Gems for April - wk 1
April 1
"A certain man made a great supper, and bade many. . . .
Come; for all things are now ready.
And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
Then the Master of the house being angry said to his servant,
Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city,
and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt,
and the blind. . .it is done . . . yet there is room. . .
go out into the highways and hedges,
and compel them to come in,
that my house may be filled. " (Luke 14:16-23)
Are we in the power of this compelling urgency of grace in dealing with those who are not saved. For it should never be forgotten, that every believer is intended to be the expression of the heart of God to the world.
Another question might be put; that is, whether the feeble results of the preaching of the gospel in may places may not be traced to a want of apprehension of the nature of the grace that is now going forth toward sinners. This once understood, there would be no expectation from earnestness or appeals, or from anything whatever, save from the power of the Spirit of God. He alone can
compel sinners to come in. (Edward Dennett)
N.J.H. # 2933
April 2
"Go to My brethren and say unto them,
I (Jesus) ascend unto My Father, and your Father;
and to My God, and your God.
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples
that she had seen the Lord." (John 20:17,18)
Deep and varied as are the necessities of the soul, they are all met by the death and resurrection of Christ. If it be a question of sin that affects the soul, the resurrection is the glorious proof of the complete putting away of it. The moment I see Jesus at the right hand of God, I see an end of sin; for I know He could not be there if sin was not fully atoned for. He "was delivered for our offenses"; He stood as our representative; He took upon Him our iniquities and went down into the grave under the weight thereof. But God "raised Him from the dead," and by so doing expressed His full approbation of the work of redemption. Hence we read, He
"was raised again for our justification." Resurrection, therefore, meets the need of the soul as it regards the question of sin. (C.H. Mackintosh)
N.J.H. # 2934
April 3
"Mary . . . sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word." (Luke 10:39)
Do you have a regular time when you read God's Word in the home? I believe we need to emphasize the need for the "family altar." It is the time when we gather the family around the Word of God and read it leisurely, not hastily; meditate upon it, and get a message for our own souls; daily sit there at the feet of Jesus, as it were, and the kneel in prayer. It is a wholesome thing for our souls. (C.H. Brown)
N.J.H. # 2935
April 4
"Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God,
and set a watch against them day and night." (Nehemiah 4:9)
"Here," said George Muller, "is the greatest secret of success; work with all your might but trust not in your own power to achieve. Pray with all your might for God's guidance and blessing. Pray, then work, work and pray; and again pray and work. Whether you see much fruit or little fruit, remember that God delights to bestow real blessing. This comes generally in answer to earnest, believing prayer." (Choice Gleanings)
While working for my Saviour here, the devil tries me hard;
He uses all his mighty power, my service to retard;
He's up to every move, and yet through all I prove,
A little talk with Jesus makes it right, all right.
N.J.H. # 2936
April 5
"And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children?
And he said, 'There remaineth yet the youngest,
and behold, he keepeth the sheep.'
And Samuel said unto Jesse, 'Send and fetch him (David):
for we will not sit down till he come hither.'
And he sent and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance,
and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint
him: FOR THIS IS HE.' " (1 Samuel 16:11)
Surely he could not be the elect one, thought Jesse. Man cannot understand the ways of God. The very instrument which God is about to make us of is overlooked or despised by man. "Arise, anoint him: for this is he," is God's perfect reply to the thoughts of Jesse and Samuel.
And how happy it is to note David's occupation. "Behold, he keepeth the sheep." This was afterwards referred to by the Lord, when He said to David, "I took thee from the sheep-cote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel." Nothing can more sweetly illustrate God's thoughts of the kingly office than the work of a shepherd. Indeed, when it is not executed in the spirit of a shepherd, it fails of its end. King David fully entered into this, as may be seen in those touching words, "These sheep, what have they done?"
The people were the Lord's sheep, and he, as the Lord's shepherd, kept them on the mountains of Israel, just as he had keep his father's sheep in the retirement of Bethlehem. He did not alter his character when he came from the sheep-cote to the throne, and exchanged the crook for the sceptre. No; he was the shepherd still, and he felt himself responsible to protect the Lord's flock form the lions and bears which ever prowled around the fold. (C.H.M)
N.J.H. # 2937
April 6
"As one whom his mother comforteth,
so will I comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13)
He loves you and wants His will to be all your satisfaction; wants you to find your all in Him and in His Son . . . He thinks that if all His pleasure is found in the Son of His love He can make that Son of His love enough for you when all else is gone. He so loves you in Him that He is making every affection in you, every thought in you, to find the Lord Jesus as its centre. (G.V. Wigram)
N.J.H. # 2938
April 7
"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her beloved?" (Song of Solomon 8:5)
Every hour is an hour of difficulty with us while we are here, and if we do not keep our eye on Him in the little difficulties we shall not be able to find Him in the great ones. (Footprints for Pilgrims)
N.J.H. # 2939
