Gems for the Week
May 1
"Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee."
(Psalm 119:11)
Here lies the great moral safeguard for the soul in this dark and evil day. To have God's Word hidden in the heart is the divine secret of being preserved from all the snares of the enemy, and from all the evil influences which are at work around us. Satan and his agents can do absolutely nothing with a soul that reverently clings to Scripture. The man who has learned in the school of Christ the force and meaning of that one commanding sentence, "It is written," is proof against all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (C.H. Mackintosh)
N.J. Hiebert # 3326
May 2
"For so was it charged (commanded) me by the word of the Lord."
(1 Kings 13:9)
An experiment with teenagers showed how they handle peer pressure. Groups of 10 adolescents were brought into a room and instructed to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line on three charts. Nine of the people had been told ahead of time to vote for the second-longest line. But one person in the group had not been told.
The experiment began with nine teenagers voting for the wrong line. The tenth person would typically glance around, frown in confusion, and slip his hand up with the group because he lacked the courage to challenge them.
In 1 Kings 13, and unidentified man of God performed miraculous signs at the altar in Bethel (vv.1-6). But then, after this great victory, he took the word of another prophet to be the truth even though he knew it was contrary to what God had told him (vv.15-19). Because of his disobedience, he was killed by a lion (vv.20-24).
The story teaches us that God's Word is superior to anyone else's word and therefore should be obeyed. When we're tempted to buckle under pressure, it's then that we must stand firm. God's Word - the truth - can always be relied on. (Anne Cetas)
O help, us Lord, to heed Thy Word,
Its precepts to obey;
And may we fight the tendency
To walk in our own way. - Sper
God's Word is the compass that keeps us on course.
N.J. Hiebert # 3327
May 3
"I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me . . . My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure." (Isaiah 46:9,10)
The wildest mistake which a man can possibly fall into is to act without taking God into his account. Sooner or later, the thought of God will force itself upon him, and then comes the awful crash of all his schemes and calculations. At best, everything that is undertaken independently of God, can last but for the present time. It cannot, by any possibility, stretch itself into eternity. All that is merely human, however solid, however brilliant, or however attractive, must fall into the cold grasp of death, and molder in the dark, silent tomb. The clod of the valley must cover man's highest excellencies and brightest glories; mortality is engraved upon his brow, and all his schemes are evanescent (passing away). On the contrary, that which is connected with and based upon God, shall endure forever. His name shall endure forever, and His memorial unto all generations (Exodus 3:15). (C.H. Mackintosh)
N.J. Hiebert # 3328
