November 10 - Morning"The eternal God is thy refuge." — Deuteronomy 33:27
The word refuge may be translated "mansion," or "abiding-place," which
gives the thought that God is our abode, our home. There is a fulness and
sweetness in the metaphor, for dear to our hearts is our home, although it
be the humblest cottage, or the scantiest garret; and dearer far is our
blessed God, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. It is at home
that we feel safe: we shut the world out and dwell in quiet security. So
when we are with our God we "fear no evil." He is our shelter and retreat,
our abiding refuge.
At home, we take our rest; it is there we find repose
after the fatigue and toil of the day. And so our hearts find rest in God,
when, wearied with life's conflict, we turn to Him, and our soul dwells at
ease. At home, also, we let our hearts loose; we are not afraid of being
misunderstood, nor of our words being misconstrued. So when we are with
God we can commune freely with Him, laying open all our hidden desires;
for if the "secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him," the secrets of
them that fear Him ought to be, and must be, with their Lord. Home, too,
is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is in God that our
hearts find their deepest delight. We have joy in Him which far surpasses
all other joy.
It is also for home that we work and labour. The thought of it
gives strength to bear the daily burden, and quickens the fingers to perform
the task; and in this sense we may also say that God is our home. Love to
Him strengthens us. We think of Him in the person of His dear Son; and a
glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemer constrains us to labour in His
cause. We feel that we must work, for we have brethren yet to be saved,
and we have our Father's heart to make glad by bringing home His
wandering sons; we would fill with holy mirth the sacred family among
whom we dwell. Happy are those who have thus the God of Jacob for
their refuge! November 10 - Evening"It is enough for the disciple that he be as His Master." — Matthew 10:25
No one will dispute this statement, for it would be unseemly for the
servant to be exalted above his Master. When our Lord was on earth, what
was the treatment He received? Were His claims acknowledged, His
instructions followed, His perfections worshipped, by those whom He
came to bless? No; "He was despised and rejected of men." Outside the
camp was His place: cross-bearing was His occupation. Did the world
yield Him solace and rest? "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have
nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." This
inhospitable country afforded Him no shelter: it cast Him out and crucified
Him.
Such — if you are a follower of Jesus, and maintain a consistent,
Christ-like walk and conversation — you must expect to be the lot of that
part of your spiritual life which, in its outward development, comes under
the observation of men. They will treat it as they treated the Saviour —
they will despise it. Dream not that worldlings will admire you, or that the
more holy and the more Christ-like you are, the more peaceably people
will act towards you. They prized not the polished gem, how should they
value the jewel in the rough? "If they have called the Master of the house
Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household?"
If we
were more like Christ, we should be more hated by His enemies. It were a
sad dishonour to a child of God to be the world's favourite. It is a very ill
omen to hear a wicked world clap its hands and shout "Well done" to the
Christian man. He may begin to look to his character, and wonder whether
he has not been doing wrong, when the unrighteous give him their
approbation. Let us be true to our Master, and have no friendship with a
blind and base world which scorns and rejects Him. Far be it from us to
seek a crown of honour where our Lord found a coronet of thorn. November 10 |