Gems for the Week
August 4 - 7
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
How we value a gift which was the giver's own personal possession: what a special token of intimate friendship we feel it to be. The peace which our Lord wants us to enjoy is that which He Himself enjoyed: the same restfulness in danger, the same equanimity in troublous circumstances, the same freedom from anxiety about the happenings of the hour. This He makes over to His people; this is His gift to us all. In the glad possession of it we share His unruffled serenity amid the direst happenings and deepest mysteries of life. The three things which will characterize the "times of the end" - distress, perplexity, fear (Luke 21:25-26) - will be kept at bay from our hearts; and we shall rejoice to find "God's greatness flowing round our incompleteness; round our restlessness, His rest".
(Henry Durbanville - from the book - His Last Words)
N.J. Hiebert # 2694
"Yield . . . your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." (Romans 6:13)
What are your members? Hands, feet, lips, eyes, ears, and so on. What are we to do with them? "Yield" them, that is, give them up altogether, hand them over to God. What for? That He may use them as instruments of righteousness. That is, just as we should take an instrument of music, to make music with it, so He may take our hands and feet and all our members, and use them to do right and good things with. If we have given ourselves to God, every part of our body is to be God's servant, an instrument for Him to use. All our members will leave off serving Satan, and find something to do for God, for it we yield them to God, He will really take them and use them. We will be surprised to find in how many ways He will use our members, if we give them and our whole self to Him. We will never be miserable again with "nothing to do!" (Francis Ridley Havergal - Open Treasure)
N.J. Hiebert # 2695
"He hath done all things well." (Mark 7:37)
"Our Jesus hath done all things well" has long been our song. And so it must be, whatever we may feel; for if the Father of an only-begotten Son settles everything for us which is for the glory of that Son, surely all is well. (G.V. Wigram)
N.J. Hiebert # 2696
"And they did all eat and were filled." (Matthew 15:37)
It is not always that there is much food where is much ministry. Food is that which feeds, and you know that often the Lord's crumb is more than a long discourse. (Footprints for Pilgrims)
N.J. Hiebert # 2697
