http://www.blogigo.com/gems Bible verses and comments as selected from writings by N.J.H. en dondegr dondegr Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:28:30 +0200 daily 1 July 9 "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."  (Matthew 24:12)     "The love of many shall wax cold," and no wonder when self-love waxeth so hot.  It was foretold also by the apostle (2 Timothy 3:1,2), "In the last days . . . men shall be lovers of their own selves";  and what a regiment follows this captain, sin!  If once a man makes self the whole of his aim, farewell loving or praying for others: charity cannot dwell in so narrow a house as the self-lovers heart; yea, it is opposed to it: "Love seeketh not her own."  (1 Corinthians 13:5)   (William Gurnall 1665) N.J. Hiebert # 3394 July 10 "Be still , and know that I am God"  (Psalm 46:10) There is immense power in stillness .  A great saint once said, "All things come to him who knows how to trust and be silent ."  The words are... Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:28:30 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-July-wk-2/5368/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-July-wk-2/5368/ 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... Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:17:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-July-wk-1/5367/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-July-wk-1/5367/ June 22 ". . . a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood for twelve years, came behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment.  But Jesus . . .  when He saw her, said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole ."  (Matthew 9:20,22)    Love has a hem to its garment, That reaches right down to the dust . . . It can reach the stains of the streets and lanes, And because it can, it must. It dare not rest on the mountain . . . It must come down to the vale . . . For it cannot find its fulness of mind Till it kindles the lives that fail . (Anon)   N.J. Hiebert # 3377   June 23 " Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus ." (Hebrews 12:1,2)   There is nothing more dangerous to a Christian than to have "a name."  It is a... Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:57:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-4/5366/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-4/5366/ June 14 "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (Isaiah 43:2)     We are never staying in the valley or the rough waters; we are always only passing through them, just as the bride in the Song of Solomon is seen coming up from the wilderness leaning upon her Beloved. (Song of Solomon 8:5)     So whatever the valley is, or however rough the waters are, we won't fear.  Leaning upon our Beloved we shall come up from the wilderness and, as Psalm 84:6 says, "Passing through the valley of weeping they make it a place of springs (make it a well)."  even use the valley as a well, make it a well.   We shall find the living waters there and drink of them.  (Amy Carmichael - Candle in the Dark) ... Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:32:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-3/5365/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-3/5365/ June 8 " I bare you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto Myself ."  (Exodus 19:4)   Fearing to launch on "full surrender's" tide, I asked the Lord where would its waters glide My little bark, "To troubled seas I dread?" " Unto Myself ," He said.   Weeping beside an open grave I stood, In bitterness of soul I cried to God: "Where leads this path of sorrow that I tread?" " Unto Myself ," He said.   Striving for souls, I loved the work too well; Then disappointments came; I could not tell The reason, till He said, "I am thine all; Unto Himself I call."   Watching my heroes - those I loved the best - I saw them fail; they could not stand the test, Even by this the Lord, through tears not few, Unto Himself me drew.   Unto Himself!  No earthly tongue can tell The bliss I find, since in His heart I dwell; The things that charmed me once seem all as naught;... Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:29:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-2/5364/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-2/5364/ June 1 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God . . . took upon Him the form of a servant . . ." (Philippians 2:5,7)  "The form of a servant" was a reality just as much as "the form of God" in Christ Jesus - as truly an assumed reality as the other was an essential, intrinsic reality.  And being such, His ways were those of a servant; just as, being the Son, His glories and prerogatives were those of God.  He prayed; He continued whole nights in prayer.  He lived by faith, the perfect pattern of a believer, as we read of Him, "the leader and completer of faith" (Hebrews 12:2; JND Translation). In sorrow He made God His refuge.  In the presence of enemies He committed Himself to Him who judged righteously.  He did not His own will, perfect as that will was, but the will of Him who sent Him.  In these and in all kindred ways was "the form of a... Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:41:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-1/5363/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-June-wk-1/5363/ May 23 "For with Thee is the fountain of life."   (Psalm 36:9) What God taught me when I was in the concentration camp, He is also willing to teach you.  What did I learn?  I learned how futile the things of the world are and how to conquer the things of the world in us.  I learned to know the source of strength, and that this source is not in us, but in God .  (Corrie Ten Boom - This Day is the Lord's) N.J. Hiebert # 3347 May 24 "They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."  (Jeremiah 2:13)  Philosophers have descanted on the immeasurable greatness of God, and on the infinitesimal littleness of man; and have scorned the idea that friendship or fellowship can exist between the two.  But in God's Word, where alone we can learn anything about these matters, we are told... Thu, 22 May 2008 19:16:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-4/5361/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-4/5361/ May 15 "That we may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world ."  (Philippians 2:15) Even in earthly things men look for guidance to the stars.  A man lost on the prairie may find his way home by the stars.  In navigation, sailors look to the stars, especially to the North Star.  In an important survey, we always run our base-lines by the stars, particularly the North Star: and so keep them from becoming crooked and distorted.  Thus these 'luminaries', these 'heavenly lights' in this dark world, need to remember that those who walk in darkness have their eyes upon them: but just as other stars point to the North Star, let us ever have our eye fixed on the 'The Bright and Morning Star,' and then our path will not be crooked, and we shall not lead astray those watching us.  It was a star which led the... Tue, 13 May 2008 18:07:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-3/5360/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-3/5360/ May 8 "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."  (Acts 13:2) Fasting and prayer is the way to obtain guidance from God.  To be ready to receive instruction from Him one must be without distraction, a clean vessel waiting to be filled and used.  Self judgment and especially self discipline could prove useful in future endeavors should the Lord require such trials.  It is always good to live within our needs and not spend time in desiring our wants.  The Lord provides amply for His own.  (B.R. - Meditations in Acts) N.J. Hiebert # 3332   May 9 "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."  (Ephesians 6:10)  - In a world of constant change, you can trust in God's unchanging word.   - Once we've feasted on the goodness of God, nothing else... Wed, 07 May 2008 18:02:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-2/5359/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-2/5359/ May 1 "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  (Romans 10:17)      Does faith come by reason, and reason by the word of man? It would seem that many think so, and that the rare and exquisite touches of the pen of inspiration must be tried by the clumsy rules of arithmetic, or the far more clumsy rules of the infidel's moral sense; and the precious sacrifice of the Son of God must be treated more as a subject for a doctor's case-book than as a holy mystery revealed in the pages of the Book of God.     May God preserve His saints in these perilous times!  May He fill our hearts with a very deep sense of the solemnity of the present moment, and lead us to keep close to Himself and to His Word!  Then shall we be safe from every hostile influence.  Then shall we not regard the sneer of the skeptic or the arguments of the infidel.  We shall know whence all such things come and whither they tend. ... Fri, 02 May 2008 19:40:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-1/5358/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-May-wk-1/5358/ April 26 "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee."  (Psalm 119:11)     The word of God should not only be a check on our thoughts, but the source of them, which is a far deeper thing .  We see it in Christ, the only perfect one.  He only could say, "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the path of the destroyer."  "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee."   There is preserving power in the word, to keep the feet from sliding, which those only know who receive the truth in the love of it.  Merely having the word hid in the memory and mind will not do.  There must be the action of the truth on the heart and conscience, separating from all defilement, otherwise its preserving power cannot be experienced. *      *     *     There is nothing more dangerous than to use the Word when it has not touched my conscience.  I put myself... Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:01:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-4/5357/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-4/5357/ April 14 " O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is ." (Psalm 63:1)   Christian, see carefully to it, that you are not only saved by Christ, but also living on Him.  Make Him the daily portion of your soul.  Seek Him " early ," seek Him " only ."  When anything solicits your attention, ask the question, "Will this bring Christ to my heart?  Will it unfold Him to my affections, or draw me near to His Person?"  If not, reject it at once.  (Food for the Desert)    N.J.H. # 3308   April 15 "It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the Ghost." (John 19:30) "It is finished."   These three words signal the completion of the great act of redemption.  The Word "finished" was taken from Greek commercial life and indicated the completion... Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:45:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-3/5356/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-3/5356/ April 7 "Take no thought saying, What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or, Where withal shall we be clothed ? . . . for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But  seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall  be added unto you ."  (Matthew 6:31-33)   In other words, Put God first and self last , and God will see that you are honoured in His own time.  The Lord Jesus made this the object of His life - to seek to glorify the One who sent Him.  (H.A. Ironside)     N.J.H. # 3301 April 8 " And he (Mephibosheth) bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shoudest look upon such a dead dog as I am ?  (2 Samuel 9:8)    When Mephibosheth was five years old, an unfortunate accident caused him to become lame on both feet.  Today we would extend every effort to make such a... Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:23:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-2/5355/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-2/5355/ April 1 "He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee."  (Luke 24:6) They found the donkey as "He had said" .  They found the man bearing the pitcher, "as He had said" .  If they had remembered what He had said in Galilee, they would not have brought the spices to anoint His body.  Nor would they have been surprised at the empty tomb.  The question is not, would we have remembered?  But, do we remember Him now?  (Drew Craig)  And when, Oh Lord, Thou comest again, And I Thy glory see; Forever as the Lamb once slain, Would I remember Thee (James Montgomery) N.J.H. # 3295 April 2 "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears."  (Luke 4:21) Within this ample volume lies The mystery of mysteries; The... Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:47:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-1/5354/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-April-wk-1/5354/ March 23 "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake ."  (1 Thessalonians 1:5)   When the Word is preached in simplicity and in the energy of the Holy Spirit, those who believe it receive the full assurance of faith.  "Ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."   They were careful to walk before God in holiness of life and in righteousness toward their fellow-men.  A holy minister is a tremendous weapon in the hands of God for the pulling down of strongholds of sin.  Emerson said of another, "What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say."   What a pitiable thing if this should ever be true, as, alas, it has often been true of ministers of Christ.  Integrity of life, devotedness of heart, holiness of spirit should characterize the proclaimers... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:26:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-4/5353/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-4/5353/ March 16 "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten."  (Joel 2:25)     How many years we are not told; only this: "I will restore the years."  Human lives are often laid bare - barren patches produced by our own failures; a wilderness stretching across our life.  But what  comfort in these words: "I will RESTORE the years that the locust hath eaten."     Have you been brooding over some sorrow?  Has it darkened your life as a swarm of locusts might darken the sun at midday?  And have you cried out in your anguish "The sun will never shine again?"  But read the word He has promised:  "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten."     Turn to Him, to the One whom you may have been inclined to forget when you lived in the larger house.  He is waiting; and if he does not see fit to give you back the earthly possession once so highly... Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:33:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-3/5351/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-3/5351/ March 8 " (Paul) said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives."  (Acts 27:10)     It is easy to imagine how unpopular this warning of the Apostle Paul was to those on Julius' ship who did not find Fair Havens an appealing place.  Is that how you react when dad or mom, or other Christians lovingly seek to warn you about your life and ways?  Remember that the truth of God is for your safety and protection, though it will not always sound like those good words and fair speeches which deceive the hears of the simple . (Romans 16:18).  The world looks more inviting, but how much better to be safe than sorry !  (D.N. - The Journey of Life) N.J.H. # 3271 March 9 "That in all things He might have the preeminence."  (Colossians 1:18) Take my moments and my days ... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:11:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-2/5350/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-2/5350/ March 1 "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."  (Job 42:5,6) The Lord's purpose in trials is often to get at the root of evil.  When the fruit from that evil root is seen, the saint himself is shocked and mourns over it very sincerely.  But then fresh fruit springs and will spring from it as long as the root remains untouched; but coming to the light, it is discovered and judged.  A Christian may be doing a great deal out of the presence of God.  Look at Job, and hear all his words; but at last the pressure brings him into the very presence of God.  Then his words of repining and complaint are stopped.  Nearness to God never lessens responsibility .  When in the light, every speck will be seen - to the saint when caught up to meet the Lord - to the world when judged before the throne.  (Christian Truth - Vol. 15 - October 1962)  ... Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:39:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-1/5348/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-March-wk-1/5348/ February 21 "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.  God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)     God's love for us is expressed in how He has given us His Son as a sacrifice.  He has not only expressed His love in this manner but has given the Son to take up residence within us .  By the miracle of the Spirit (the person of God) we are indwelt with all He is, the result should be on our part the same style of heart and mind, selfless.  So much are we personally indwelt that God Himself cannot separate us from Christ so that where He is we are now and will be and how He is we are now and will be in perfect union.     Love makes for actions towards others.  God set forth the perfect example in giving His Son and He the perfect example of sacrifice towards us.  Until we are endued with Their love we cannot attempt to... Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:20:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-February-wk-4/5346/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-February-wk-4/5346/ February 15 "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified HIM, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they do.  And they parted His raiment, and cast lots."  (Luke 23:33,34)     What a prayer!  What a word!  Truly it stands unique.  Let us consider: we hear no reproach and no accusation from the One who was on the cross, and until He uttered that "loud cry" at the ninth hour, there was also no word of complaint.  As He opened His mouth here, it was only in new, incomprehensible grace.  There was no raging of divine wrath, no call for vengeance or divine judgment.   "Father, forgive them" - this was His response to the last, most terrible unfolding of human wickedness.     It would have been something great even if the Lord had prayed at this time for the pagan... Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:35:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-February-wk-3/5345/ http://www.blogigo.com/gems/Gems-for-February-wk-3/5345/