Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
The Father, from eternity, chose us, O Jesus Christ, in Thee,
In Thee, His well belovèd: and we, as given to Thee—Thy bride,
In Thee, Lord Jesus, can confide: Thy love remains unmovèd.
From Thee daily strength receiving—to Thee cleaving,
Blessèd Jesus! may we all shew forth Thy praises.
Before the world we’d make our boast, that Thou, in whom is all our trust,
Art Lord of life and glory; and soon Thou’lt bring us to that place
Where we shall see Thee face to face, and glorified adore Thee.
Amen!—be then praise and blessing—never ceasing to Thee given
Here, and when we come to heaven. Nicolai, 1598
N.J.Hiebert —9615
"As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deuteronomy 33:25
Give me Thy strength for my day, Lord,
That wheresoever I go,
There shall no danger daunt me
And I shall fear no foe;
So shall no task o’ercome me,
So shall not trial fret,
So shall I walk unwearied
The path where my feet are set;
So shall I find no burden
Greater than I can bear,
So shall I have a courage
Equal to all my care;
So shall no grief o’erwhelm me,
So shall no wave o’erflow;
Give me Thy strength for my day, Lord,
Cover my weakness so.
Annie Johhnson Flint’s—Best loved poems
N.J.Hiebert - 9616
Ho, every one that thirsteth, COME ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; COME ye, buy, and eat; yea, COME buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isaiah 55:1)
Here, every thirsty, needy, penniless one is invited to come. It is the desire of the loving heart of God that he should come—come now—come just as he is and drink at the living fountain of water, so freely opened by the hand of redeeming love.
There is no hindrance. Grace has removed every difficulty out of the way. The very fact of God’s sending forth the invitation to come, proves that He has taken away every barrier. He would not, He could not say “come” if the way were not perfectly opened—perfectly free.
And not only so, but we may rest assured that when God says “come,” He means what He says. He expresses the language of His heart. In a word, not only is the way open, but God earnestly desires that every thirsty, needy, helpless soul that reads these lines should come now and drink—come and draw water out of those wells of salvation which are freely opened to every creature under heaven. Christian Truth.
N.J.Hiebert — 9617
IT IS OF THE LORD’S MERCIES THAT WE ARE NOT CONSUMED, BECAUSE HIS COMPASSIONS FAIL NOT. THEY ARE NEW EVERY MORNING: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS.” LAMENTATIONS 3:22,23
- I shall not want want REST. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.”
- I shall not want DRINK. “He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
- I shall not want FORGIVENESS. “He restoreth my soul.”
- I shall not want GUIDANCE. “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake.”
- I shall not want COMPANIONSHIP. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.”
- I shall not want COMFORT. “Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”
- I shall not want FOOD. “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”
- I shall not want JOY. “Thou anointest my head with oil.”
- I shall not want ANYTHING. “My cup runneth over.”
- I shall not want ANYTHING IN THIS LIFE. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
- I shall not want ANYTHING IN ETERNITY. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
FAITH NEVER YET OUTSTRIPPED THE BOUNDY OF THE LORD.
C.H SPURGEON
N.J.HIEBERT - 9618
"I know, O Lord, ... that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." (Psalm 119:75)
His love for His child is unchanging,
Although it seem veiled in a cloud;
`Tis only with purpose of blessing,
Affliction is ever allowed.
God's instrument oft is affliction,
For molding and training His own;
But all through the trial and testing,
His love and His mercy are shown.
(Anon)
N.J.Hiebert — 9619
"Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day;
the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. (Psalm 139:12)
At eighty-four, Amelia Barr was at work on her sixty-sixth book. Her secret for such activity is quiet and darkness. All forms of life need them. The plant cannot bloom continuously; it must lie its time in the earth in quiet and darkness. Trees have their winter rest. All animals must sleep.
The human being cannot maintain efficient life unless it retreats daily into sleep, back to nothingness, cessation, stillness. When we lie down at night in sleep all the invisible workmen of the body set about their task, cleaning, repairing, restoring, adjusting, just as the cleaners go over a locomotive when it comes in from its run. These workers operate only in quiet and darkness.
It is the same with the mind. Keep constantly on the go and your thoughts get clogged, you have confusion, imperfect judgment, awkwardness. Most of the worries that beset us would vanish of themselves if we would take a rest in quietness and darkness. Evil, fevered, extravagant, hurtful ideas and beliefs are bi-products of too much activity; they dissolve in quiet and darkness.
Never mind whether you sleep or not, just be still. It is in quiet and darkness you hear those still, small voices your life misses in the hurly-burly. It is there you find God. (Traveling Towards Sunrise - Mrs. Charles E. Cowman)
N.J.Hiebert — 9620
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." (Philippians 3:7,8)
How few of us understand anything of this! How few of us grasp the meaning of the words the real force of the expression, "That I may win Christ."! Most of us rest satisfied with thinking of Christ as God's gift to sinners. We do not aim at winning Him as our prize, by the surrender of all those things which nature loves and values.
The two things are quite distinct. As poor, miserable, guilty, hell-deserving sinners, we are not asked to do, or to give, or to surrender anything. We are invited, yes, commanded, to take - take freely - take all. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.“ “The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “If thou knewest the gift of God, …thou wouldest have asked of Him.”
But, then there is the other side of the question. What did Paul mean by winning Christ? He wanted to win Christ as his prize, even at the cost of all beside. He longed to know Him not merely as the One who had put away his sins, but as the One who could satisfy all the longings of his soul, and utterly displace all that earth could offer or nature grasp. (The Young Believer)
N.J.Hiebert — 9621
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
(Luke 23:34)
Those who sat around the cross to watch the Saviour die thought that His death was His utter and irretrievable defeat. Our Lord had said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (John 16:20)
The cross for the time destroyed all the hopes for the chosen disciples, they forsook Him and fled. They mourned and wept, hiding away for fear of the Jews. Some were so filled with black despair that even the report of His resurrection did not sufficiently interest them to take them to the grave to see for themselves. They turned their backs sadly on Jerusalem and went home to Emmaus.
The companionable Stranger who walked with them made their hearts burn within them as He opened to them the Scriptures. Complete despair so filled their spirits that they even told this Stranger of the witness of the angels to the women at the grave, and ended with the hopeless words, “But Him they saw not.” A Plant of Renown—Leonard Sheldrake.
His be “the Victor’s name,” who fought the fight alone;
Triumphant saints no honour claim, His conquest was their own.
By weakness and defeat, He won the meed and crown;
Trod all our foes beneath His feet by being trodden down.
Bless, bless the Conqueror slain, slain in His victory;
Who lived, who died, who lives again — for thee His church, for thee!
Whitlock Gandy
N.J.Hiebert — 9622
"I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1)
When walking in lowliness we are not likely to wound other people, and when walking in meekness we shall not allow ourselves to be offended should they happen to treat us in an unseemly manner. Is it not just the absence of these graces that cause so much fevered restlessness in our lives? We want to do the work of the man with ten talents when God has gifted us with only one; to occupy a prominent position in public when He intends us to fill a lowly place in private. Let us never forget that "when God intends a creature to fly He always provides it with wings", that if He has fitted one for publicity and prominence, the gift with which He has
endowed that one will inevitably make room for itself. "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men." (Proverbs 18:16) And the strong probability is that, did we but know the perils which surround those who occupy high positions and the fierce conflict which those have to wage who lead the van in Christian warfare, we would cease envying them and commence praying for them, and be thankful and content that we are filling, in lowly obscurity, the niche which God intends us to fill.
As the storm that makes
The high elm crouch and rends the oak
The humble lily spares - so, a thousand blows
That shake the lofty monarch on his throne
We lesser folk feel not. Keen are the pains
Advancement often brings. To be secure
Be humble; to be happy be content."
(The Pearl of Psalms - George Henderson)
N.J.Hiebert — 9623
"He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased,
and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39)
O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
And guard and guide me through the storm;
Defend me from each threatening ill;
Control the waves;
"Peace be still."
Amid the roaring of the sea
My soul still hangs her hope on Thee;
Thy constant love, Thy faithful care,
Are all that save me from despair
(Anon)
N.J.Hiebert — 9624
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:2
Too Late! .
You‘re running through the airport, racing to catch your connecting flight; only to find that the gate is closed and you can see the aircraft rolling back. Too late! a sinking feeling of desperation, for which there is no remedy in sight.
Be in time — Life is like that. Most everyone who believes there is SOMETHING after death, feels it is up to them to live according to the standards God has set in place, and thus secure a place in paradise. But a basic belief in God doesn’t give us the right to set the conditions for our acceptance into heaven.That is up to God.
Who can measure how much time we have before death intervenes? And at that point the opportunity to accept God’s gracious offer is over. It is a matter of urgency. Thankfully, God has given us a book called THE HOLY BIBLE which imparts His thoughts about these things. Although it is a thick book, the message boils down to a few key principles.
From beginning to end it is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament there are dozens of prophecies about Him, and then the New Testament unfolds the story of His birth, death, resurrection, His glories and His message of invitation. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
Lorne for Vision 2020 in 2024(PART 1)
N.J.Hiebert — # 9625
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
The Old Testament shows how impossible it is for any person to measure up to God’s standard. The New Testament makes clear the one and only way to be ready for heaven; through relying on and trusting in the work of Christ at Calvary when His blood was shed to pay for the sins of all who would believe. “But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
The dividing line between Old and New Testaments is remarkable. Everything before is about death and judgment, everything after is about the love and grace of God as expressed in His Son. The cross of Christ is the great dividing line. “As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:27-28).
We could go on listing more of the basic principles imparted in the Bible, but these are sufficient for now. Jesus has given us a direct, personal message of invitation: “Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Come believing, while there is still time. Don’t put off the decision until it’s Too Late. Lorne for Vision 2020 in 2024 (PART 2)
N.J.Hiebert—9626
“One thing have I desired . . . to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)
Jesus! Thou art enough the mind and heart to fill;
Thy patient life — to calm the soul, Thy love — its fear dispel.
O fix our earnest gaze so wholly, Lord, on Thee,
That, with Thy beauty occupied, we elsewhere none may see.
The perfection of the Christian life is to lose sight of oneself completely and to make everything of Christ.
The sign of a good state of soul is enjoyment of the presence of Christ. Everything that takes your eye off Christ is a snare of the devil.
The one object of the Christian life is to learn more of Himself, and Satan cannot find entrance into a heart that is full of Christ.
We are not to rejoice so much in the deliverances when they come as in the One who delivers us.
The deeper the sense of the state from which we have been delivered the more absorbingly intense our affection for the Deliverer.
Footprints for Pilgrims - Edward Dennett
N.J.Hiebert — 9627
