Gems for the Week
January 8 - 11
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of (our) faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
In the cross we see Christ humbling Himself - the only One of all greatness stooping low to save my soul - the only One who commands all, becoming the Servant of all. A person cannot receive the truth of the cross without having in measure his walk in accord with the spirit of it. Yet how much saints of God regard the cross, not so much as that by which the world is crucified unto them and they unto the world, but rather as the remedy by which they are set free from fear, to make themselves a comfortable place in the world! The Christian ought to be the happiest of men; but his happiness should consist in what he knows is his portion in and with Christ. Meanwhile our service and obedience are to be formed according to the spirit of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. (William Kelly)
N.J. Hiebert # 3212
"Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3)
A young boy became excessively fearful during the great New York blackout of 1977. When his parents questioned him, he confessed that at the exact moment the lights went out he had kicked a powerline pole. As darkness engulfed the city, he thought he was to blame and would be punished.
That kind of cause-effect thinking must have triggered the disciple's question about the man who had been born blind. "Who sinned?" they asked. "This man or his parents?" Jesus replied, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."
All sickness, of course, originated when sin entered the world. But our Lord's response reveals that not all disabilities and sicknesses are due to moral failure in a person's life. Sometimes excesses and abuses lead to a breakdown of one's health. But when the cause is not obvious and we have confessed and forsaken our sins, we must accept our situation and ask God to work through it for our good.
God can be glorified in sickness just as He can through a miracle of healing. When we suffer, it's always wise to take spiritual inventory. But when God gives us no answers, we can still trust Him because we know that He is good. - DJD
My prayer is a simple one, Lord:
Whatever is best for me, do;
In sickness and health I desire
What bring the most glory to You. - Fasick
God's love for us cannot be measured by the degree of our health.
Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, copyright 1993, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.
N.J. Hiebert # 3213
"I know, O Lord, . . . that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."
(Psalm 119:75)
His love for His child is unchanging,
Although it seem veiled in a cloud;
'Tis only with purpose of blessing,
Affliction is ever allowed.
God's instrument oft is affliction,
For molding and training His own;
But all through the trial and testing,
His love and His mercy are shown.
(Anon)
N.J. Hiebert # 3214
"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
We pulled up to the stop sign, aware of the police car waiting some 20 feet away. Cross traffic prevented us from starting again for a full minute. If later that day I had rolled through that same stop sign, the police officer would not have been impressed with the argument that the prolonged stop earlier would more than compensate for the current failure to comply. Likewise a lifetime of good works cannot negate even a single sin in the eyes of God, the righteous Judge. His standards are not relative but absolute. But by grace He offers to save you. Have you come? (David J. Logan)
Saved by grace alone, this is all my plea;
Jesus died for all mankind, and Jesus died for me.
(P. Doddridge)
N.J. Hiebert # 3215
