Gems for the Week
February 1 - 8
"He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for
He shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11)
One of the greatest blessings the soul can have is the power of entering into the refreshment the Lord Jesus Christ had while He was on the earth, and it is that which makes the scene between Himself and the dying thief so precious; not only that poor thing finding light through an open door, but the thought is so exceedingly precious, that He who saved that thief saw in him one of the fruits of the travail of his soul; so precious, that He should there see fruit of His travail, before he could turn and crave a blessing; and to hear Him speak of blessing to that poor thing before he cried out with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. (Gleanings From the Teaching of G.V. Wigram)
N.J. Hiebert # 2874
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." (Romans 1:22)
Sometimes I am puzzled by the shortsightedness of intelligent people. I recall, for example, when once-noted American psychologist John B. Watson (1878-1958) published theories about human nature that inspired widespread excitement in academic circles. Watson contended that we can control behavior and make people act in any way we desire. He scoffed at the biblical teaching that we are made in God's image ["And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." (Genesis 1:26)] He argued that we are essentially the same as animals and can be manipulated like puppets.
Although Watson's radical theories enjoyed only short-lived influence, a review of one of his books actually declared, "Perhaps this is the most important book ever written. One stands for a moment blinded with a great hope."
What an absurd appraisal! Even non-Christian scholars agree that the most important book ever written is the BIBLE, the Book that has had an influence on our world for centuries. The psalmist put it well when he said that God's Word made him wiser than his enemies and gave him more understanding than all his teachers (Psalm 119:98-99)
That Book, the Word of God, gives us real hope - a hope backed by all the authority, truth, and power of God. (VCG)
My Bible to me is a guidebook true
That points for my feet the way,
That gives me courage and hope and cheer
And guidance for every day. (Anon)
MANY BOOKS CAN INFORM BUT ONLY THE BIBLE CAN TRANSFORM
"Our Daily Bread", RBC Ministries, Copyright 1999, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.
N.J. Hiebert # 2875
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion
of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16)
The bread and wine before us each Lord's Day are only that - bread and wine. We could use these staples in countless other ways. Psalm 104:15 speaks of "wine that maketh glad the heart of man . . . and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." But when we gather to remember our Lord Jesus, they take on an additional benefit. They picture His body and blood. They are something we bless because of the blessing they now represent - the communion between our Lord Jesus Christ and ourselves.
(Tom Steere)
N.J. Hiebert # 2876
"This one thing I do; forgetting those things which are
behind . . . I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
If we had always acted on Paul's advice here, how much sorrow would have been obviated! "The greatest thing I learned from my mother," says Dean Farrar - "the thing which has most contributed to my peace of mind in life - was the acceptance of the inevitable; and the rigid exclusion of that form of self-torture which comes from regret." When the great enemy of God and man taunts the children of God with past failures, the only answer to these tauntings is to be found in the Book of God. To the truly penitent heart, God gives the assurance in words that shall never pass away, that the shortcomings of the days that are gone, are:
FORGIVEN - 1 John 2:12
CLEANSED - 1 John 1:7
OBLITERATED - Isaiah 44:22
FORGOTTEN - Hebrews 10:17
Build upon Christ and not upon regret the structure of your future; and
"Waste no time
Upon the blotted record of past years,
But turn the leaf and smile, oh smile, to see
The fair white pages that remain for thee."
(George Henderson - In Pastures Green)
N.J. Hiebert # 2877
"Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all
authority and power . . . and when all things shall be subdued
unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto
Him that put all things under Him, that God may be
all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:24,28)
After Arturo Toscanini finished conducting a brilliant performance of Beethoven's Symphony, the audience rose to its feet and applauded, shouting its delight. But Toscanini waved his arms violently for it all to stop. He turned to the orchestra and shouted hoarsely,"You are nothing!" He pointed to himself and shouted, "I am nothing!" Then he shouted, "Beethoven, is everything, everything, everything."
Christian worship must say, "God is everything, everything, everything." What we do on Sunday mornings (or whenever we gather), the order of events and the manner in which we enact the drama, must always point to God, must reinforce again and again that God has taken the initiative and called us together, that God's grace is more important than our sin, that God's will is more important than our desires, and that God's glorification is more important than our edification.
All worship ought to be ordered toward God; service should be put together in a way that keeps our attention centered on God. As we look up to the One seated on the throne, we lose sight of everything else; the Holy God commands and consumes our attention. What we really need when we show up for worship is for our attention to be turned toward the glory of God . . . it is only then, before the Holy One that our deepest needs will be met, for only then will we enter into our full humanity as sons and daughters of God." (Submitted by Dick Gorgas - 2004)
N.J. Hiebert # 2878
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the
greater condemnation. (James 3:1)
It is a serious thing to teach God's Word, involving both preparation and application. Regarding the first, as Warren Weirsbe has said, "What some people call Bible study is often just a group of unprepared people exchanging their ignorance." If you are going to preach - prepare for it. For the second Weirsbe goes on to say that some of the finest Bible teachers have been ordinary people who learn the truth of the Word on their knees, and on the battlefields of life. If you are going to preach - live it. (Brian Russell)
Tell me about the Master! Of the wrong He freely forgave;
Of His love and tender compassion, of His love that is mighty to save.
(Choice Gleanings)
N.J. Hiebert # 2879
"I am . . . the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Exodus 3:6)
"Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God?"
(Matthew 22:31).
These passages will prove that the ground which our Lord took with the scribes, Pharisees, etc., was that they should have know what was revealed in the Scriptures. "Have ye not read." He asks. Alas! might not the same be often said to us? When some difficulty or testing time comes have we read and understood? Have we the light from God's Word which will guide us aright?
Our Lord quoted Hosea 6:6, :I will have mercy, and not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13, 12:7); and on both He told the Pharisees that they ought to have known the meaning of the words. They had the letter of Scripture, but they did not comprehend its meaning or application. This is a most practical and important consideration for us. For, while we would strongly maintain the value of the very words of Scripture, being inspired and therefore a divine and unimpeachable foundation for faith, yet, on the other hand, we may have an intellectual acquaintance with the letter and not understand the meaning or application. To have a true intelligence in Scripture we must be "taught of God" and instructed by the Holy Spirit, Who is given to the believer in order that he may understand the things which are freely given to him of God. "When thine eye is single,"
says the Lord, "thy whole body also is full of light." Christ, not self, must, be our object. If any man desires to do God's will, he shall know of the doctrine (John 7:17); God's will, not our own, must be the motive spring. Thus, when there is simplicity and a true desire to learn, God gives the wisdom and understanding needed; and the Scripture becomes daily more precious, for it ever reveals Christ to the soul. (F.G.B.)
N.J. Hiebert # 2880
"And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee
these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove
thee, to know what was in thine heart."
(Deuteronomy 8:2)
God says, in substance, "Your heart and Mine want to have a little talk together. I am going to show you what is in your heart, and show you that I know it." He has brought you to Himself; and do you think that, if all that is in your heart is not brought out to Him, it will be all right between you? Do you think a father likes to have his heart all different to His child's heart? He desires that the whole spirit, soul, and mind of His child be suited to His mind. God passes us through the wilderness that we may learn this. (J.N. Darby)
N.J. Hiebert # 2881
