Gems for the Week
June 1 - 4
"For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven."
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."
(Psalm 119:89 & 119:11)
The one grand point for the people of God, now and at all times, is obedience. It is not a question of power, or of gift, or of external show, or of numbers; it is simply a question of OBEDIENCE. "To obey is better than sacrifice." To obey what? The Church? No, the Church is a hopeless ruin, and cannot therefore be an authority. Obey what? The Word of the Lord. What a rest for the heart! What authority for the path! What stability for the whole practical career! There is nothing like it. It tranquilizes the spirit in an ineffable manner, and imparts a holy consistency to the character. It is a divine answer to those who talk of power, boast of numbers, point to external show, and profess reverence for antiquity. Moreover, it is the divine antidote for the spirit of independence so rife at the present day, for the haughty uprisings of the human will, the bold assertion of man's rights. The human mind is tossed like a ball from superstition to infidelity, and can find no rest. It is like a ship without compass, rudder, or anchor, driven hither and thither.
(C.H. Mackintosh)
N.J. Hiebert # 2630
"I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus. . . .
Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me." (Philippians 2:25,29,30)
There are some who are not content unless they are at the head and tail of everything. They seem to think that no work can be rightly done unless they have a hand in it. They are not satisfied to supply a missing link. How repulsive are all such! How we retire from them! Self-confidence, self-sufficient, ever pushing themselves into prominence. They have never measured themselves in the presence of God, never been broken down before Him, never taken their true place of self-abasement.
Epaphroditus was not of this class at all. He put his life in his hands to serve other people; and when at death's door, instead of being occupied with himself or his ailments, he was thinking of others. "He longed after you all, and was full of heaviness" - not because he was sick, but - "because that ye had heard that he had been sick." Here was true love. He knew what his beloved brethren at Philippi would be feeling when informed of his serious illness - an illness brought on by his willing-hearted service to them. (Things Old and New)
N.J. Hiebert # 2631
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)
It is no uncommon weakness in the child of God that the non-reception of the truth by others leads him to question it. Aroused to the apprehension of the coming of the Lord, he is chilled by the torpor and indifference of those about him. This sensibility to external impression may arise because walking too little in the power of individual communion. The Spirit's witness through the Word is the fullest persuasion; and we depart from His guidance when the heart asks for collateral testimony. (Christian Truth - Vol. 23 - September 1970)
N.J. Hiebert # 2632
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
(Romans 3:23)
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." (Psalm 14:1)
There is in the Bible a vast reservoir of testimony for the honest, searching heart; but all its proof and detailed evidences cannot convince a man against his will, when his will is set against God. "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." (John 5:40)
The Bible is unjustly criticized on many points, but it is doubtful if it has ever been accused of vagueness or wishi-washiness. In fact, its out-spokenness has probably been the greatest single contribution to its unpopularity. It takes an honest and opened heart to accept the Bible's testimony; for those who are inclined toward flattery, or who close their eyes to their true selves as guilty sinners, won't like what the Bible says to and about them. Yet, it is the only source - the only Book that really "tells it like it really is." (Jim K - From the Christian Newsletter - C.T. - Vol. - 23 - August 1970)
N.J. Hiebert # 2633
