October 18 - Morning"Thy paths drop fatness." — Psalm 65:11
Many are "the paths of the Lord" which "drop fatness," but an especial
one is the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet, will have
need to cry, "My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me." Starving souls live
at a distance from the mercy- seat, and become like the parched fields in
times of drought. Prevalence with God in wrestling prayer is sure to make
the believer strong — if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven
is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much
assurance; little alone with Jesus, your religion will be shallow, polluted
with many doubts and fears, and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord.
Since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint;
since no high attainments are required; since you are not bidden to come
because you are an advanced saint, but freely invited if you be a saint at
all; see to it, dear reader, that you are often in the way of private devotion.
Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel's
fields.
There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk
therein, it is the secret walk of communion. Oh! the delights of fellowship
with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a
soul leaning on Jesus' bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in
the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo: they live in the outer
court, they enter not the holy place, they take not up the privilege of
priesthood. At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with
the priest to eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering. But,
reader, sit thou ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm tree,
and take hold of the branches thereof; let thy beloved be unto thee as the
apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and thou shalt be satisfied as with
marrow and fatness. O Jesus, visit us with Thy salvation! October 18 - Evening"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." — 1 Samuel 15:22
Saul had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their
cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people
to take the best of the oxen and of the sheep. When called to account for
this, he declared that he did it with a view of offering sacrifice to God; but
Samuel met him at once with the assurance that sacrifices were no excuse
for an act of direct rebellion. The sentence before us is worthy to be
printed in letters of gold, and to be hung up before the eyes of the present
idolatrous generation, who are very fond of the fineries of will-worship,
but utterly neglect the laws of God.
Be it ever in your remembrance, that
to keep strictly in the path of your Saviour's command is better than any
outward form of religion; and to hearken to His precept with an attentive
ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, or any other precious thing to lay
upon His altar. If you are failing to keep the least of Christ's commands to
His disciples, I pray you be disobedient no longer. All the pretensions you
make of attachment to your Master, and all the devout actions which you
may perform, are no recompense for disobedience. "To obey," even in the
slightest and smallest thing, "is better than sacrifice," however pompous.
Talk not of Gregorian chants, sumptuous robes, incense, and banners; the
first thing which God requires of His child is obedience; and though you
should give your body to be burned, and all your goods to feed the poor,
yet if you do not hearken to the Lord's precepts, all your formalities shall
profit you nothing. It is a blessed thing to be teachable as a little child, but
it is a much more blessed thing when one has been taught the lesson, to
carry it out to the letter. How many adorn their temples and decorate their
priests, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord! My soul, come not thou
into their secret. October 18 |