Gems for the Week
July 6 - 10
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap
also bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6)
It is as we use what we receive that more will be given. The path of the believer is to be a practical one; and here it is that so many of us come short. (Extract)
N.J. Hiebert # 2665
"Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine . . . meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Timothy 4:13-16)
Have you ever thought much of the exercise of meditation, and how frequently it is spoken of in Scripture?
Perhaps it may be from the want of this holy exercise, and really comprehending it, that the Church of the living God is wanting in unity of doctrine, and in spirituality of mind.
The study of God's Word may be concentrated, deep, constant, like searching for a vein of gold; and memory may marvelously retain and bring forth what study has discovered. But meditation is not the discovery of more or of new things, but a calm sitting down with God to enrich itself with what study has discovered, and feeding with Him upon the stores which memory has laid up.
Study and memory make the ready and admired speaker; meditation, the sweet, living exhibition of Jesus everywhere, whether speaking or silent. The former hunts for something new; the latter finds renewed life, strength, and refreshment from the old, which are never old to meditation. Truths from an infinite, all-wise God - they have in them more than the best meditative faculty has ever or can ever exhaust. (The Christian Truth - Vol. 13 - 1966)
N.J. Hiebert # 2666
"Oh that I knew where I might find Him!" (Job 23:3)
"When he hath found it," (Luke 15:5) was the blessed word of the Lord Jesus. And, truly, when the heart deeply feels its need, it is not far from meeting with Him whose joy it is to meet that need. (S.H.H.)
N.J. Hiebert # 2667
"Get thee (Elijah) hence . . . and hide thyself by the brook Cherith." (1 Kings 17:3)
Leave such words alone as how, when, why; they are not for a Christian. If we are walking in the path of obedience, we need have no anxieties about the future; for God is above all difficulties.
How beautifully this is illustrated in the life of Elijah. (1 Kings 17:3) quoted above.) Elijah implicitly obeyed the command. At that moment his path was a thorny one, his very life was in danger.
How wonderful the care God takes over one solitary servant of His; none are too obscure for His intense interest. He does not test Elijah's faith too far, but comforts him by telling him exactly how his daily needs are going to be supplied, and even works a miracle to send the necessary food to His servant. "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."
(1 Kings 17:4) Who but God could command birds and be obeyed! Thus God uses one of the least of His creatures to fulfill His will; He is never without resource.
How often have we felt anxious about some event in our pathway, and doubts have arisen in our minds as to what the result of it will be. Why these cares with such a God as ours? If, like Elijah, we have listened to God's voice and have taken a step in faith in obedience to it, we can surely trust Him with the result. (Selected)
N.J. Hiebert # 2668
"I will build My church; and the gates of hell [Hades] shall
not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
We find ourselves in the end of the Christian dispensation, if we can call it dispensation. We are faced with the problem of finding a clean path through the confusion Satan has brought in. Who can look out over Christendom today and not recognize what a Babel it is? We cannot wonder that people stumble about hopelessly, something like in the days when Israel was without a king, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Men have come to the cynical conclusion that all that is left to do is to do the best they can and go with the confusion. In the case of Israel, there was no king; and everyone did that which was right in his own eyes. You and I cannot say that in reference to the Church of God. No! We cannot rob Him of His headship of the Church. He did not jeopardize that headship by making it dependent upon the faithfulness of man. He did not put the keeping of the body of Christ in the hands of man and make it man's responsibility. No, it is in His keeping. (C.H. Brown)
N.J. Hiebert # 2669
