November 15 - Morning"The Lord's portion is His people." — Deuteronomy 32:9
How are they His? By His own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set
His love upon them. This He did altogether apart from any goodness in
them at the time, or any goodness which He foresaw in them. He had
mercy on whom He would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company
unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are they His by His unconstrained
election.
They are not only His by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid
for them to the utmost farthing, hence about His title there can be no
dispute. Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's portion has been fully
redeemed. There is no mortgage on His estate; no suits can be raised by
opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is
the Lord's freehold for ever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen,
invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for "the Lord knoweth them
that are His"; He forgetteth none of those whom He has redeemed from
among men; He counts the sheep for whom He laid down His life, and
remembers well the Church for which He gave Himself.
They are also His by conquest. What a battle He had in us before we
would be won! How long He laid siege to our hearts! How often He sent
us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls
against Him. Do we not remember that glorious hour when He carried our
hearts by storm? When He placed His cross against the wall, and scaled
our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of His
omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of His
omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our
divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own;
and we desire, day by day, to do His will, and to show forth His glory. November 15 - Evening"Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us." — Psalm 68:28
It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to
strengthen that which He has wrought in us. It is because of their neglect in
this, that many Christians may blame themselves for those trials and
afflictions of spirit which arise from unbelief. It is true that Satan seeks to
flood the fair garden of the heart and make it a scene of desolation, but it is
also true that many Christians leave open the sluice-gates themselves, and
let in the dreadful deluge through carelessness and want of prayer to their
strong Helper. We often forget that the Author of our faith must be the
Preserver of it also.
The lamp which was burning in the temple was never
allowed to go out, but it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil; in like
manner, our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of grace, and
we can only obtain this from God Himself. Foolish virgins we shall prove,
if we do not secure the needed sustenance for our lamps. He who built the
world upholds it, or it would fall in one tremendous crash; He who made
us Christians must maintain us by His Spirit, or our ruin will be speedy
and final.
Let us, then, evening by evening, go to our Lord for the grace and
strength we need. We have a strong argument to plead, for it is His own
work of grace which we ask Him to strengthen — "that which Thou hast
wrought for us." Think you He will fail to protect and sustain that? Only
let your faith take hold of His strength, and all the powers of darkness, led
on by the master fiend of hell, cannot cast a cloud or shadow over your joy
and peace. Why faint when you may be strong? Why suffer defeat when
you may conquer? Oh! take your wavering faith and drooping graces to
Him who can revive and replenish them, and earnestly pray, "Strengthen,
O God, that which thou hast wrought for us." November 15 |