Gems for June - wk 1
June 1
"But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which
by the gospel is preached unto you." (1 Peter 1:25)
The only thing that endures for ever is "the word of the Lord." The wisdom of this world is against it - human reasoning is against it; but it is the only thing worth waiting upon diligently; and if Christians reason about the things of God instead of appealing to the word, they are sure to be going down. (Selected)
N.J.H. # 2992
June 2
"I have called you friends." (John 15:15)
O Lord, Thou seest, Thou knowest,
That to none my heart can tell
The joy and the love and the sorrow,
The tale that my heart knows well.
But to Thee, O my God, I can tell it -
To Thee, and to Thee, Lord, alone;
For Thy heart my heart hath a language,
For other hearts it hath none.
In the wide world speechless and lonely,
For me is no heart but Thine;
Lord, since I must love Thee only,
Oh, reveal Thy heart to mine.
(H. Suso)
N.J.H. # 2993
June 3
"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there thou rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar,and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
(Matthew 5:23-24)
It is easy to imagine that we will get to a place where we are complete and ready, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished, it is a process steadily maintained. It is dangerous to get into a settled state of experience. It is preparation and preparation.
The sense of sacrifice appeals readily to a young Christian. Humanly speaking, the one thing that attracts to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and the scrutiny of our Lord's words suddenly brings this tide of enthusiasm to the test. "First be reconciled to thy brother." The "go" of preparation is to let the word of God scrutinize. The sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit is detecting in you is the disposition that will never work in His service. No one but God can detect that disposition in you. Have you anything to hide from God? If you have, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin, confess it, not admit it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be?
Never discard a conviction. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to have brought it to your mind, it is that thing He is detecting . . ." (Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest)
N.J.H. # 2994
June 4
"Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself." (Philippians 2:8)
What humbling is this! The Lord of glory lays aside the garments of His radiant majesty, steps down from His high throne, and becomes enrobed in human flesh! That the Sustainer of the galaxies would press the grass on Olivet beneath His weary form and be covered with the morning dew! What humbling for the Subject of angelic praise to become the drunkards' tuneless song! But O what humbling for the Holy One to be made sin and become obedient to the point of death, and that on a cross. (J. Boyd Nicholson)
N.J.H. # 2995
June 5
". . . Rest, and be still." (Jeremiah 47:6)
In today's fast-paced society there exists few quiet hillsides. From all directions we are assaulted by noise. In the marketplace, loud music swirls around us; in the streets traffic roars and tires screech. Again and again God must admonish us: stand still, sit still, be still. How else can the Spirit's whisper enter the heart's domain? John Wesley said, "I don't have time to hurry." Mary sat quietly at Jesus' feet and received what her soul craved. Christians become strongest when acquainted with the silence of His presence. (Edna M. Dyck)
N.J.H. # 2996
June 6
"For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren." (Hebrews 2:11)
A chorus of groans erupted after the announcement that our flight had been delayed an hour and a half because bad weather in Chicago was allowing only a few planes to land. But a short time later, another announcement caused those same people to cheer. We were told that a medical courier was transporting bone marrow needed for a transplant, and this gave our flight top priority to land in Chicago. In a few minutes we were on our way, "carried along" by the important mission of another person.
As we landed and taxied directly to the gate at O'Hare, one of the world's busiest airports, I thought of Jesus Christ, who through His death and resurrection has made it possible for us to enter the presence of God. By faith in His merit alone, we become identified with Him and partake of all that He secured for us. The writer of Hebrews said that "It became Him (it was fitting for him), . . . in bringing many sons into glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one." (Hebrews 2:10,11)
Each day, let's thank God for the saving work of Jesus Christ, whose love and sacrifice have "carried us along" to God the Father.
(David McCasland)
To enter heaven when we die,
We have no merit on our own;
But if we've put our faith in Christ,
He'll take us to the Father's throne. - Sper
If we could merit our own salvation,
Jesus would not have died to provide it.
Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2005), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.
N.J.H. # 2997
June 7
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above . . ." (James 1:17)
God Has Four Gifts for You!
1. The key for every problem.
2. The Light for every shadow.
3. The plan for every tomorrow.
4. The joy for every sorrow.
(Taken from "Gems for the Singing Pilgrims - Part VII - Adyar, Chennai - India)
N.J.H. # 2998
