Gems for the Week
August 26
"And He said, Abba Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from Me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt." (Mark 14:36)
"The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11)
You know how the four Gospels tell the story of Gethsemane. Each is a little different, but all are true. They fit into one another and make a picture that, if you ever have to suffer, will mean everything to you. I will take words from only two gospels (Noted above).
You will have no peace until you pass from those first words to the second. But this may not come in a day. Be patient. He who prayed in an agony that the cup might be removed will be patient with you, for He understands just what you are feeling. Yet He will not rest until He brings you to the place where He stood when He said, "The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?"
I find much comfort in Psalm 138:3, "In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and stengthenedst me with strength in my soul." "In the day that I cried": that does not mean the day after, or an hour or two, or even a minute after, but that very day, that very hour, that very minute. God hears us the moment we cry and strengthens us with the only kind of strength that is of any use at all. (Amy Carmichael - Candles in the Dark)
N.J. Hiebert # 3443
August 27
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." (Ephesians 3:20)
I doubt whether many know the sweetness of going into the presence of God as a channel or pipe to be filled in order to bring out what is wanted for others - saying, "I have got the ear and heart of Christ." He let the apostle Paul pour out all his thoughts and met them with His grace, far above all that He was asked. Blessing is not measured merely by the wants of the individual, but by all that is in the heart of God towards those who are in Christ. (Gleanings of G.V. Wigram)
N.J. Hiebert # 3444
August 28
"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
(Matthew 6:34)
I recently saw a clever acrostic for the word "FEAR": False Evidence Appearing Real.
Are you frightening yourself based on false evidence that is appearing real? Fear in our lives will never change if we look solely toward man-made remedies, a starting point that can never lavish serenity on our hearts. A secular (pertaining to this world) solution alone can neither give the security that God can give, nor can it even define the evil within the human heart that only God can cure. As we acknowledge the true evidence of evil in our hearts, let us also allow God to sanctify us from it daily through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you worry constantly due to ungodly fear, take a moment to meditate on these sweet words of Christ: (Matthew 6:25-34) (Selected)
N.J. Hiebert # 3445
