens,
Burdens that I cannot bear. (Weigle)
Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2004), Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted permission.
N.J.Hiebert — 9576
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort (encouragement).” (2 Corinthians 1:3)
If we find our souls under pressure of the spirit of fear or bondage or uncertainty we may be sure that they have let go the gentle hand of faith. This ought not to be so. We are to know that we have ever to do with love! (J.G. Bellett)
N.J.Hiebert — 9577
"The Lord said unto Joshua... ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days... the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times ... make a long blast with the ram's horn ... all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat...." (Joshua 6:2-5)
It may be said, why not simplify the path? Why all these complications? Why go around the city every day, and seven times the seventh day? Why this procession with the ark and trumpets?
Faith does not ask why? It does not reason as to the means God chooses to employ; it accepts them, enters into them, and obtains the victory instead of being beaten by the enemy.
It was thus at the Passover and at the Red Sea. Do you say: Then faith is without intelligence? Not at all; it first submits and then understands. Faith will tell you the reason of the seven days, the ark, the procession, the trumpets, and the shouts of joy, but it will only tell you after submission to them, otherwise it would be intelligence and not faith.
(H.L. Rossier Meditations on the Book of Joshua)
N.J.Hiebert — 9578
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful in His time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11)
Have you been overwhelmed at times by a nameless dread as though God had utterly forgotten you, and you were cast off forever? Have you wearied yourself devising one human expedient after another, in the vain hope of averting threatened disaster by the arm of flesh? Learn, then, from God’s dealings with His servant of old that His heart and His hand are for you still.
And “if God be for us, who can be against us?” (Matthew 12:30)He has heard every sigh; noted, and stored in His bottle, every tear; taken account of every cry of anguish; heard every confiding prayer. His arm is in no-wise shortened; His ear is in no sense deaf to your cry. At the appointed time He will awake in your behalf, and you shall know that it is “the God of all grace” with whom you have to do.
Only look up: be not cast down, for you are ever on His heart; and if you just leave all
with Him, He will make your affairs His care. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).How sweet the words! He careth. He, the most high God: yea, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ careth. He is no indifferent spectator—no callous, unconcerned looker-on; but, as no one else can, He careth for you. “I will trust, and not be afraid” (Mark 5:36).(H. A. Ironside)
N.J.Hiebert—9579
Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
Christ was an example for us, for we are called to His path, and to follow His steps. The consideration of Christ in all the glory of His perfection cannot fail to have its affect on us, conforming our thoughts and ways to His. Yet even so, we are not as He was, for we have sins and He had none. We needed, therefore, the atoning sacrifice of which verse 24 speaks. He who did no sin “bore our sins in His own body on the tree.” This is something altogether beyond us. We cannot follow in His steps here.
He bore our sins in His own body as our Substitute. We had sinned in our bodies. He, having become a true Man, apart from our sin, bore our sins in His holy body as a sacrifice for sin on the tree, for it was exclusively in His death that atonement was effected. He did not bear our sins during His life, but in His death, and we are healed by His stripes. He bore our sins and delivered us from the stripes our sins deserved, in order that we should now live unto practical righteousness. F. B. Hole
N.J. Hiebert — 9580
And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing to Thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God: for we rest on Thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.
2 Chronicles 14:11
Most of the kings that followed David and Solomon were failures because they abandoned the God of David and went after idols like their neighbouring countries. But Asa was one of the exceptions. He wasn't perfect but the verse above shows his respect for the power of God and trust in Him.
A great company of Ethiopian soldiers was confronting him and he knew his army was inadequate, but he also knew that his God was able, and of course, Asa’s warriors prevailed.
God always sees the overall picture, and knew He had promised Abraham that he would be the founder of a great nation. God suffered long with Israel’s failures, but finally sent His Son to be the means by which Israel will eventually be seen as the single ruling nation on the earth. All eyes will look to Him and all knees will bow to His glory, power and authority.
Zechariah 2:8 says: Thus saith the Lord of hosts; after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye.”
In our day, Satan and his followers are a mighty force that we could never overcome, unless it was by the power of God. God is more powerful than Satan, and our protection is our faith and trust in Him. Whenever we put that trust to the test, the truth of James 4:7 comes into play: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Lorne Perry (PART 1)
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Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Yesterday we learned from 2 Chronicles 14:11 that King Asa relied on God’s support when an enemy horde came against Israel, and God gave a great victory. Now we’ll take a closer look at our experience with God against the forces of Satan.
Satan is always trying to find a way to rob us of our peace with God, always trying to sow doubts in our minds, eagerly putting temptations in front of us, placing stumbling—blocks in our path, or making our lives so busy we have little time for God or His Son. When these enemies come up against us (really they are enemies of God), we need to call upon the full panoply of resources open to us.
First is the Person of Christ. Get in touch with Him in prayer. Second look into the Word particularly the list of spiritual blessings in Ephesians 1, and the whole armour of God in Ephesians 6:10—18. In them is the power of God, and you are thus strengthened for the battle. The enemy may not go without a fight, but he will flee, because and only because God has so promised us.
One of Satan’s tempting ploys is to convince us that we have within us the capacity to beat the temptation on our own, or perhaps with the help of counsellors and internet “wisdom”. These apparent avenues are limited resources, at best.
The Apostle Paul learned, by his experience walking with God, this message from above : “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”King Asa knew it, and put it into practice.”
Lorne Perry for Gems from my Reading.
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Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2
God’s ultimate purpose is to populate Heaven with those like His Son. We see this illustrated in what scientists call “Metamorphosis”. The process begins with an ugly, earth-bound caterpillar, but soon, it emerges from the chrysalis; now a beautiful butterfly fitted for the skies.
So also, when our Lord returns, we will receive bodies “like unto His glorious body” (Philippians (3:21), fitted for Heaven. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
(Revelation 22:20)
Willie H. Burnett
And is it so — I shall be like Thy Son?
Is this the grace which He for me has won?
Father of glory (thought beyond all thought!)
In glory, to His own blest likeness brought!
(John Nelson Darby)
N.J.Hiebert - 9583
And He commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. (Mark 6:39)
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. (Psalm 23:2)
Those who do most in the day and who always have time for one thing more are those who know what it is to sit down on the green grass. It is not the bustling, chattery people who do most for others. It is those who know most of quietness.
Before our Lord Jesus could feed the people, He had to make them sit down. Before He can feed us we too must sit down. David sat down before the Lord; he was quiet before his God.
Even if we have not a long time to spend in the morning wth our God, much can be received in a very few minutes if only we are quiet. Sometimes it takes a little while to gather our scattered thoughts and quiet our soul. Even so, don’t hurry; make it sit down on the green grass.
Gather my thoughts, Lord, they fitful roam,
Like children bent on foolish wandering,
Or vanity of fruitless wayfaring;
O call them home.
Whispers of His Power - Amy Carmichael
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"Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21)
1 To "hope to be better" is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.
2.To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself.
3.To be discouraged is unbelief - as to the Father's purpose and plan of blessing for you.
4. To be proud is to be blind! For we have no standing before God in ourselves.
5.The lack of divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from failure of devotion.
6. Real devotion to the Father arises, not from man's will to show it; but from the discovery that blessing has been received from Him while we were yet unworthy and un-devoted.
7. To preach devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse God's order and preach Law, not Grace.
The Law made man's blessing depend on devotion; Grace confers undeserved,
unconditional blessing: our devotion may follow, but does not always do so in proper measure. (W.R. Newell)
N.J.Hiebert — 9585
"Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" (Acts 26:8)
In our childhood days we were taught to sing, "Pity my simplicity." Simplicity of the right kind calls not for pity, but for admiration and imitation, and most assuredly it will receive the Lord's commendation at the last.
Men are becoming too wise to be simple; this explains why some find it hard to credit the story of Peter walking on the sea. To all such we are disposed to say in the words of Paul: "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you?" (Acts 26:8). Take God into account, and every difficulty disappears; leave Him out, and difficulties bristle around us hopelessly.
(W.W. Fereday - Peter the Apostle)
N.J.Hiebert — 9586
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth…they went backward, and fell to the ground." (John 18:4,6)
The Lord Jesus was fully aware of their intentions, yet He went forth to meet His captors because His hour had not yet come, every previous attempt on His life had utterly failed. Even then, when He identified Himself with the noble "I AM" of Deity, His enemies went backward and involuntarily collapsed before Him. The power of this simple statement proved they took Him only because He had voluntarily submitted to their evil purpose. (Garry W. Seale)
N.J.Hiebert — 9587
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