Gems for the Week
August 17 - 20
"And He (Jesus) said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?" (Luke 11:5,6)
The story of the man who said, 'I have nothing to set before him', has been helping me this morning (not for the first time). It says so exactly what I so often feel. 'A friend of mine in his journey has come to me and I have nothing to set before him' - no, not even a crumb.
I expect you also often feel like that. I can well understand how the devil will make you feel like that poor man who had nothing to give and went in the night to borrow three loaves. But the end of the story is very comforting, 'He will rise and give him as many as he needs.' As much as you need to do His will and help others, these travelers in life's difficult journey, will be given to you to give. There will be no shortage from the heavenly point of view. So meet the devil's depressing whisper, as I pray this morning that I may, with that dear word, 'As many as he needs', and be at peace. (Amy Carmichael - Candles in the Dark)
N.J. Hiebert # 3068
"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." (2 Corinthians 2:11)
It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word (Bible) and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were of no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer; while the truth is in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying; for the less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray. (George Muller)
Satan has many ways of ensnaring God's children, but when he seeks to hinder our prayer life he attacks the very citadel of our spirituality and power. Here therefore let us most resolutely repel him, and at his every approach resort more earnestly to prayer.
Prayer itself is the very best protection to the spirit of prayer. "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." (Matthew 26:41)
N.J. Hiebert # 3069
"Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer . . . and a certain man lame . . . (asked) alms of them that entered into the temple . . .And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us." (Acts 3:1-9)
The human race is a race of cripples, maimed in body, mind, and spirit. Even those who seem, apart from saving grace, to be hale and hearty are best described by Isaiah as without soundness but with wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. Sin is a grievous affliction, and we are lame in our souls from birth to death unless we are born again. The crutches are not always visible, and sick souls try to laugh sin off, drink it off, pretend its non-existence, but God knows about it and so do we in better moments.
Peter and John bade the lame man, "Look on us." (verse 4) Deliverance lay in a look. Peter and John were not magnifying themselves; with them stood One whom the lame man and the onlookers couldn't see. There stood one among them whom they knew not. . . .
Peter took the lame man by the hand and lifted him up. The look was followed by the lift. There is plenty of uplifting these days, but much of it is old Adam trying to lift old Adam. The true Christian, filled with the Spirit of the living Christ has life in his lift. It was so with this man and he leaped. He may have come limping but he went away leaping.
(Vance Havner - Don't Miss Your Miracle)
N.J. Hiebert # 3070
"And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see." (John 1:46)
After all, we do not gain much by discussion. Let objectors or inquirers only get one personal interview with the Son of God, and that will scatter all their darkness, all their prejudice, and all their unbelief. The moment that Philip succeeded in getting Nathanael to Christ, the work was done. (D.L. Moody)
N.J. Hiebert # 3071
