Gems for January 2009 - wk 1

January 1

"Christ us all in all."  (Colossians 3:11)

When you are down to nothing.... God is up to something!
 
“…O LORD…I flee unto thee to hide me.” Psalm 143:9
 
Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!
 
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
 
Faith looks away from circumstances to the God of circumstances.
 
“…in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Psalm 143:9
 
And there you will find perfect peace
 
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3
 
Then, stand and watch what the Lord is going to do!
 
“…Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you…” Exodus 14:13
 
 (Submitted by a reader of the "Gems.")

N.J. Hiebert # 3572

January 2

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."  (Psalm 25:14)

I am not competent to discern the will of God if I am not with Him. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."  I have to be before God Himself, or else I shall never keep straight; and for that, I must be in the path of God for Him to lead me.  I cannot realize God's presence out of the path of His will.  The instant I lose the sense of dependence, I am in danger.  Obedience and dependence are the two living principles of the new man.  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  (Matthew 4:4)  (J.N. Darby)

N.J. Hiebert # 3573

January 3

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."  (Psalm 51:5) 

The unconverted sinner sins constantly.  Every act, word, and deed springs from a defiled source.  We are conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity.  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9).  It is a corrupt fountain from which a stream of sin flows continually.  And that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and remains flesh to the end (John 3:6).  And "the carnal mind" (or the minding of the flesh) "is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:7).

But God in His great love to us gave His Son.  Jesus the Lamb of God died on Calvary, glorified God, broke Satan's power, and bore the judgment of sin.  God raised Him from the dead, and gave Him glory, thereby showing His perfect satisfaction in His finished work.  On the ground of that work all who believe are pardoned, justified, reconciled, saved - the children of God.

"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." 

(1 John 3:1,2) 

(E.H.C.)

N.J. Hiebert # 3574

Janaury 4

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16)

Mystery indeed! 

- The Eternal came into time;
- The Son of the Father became the Son of the virgin;
- The Son of God became the Son of Mary;
- The Omnipotent became dependent;
- The Creator became a carpenter;
- The God of glory became a Man of Sorrows.
 
We are not asked to understand or to explain or expound, but only to trust.  We bow in wonder and when we cannot comprehend, we worship nevertheless!  (Jim Flanigan - Choice Gleanings)

N.J. Hiebert # 3575

January 5

"He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He."   (Deuteronomy 32:4)

When I was coaching high school freshman girls basketball in the fall of 2005, I was surprised at how many times I heard, "That's not fair!"  The girls' motivation seemed to depend on whether or not they thought what I asked then to do was fair.  If I asked some girls to do a defensive drill while others shot free throws, I heard, "Not fair!"  If I allowed one group to play offense longer than another group, I heard, "Not fair."

So many situations in life shout, "Not fair!"  I observe Christian couples who struggle to have babies while others are blessed with children and then abuse them.  I look at families whose children are all alive and well, while I go through life without one of mine.  I see friends who long to serve God but can't because of health issues.

It's then that I must go back to a basic truth.  We are not the arbiters of fairness.  God is, and He knows far more than we do about His plans and purposes.  The question isn't about fairness.  In the end, it's about trust in a faithful God who knows what He is doing.  "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice" (Deuteronomy 32:4).

Life will never look fair.  But when we trust God, we always know that He is faithful.  (Dave Brandon)

If you feel that blessings pass you by,
And for you life seems a bit unfair,
Just remember, Christ was born to die,
And in His great salvation you can share.
(Hess)

************
Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful.
___________________________________________________

Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (2006), Grand Rapids, MI.  Reprinted permission.
___________________________________________________

N.J. Hiebert # 3576

January 6

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."  (John 13:35)

Sometimes an earnest Christian will, after some remarkable encounter, withdraw himself from his fellow believers and develop a spirit of faultfinding.

This is a dangerous state of mind, and the more dangerous because it can justify itself by the facts - it may easily be true that the professed Christians with whom he is acquainted are worldly and dull and without spiritual enthusiasm.  It is not that he is mistaken in his facts that proves him to be in error, but that his reaction to the facts is of the flesh!  His new spirituality has made him less charitable, and we must be cautioned that any religious experience that fails to deepen our love for our fellow Christians may be safely written off as spurious.

The Apostle John makes love for our fellow Christians to be a test of true faith, insisting that as we grow in grace we grow in love toward all of God's people: "Every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him" (1 John 5:1).  This means simply that if we love God we will love His children.   All true Christian experience will deepen our love for other Christians!

Therefore we conclude that whatever tends to separate us in heart from our fellow Christians is not of God, but is of the flesh or of the devil.  Conversely, whatever causes us to love the children of God is likely to be of God!  (A.W. Tozer - Renewed Day by Day)

N.J. Hiebert # 3577

January 7

"Thou shalt know the Lord."  (Hosea 2:20)

Not Knowing

I know not what shall befall me, God hangs a mist o'er my eyes;
And so, each step in mine onward path, He makes new scenes to rise,
And every joy He sends me comes As a strange and sweet surprise.

I see not a step before me, As I tread on another year;
But the past is still in God's keeping - The future, His mercy shall clear.
And what looks dark in the distance, May brighten as I draw near.

For perhaps the dreaded future  Has less bitter than I think;
The Lord may sweeten the waters  Before I stoop to drink;
Or, if Marah must be Marah,  He will stand beside the brink.

Oh, restful, blissful ignorance!  'Tis blessed not to know! 
It keeps me so still in those arms  Which will not let me go,
And hushes my soul to rest  On the bosom that loves me so.

So I go on, not knowing - I would not if I might!
I'd rather walk in the dark with God  Than walk alone in the light.
I'd rather walk with him by faith  Than walk alone by sight.

My heart shrinks back from trials  That the future may disclose;
Yet I never had a sorrow  But what the dear Lord chose;
So I send the coming tears back  With the whispered words,  "HE KNOWS."

N.J. Hiebert # 3578

January 8

"Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised."  (1 Kings 8:56)

So many promises are made and  broken.  Hearts are devastated, relationships are severed and hurts are deep.  Is this your experience today?  Then rest on the many promises given to you and me.

- We have eternal salvation.
- We have the promise that He is with us all through life's journey.
- We have the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us.
- We have the promise that He will meet every need.
- We have the promise of Heaven and "Home."

Claim these promises.  Lean hard upon them.  Not one of them can fail.  (James Comte)

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love's strong cord.

N.J. Hiebert # 3579

January 9

"Take heed therefore . . .  for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have." (Luke 8:18)  

As we give our time, our substance, our very lives for others, so shall we be blessed.  To receive and take and hold, without an outflowing, is to be as dead and dismal as the Dead Sea.  Though watered by the dew of Hermon and the rain of Lebanon, the Dead Sea to this day is so bitter and vile that not a single living thing can be found in it.  How loud is its message to us!  The Dead Sea has no outlet.  The waters of the many rivers would soon purify the Dead Sea did it but have an outlet to the ocean.  But all the fresh and sparkling water flowing into it cannot heal its death and vileness while it does not pass on the blessing which comes into its basin.  (L.S. - Mountain Trailways for Youths)

Hearken then thou deep, thou Dead Sea,
I have now thy secret learned!
Why in thee the dew of Hermon
Is to gall and wormwood turned. 

In an old churchyard cemetery you may read this epitaph and epigram:

"What I gave, that I have;
What I kept, that I lost."

God might have used His sunset gold sparingly;
He might have put but one wee star in all the sky -
He might have doled His blossoms out quite grudgingly;
But since He gave so lavishly, why should not I
(A.C.H.)  

N.J. Hiebert # 3580

Bible Gems - Aug 2006
Topic: Gems

"And they did all eat and were filled."  (Matthew 15:37)

Reflecting God's Glory
Now Playing: How much time do we spend in His presence ?
Topic: God's Glory
Exodus 34:1-4,26-35

Moses was changed when he came down from the mountain. Earlier, he had asked to see the glory of the Lord, but when he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of stone, he did not know "that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him" (Ex. 34:29).

Moses did not realize that his face reflected the glory of God. This was proof of the closeness between Moses and God, and it revealed to those who saw him that he had truly been in the presence of God's glory.

"When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him" (v. 30).

Moses still did not realize the extent to which his face reflected the glory of God. He was not glorious in his own eyes, but he was in the eyes of others.

Every day before you go out to meet the world, spend some time with God by reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer. Spending time in His presence will bring the sunshine of heaven to your face, and others will observe this in you throughout the day.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).

(from T. Epp)

Life to All Who Drink
Now Playing: Are we finding our spiritual refreshment in Christ ?
Topic: Life Thru Christ
Exodus 17:1-7

The water flowing from the rock indicates the provision for life. The psalmist said, "Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed" (Ps. 78:20).

The smitten rock pointed to the smitten Christ who paid the penalty of sin. The gushing streams of water picture the gracious supply of life through the Holy Spirit.

God smote His Son and raised Him from the dead, thereby sending forth the life-giving stream, but man must come and drink.

Although Jesus Christ has paid the penalty of sin for all (1 John 2:2), only those who personally receive Him as Saviour have forgiveness of sin and eternal life (John 1:12; 5:24).

When God provides, He provides abundantly. When God provided water for the Israelites, the psalmist said, "He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river" (Ps. l05:41).

Concerning the life that the Lord Jesus Christ provides, He said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

This coincides with the way Jesus compared the Spirit to the abundance of running water (John 4:14; 7:37,38). So the rock in the wilderness prefigured Jesus Christ.

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).

(from T. Epp)

From Singing to Complaining
Now Playing: How do we react to tough times -- do we see the Lord's hand ?
Topic: Testing
Exodus 15:1-7,22-27

In the Israelites' song recorded in Exodus 15, the word "Lord" occurs 11 times, and various personal pronouns referring to Him occur more than 30 times. So it is clear that the song was sung to Him and about Him. All the honors of the victory were reverently laid at His feet.

In this song of assurance and praise, Moses is not mentioned once. This indicates that the Israelites now had complete confidence in the trustworthiness of God. Only three days after the Red Sea experience, however, the Israelites were grumbling against Moses and against God.

Why such a change of attitude in just three days? They had overlooked the fact that the cloud had led them in this direction, and since God was leading them, He would supply their needs.

When the people murmured against Moses (v. 24), they were actually murmuring against God. Every complaint against circumstances, every grumbling about the daily trials of life is directed against the One who "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11).

Although the Israelites did not have this verse at the time, they had seen enough of God's work to know that He did not make mistakes and that He could perform anything necessary to provide for them.

And remember, what happened to Israel is to serve as an example to us (1 Cor. 10:11).

"Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness)" (Heb. 3:7,8).

(from T. Epp)

Unquestioned Obedience
Now Playing: Are we willing to obey God and His Word in every part of our life ?
Exodus 7:1-13

Moses went before Pharaoh, and from this point forward we see unquestioned obedience on his part. Total obedience is really recognition of God's absolute sovereignty, and this is what Moses finally recognized.

The complete obedience of Moses is also seen in Exodus 7:10: "And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded."

Verse 20 emphasizes the same theme: "And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded." Twelve times God gave the orders, and twelve times Moses and Aaron did as God said.

Miracles began to happen one after another as they gave unquestioned obedience to the Lord. This teaches us that we must be where God wants us to be at the time He wants us to be there, and we must do what He says if we expect to see things happen.

As the believer desires to act and obey, he will see God work mightily in and through him.

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people" (Ex. 19:5).

(from T. Epp)

Fearing God
Now Playing: Do we truly have reverence for the Lord in our personal lives ?
Topic: Spiritual State
Psalm 34:9-22

The secret of Joseph's life was summed up in his own words when his brothers first came to Egypt. He told them, "This do, and live; for I fear God" (Gen. 42:18). The last three words of this statement were the key to his life--"I fear God."

There were four things that were particularly significant about Joseph's secret--"I fear God."

First, he learned this secret early in his life while he was still at home. This shows us the importance of giving our children the spiritual training they need while they are yet young.

Second, the secret of Joseph's life was developed by his loyalty and obedience in the routine of daily duty. It did not matter whether things were small or large--he was faithful.

Third, the secret of Joseph's life was proved by the results. God honored His servant for his simple trust and confidence and justified his actions in his home life, slavery, prison and in Pharaoh's court.

Fourth, the secret of Joseph's life was made effectual in daily living by faith. Faith in God was evidenced throughout all his life, even when he faced death.

The divine commentary is that "by faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones" (Heb. 11:22). Faith is powerful and always brings results.

"0 that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!" (Deut. 5:29).

(from T. Epp)

No Grudges Held
Now Playing: Do we hold on to wrongs done to us or do we forgive ?
Topic: Forgiveness
Genesis 42:18-28

All of this was too much for Joseph, and "he turned himself about from them, and wept" (Gen. 42:24). His heart was still tender toward them in spite of what they had done to him.

Controlling himself, he "returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes" (v. 24).

It is possible that Simeon had been the leader in what the brothers had done to Joseph earlier, but now all the brothers were beginning to show true repentance.

Verse 21 shows three aspects of this repentance: conscience--"we are verily guilty"; memory--"we saw the anguish of his soul"; and reason--"therefore is this distress come upon us." The brothers were being brought to an end of themselves.

Joseph responded in two ways, although his brothers noticed only one of his responses. First, he wept with a broken heart because of his love for his brothers--especially Benjamin--and for his father. Second, he bound Simeon in their presence.

The brothers saw only the hardness that Joseph expressed; they did not know how tender his heart was underneath it all.

As Joseph's tenderness of heart indicated when he stood before his brothers, he had forgiven them long ago--even though they did not realize it. Have you forgiven those who have wronged you?

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32).

(from T. Epp)

Forgetting Past Trials
Now Playing: Are we willing to forgive past wrongs done to us ?
Topic: Growth
Genesis 41:46-57

As time passed, "unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh [forgetting]: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house" (Gen. 41:50,51).

This does not mean that God had caused Joseph to forget about his family, but He caused him to forget about the trials of the past as related to his family.

This is exactly what happens when a person walks with the Lord. The blessings are so many he forgets about the trials.

Joseph named his second son "Ephraim," which means "fruitful." Joseph said, "For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction" (v. 52). Joseph had forgotten the trials and now saw only the fruit that God had brought about in his life.

So it will be with us when we really grasp the significance of the truths stated in Romans 8:28,29.

As we are conformed more and more to the image of Jesus Christ, we will be so thrilled with what God has accomplished in our lives that we will tend to forget the tests and sufferings that were used to cause us to be conformed to God's Son.

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (1 Pet. 5:10).

(from T. Epp)

God Never Deserts One of His Own
Now Playing: Do we have daily, genuine trust in God ?
Topic: Testing
Genesis 39:13-23

What a lie Potiphar's wife told about Joseph! He had refused her invitation to sin because he did not want to dishonor God, and now through her lie God was seemingly being dishonored anyhow.

When Potiphar heard his wife's report, he became very angry. He took Joseph and "put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison" (Gen. 39:20). Could this be the reward Joseph received for his faithfulness to God?

Although everything seemed to be going against him, the Bible emphasizes that "the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison" (v. 21).

Even though Joseph's situation seemed hopeless, God never left him for one moment.

We, too, have the assurance of God's Word: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). In the original language, this phrase is very emphatic: "I will by no means leave you nor will I by any means forsake you."

God will never leave us helpless nor abandoned. Therefore, "we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (v. 6).

Do you have this confidence? Regardless of how adverse your circumstances are, as a Christian do you know that God will never desert you?

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).

(from T. Epp)