January PM
* 01/01/PM
"We will be glad and rejoice in Thee."
--Song of Solomon 1:4
We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. We will not open the
gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to
the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding
cymbals of gladness. "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us
make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation." We, the
called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs,
and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let
others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening
tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the
Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the
temples in which Thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring
and blessing the name of Jesus. _We_ WILL, we are resolved about
it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will
not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in His presence. We are
ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our
everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New
Jerusalem. _We will_ BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words with one
sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need there be
any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of
grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and
cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven
itself? _We will be glad and rejoice_ IN THEE. That last word is
the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the
text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of
infinite bliss have their source, ay, and every drop of their
fulness in Him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present
portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of
Thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be
glad and rejoice in Thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord,
and December close with gladness in Jesus.
* 01/02/PM
"Let the people renew their strength."
--Isaiah 41:1
All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing
continueth by itself. "Thou renewest the face of the year," was
the Psalmist's utterance. Even the trees, which wear not
themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must
drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures
of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only
live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from
the earth.Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal
from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by
the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by
feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached
Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances.How
depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor
starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of
the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without
God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God
had begotten it, it would wait upon Him as the flowers wait upon
the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the
perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven,
or even for the strifes within. When the whirlwind shall be
loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, and
grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots.When tempests
arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their
mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer
the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength
and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so,
mayhap, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may
follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in
humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfillment of the
promise, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength."
* 01/03/PM
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight."
--Luke 3:4
The voice crying in the wilderness demanded _a way for the
Lord, a way prepared, and a way prepared in the wilderness_. I
would be attentive to the Master's proclamation, and give Him a
road into my heart, cast up by gracious operations, through the
desert of my nature. The four directions in the text must have
my serious attention.
_Every valley must be exalted_. Low and grovelling thoughts
of God must be given up; doubting and despairing must be
removed; and self-seeking and carnal delights must be forsaken.
Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of grace must be
raised.
_Every mountain and hill shall be laid low_. Proud creature-
sufficiency, and boastful self-righteousness, must be levelled,
to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine fellowship is
never vouchsafed to haughty, highminded sinners. The Lord hath
respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in heart, but
the lofty are an abomination unto Him. My soul, beseech the Holy
Spirit to set thee right in this respect.
_The crooked shall be made straight_. The wavering heart must
have a straight path of decision for God and holiness marked out
for it. Double-minded men are strangers to the God of truth. My
soul, take heed that thou be in all things honest and true, as
in the sight of the heart-searching God.
_The rough places shall be made smooth_. Stumbling-blocks of
sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must be
uprooted. So great a visitor must not find miry ways and stony
places when He comes to honour His favoured ones with His
company. Oh that this evening the Lord may find in my heart a
highway made ready by His grace, that He may make a triumphal
progress through the utmost bounds of my soul, from the
beginning of this year even to the end of it.
* 01/04/PM
"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."
--Genesis 42:8
This morning our desires went forth for growth in our
acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to
consider a kindred topic, namely, _our heavenly Joseph's
knowledge of us_. This was most blessedly perfect long before we
had the slightest knowledge of Him. "His eyes beheld our
substance, yet being imperfect, and in His book all our members
were written, when as yet there was none of them." Before we had
a being in the world we had a being in His heart. When we were
enemies to Him, He knew us, our misery, our madness, and our
wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and
viewed Him only as a judge and a ruler, He viewed us as His
brethren well beloved, and His bowels yearned towards us. He
never mistook His chosen, but always beheld them as objects of
His infinite affection. "The Lord knoweth them that are His," is
as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the
children who sit at the table.
But, alas! _we knew not our royal Brother_, and out of this
ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from Him,
and allowed Him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted Him, and
gave no credit to His words. We rebelled against Him, and paid
Him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, and
we could not see Him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth
perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with
us; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared
with what He knows of us. We have but begun to study Him, but He
knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the
ignorance is not on His side, for then it would be a hopeless
case for us. He will not say to us, "I never knew you," but He
will confess our names in the day of His appearing, and
meanwhile will manifest Himself to us as He doth not unto the
world.
* 01/05/PM
"And God saw the light."
--Genesis 1:4
This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the
Lord's dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special
eye which the Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"--He
looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw
that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light, dear
reader, He looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not
only is it dear to Him as His own handiwork, but because it is
like Himself, for "He is light." Pleasant it is to the believer
to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work
of grace which He has begun. He never loses sight of the
treasure which He has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes
we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that
is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see
my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very
comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people--but
whether _I_ know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still
safe. This is the foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are
His." You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and
mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees "light" in your
heart, for He has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom
of your soul cannot conceal your light from His gracious eye.
You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if
your soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking
to rest in His finished work, God sees the "light." He not only
_sees_ it, but He also _preserves_ it in you. "I, the Lord, do
keep it." This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious
watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own
powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by His grace,
He will one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the
fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal
day.
* 01/06/PM
"Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening."
--Ezekiel 33:22
In the way of _judgment_ this may be the case, and, if so, be
it mine to consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear
the rod and Him that hath appointed it. I am not the only one
who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit
to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited
thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another
manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward
towards eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord
dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling
bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At
such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and
forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near,
and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at
the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the
summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of
divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The Lord
knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my
corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all
these are reasons why His healing hand should be laid upon me.
His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, and stay the
tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand which
moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand
which bears the earth's huge pillars up can sustain my spirit;
the loving hand which incloses all the saints can cherish me;
and the mighty hand which breaketh in pieces the enemy can
subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching me this
evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea,
that Jesu's hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou
shalt surely feel that same hand upon thee which once touched
Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of
God.
* 01/07/PM
"My sister, my spouse."
--Song of Solomon 4:12
Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon
with intense affection addresses His bride the church. "_My
sister_, one near to me by ties of nature, partaker of the same
sympathies. _My spouse_, nearest and dearest, united to me by
the tenderest bands of love; my sweet companion, part of my own
self. _My sister_, by my Incarnation, which makes me bone of thy
bone and flesh of thy flesh; _my spouse_, by heavenly betrothal,
in which I have espoused thee unto myself in righteousness. _My
sister_, whom I knew of old, and over whom I watched from her
earliest infancy; _my spouse_, taken from among the daughters,
embraced by arms of love, and affianced unto me for ever. See
how true it is that our royal Kinsman is not ashamed of us, for
He dwells with manifest delight upon this two-fold relationship.
We have the word "my" twice in our version; as if Christ dwelt
with rapture on His possession of His Church. "His delights were
with the sons of men," because those sons of men were His own
chosen ones. He, the Shepherd, sought the sheep, because they
were _His_ sheep; He has gone about "to seek and to save that
which was lost," because that which was lost was _His_ long
before it was lost to itself or lost to Him. The church is the
exclusive portion of her Lord; none else may claim a
partnership, or pretend to share her love. Jesus, thy church
delights to have it so! Let every believing soul drink solace
out of these wells. Soul! Christ is near to thee in ties of
relationship; Christ is dear to thee in bonds of marriage union,
and thou art dear to Him; behold He grasps both of thy hands
with both His own, saying, "_My_ sister, _my_ spouse." Mark the
two sacred holdfasts by which thy Lord gets such a double hold
of thee that He neither can nor will ever let thee go. Be not, O
beloved, slow to return the hallowed flame of His love.
* 01/08/PM
"Thy love is better than wine."
--Song of Solomon 1:2
_Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with
Christ_. He has enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of
life, he can be glad both in God's gifts and God's works; but in
all these separately, yea, and in all of them added together, he
doth not find such substantial delight as in the matchless
person of his Lord Jesus. He has wine which no vineyard on earth
ever yielded; he has bread which all the corn-fields of Egypt
could never bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we
have tasted in communion with our Beloved? In our esteem, the
joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared
with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one
mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of his fellowship, than a
whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the
wheat? What is the sparkling paste to the true diamond? What is
a dream to the glorious reality? What is time's mirth, in its
best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in His most despised
estate? If you know anything of the inner life, you will confess
that our highest, purest, and most enduring joys must be the
fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise
of God. No spring yields such sweet water as that well of God
which was digged with the soldier's spear. All earthly bliss is
of the earth earthy, but the comforts of Christ's presence are
like Himself, heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus,
and find no regrets of emptiness therein; there are no dregs in
this wine, no dead flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord
is solid and enduring. Vanity hath not looked upon it, but
discretion and prudence testify that it abideth the test of
years, and is in time and in eternity worthy to be called "the
only true delight." For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration,
and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us
drink to the full this evening.
* 01/09/PM
"Serve the Lord with gladness."
--Psalm 100:2
Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who
serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is
unpleasant to them, are not serving Him at all; they bring the
form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no
slaves to grace His throne; He is the Lord of the empire of
love, and would have His servants dressed in the livery of joy.
The angels of God serve Him with songs, not with groans; a
murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That
obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord
looketh at the heart, and if He seeth that we serve Him from
force, and not because we love Him, He will reject our offering.
Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and
therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian,
and you have removed _the test of his sincerity_. If a man be
driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the
fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, "It is sweet
for one's country to die," proves himself to be sincere in his
patriotism. Cheerfulness is _the support of our strength_; in
the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as _the remover of
difficulties_. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels of
a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and
accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil
our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man
who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is
his element; he can sing,
"Make me to walk in Thy commands,
'Tis a delightful road."
Reader, let us put this question--do _you_ serve the Lord _with
gladness_? Let us show to the people of the world, who think our
religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and a joy!
Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.
* 01/10/PM
"In my flesh shall I see God."
--Job 19:26
Mark the subject of Job's devout anticipation "I shall see
God." He does not say, "I shall see the saints"--though
doubtless that will be untold felicity--but, "I shall see God."
It is not--"I shall see the pearly gates, I shall behold the
walls of jasper, I shall gaze upon the crowns of gold," but "I
shall see God." This is the sum and substance of heaven, this is
the joyful hope of all believers. It is their delight to see Him
now in the ordinances by faith. They love to behold Him in
communion and in prayer; but there in heaven they shall have an
open and unclouded vision, and thus seeing "Him as He is," shall
be made completely like Him. _Likeness to God_--what can we wish
for more? And _a sight of God_--what can we desire better? Some
read the passage, "Yet, I shall see God in my flesh," and find
here an allusion to Christ, as the "Word made flesh," and that
glorious beholding of Him which shall be the splendour of the
latter days. Whether so or not it is certain that Christ shall
be the object of our eternal vision; nor shall we ever want any
joy beyond that of seeing Him. Think not that this will be a
narrow sphere for the mind to dwell in. It is but one source of
delight, but that source is infinite. All His attributes shall
be subjects for contemplation, and as He is infinite under each
aspect, there is no fear of exhaustion. His works, His gifts,
His love to us, and His glory in all His purposes, and in all
His actions, these shall make a theme which will be ever new.
The patriarch looked forward to this sight of God as _a
personal_ enjoyment. "Whom mine eye shall behold, and not
another." Take realizing views of heaven's bliss; think what it
will be _to you_. "_Thine eyes_ shall see the King in His
beauty." All earthly brightness fades and darkens as we gaze
upon it, but here is a brightness which can never dim, a glory
which can never fade--"_I shall see God_."
* 01/11/PM
"I have prayed for thee."
--Luke 22:32
How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-
ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and
when we are _not_ praying, He is advocating our cause, and by
His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the
word of comfort addressed to Peter--"Simon, Simon, Satan hath
desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"--what?
"But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but
it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you
watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great
blessing. No, it is, "_But I have prayed for thee_, that thy
faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's
prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back
upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we
shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the
mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank
Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed
to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His
breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had
forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns
malice. Mark, He does not say, "Satan hath _desired_ to have
you." He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in
the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to pray for you."
No, but "I _have_ prayed for you: I have done it already; I have
gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an
accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou
hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined
their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for
joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.
* 01/12/PM
"I have yet to speak on God's behalf."
--Job 36:2
We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety
for our zeal; but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always
seeking to hide that which God has bestowed upon us for the good
of others. A Christian is not to be a village in a valley, but
"a city set upon a hill;" he is not to be a candle under a
bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all.
Retirement may be lovely in its season, and to hide one's self
is doubtless modest, but the hiding of _Christ_ in us can never
be justified, and the keeping back of truth which is precious to
ourselves is a sin against others and an offence against God. If
you are of a nervous temperament and of retiring disposition,
take care that you do not too much indulge this trembling
propensity, lest you should be useless to the church. Seek in
the name of Him who was not ashamed of you to do some little
violence to your feelings, and tell to others what Christ has
told to you. If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue, use
the still small voice. If the pulpit must not be thy tribune, if
the press may not carry on its wings thy words, yet say with
Peter and John, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have
give I thee." By Sychar's well talk to the Samaritan woman, if
thou canst not on the mountain preach a sermon; utter the
praises of Jesus in the house, if not in the temple; in the
field, if not upon the exchange; in the midst of thine own
household, if thou canst not in the midst of the great family of
man. From the hidden springs within let sweetly flowing rivulets
of testimony flow forth, giving drink to every passer-by. Hide
not thy talent; trade with it; and thou shalt bring in good
interest to thy Lord and Master. To speak for God will be
refreshing to ourselves, cheering to saints, useful to sinners,
and honouring to the Saviour. Dumb children are an affliction to
their parents. Lord, unloose all Thy children's tongue.
* 01/13/PM
"The iron did swim."
--2 Kings 6:9
The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed,
the honour of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled,
and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all
expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the
stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible
with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was
called to undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It
appeared so difficult as to involve absurdity in the bare idea
of attempting it. Yet he was called thereto, and his faith rose
with the occasion; God honoured his faith, unlooked-for aid was
sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord's family was in
grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and
much more if he could have realized a certain portion of his
estate, but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought
for friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper,
and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged,
and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of depravity
to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and
interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young
Melancthon, the stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an
agony of prayer, and before long a blessed answer was sent from
heaven. The hard heart was broken, the iron did swim.
Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter
hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the
prophets lives, and lives to help His saints. He will not suffer
thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts!
Approach Him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall
swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for
His people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet
again the iron shall swim.
* 01/14/PM
"Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."
--Matthew 14:30
_Sinking times are praying times_ with the Lord's servants.
Peter neglected prayer at starting upon his venturous journey,
but when he began to sink his danger made him a suppliant, and
his cry though late was not too late. In our hours of bodily
pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven
to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves.
The fox hies to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the
wood for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the
mercy seat for safety. Heaven's great harbour of refuge is
All-prayer; thousands of weather-beaten vessels have found a
haven there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us
to make for it with all sail.
_Short prayers are long enough_. There were but three words
in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient
for his purpose. Not length but strength is desirable. A sense
of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had less
of the tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all
the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat.
Precious things lie in small compass, and all that is real
prayer in many a long address might have been uttered in a
petition as short as that of Peter.
_Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities_. Immediately a
keen sense of danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear of
Jesus hears, and with Him ear and heart go together, and the
hand does not long linger. At the last moment we appeal to our
Master, but His swift hand makes up for our delays by instant
and effectual action. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous
waters of affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto our
Saviour, and we may rest assured that He will not suffer us to
perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us
enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.
* 01/15/PM
"But I give myself unto prayer."
--Psalm 109:4
Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but
he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher
court, and pleaded before the great King Himself. Prayer is the
safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist
prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the
exercise--threw his whole soul and heart into it--straining
every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the
angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne
of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance
in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper self
is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement
desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would
give it force. "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a
cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The
common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to
distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we
make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver
our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and
that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is
worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner,
if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing
with a feather or catching a fly?
Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression
of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into
silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the
blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily
business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to
their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we
addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in
our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to
pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.
* 01/16/PM
"The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself."
--Daniel 9:26
Blessed be His name, there was no cause of death in Him.
Neither original nor actual sin had defiled Him, and therefore
death had no claim upon Him. No man could have taken His life
from Him justly, for He had done no man wrong, and no man could
even have lain Him by force unless He had been pleased to yield
Himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers. Justice
was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of
tears, mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks,
and hills of frankincense, could not have availed for the
removal of sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of
wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away for ever. Herein
is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of
atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which brought
Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the
cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His
life for His enemies!
It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the
innocent bleeding for the guilty, we must make sure of our
interest therein. The special object of the Messiah's death was
the salvation of His church; have we a part and a lot among
those for whom He gave His life a ransom? Did the Lord Jesus
stand as our representative? Are we healed by His stripes? It
will be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a
portion in His sacrifice; it were better for us that we had
never been born. Solemn as the question is, it is a joyful
circumstance that it is one which may be answered clearly and
without mistake. To all who believe on Him the Lord Jesus is a
present Saviour, and upon them all the blood of reconciliation
has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah's
death be joyful at every remembrance of Him, and let their holy
gratitude lead them to the fullest consecration to His cause.
* 01/17/PM
"And it came to pass in an evening-tide, that David arose from
off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house."
--2 Samuel 11:2
At that hour David saw Bathsheba. We are never out of the
reach of temptation. Both at home and abroad we are liable to
meet with allurements to evil; the morning opens with peril, and
the shades of evening find us still in jeopardy. They are well
kept whom God keeps, but woe unto those who go forth into the
world, or even dare to walk their own house unarmed. Those who
think themselves secure are more exposed to danger than any
others. The armour-bearer of Sin is Self-confidence.
David should have been engaged in fighting the Lord's
battles, instead of which he tarried at Jerusalem, and gave
himself up to luxurious repose, for he arose from his bed at
eventide. Idleness and luxury are the devil's jackals, and find
him abundant prey. In stagnant waters noxious creatures swarm,
and neglected soil soon yields a dense tangle of weeds and
briars. Oh for the constraining love of Jesus to keep us active
and useful! When I see the King of Israel sluggishly leaving his
couch at the close of the day, and falling at once into
temptation, let me take warning, and set holy watchfulness to
guard the door.
Is it possible that the king had mounted his housetop for
retirement and devotion? If so, what a caution is given us to
count no place, however secret, a sanctuary from sin! While our
hearts are so like a tinder-box, and sparks so plentiful, we had
need use all diligence in all places to prevent a blaze. Satan
can climb housetops, and enter closets, and even if we could
shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to
work our ruin unless grace prevent. Reader, beware of evening
temptations. Be not secure. The sun is down but sin is up. We
need a watchman for the night as well as a guardian for the day.
O blessed Spirit, keep us from all evil this night. Amen.
* 01/18/PM
"He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself."
--Luke 24:27
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had a most profitable
journey. Their companion and teacher was _the best of tutors_;
the interpreter one of a thousand, in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The Lord Jesus condescended
to become a preacher of the gospel, and He was not ashamed to
exercise His calling before an audience of two persons, neither
does He now refuse to become the teacher of even one. Let us
court the company of so excellent an Instructor, for till He is
made unto us wisdom we shall never be wise unto salvation.
This unrivalled tutor used as His class-book _the best of
books_. Although able to reveal fresh truth, He preferred to
expound the old. He knew by His omniscience what was the most
instructive way of teaching, and by turning at once to Moses and
the prophets, He showed us that the surest road to wisdom is not
speculation, reasoning, or reading human books, but meditation
upon the Word of God. The readiest way to be spiritually rich
in heavenly knowledge is to dig in this mine of diamonds, to
gather pearls from this heavenly sea. When Jesus Himself sought
to enrich others, He wrought in the quarry of Holy Scripture.
The favoured pair were led to consider _the best of
subjects_, for Jesus spake of Jesus, and expounded the things
concerning Himself. Here the diamond cut the diamond, and what
could be more admirable? The Master of the House unlocked His
own doors, conducted the guests to His table, and placed His own
dainties upon it. He who hid the treasure in the field Himself
guided the searchers to it. Our Lord would naturally discourse
upon the sweetest of topics, and He could find none sweeter than
His own person and work: with an eye to these we should always
search the Word. O for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as
both our teacher and our lesson!
* 01/19/PM
"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand
the Scriptures."
--Luke 24:45
He whom we viewed last evening as opening Scripture, we here
perceive opening the understanding. In the first work He has
many fellow-labourers, but in the second He stands alone; many
can bring the Scriptures to the mind, but the Lord alone can
prepare the mind to receive the Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus
differs from all other teachers; they reach the ear, but He
instructs the heart; they deal with the outward letter, but He
imparts an inward taste for the truth, by which we perceive its
savour and spirit. The most unlearned of men become ripe
scholars in the school of grace when the Lord Jesus by His Holy
Spirit unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom to them, and grants
the divine anointing by which they are enabled to behold the
invisible. Happy are we if we have had our understandings
cleared and strengthened by the Master! How many men of
profound learning are ignorant of eternal things! They know the
killing letter of revelation, but its killing spirit they cannot
discern; they have a veil upon their hearts which the eyes of
carnal reason cannot penetrate. Such was our case a little time
ago; we who now see were once utterly blind; truth was to us as
beauty in the dark, a thing unnoticed and neglected. Had it not
been for the love of Jesus we should have remained to this
moment in utter ignorance, for without His gracious opening of
our understanding, we could no more have attained to spiritual
knowledge than an infant can climb the Pyramids, or an ostrich
fly up to the stars. Jesus' College is the only one in which
God's truth can be really learned; other schools may teach us
what is to be believed, but Christ's alone can show us how to
believe it. Let us sit at the feet of Jesus, and by earnest
prayer call in His blessed aid that our dull wits may grow
brighter, and our feeble understandings may receive heavenly
things.
* 01/20/PM
"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me
in Thy way."
--Psalm 119:37
There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the
fool, the mirth of the world, the dance, the lyre, and the cup
of the dissolute, all these men know to be vanities; they wear
upon their forefront their proper name and title. Far more
treacherous are those equally vain things, the cares of this
world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity
as truly in the counting-house as in the theatre. If he be
spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a
vain show. Unless we follow Christ, and make our God the great
object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most
frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the first
prayer of our text. "Quicken Thou me in Thy way." The Psalmist
confesses that he is dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps,
dear reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best
motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord Himself. What!
will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing,
and yet not be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think
of the reward that awaiteth the righteous, and yet be cold? Will
not death quicken me? Can I think of dying, and standing before
my God, and yet be slothful in my Master's service? Will not
Christ's love constrain me? Can I think of His dear wounds, can
I sit at the foot of His cross, and not be stirred with fervency
and zeal? It seems so! No mere consideration can quicken us to
zeal, but God Himself must do it, hence the cry, "Quicken _Thou_
me." The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehement
pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. "Turn away
mine eyes," says the body: "Quicken Thou me," cries the soul.
This is a fit prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case
this night.
* 01/21/PM
"He was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou
hast given this great deliverance into the hand of Thy servant:
and now shall I die for thirst?"
--Judges 15:18
Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was
totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely
to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to
be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst
was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more
weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so
specially been delivered. It is very usual for God's people,
when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little
trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines,
and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water!
Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence
itself, and then goes "halting on his thigh!" Strange that there
must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if
the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order
to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he
said, "I have slain a thousand men." His boastful throat soon
grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God
has many ways of humbling His people. Dear child of God, if
after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an
unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he
said, "I am this day weak, though anointed king." You must
expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest
triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the
past, your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and
the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the
uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the
road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all
along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with
Samson's words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere
long.
* 01/22/PM
"Doth Job fear God for nought?"
--Job 1:9
This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright
man of old, but there are many in the present day concerning
whom it might be asked with justice, for they love God after a
fashion because He prospers them; but if things went ill with
them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. If
they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed
conversion the world has gone prosperously with them, then they
will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure
adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their love is the love
of the table, not of the host; a love to the cupboard, not to
the master of the house. As for the true Christian, he expects
to have his reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in
this. The promise of the old covenant is adversity. Remember
Christ's words--"Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit"--
What? "_He purgeth it, that it may bring forth fruit_." If you
bring forth fruit, you will have to endure affliction. "Alas!"
you say, "that is a terrible prospect." But this affliction
works out such precious results, that the Christian who is the
subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as
his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ
Jesus. Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no
stranger to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass
through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such
fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be
weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be
delivered from clinging to the present, and made to long for
those eternal things which are so soon to be revealed to you.
When you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for
nought, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the
future.
* 01/23/PM
"We will remember Thy love more than wine."
--Song of Solomon 1:4
Jesus will not let His people forget His love. If all the
love they have enjoyed should be forgotten, He will visit them
with fresh love. "Do you forget my cross?" says He, "I will
cause you to remember it; for at My table I will manifest Myself
anew to you. Do you forget what I did for you in the
council-chamber of eternity? I will remind you of it, for you
shall need a counsellor, and shall find Me ready at your call."
Mothers do not let their children forget them. If the boy has
gone to Australia, and does not write home, his mother
writes--"Has John forgotten his mother?" Then there comes back a
sweet epistle, which proves that the gentle reminder was not in
vain. So is it with Jesus, He says to us, "Remember Me," and our
response is, "We will remember Thy love." _We will_ remember Thy
love and its matchless history. It is ancient as the glory which
Thou hadst with the Father before the world was. We remember, O
Jesus, Thine eternal love when Thou didst become our Surety, and
espouse us as Thy betrothed. We remember the love which
suggested the sacrifice of Thyself, the love which, until the
fulness of time, mused over that sacrifice, and long for the
hour whereof in the volume of the book it was written of Thee,
"Lo, I come." We remember Thy love, O Jesus as it was manifest
to us in Thy holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the
garden of Gethsemane. We track Thee from the cradle to the
grave--for every word and deed of Thine was love--and we rejoice
in Thy love, which death did not exhaust; Thy love which shone
resplendent in Thy resurrection. We remember that burning fire
of love which will never let Thee hold Thy peace until Thy
chosen ones be all safely housed, until Zion be glorified, and
Jerusalem settled on her everlasting foundations of light and
love in heaven.
* 01/24/PM
"Martha was cumbered about much serving."
--Luke 10:40
Her fault was not that she _served_: the condition of a
servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the
motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was
it her fault that she had "_much_ serving." We cannot do too
much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart,
and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault
of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master.
Happy Martha, to have an opportunity of entertaining so blessed
a guest; and happy, too, to have the spirit to throw her whole
soul so heartily into the engagement. Her fault was that she
grew "_cumbered_ with much serving," so that she forgot _Him_,
and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override
communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of
another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do
much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this
we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune.
Joshua never grew weary in fighting with the Amalekites; but
Moses, on the top of the mountain in prayer, needed two helpers
to sustain his hands. The more spiritual the exercise, the
sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to
rear: the most heavenly graces are the most difficult to
cultivate. Beloved, while we do not neglect external things,
which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it
that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it
that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though
it be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The first
thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and
the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in
perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the
vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above
everything else in the world.
* 01/25/PM
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea,
we establish the law."
--Romans 3:31
When the believer is adopted into the Lord's family, his
relationship to old Adam and the law ceases at once; but then
he is under a new rule, and a new covenant. Believer, you are
God's child; it is your first duty to obey your heavenly
Father. A servile spirit you have nothing to do with: you are
not a slave, but a child; and now, inasmuch as you are a
beloved child, you are bound to obey your Father's faintest
wish, the least intimation of His will. Does He bid you fulfil
a sacred ordinance? It is at your peril that you neglect it,
for you will be disobeying your Father. Does He command you to
seek the image of Jesus? It is not your joy to do so? Does
Jesus tell you, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect"? Then not because the law commands, but
because your Saviour enjoins, you will labour to be perfect in
holiness. Does He bid his saints love one another? Do it, not
because the law says, "Love thy neighbour," but because Jesus
says, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments;" and this is the
commandment that He has given unto you, "that ye love one
another." Are you told to distribute to the poor? Do it, not
because charity is a burden which you dare not shirk, but
because Jesus teaches, "Give to him that asketh of thee." Does
the Word say, "Love God with all your heart"? Look at the
commandment and reply, "Ah! commandment, Christ hath fulfilled
thee already--I have no need, therefore, to fulfill thee for my
salvation, but I rejoice to yield obedience to thee because God
is my Father now and He has a claim upon me, which I would not
dispute." May the Holy Ghost make your heart obedient to the
constraining power of Christ's love, that your prayer may be,
"Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do
I delight." Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness, and not
the apologist of sin.
* 01/26/PM
"All they that heard it wondered at those things."
--Luke 2:18
We must not cease to wonder at the great marvels of our God.
It would be very difficult to draw a line between holy wonder
and _real worship_; for when the soul is overwhelmed with the
majesty of God's glory, though it may not express itself in
song, or even utter its voice with bowed head in humble prayer,
yet it silently adores. Our incarnate God is to be worshipped
as "the Wonderful." That God should consider His fallen
creature, man, and instead of sweeping him away with the besom
of destruction, should Himself undertake to be man's Redeemer,
and to pay his ransom price, is, indeed marvellous! But to
each believer redemption is most marvellous as he views it in
relation to himself. It is a miracle of grace indeed, that
Jesus should forsake the thrones and royalties above, to suffer
ignominiously below _for you_. Let your soul lose itself in
wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion.
Holy wonder will lead you to _grateful worship_ and _heartfelt
thanksgiving_. It will cause within you _godly watchfulness_;
you will be afraid to sin against such a love as this. Feeling
the presence of the mighty God in the gift of His dear Son, you
will put off your shoes from off your feet, because the place
whereon you stand is holy ground. You will be moved at the same
time to _glorious hope_. If Jesus has done such marvellous
things on your behalf, you will feel that heaven itself is not
too great for your expectation. Who can be astonished at
anything, when he has once been astonished at the manger and
the cross? What is there wonderful left after one has seen the
Saviour? Dear reader, it may be that from the quietness and
solitariness of your life, you are scarcely able to imitate the
shepherds of Bethlehem, who told what they had seen and heard,
but you can, at least, fill up the circle of the worshippers
before the throne, by wondering at what God has done.
* 01/27/PM
"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her
heart."
--Luke 2:19
There was an exercise, on the part of this blessed woman,
of three powers of her being: her _memory_--she kept all these
things; her _affections_--she kept them in her heart; her
_intellect_--she pondered them; so that memory, affection, and
understanding, were all exercised about the things which she
had heard. Beloved, remember what you have heard of your Lord
Jesus, and what He has done for you; make your heart the golden
pot of manna to preserve the memorial of the heavenly bread
whereon you have fed in days gone by. Let your memory treasure
up everything about Christ which you have either felt, or
known, or believed, and then let your fond affections hold
_Him_ fast for evermore. Love the person of your Lord! Bring
forth the alabaster box of your heart, even though it be
broken, and let all the precious ointment of your affection
come streaming on His pierced feet. Let your intellect be
exercised concerning the Lord Jesus. Meditate upon what you
read: stop not at the surface; dive into the depths. Be not as
the swallow which toucheth the brook with her wing, but as the
fish which penetrates the lowest wave. Abide with your Lord:
let Him not be to you as a wayfaring man, that tarrieth for a
night, but constrain Him, saying, "Abide with us, for the day
is far spent." Hold Him, and do not let Him go. The word
"ponder, ' means to weigh. Make ready the balances of judgment.
Oh, but where are the scales that can weigh the Lord Christ?
"He taketh up the isles as a very little thing:"--who shall
take _Him_ up? "He weigheth the mountains in scales"--in what
scales shall we weigh _Him_? Be it so, if your understanding
cannot comprehend, let your affections apprehend; and if your
spirit cannot compass the Lord Jesus in the grasp of
understanding, let it embrace Him in the arms of affection.
* 01/28/PM
"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for
all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told
unto them."
--Luke 2:20
What was the subject of their praise? They _praised God for
what they had heard_--for the good tidings of great joy that a
Saviour was born unto them. Let us copy them; let us also raise
a song of thanksgiving that we have heard of Jesus and His
salvation. They also _praised God for what they had seen_.
There is the sweetest music--what we have experienced, what we
have felt within, what we have made our own--"the things which
we have made touching the King." It is not enough to _hear_
about Jesus: mere hearing may tune the harp, but the fingers of
living faith must create the music. If you have seen Jesus with
the God-giving sight of faith, suffer no cobwebs to linger
among the harpstrings, but loud to the praise of sovereign
grace, awake your psaltery and harp. One point for which they
praised God was _the agreement between what they had heard and
what they had seen_. Observe the last sentence--"As it was told
unto them." Have you not found the gospel to be in yourselves
just what the Bible said it would be? Jesus said He would give
you rest--have you not enjoyed the sweetest peace in Him? He
said you should have joy, and comfort, and life through
believing in Him--have you not received all these? Are not His
ways ways of pleasantness, and His paths paths of peace? Surely
you can say with the queen of Sheba, "The half has not been
told me." I have found Christ more sweet than His servants ever
said He was. I looked upon His likeness as they painted it, but
it was a mere daub compared with Himself; for the King in His
beauty outshines all imaginable loveliness. Surely what we
have "_seen_" keeps pace with, nay, far exceeds, what we have
"_heard_." Let us, then, glorify and praise God for a Saviour
so precious, and so satisfying.
* 01/29/PM
"The dove came in to him in the evening."
--Genesis 8:11
Blessed be the Lord for another day of mercy, even though I
am now weary with its toils. Unto the preserver of men lift I
my song of gratitude. The dove found no rest out of the ark,
and therefore returned to it; and my soul has learned yet more
fully than ever, this day, that there is no satisfaction to be
found in earthly things--God alone can give rest to my spirit.
As to my business, my possessions, my family, my attainments,
these are all well enough in their way, but they cannot fulfil
the desires of my immortal nature. "Return unto thy rest, O my
soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." It was at
the still hour, when the gates of the day were closing, that
with weary wing the dove came back to the master: O Lord,
enable me this evening thus to return to Jesus. She could not
endure to spend a night hovering over the restless waste, not
can I bear to be even for another hour away from Jesus, the
rest of my heart, the home of my spirit. She did not merely
alight upon the roof of the ark, she "came in to him;" even so
would my longing spirit look into the secret of the Lord,
pierce to the interior of truth, enter into that which is
within the veil, and reach to my Beloved in very deed. To Jesus
must I come: short of the nearest and dearest intercourse with
Him my panting spirit cannot stay. Blessed Lord Jesus, be with
me, reveal Thyself, and abide with me all night, so that when I
awake I may be still with thee. I note that the dove brought in
her mouth an olive branch plucked off, the memorial of the past
day, and a prophecy of the future. Have I no pleasing record to
bring home? No pledge and earnest of lovingkindness yet to
come? Yes, my Lord, I present Thee my grateful acknowledgments
for tender mercies which have been new every morning and fresh
every evening; and now, I pray Thee, put forth Thy hand and
take Thy dove into Thy bosom.
* 01/30/PM
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance."
--Ephesians 1:11
When Jesus gave Himself for us, He gave us all the rights
and privileges which went with Himself; so that now, although
as eternal God, He has essential rights to which no creature
may venture to pretend, yet as Jesus, the Mediator, the federal
Head of the covenant of grace, He has no heritage apart from
us. All the glorious consequences of His obedience unto death
are the joint riches of all who are in Him, and on whose behalf
He accomplished the divine will. See, He enters into glory, but
not for Himself alone, for it is written, "Whither the
Forerunner is _for us_ entered." Heb. 6:20. Does He stand in
the presence of God?--"He appears in the presence of God _for
us_." Heb. 9:24. Consider this, believer. You have no right to
heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If you are
pardoned, it is through _His_ blood; if you are justified, it
is through _His_ righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is
because _He_ is made of God unto you sanctification; if you
shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are
preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are perfected at the
last, it will be because you are complete in _Him_. Thus Jesus
is magnified--for all is in Him and by Him; thus the
inheritance is made certain to us--for it is obtained in Him;
thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the
brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved "in whom" we have
obtained all. Where is the man who shall estimate our divine
portion? Weigh the riches of Christ in scales, and His treasure
in balances, and then think to count the treasures which belong
to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christ's sea of joy, and
then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for
them that love Him. Overleap the boundaries of Christ's
possessions, and then dream of a limit to the fair inheritance
of the elect. "All things are yours, for ye are Christ's and
Christ is God's."
* 01/31/PM
"Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi."
--2 Samuel 18:23
Running is not everything, there is much in the way which we
select: a swift foot over hill and down dale will not keep pace
with a slower traveller upon level ground. How is it with my
spiritual journey, am I labouring up the hill of my own works
and down into the ravines of my own humiliations and
resolutions, or do I run by the plain way of "Believe and live"?
How blessed is it to wait upon the Lord by faith! The soul runs
without weariness, and walks without fainting, in the way of
believing. Christ Jesus is the way of life, and He is a plain
way, a pleasant way, a way suitable for the tottering feet and
feeble knees of trembling sinners: am I found in this way, or am
I hunting after another track such as priestcraft or metaphysics
may promise me? I read of the way of holiness, that the
wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein: have I been
delivered from proud reason and been brought as a little child
to rest in Jesus' love and blood? If so, by God's grace I shall
outrun the strongest runner who chooses any other path. This
truth I may remember to my profit in my daily cares and needs.
It will be my wisest course to go at once to my God, and not to
wander in a roundabout manner to this friend and that. He knows
my wants and can relieve them, to whom should I repair but to
Himself by the direct appeal of prayer, and the plain argument
of the promise. "Straightforward makes the best runner." I will
not parlay with the servants, but hasten to their master.
In reading this passage, it strikes me that if men vie with
each other in common matters, and one outruns the other, I ought
to be in solemn earnestness so to run that I may obtain. Lord,
help me to gird up the loins of my mind, and may I press forward
towards the mark for the prize of my high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.