Gems for the Week
February 22 - 28
"Fret not thyself." (Psalm 37:1)
Do not get into a perilous heat about things. If ever heat were justified, it was surely justified in the circumstances outlined in the Psalm. Evil-doers were moving about clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day. "Workers of iniquity" were climbing into the supreme places of power, and were tyrannizing their less fortunate brethren. Sinful men and women were stalking through the land in the pride of life and basking in the light and comfort of great prosperity, and good men were becoming heated and fretful.
"Fret not thyself." Do not get unduly heated! Keep cool! Even in a good cause, fretfulness is not a wise help-meet. Freting only heats the bearings; it does not generate the steam. It is no help to a train for the axles to get hot; their heat is only a hindrance. When the axles get heated, it is because of unnecessary friction; dry surfaces are grinding together, which ought to be kept in smooth co-operation by a delicate cushion of oil.
And is it not a suggestive fact that this word "fret" is closely akin to the word "friction," and is an indication of absence of the anointing oil of the grace of God?
In fretfulness, a little bit of grit gets into the bearings - some slight disappointment, some ingratitude, some discourtesy - and the smooth working of the life is checked. Friction begets heat; and with the heat, most dangerous conditions are created.
Do not let thy bearings get hot. Let the oil of the Lord keep thee cool, lest by reason of an unholy heat thou be reckoned among the evil-doers. (The Silver Lining)
N.J. Hiebert # 2895
"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)
The danger with us who have learnt something of our standing, is to overlook our state. We are anxious till we know our standing; "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish." - John 10:28, there is a legality about us, which makes us anxious until we do know it: when you first come to know it, it is like the sun rising after a dark night; but if you stop there you are sure to go down. Many a saint has felt the wonderful joy and delight of discovering his standing, which he had been reaching after, and then failed utterly as to keeping this joy through not maintaining the state corresponding to it. The standing is yours without any effort, yet it is always in the standing that you acquire the state; but then there is another thing. It is, that not only I have a state Godward, but I must have a state Satanward. You must have a state which is fitted to meet the character of the evil of this present scene, and according as you have that, you are able to do "according to the power that worketh in us." (Food for the Desert)
Our standing is like the numbers on a thermometer. The numbers remain constant. Our state tends to be like the mercury in a thermometer.
It goes up or down depending on the temperature.
N.J. Hiebert # 2896
"That ye . . . may be able to comprehend . . . what is the breadth,
and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge." (Ephesians 3:19)
A scientist might argue for only three dimensions of space, saying that depth and height are two names for the same measurement. But a little child upheld in his father's arms knows better. For him, the room not only has length and breadth, but depth and height - because he's in the middle of it! (J.B.N., Jr.)
O to delight in it, keep within sight of it,
Warm in the strength of it, in its control;
Feeling the might of it, depth of it, height of it,
Breadth of it, length of it flooding the soul.
(I.Y. Ewan)
N.J. Hiebert # 2897
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)
Our loving Lord is not just present, but nearer than thought can imagine, so near that a whisper can reach Him. You know the story of the man who had a quick temper and had not time to go away and pray for help. His habit was to send up a little telegraph prayer, "Thy sweetness, Lord!", and sweetness came.
- Do you need courage? "Thy courage, Lord!"
- Patience? "Thy patience, Lord!"
- Love? "Thy love, Lord!"
- A quiet mind? "Thy quietness, Lord!"
Shall we all practice this swift and simple way of prayer more and more? If we do, our Very Present Help will not disappoint us. For Thou, Lord, hast never failed them that seek Thee. (Amy Carmichael - Candles in the Dark)
N.J. Hiebert # 2898
"It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth."
(1 John 5:6)
The heart is constantly looking for God to give it a testimony about itself; but God is giving a testimony about His Son, and not about what we are. If God were to give a testimony about us, it must be about our sin and unbelief of heart. It is of great importance in this day of infidelity to see that, if God gives a testimony, it is about His Son, and what He is to the sinner. If you believe that, you will get peace. (J.N. Darby)
N.J. Hiebert # 2899
"Marvel not , my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death." (1 John 3:13,14)
The story is told of Nelson, when, as his ships were drawn up in battle-array facing the Dutch fleet, he saw two English officers quarreling. He threw himself in between and pushed them apart, and he said, pointing to the ships of Holland, "Gentlemen, there are your enemies!" Would God that Christians would indeed love one another, then it would not trouble us if the world hated us.
Do we know that we have passed from death unto life:
- Because we are so sound in the faith?
- Because we are fundamentalist?
- Because we are such earnest Christian workers?
- Because we give so liberally to missions and to sustain the Lord's work?
Oh, no. What, then? "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." We love them in this divine sense. Oh, my brethren, my sisters, if you have not that testimony you had better begin to investigate the foundations of the house of your Christian profession. (H.A. Ironside - The Epistles of 1 John)
N.J. Hiebert # 2900
"What manner of man is this, that even the winds and
the sea obey Him!" (Matthew 8:27)
We do not usually visualize our Lord in commonplace experiences, but He was human and sometimes tired, as when He slept in a boat on the Sea of Galilee after a long day of ministering. The wind can stir up plenty of trouble on the Sea of Galilee, and this tempest was quite a blast. The disciples had seen our Lord do many miracles, but how easily do we forget yesterday's deliverances when disaster threatens us today!
I remember hearing Clyde Francisco telling us that the First Adam had dominion over the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and the fish of the sea; but he could not control wind or water. Sometimes we can bridle and use them, but they can turn on us and blow us away or drown us. But on the Sea of Galilee that day the Last Adam was in the boat, and what the First Adam could not master, the Last Adam could control!
The story ends with a glowing testimony: "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!" If wind and water put you into a panic, and God seems to be taking a nap, don't ask, "Carest Thou not that we perish?" Just make sure He is a passenger in your boat! (Vance Havener - Don't Miss Your Miracle)
N.J Hiebert # 2901
