October 14 - Morning"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." — Philippians 3:8
Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know
Jesus through another person's acquaintance with Him. No, I must know
Him myself; I must know Him on my own account. It will be an intelligent
knowledge — I must know Him, not as the visionary dreams of Him, but
as the Word reveals Him. I must know His natures, divine and human. I
must know His offices — His attributes — His works — His shame —
His glory. I must meditate upon Him until I "comprehend with all saints
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge."
It will be an affectionate knowledge
of Him; indeed, if I know Him at all, I must love Him. An ounce of heart
knowledge is worth a ton of head learning. Our knowledge of Him will be a
satisfying knowledge. When I know my Saviour, my mind will be full to
the brim — I shall feel that I have that which my spirit panted after. "This
is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger." At the same time
it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more
I shall want to know. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits
which invite my eager footsteps.
I shall want the more as I get the more.
Like the miser's treasure, my gold will make me covet more. To conclude;
this knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so
elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and
doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more
than "Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble";
for it will fling about me the immortality of the everliving Saviour, and gird
me with the golden girdle of His eternal joy. Come, my soul, sit at Jesus's
feet and learn of Him all this day. October 14 - Evening"And be not conformed to this world." — Romans 12:2
If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this world,
at any rate it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much
to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in the
darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter heaven as a shipwrecked
mariner climbs the rocks of his native country? then be worldly; be mixed
up with Mammonites, and refuse to go without the camp bearing Christ's
reproach. But would you have a heaven below as well as a heaven above?
Would you comprehend with all saints what are the heights and depths,
and know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge? Would you receive
an abundant entrance into the joy of your Lord?
Then come ye out from
among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing. Would
you attain the full assurance of faith? you cannot gain it while you
commune with sinners. Would you flame with vehement love? your love
will be damped by the drenchings of godless society. You cannot become a
great Christian — you may be a babe in grace, but you never can be a
perfect man in Christ Jesus while you yield yourself to the worldly
maxims and modes of business of men of the world. It is ill for an heir of
heaven to be a great friend with the heirs of hell.
It has a bad look when a
courtier is too intimate with his king's enemies. Even small inconsistencies
are dangerous. Little thorns make great blisters, little moths destroy fine
garments, and little frivolities and little rogueries will rob religion of a
thousand joys. O professor, too little separated from sinners, you know
not what you lose by your conformity to the world. It cuts the tendons of
your strength, and makes you creep where you ought to run. Then, for
your own comfort's sake, and for the sake of your growth in grace, if you
be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one. October 14 |