Gems for July - wk 1
July 1
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:6,7)
"Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26) If you are a believer, He has sent the Spirit of His Son into your heart, whereby you cry Abba, Father. The heart gets its blessed rest in sonship simply by believing in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of His Son in the heart enables its happy throbbings to be expressed, crying this wondrous new name, unknown to the Jews, of Abba, Father. God has set me in His presence as a son, and life flows down to me, so that I can look up and contemplate there the delight which the Father has in His Son; I can have communion and sympathy with the joy of the Father's heart in that Son: and it is this which gives the church its highest point of glory. (Gleanings - G.V. Wigram)
N.J. Hiebert # 3386
July 2
"In My Father's house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for YOU. . . .
I will come again and receive you unto MYSELF." (John 14:2,3)
The Father's House is for ALL the Father's children. We fear a great many strange things these days. Some people would try to tell us that it is only the deeply spiritual people of God that will be caught up with the Lord Jesus at His coming. When people talk like that, how little understanding they have of the Father's heart! Think of a normal father and mother here on earth, with say eight or ten children, and that is quite a family; is it not? The father's house is open to all the children. I pity the home, and pity the children, where the father or the mother makes distinctions among their children. I think it is a sad thing when out of a number of children one perhaps occupies a special place in the heart of the father and the others are held at a distance. "Oh," but you say, "maybe one or two are naughty children. Of course the father could not love naughty children as much as he loves the good children." Is that true? Why even the naughty children are so dear to the father's heart that they give him many sleepless nights as he thinks about their naughtiness. He loves them and truly longs to see them all that they ought to be. There is always a welcome for them at the Father's house. (H.A. Ironside - John)
N.J. Hiebert # 3387
July 3
"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
(James 1:14,15)
The strength of a temptation lies in the response of our nature to its suggestions. It is said that the germs of the potato and vine disease are always floating in the air; but they can find no place of operation - no bed - in healthy plants. But directly plants become degenerate and unable to resist their attacks, then they sweep away the farmer's hopes in dreadful ruin. So it is with us; if only we were like our Lord, we should pass unscathed through a whirlwind of temptations; they would find nothing in us. It is because our hearts are so desperately wicked that we need to stand in constant watchfulness. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23)
There is no sin in having certain tendencies, appetites, and desires; else there would be sin in hunger, and in drowsiness leading to soft sleep. But the danger lies in the fear that they should be gratified to an immoderate excess, or from wrong and improper sources. Human nature is very liable to this. (F.B Meyer - Joseph)
N.J. Hiebert # 3388
July 4
"Kept by the power of God." (1 Peter 1:5)
The Lord is thy Keeper." (Psalm 121:5)
- The Lord will go before you (Isaiah 52:12).
- The glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward (Isaiah 58:8).
- The Lord is round about His people (Psalm 125:2)
- Underneath are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27)
- His banner over me is love (Song of Solomon 2:4)
God is before me, He will be my Guide;
God is behind me, no ill can betide;
God is beside me, to comfort and cheer;
God is around me, so why should I fear?
(Choice Gleanings)
N.J. Hiebert # 3389
July 5
"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10)
The scripture above, is a deeply interesting statement. It is one of the few sentences in Scripture which can be reversed. We can say equally well, "The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus."
It brings out a thought dear to every Christian who understands that prophecy has in all its parts a relation to Christ. This is true, whether the prophecy is direct or indirect as to Christ, whether it has to do with the Church, which is His body; the Jews, who are His earthly people; or the Gentiles over whom He will rule eventually as Son of Man. HE is the Centre of prophecy, and all its predictions are related to that Centre. That being so, how absorbingly interesting the prophetic word becomes.
Alas! the misuse of prophecy is not uncommon. Its details are too often discussed simply as appealing to the intellect, and the conscience is not exercised, and the heart's affections are not stirred. Let us ever remember that God never records the past, nor reveals the future, without designing to affect us by His word in the present.
To see how God will have all things headed up in Christ, to see aright how His ways in grace and government are all leading to this grand goal, is to secure these two things - a conscience exercised and affections deepened. (A.J. Pollock - Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass)
N.J. Hiebert # 3390
July 6
"Peace . . . which passes all understanding." (Philippians 4:7)
In all things . . . instead of disquieting ourselves . . . we ought to present our request to God with prayer, with supplication . . . so that, even while making our petition to Him, we can already give thanks, because we are sure of the answer of His grace, be it what it may. . . . It does not say, you will have what you ask; but God's peace will keep your hearts. . . . Oh, what grace! that even our anxieties are a means of our being filled with this marvelous peace. (Pilgrim Portions for the Day of Rest - JND)
N.J. Hiebert # 3391
July 7
"Take My yoke upon you, and LEARN of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find REST unto your souls." (Matthew 11:29)
How novel the connection between these two words, "Learn" and "Rest"! How few of us have ever associated them - ever thought that "Rest" was a thing to be learned. Does it not show how entirely new Christ's teaching still is to the world, that so old and threadbare an aphorism (precept or proverb) should still be so little applied? The last thing most of us would have thought of would have been to associate "REST" with "LEARNING." (Peace Be With You - Henry Drummond)
N.J. Hiebert # 3392
July 8
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
Sadhu Sundar Singh passed a crowd of people putting out a jungle fire at the foot of the Himalayas. Several men, however, were standing gazing at a tree the branches of which were already alight.
"What are you looking at?" he asked. They pointed to a nest of young birds in the tree. Above it a bird was flying wildly to and fro in great distress. The men said, "We wish we could save that tree, but the fire prevents us from getting near to it."
A few minutes later the nest caught fire. The Sadu thought the mother bird would fly away. But no! she flew down, spread her wings over the young ones, and in a few minutes was burned to ashes with them.
Let us have love heated to the point of sacrifice!
". . . Though the day be dark and dreary,
Here's comfort for the weary -
We mean a lot to Some One
Who died for you and me."
(Mountain Trailways for Youth)
N.J. Hiebert # 3393
