Gems worth pondering
March 20
"He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
(John 11:25)
That is a very simple sentence, but let it be most carefully read. Jesus did not say, he that believeth in Me thought he were dead, yet he shall live "again." That would be resurrection. He said, "though he were dead, yet shall he live." In other words, he that believes in Me, though he die, by all appearances as interpreted on the level of the earthly, he is not dead. He was saying, "Your brother is not dead. He that liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." That is the great Christian declaration. We have hardly grasped its significance. We say, "What has become of so and so?" The reply is often, "He (or she) has died." We still talk the pagan way. They are not dead. "He that believeth on Me, though he were dead" - the death is a fact so far as you see, but he is alive. When our Lord recalled Lazarus, He talked to him as though he could hear Him. He muttered no incantations over him. He said, "Lazarus, come forth." He expected to be heard. Lazarus was not dead. (J.C.M.)
N.J. Hiebert # 3649
March 21
"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly."
(Proverbs 20:27)
"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits."
(Proverbs 16:2)
"It is natural to man as he is to count right every way of his; but the solemn truth for everyone is that the Lord weighs not the acts only, but the heart. All things are naked and laid bare to His eyes with whom we have to do; let us never forget it. (William Kelly)
N.J. Hiebert # 3650
March 22
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness (KINDNESS), goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
(Galatians 5:22,23)
Kindness comes from a lovely Greek word, "Chreestos." Christ in Greek is "Christos." The sound is almost the same. In the old days, the people used to say that "Christians" (from the name Christ which we bear) were also "Chreestians" (from Chreestos, meaning KIND), because the Christians were known for their kindness to others. This is just as it should be; and I hope that every one of us may be Chreestians, as well as Christians: This is the word, translated "easy", used by our Lord to describe His yoke. We use "easy" in this sense for the comfot of an old, well-fitting shoe, that does not hurt the foot in any part; so should the Christian be to those with whom he has to do. (G. Christopher Willis)
N.J. Hiebert # 3651
