Gems for January - wk 3
January 17
"I (Moses) am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. . . . And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people . . . that they may stand there with thee. . . . And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone."
(Numbers 11:14-17)
God will not force people to abide in a place of honour if they cannot trust Him to sustain them there. Thus it was with Moses. He complained of the burden, and the burden was speedily removed, but with it the high honour of being allowed to carry it.
The man who shrinks from responsibility on the ground of his own feebleness, is in great danger of calling in question the fullness and sufficiency of God's resources.
Where the Holy Spirit is working, one instrument is as good and efficient as seventy; and where He is not working, seventy are of no more value than one. It all depends upon the energy of the Holy Spirit. With Him one man can do all, endure all, sustain all. Without Him seventy men can do nothing. (Selected)
N.J.H. # 2860
"He giveth more grace." (James 4:6)
We need not be discouraged, so long as we see such a motto inscribed on the door of our Father's treasury, "He giveth more grace." It has no limit. It is bottomless and boundless.
No doubt it is a very happy thing to realize, to feel, and to experience; but if we put these things in the place of Christ, we shall neither have them nor the Christ that yields them.
A condition of doubt is a condition of torture. (Food for the Desert)
N.J.H. # 2861
". . . So that I cannot come down: . . ." (Nehemiah 6:3)
We can't afford to win the gain that means another's loss;
We can't afford to miss the crown by stumbling at the cross.
We can't afford the heedless jest that robs us of a friend;
We can't afford the laugh that finds in bitter tears an end.
We can't afford the feast today that brings tomorrow's fast;
We can't afford the race that comes to tragedy at last.
We can't afford to play with fire, or tempt a serpent's bite;
We can't afford to think that sin brings any true delight.
We can't afford with serious heed to treat the cynic's sneer;
We can't afford to wise men's words to turn a careless ear.
We can't afford for hate to give like hatred in return;
We can't afford to feed a flame and make it fiercer burn.
We can't afford to lose the soul for this world's fleeting breath;
We can't afford to barter life in mad exchange for death.
But blind to good are we apart from THEE, all-seeing Lord;
Oh, grant us light that we may know the things we can't afford!
(Author Unknown)
N.J.H. # 2862
"Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now
is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (Romans 13:11)
We do a lot of funny things with time. We watch it, guard it, keep it, take it, spend it, pass it, lose it, steal it, waste it, kill it, fill it, and beat it, when all the while the Bible says we should redeem the time! Time in turn drags on, passes by, slips away, moves fast, marches on, runs out, and flies - when you're having fun! God, the Creator of time and eternity, works precisely. Christ was born, moved, and died at just the right time. Have you taken the time to thank Him? Are you redeeming the time? (Rex Trogdon)
N.J.H. # 2863
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men . . ."
(1 Corinthians 1:25)
"Buy the truth [for yourself] and sell it not . . ." (Proverbs 23:23)
Having a hard time assimilating the things of God? Making sense of and remembering the things of the Bible? Kind of like having a car with a broken ignition that you have to jump-start every single time? It can come from riding in the slipstream of someone else's enthusiasm or feeding on popular "ministry" that theologizes common sense rather than giving a better appetite for the Word of God. (Provided by a reader of the Gems)
N.J.H. # 2864
"I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,
and His train filled the temple." (Isaiah 6:1)
"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham." (Acts 7:2)
Is this just another Sunday or is this the Lord's Day when we come with our hearts prepared to worship? What caused Isaiah to worship? What caused Abraham to worship? They both experienced the joy of seeing the Lord. Throughout this past week, have you been taking time to "see the Lord" as He is revealed in His Word? Have you been preparing your heart daily for this awesome and glorious privilege to worship? May we see the Lord Jesus in all His glory as we worship today. (James Comte)
We worship Thee, all glorious Lord; Forever be Thy name adored.
N.J.H. # 2865
