Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Whatever your care, remember there is one all-sufficient remedy. It is found, first of all in obeying the injunction, "Be careful for nothing," and then accepting in their full meaning those blessed words, "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."
Instead of being careful (anxious) we are to rejoice in the Lord, because He has control of every matter. All power is in His hands. "Be not afraid ." Twice the Lord Jesus uttered these reassuring words to His disciples, and under very different circumstances.
Once when they were in a ship on the sea "tossed with the waves, for the wind was contrary," and once when three of His disciples were with Him on the Mount surrounded by the glories of the Transfiguration. What a wide field is covered by these two events! The one has to do with everything that is around you, the other with everything that is above you.
Are you tossed on life's tempestuous sea, experiencing much that is contrary to you? "Be not afraid." Is it a question of the coming glories and your fitness for them? The same voice utters the same words. But the Lord Jesus was as much at home in the one as in the other, and He would make us at home. "Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:18
What a wondrous Person the Saviour is! He can make us feel at ease amid divine glories; and equally at ease amid all the circumstances of the path that leads to them."And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." If but we see Him, care will vanish. He is enough for us as to things temporal, and enough for us as to things eternal. Angels in White
N.J. Hiebert - 9707
September 21
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
Be careful for nothing . . . and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
There is a vast difference between the "peace of God", and "peace with God". We were lost sinners, and enemies in our mind by wicked works: how could peace with God be made? If I believe on Christ and what He has done, then I can boldly say that for Christ's sake, even my sins are forgiven: therefore I can add: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The value is not in the faith, but in our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot get the blessing without believing, but it is an answer to the worth of Christ in God's sight.
But beside this settled peace which we have through the work of Christ, there is the peace of God, which has nothing to do with the forgiveness of our sins: though that is in one sense the foundation of all our blessing: but this, "the peace of God", is peace amidst the circumstances through which we pass day by day: and it is a peace "surpassing every mind of man".
The Apostle was in prison, bound with a chain to a Roman soldier: yet he was filled with both joy and peace. And, as joy is the second, peace is the third fruit of the Spirit: and like joy it is a legacy left by our beloved Lord, before He returned to His Home in Glory: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you," (John 14:27).
It is, in very truth, a peace that surpasses every mind of man: mind, notice, not knowledge: for "The peace of God" lies in a higher sphere than intellect: a truth we do well to remember today. G. Christopher Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 9708
Be careful for nothing . . . and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
There is a vast difference between the "peace of God", and "peace with God". We were lost sinners, and enemies in our mind by wicked works: how could peace with God be made? If I believe on Christ and what He has done, then I can boldly say that for Christ's sake, even my sins are forgiven: therefore I can add: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The value is not in the faith, but in our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot get the blessing without believing, but it is an answer to the worth of Christ in God's sight.
But beside this settled peace which we have through the work of Christ, there is the peace of God, which has nothing to do with the forgiveness of our sins: though that is in one sense the foundation of all our blessing: but this, "the peace of God", is peace amidst the circumstances through which we pass day by day: and it is a peace "surpassing every mind of man".
The Apostle was in prison, bound with a chain to a Roman soldier: yet he was filled with both joy and peace. And, as joy is the second, peace is the third fruit of the Spirit: and like joy it is a legacy left by our beloved Lord, before He returned to His Home in Glory: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you," (John 14:27).
It is, in very truth, a peace that surpasses every mind of man: mind, notice, not knowledge: for "The peace of God" lies in a higher sphere than intellect: a truth we do well to remember today. G. Christopher Willis
N.J. Hiebert - 9708
September 22
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. 1 Peter 4:12
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. James 1:2
"Think it not strange" goes a long way, but "Count it all joy" goes much further. "Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourself hedged in by various trials." Is it not an amazing word?
I am constantly struck by the way the inspired New Testament writers absolutely refuse the natural human point of view where trial is concerned (and of course all other matters also). They have caught the vision of their Master. They talk as He talked, for they think as He thought. "Think through me, thoughts of God".
Let us ask that we may rise to prayer on these lines for one another. I so often find myself praying for relief from trial for those who are being tried, and I think, within limits, we may do this, for we are all our Father's little children and He understands.
But we do need to rise to the "Count it all joy" view. We need to look beyond the present, through the present, to the things that are not seen, and in our prayers for one another, and in our faith for one another, to rise to the highest. Amy Carmichael - Edges of His Ways
N.J. Hiebert - 9709
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. James 1:2
"Think it not strange" goes a long way, but "Count it all joy" goes much further. "Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourself hedged in by various trials." Is it not an amazing word?
I am constantly struck by the way the inspired New Testament writers absolutely refuse the natural human point of view where trial is concerned (and of course all other matters also). They have caught the vision of their Master. They talk as He talked, for they think as He thought. "Think through me, thoughts of God".
Let us ask that we may rise to prayer on these lines for one another. I so often find myself praying for relief from trial for those who are being tried, and I think, within limits, we may do this, for we are all our Father's little children and He understands.
But we do need to rise to the "Count it all joy" view. We need to look beyond the present, through the present, to the things that are not seen, and in our prayers for one another, and in our faith for one another, to rise to the highest. Amy Carmichael - Edges of His Ways
N.J. Hiebert - 9709
September 23
Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us . . . comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Let us our feebleness recline
On that eternal love of Thine,
And human thoughts forget;
Childlike, attend what Thou wilt say,
Go forth and serve Thee while 'tis day,
Nor leave our sweet retreat.
"Who hath despised the day of small things?" We are slow to learn that the importance of any service depends upon God's estimate of it, that the meanest service is worthy of all our devotedness and zeal if the mind and heart of God are upon it, and if He has put it into our hand.
We cannot have power with men if we have not power with God. The greatest mistake any of us can make is to seek to have power before men without having been in the presence of God.
We are as dependent upon God when we speak to one soul as when we preach to a thousand. I have learned this by experience; I have gone to see a sick person in great self-confidence and found I had nothing to say. And then the Lord taught me I must wait upon Him for the message for a single soul as much as when I was going to preach. May we ever remember this, that there may be no trace of self-confidence remaining in the heart.
Edward Dennett - Footprints for Pilgrims
N.J. Hiebert - 9710
Let us our feebleness recline
On that eternal love of Thine,
And human thoughts forget;
Childlike, attend what Thou wilt say,
Go forth and serve Thee while 'tis day,
Nor leave our sweet retreat.
"Who hath despised the day of small things?" We are slow to learn that the importance of any service depends upon God's estimate of it, that the meanest service is worthy of all our devotedness and zeal if the mind and heart of God are upon it, and if He has put it into our hand.
We cannot have power with men if we have not power with God. The greatest mistake any of us can make is to seek to have power before men without having been in the presence of God.
We are as dependent upon God when we speak to one soul as when we preach to a thousand. I have learned this by experience; I have gone to see a sick person in great self-confidence and found I had nothing to say. And then the Lord taught me I must wait upon Him for the message for a single soul as much as when I was going to preach. May we ever remember this, that there may be no trace of self-confidence remaining in the heart.
Edward Dennett - Footprints for Pilgrims
N.J. Hiebert - 9710
September 24
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:14
AT THE CROSS OF JESUS
There is love at the cross of Jesus, an everlasting love
That could leave the courts of heaven and the glory of God above,
That could come to a world of evil for the sake of the sinner lost,
That could drain the cup of anguish and never count the cost.
There is light at the cross of Jesus, though dark is the world around;
It was there He opened heaven, and the way to God was found;
It was there the tempest gathered and broke on His thorn-crowned head,
When He bore our stripes and sorrows, and suffered in our stead.
There is peace at the cross of Jesus, where God was reconciled,
Where we know our sins forgiven and hear Him say," My child";
Where He bore the world's transgressions and all our debt was paid;
Where the weight of the Father's anger on His tender heart was laid.
There is life at the cross of Jesus, where the victory was won,
Where sin and death were conquered by the sinless, deathless One;
O grave, where is thy triumph? O death, where is thy sting?
For the Lord of life and glory passed through thy gates a King!
Flint's Best loved poems
N.J. Hiebert - 9711
AT THE CROSS OF JESUS
There is love at the cross of Jesus, an everlasting love
That could leave the courts of heaven and the glory of God above,
That could come to a world of evil for the sake of the sinner lost,
That could drain the cup of anguish and never count the cost.
There is light at the cross of Jesus, though dark is the world around;
It was there He opened heaven, and the way to God was found;
It was there the tempest gathered and broke on His thorn-crowned head,
When He bore our stripes and sorrows, and suffered in our stead.
There is peace at the cross of Jesus, where God was reconciled,
Where we know our sins forgiven and hear Him say," My child";
Where He bore the world's transgressions and all our debt was paid;
Where the weight of the Father's anger on His tender heart was laid.
There is life at the cross of Jesus, where the victory was won,
Where sin and death were conquered by the sinless, deathless One;
O grave, where is thy triumph? O death, where is thy sting?
For the Lord of life and glory passed through thy gates a King!
Flint's Best loved poems
N.J. Hiebert - 9711
September 25
DOUBLE ABUNDANCE
God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
God's Grace is not only amazing grace, it is abounding grace. He abounds toward us that we may abound toward Him. There is abundance of grace in order that there may be abundance of good works. "always having all sufficiency in all things" - what could be more satisfying than that?
It is another way of saying, "My grace is sufficient for thee." There is nothing stingy and mean about the grace of God. "Of His fullness have all we received and grace upon grace," Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly.
And as God abounds toward us, we should abound toward Him. Paul was a great example of what he wrote. With all his infirmities, his thorn in the flesh, his opposition and persecution, who ever abounded to every good work as He did?
Our penurious and miserly service today declares that we live cheaply in our souls. We do not lay hold of the riches of grace in Christ Jesus. Our output is small because our intake is small. "My God shall supply all your need," and beyond that do more for us than we can ask or think. Let us be doubly abundant, in grace and good works. Day by Day with Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 9712
God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
God's Grace is not only amazing grace, it is abounding grace. He abounds toward us that we may abound toward Him. There is abundance of grace in order that there may be abundance of good works. "always having all sufficiency in all things" - what could be more satisfying than that?
It is another way of saying, "My grace is sufficient for thee." There is nothing stingy and mean about the grace of God. "Of His fullness have all we received and grace upon grace," Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly.
And as God abounds toward us, we should abound toward Him. Paul was a great example of what he wrote. With all his infirmities, his thorn in the flesh, his opposition and persecution, who ever abounded to every good work as He did?
Our penurious and miserly service today declares that we live cheaply in our souls. We do not lay hold of the riches of grace in Christ Jesus. Our output is small because our intake is small. "My God shall supply all your need," and beyond that do more for us than we can ask or think. Let us be doubly abundant, in grace and good works. Day by Day with Vance Havner
N.J. Hiebert - 9712
September 26
O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3
King David urges us to enlarge our view of God, and it's not a stretch to include the Lord Jesus in the same thought. We really cannot make Them any greater than They already are, but we can always learn more about Them, and the result will be more praise from our hearts; and that exalts Them.
Enlarging our view
We are familiar with binoculars and microscopes. Binoculars and telescopes have the ability to see distant things close up, but the object itself doesn't get any bigger. Same idea with microscopes, that is, tiny specks are made to appear much larger.
In sailing-ship days a common name for a telescope (a brass object about 30 inches or 76 cm. long when extended), was "Bring-'em-near". That certainly didn't have any effect upon the ship coming over the horizon, but permitted much more understanding of its nature and intent.
Always learning
Same for us; we explore the Word, we learn new things about our Lord and our Father, and our appreciation of Their power, love and grace grow in our eyes. The closer we feel They are to us, the more we experience and value Their warmth towards us. Mary said this about the child she was bearing: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Luke 1:46-47 Lorne Perry
O Jesus Christ most holy - Head of the church, Thy bride,
In us each day more fully Thy name be magnified!
O may, in each believer, Thy love its power display,
And none among us ever from Thee, our Shepherd, stray! C. G. Clemens
N.J. Hiebert - 9713
King David urges us to enlarge our view of God, and it's not a stretch to include the Lord Jesus in the same thought. We really cannot make Them any greater than They already are, but we can always learn more about Them, and the result will be more praise from our hearts; and that exalts Them.
Enlarging our view
We are familiar with binoculars and microscopes. Binoculars and telescopes have the ability to see distant things close up, but the object itself doesn't get any bigger. Same idea with microscopes, that is, tiny specks are made to appear much larger.
In sailing-ship days a common name for a telescope (a brass object about 30 inches or 76 cm. long when extended), was "Bring-'em-near". That certainly didn't have any effect upon the ship coming over the horizon, but permitted much more understanding of its nature and intent.
Always learning
Same for us; we explore the Word, we learn new things about our Lord and our Father, and our appreciation of Their power, love and grace grow in our eyes. The closer we feel They are to us, the more we experience and value Their warmth towards us. Mary said this about the child she was bearing: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Luke 1:46-47 Lorne Perry
O Jesus Christ most holy - Head of the church, Thy bride,
In us each day more fully Thy name be magnified!
O may, in each believer, Thy love its power display,
And none among us ever from Thee, our Shepherd, stray! C. G. Clemens
N.J. Hiebert - 9713
September 27
I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14.
Joseph Carey Merrick (1862-1890) more commonly known as "The Elephant Man" was an English man known for having severe deformities. The first condition was a rare disorder that causes tissue overgrowth and another, a condition in which tumours grow in the nervous system.
As a result of these maladies Merrick began to develop abnormally during the first few years of his life. His mother died when he was 11 and his father soon remarried. Rejected by his father and stepmother, he went to live with his uncle. At the age of 17 unable to find work due to his physical appearance and being lame due to a fall suffered as a child, Merrick entered the Leicester Union Workhouse.
Workhouses also know as poorhouses, were essentially group homes where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment. These were not pleasant places, more akin to a jail, in fact residents of workhouses in England were actually referred to as inmates.
In 1884, in order to escape the life of poverty and gruelling work, Merrick agreed to be exhibited as "The Elephant Man" in a traveling freak show.
Merrick's hardships were far from over. In Belgium, Merrick was robbed by his road manager and abandoned in Brussels. He eventually made his way back to London where he was allowed to stay at the London Hospital until his death in 1890.
Despite such hardship experiencing almost every conceivable disadvantage in life, Merrick had faith in God. Before his mother had died, she had been a Sunday School teacher and brought him weekly to the local church.
Merrick is credited with penning the following poem, borrowing the last four lines from Isaac Watts, "False Greatness".
'Tis true my form is something odd, but blaming me is blaming God;
Could I create myself anew, I would not fail in pleasing you.
If I could reach from pole to pole, or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul; the mind's the standard of the man.
Shared by a friend of the Gems.
N.J. Hiebert - 9714
Joseph Carey Merrick (1862-1890) more commonly known as "The Elephant Man" was an English man known for having severe deformities. The first condition was a rare disorder that causes tissue overgrowth and another, a condition in which tumours grow in the nervous system.
As a result of these maladies Merrick began to develop abnormally during the first few years of his life. His mother died when he was 11 and his father soon remarried. Rejected by his father and stepmother, he went to live with his uncle. At the age of 17 unable to find work due to his physical appearance and being lame due to a fall suffered as a child, Merrick entered the Leicester Union Workhouse.
Workhouses also know as poorhouses, were essentially group homes where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment. These were not pleasant places, more akin to a jail, in fact residents of workhouses in England were actually referred to as inmates.
In 1884, in order to escape the life of poverty and gruelling work, Merrick agreed to be exhibited as "The Elephant Man" in a traveling freak show.
Merrick's hardships were far from over. In Belgium, Merrick was robbed by his road manager and abandoned in Brussels. He eventually made his way back to London where he was allowed to stay at the London Hospital until his death in 1890.
Despite such hardship experiencing almost every conceivable disadvantage in life, Merrick had faith in God. Before his mother had died, she had been a Sunday School teacher and brought him weekly to the local church.
Merrick is credited with penning the following poem, borrowing the last four lines from Isaac Watts, "False Greatness".
'Tis true my form is something odd, but blaming me is blaming God;
Could I create myself anew, I would not fail in pleasing you.
If I could reach from pole to pole, or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul; the mind's the standard of the man.
Shared by a friend of the Gems.
N.J. Hiebert - 9714
September 28
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon, Genesis 41:14
Having thus destroyed "the wisdom of the wise" and brought "to nothing the understanding of the prudent," 1 Corinthians 1:19-20. God falls back on the man (Joseph) of His reserve, "a man in whom the spirit of God is." But God's man is always of little account in the eyes of the world. The man who is destined to wield a power that no mortal, before or since, has ever exercised, is for the moment languishing in a prison and reckoned among "the base things of the world and things which are despised."
Nevertheless, he is the chosen of God to "confound the mighty" and "bring to naught the things that are." So it comes to pass that Joseph is brought from the dungeon into the presence of earth's most powerful monarch. Pharaoh, speaking as a natural man, at once says, "I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it." Joseph straightway confesses, "It is not in me." It was no more in Joseph than in the wise men of Egypt. They may indeed be learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.
Joseph, on the other hand, is a young man, an Hebrew, a bondman, in a dungeon, but God being with him he can surpass the wisdom of the wise, stand without fear in the presence of the king, and with the utmost confidence say, "God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." (Genesis 41:16). He does not say, "God can give Pharaoh an answer," however true that would have been but faith passing beyond what God can do, definitely states what God will do.
It is still the possession of the Spirit of God that makes the immeasurable difference between the children of God and the wise men of the world. Many indeed may possess giant intellects, well stored with such learning as this world can afford, but unless born again they are mere natural men, without the Spirit, and cannot even see the things that belong to the kingdom of God, much less enter that fair kingdom. Hamilton Smith
N.J. Hiebert - 9715
Having thus destroyed "the wisdom of the wise" and brought "to nothing the understanding of the prudent," 1 Corinthians 1:19-20. God falls back on the man (Joseph) of His reserve, "a man in whom the spirit of God is." But God's man is always of little account in the eyes of the world. The man who is destined to wield a power that no mortal, before or since, has ever exercised, is for the moment languishing in a prison and reckoned among "the base things of the world and things which are despised."
Nevertheless, he is the chosen of God to "confound the mighty" and "bring to naught the things that are." So it comes to pass that Joseph is brought from the dungeon into the presence of earth's most powerful monarch. Pharaoh, speaking as a natural man, at once says, "I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it." Joseph straightway confesses, "It is not in me." It was no more in Joseph than in the wise men of Egypt. They may indeed be learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.
Joseph, on the other hand, is a young man, an Hebrew, a bondman, in a dungeon, but God being with him he can surpass the wisdom of the wise, stand without fear in the presence of the king, and with the utmost confidence say, "God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." (Genesis 41:16). He does not say, "God can give Pharaoh an answer," however true that would have been but faith passing beyond what God can do, definitely states what God will do.
It is still the possession of the Spirit of God that makes the immeasurable difference between the children of God and the wise men of the world. Many indeed may possess giant intellects, well stored with such learning as this world can afford, but unless born again they are mere natural men, without the Spirit, and cannot even see the things that belong to the kingdom of God, much less enter that fair kingdom. Hamilton Smith
N.J. Hiebert - 9715
September 29
THE CONSTANCY OF CHRIST
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
No other quality in the character of Christ elicits our awe or stabilzes our souls in the same way as His constancy. It is the remarkable consistency of His conduct that makes Him stand out as a symbol of strength and integrity above the chaos of human history. (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:10-12).
All around us the earth scene is one of never-ending confusion, change, and calamity. Civilizations emerge, rise and then collapse. Human society stumbles along from failure to failure. The best-laid plans of governments fail. The sophisticated schemes of economic well-being fail. The hopes of nations and people fail. All is change, all is in flux, all is in transition and turmoil.
Amid the ruins, in great, unchanging consistency, Christ stands serene and sure and unfailing. Oh, the majesty of The Monarch of the Universe! Oh, the grandeur of Our Lord! Oh, the splendour of heaven's royal Sovereign!
What assurance He brings to our spirits. What calm repose He bestows upon our souls. What sure strength He injects into our puny lives. He does not fail!. He cannot fail! He will not fail His followers!
This basic truth should put steel in our spines. It should put fire in our faith. It should put peace in our hearts. W. Phillip Keller
We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Stead-fast and sure while the billows roll;
Fastened to the rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love. Priscilla Owens
N.J. Hiebert - 9716
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
No other quality in the character of Christ elicits our awe or stabilzes our souls in the same way as His constancy. It is the remarkable consistency of His conduct that makes Him stand out as a symbol of strength and integrity above the chaos of human history. (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:10-12).
All around us the earth scene is one of never-ending confusion, change, and calamity. Civilizations emerge, rise and then collapse. Human society stumbles along from failure to failure. The best-laid plans of governments fail. The sophisticated schemes of economic well-being fail. The hopes of nations and people fail. All is change, all is in flux, all is in transition and turmoil.
Amid the ruins, in great, unchanging consistency, Christ stands serene and sure and unfailing. Oh, the majesty of The Monarch of the Universe! Oh, the grandeur of Our Lord! Oh, the splendour of heaven's royal Sovereign!
What assurance He brings to our spirits. What calm repose He bestows upon our souls. What sure strength He injects into our puny lives. He does not fail!. He cannot fail! He will not fail His followers!
This basic truth should put steel in our spines. It should put fire in our faith. It should put peace in our hearts. W. Phillip Keller
We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Stead-fast and sure while the billows roll;
Fastened to the rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love. Priscilla Owens
N.J. Hiebert - 9716
September 30
And when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him." Joshua 6:5
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. Hebrews 11:30
The shout of steadfast faith is in direct contrast to the moans of wavering faith, and to the wails of discouraged hearts. Among the many "secrets of the Lord," I do not know of any that is more valuable than the secret of this shout of faith. The Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour."
He had not said, "I will give," but "I have given." It belonged to them already; and now they were called to take possession of it. But the great question was, How? It looked impossible, but the Lord declared His plan.
Now, no one can suppose for a moment that this shout caused the walls to fall. And yet the secret of their victory lay in just this shout, for it was the shout of a faith which dared, on the authority of God's Word alone, to claim a promised victory, while as yet there were no signs of this victory being accomplished. According to their faith God did unto them so that, when they shouted, He made the walls to fall.
God had declared that He had given them the city, and faith reckoned this to be true. And long centuries afterwards the Holy Spirit recorded this triumph of faith. Hannah Whitehall Smith
"Faith can never reach its consummation,
Till the victor's thankful song we raise;
In the glorious city of salvation,
God has told us all the gates are praise."
N.J.Hiebert - 9717
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. Hebrews 11:30
The shout of steadfast faith is in direct contrast to the moans of wavering faith, and to the wails of discouraged hearts. Among the many "secrets of the Lord," I do not know of any that is more valuable than the secret of this shout of faith. The Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour."
He had not said, "I will give," but "I have given." It belonged to them already; and now they were called to take possession of it. But the great question was, How? It looked impossible, but the Lord declared His plan.
Now, no one can suppose for a moment that this shout caused the walls to fall. And yet the secret of their victory lay in just this shout, for it was the shout of a faith which dared, on the authority of God's Word alone, to claim a promised victory, while as yet there were no signs of this victory being accomplished. According to their faith God did unto them so that, when they shouted, He made the walls to fall.
God had declared that He had given them the city, and faith reckoned this to be true. And long centuries afterwards the Holy Spirit recorded this triumph of faith. Hannah Whitehall Smith
"Faith can never reach its consummation,
Till the victor's thankful song we raise;
In the glorious city of salvation,
God has told us all the gates are praise."
N.J.Hiebert - 9717
October 1
Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself, for it. Ephesians 5:25
You cannot go beyond that. That is a self-denying love, a love that makes one willing even to lay down his life for another. You remember that striking story about the wife of one of Cyrus' generals who was charged with treachery against the king. She was called before him and after trial condemned to die.
Her husband, who did not realize what had taken place, was informed of it and came hurrying in. When he heard the sentence condemning his wife to death, he threw himself prostrate before the king and said, "O Sire, take my life instead of hers. Let me die in her place!" Cyrus was so touched that he said, "love like that must not be spoiled by death," and he gave them back to each other and let the wife go free.
As they walked happily away the husband said, "Did you notice how kindly the king looked upon us when he gave you a free pardon?" "I had no eyes for the king," she said; "I saw only the man who was willing to die for me."
That is the picture that you have here. It is as though the apostle can scarcely speak on this subject but that it brings before him the One who has won his own heart, and he must tell us more about Him. This glorious Head of the Church, gave up His own precious life for the Bride of His heart the Church.
H. A. Ironside
The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face;
I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of Grace-
Not at the crown He giveth, but on his piercèd hand:
The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land.
Mrs. Cousins
N.J. Hiebert - 9718
October 2
RUNNING OR REELING
When thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Proverbs 4:12
This promise does not stand alone; it is reiterated and varied. God knew our constant, momentary need of it. He knew that without it we must stumble, and fall too: that we have not the least power to take one step without a stumble--or rather, that we have no power to take one single onward step at all.
And He knew that Satan's surest device to make us stumble would be to make us believe that it can't be helped. We have thought that, if we have not said it. But "what saith the Scripture?" "When thou runnest" (the likeliest place for a slip), "Thou shalt not stumble." "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved." "He will keep the feet of His saints." "He led them . . . that they should not stumble."
Can we say, "Yea, hath God said?" to all this? Leave that to Satan; it is no comment for God's children to make upon His precious promises. If we do not use the power of faith, we find the neutralizing power of unbelief.
Yes! He knows the way is dreary,
Knows the weakness of our frame,
Knows that hand and heart are weary;
He, in all points, felt the same.
He is near to help and bless;
Be not weary, onward press.
Frances Ridley Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 9719
When thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Proverbs 4:12
This promise does not stand alone; it is reiterated and varied. God knew our constant, momentary need of it. He knew that without it we must stumble, and fall too: that we have not the least power to take one step without a stumble--or rather, that we have no power to take one single onward step at all.
And He knew that Satan's surest device to make us stumble would be to make us believe that it can't be helped. We have thought that, if we have not said it. But "what saith the Scripture?" "When thou runnest" (the likeliest place for a slip), "Thou shalt not stumble." "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved." "He will keep the feet of His saints." "He led them . . . that they should not stumble."
Can we say, "Yea, hath God said?" to all this? Leave that to Satan; it is no comment for God's children to make upon His precious promises. If we do not use the power of faith, we find the neutralizing power of unbelief.
Yes! He knows the way is dreary,
Knows the weakness of our frame,
Knows that hand and heart are weary;
He, in all points, felt the same.
He is near to help and bless;
Be not weary, onward press.
Frances Ridley Havergal
N.J. Hiebert - 9719
October 3
And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto Him, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. Luke 22:61
Was it a look of anger, or withering scorn? Did it say, as it were, Contemptible miscreant, can you deny Me at such a moment? No, no, I believe it was a look of unutterable, albeit wounded, love. That look said, Peter, do you not know Me? I know you, Peter, and I love you, not withstanding your denial of Me. It was a look of tender changeless love. Peter lived on that look for the next three days, till he met his Master again in resurrection, and communion was restored.
Peter went out then, and "wept bitterly." Repentance did its proper work in his soul, as he saw his folly and sin in the light of his Lord's love. Here is the difference between repentance and remorse.
Repentance is the judgment of my sin that I have in the light of love, and grace known. Remorse is produced by viewing the sin in the light only of its probable results. Repentance begets hope, remorse leads only to despair. Repentance leads the soul back to God, remorse drives it to deeper sin, and further into Satan's hands.
This is all illustrated in the consequent pathway of Peter and Judas. Judas, who did not know what grace was, went out and, in remorse over his consummate wickedness, hanged himself; Peter, who did know what grace was, and who knew better than ever then how deeply the Lord loved him, went out and wept bitterly.
The last thing Peter had done was to deny his Master, and the next thing his Master did was to die for Peter; and if He had not died for Peter, he never could have been restored nor saved. W. T. P. Wolston
N.J. Hiebert - 9720
Was it a look of anger, or withering scorn? Did it say, as it were, Contemptible miscreant, can you deny Me at such a moment? No, no, I believe it was a look of unutterable, albeit wounded, love. That look said, Peter, do you not know Me? I know you, Peter, and I love you, not withstanding your denial of Me. It was a look of tender changeless love. Peter lived on that look for the next three days, till he met his Master again in resurrection, and communion was restored.
Peter went out then, and "wept bitterly." Repentance did its proper work in his soul, as he saw his folly and sin in the light of his Lord's love. Here is the difference between repentance and remorse.
Repentance is the judgment of my sin that I have in the light of love, and grace known. Remorse is produced by viewing the sin in the light only of its probable results. Repentance begets hope, remorse leads only to despair. Repentance leads the soul back to God, remorse drives it to deeper sin, and further into Satan's hands.
This is all illustrated in the consequent pathway of Peter and Judas. Judas, who did not know what grace was, went out and, in remorse over his consummate wickedness, hanged himself; Peter, who did know what grace was, and who knew better than ever then how deeply the Lord loved him, went out and wept bitterly.
The last thing Peter had done was to deny his Master, and the next thing his Master did was to die for Peter; and if He had not died for Peter, he never could have been restored nor saved. W. T. P. Wolston
N.J. Hiebert - 9720
