September 27 - Morning"Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!" — Deuteronomy 33:29
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter
stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what
a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Suppose you that God
will give all the happiness to His enemies, and reserve all the mourning for
His own family? Shall His foes have mirth and joy, and shall His
home-born children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who
has no part in Christ, call himself rich in happiness, and shall we go
mourning as if we were penniless beggars? No, we will rejoice in the Lord
always, and glory in our inheritance, for we "have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear; but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby
we cry, Abba, Father."
The rod of chastisement must rest upon us in our
measure, but it worketh for us the comfortable fruits of righteousness; and
therefore by the aid of the divine Comforter, we, the "people saved of the
Lord," will joy in the God of our salvation. We are married unto Christ;
and shall our great Bridegroom permit His spouse to linger in constant
grief? Our hearts are knit unto Him: we are His members, and though for
awhile we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even now
blessed with heavenly blessings in Him.
We have the earnest of our
inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small.
Heritors of joy for ever, we have foretastes of our portion. There are
streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising. Our riches are
beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side the
river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us
onward. Truly is it said of us, "Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto
thee, O people saved by the Lord?" September 27 - Evening"My Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for Him." — Song of Solomon 5:4
Knocking was not enough, for my heart was too full of sleep, too cold and
ungrateful to arise and open the door, but the touch of His effectual grace
has made my soul bestir itself. Oh, the longsuffering of my Beloved, to
tarry when He found Himself shut out, and me asleep upon the bed of
sloth! Oh, the greatness of His patience, to knock and knock again, and to
add His voice to His knockings, beseeching me to open to Him! How could
I have refused Him! Base heart, blush and be confounded!
But what
greatest kindness of all is this, that He becomes His own porter and unbars
the door Himself. Thrice blessed is the hand which condescends to lift the
latch and turn the key. Now I see that nothing but my Lord's own power
can save such a naughty mass of wickedness as I am; ordinances fail, even
the gospel has no effect upon me, till His hand is stretched out. Now, also,
I perceive that His hand is good where all else is unsuccessful, He can open
when nothing else will. Blessed be His name, I feel His gracious presence
even now. Well may my bowels move for Him, when I think of all that He
has suffered for me, and of my ungenerous return.
I have allowed my
affections to wander. I have set up rivals. I have grieved Him. Sweetest and
dearest of all beloveds, I have treated Thee as an unfaithful wife treats her
husband. Oh, my cruel sins, my cruel self. What can I do? Tears are a poor
show of my repentance, my whole heart boils with indignation at myself.
Wretch that I am, to treat my Lord, my All in All, my exceeding great joy,
as though He were a stranger. Jesus, thou forgivest freely, but this is not
enough, prevent my unfaithfulness in the future. Kiss away these tears,
and then purge my heart and bind it with sevenfold cords to Thyself, never
to wander more. September 27 |