December 20 - Morning"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love." — Jeremiah 31:3
Sometimes the Lord Jesus tells His Church His love thoughts. "He does
not think it enough behind her back to tell it, but in her very presence He
says, ‘Thou art all fair, my love.' It is true, this is not His ordinary
method; He is a wise lover, and knows when to keep back the intimation
of love and when to let it out; but there are times when He will make no
secret of it; times when He will put it beyond all dispute in the souls of
His people" (R. Erskine's Sermons). The Holy Spirit is often pleased, in a
most gracious manner, to witness with our spirits of the love of Jesus. He
takes of the things of Christ and reveals them unto us.
No voice is heard
from the clouds, and no vision is seen in the night, but we have a
testimony more sure than either of these. If an angel should fly from
heaven and inform the saint personally of the Saviour's love to him, the
evidence would not be one whit more satisfactory than that which is borne
in the heart by the Holy Ghost. Ask those of the Lord's people who have
lived the nearest to the gates of heaven, and they will tell you that they
have had seasons when the love of Christ towards them has been a fact so
clear and sure, that they could no more doubt it than they could question
their own existence.
Yes, beloved believer, you and I have had times of
refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and then our faith has mounted
to the topmost heights of assurance. We have had confidence to lean our
heads upon the bosom of our Lord, and we have no more questioned our
Master's affection to us than John did when in that blessed posture; nay,
nor so much: for the dark question, "Lord, is it I that shall betray thee?"
has been put far from us. He has kissed us with the kisses of His mouth,
and killed our doubts by the closeness of His embrace. His love has been
sweeter than wine to our souls. December 20 - Evening"Call thy labourers, and give them their hire." — Matthew 20:8
God is a good paymaster; He pays His servants while at work as well as
when they have done it; and one of His payments is this: an easy
conscience. If you have spoken faithfully of Jesus to one person, when
you go to bed at night you feel happy in thinking, "I have this day
discharged my conscience of that man's blood." There is a great comfort in
doing something for Jesus. Oh, what a happiness to place jewels in His
crown, and give Him to see of the travail of His soul! There is also very
great reward in watching the first buddings of conviction in a soul! To say
of that girl in the class, "She is tender of heart, I do hope that there is the
Lord's work within."
To go home and pray over that boy, who said
something in the afternoon which made you think he must know more of
divine truth than you had feared! Oh, the joy of hope! But as for the joy of
success! it is unspeakable. This joy, overwhelming as it is, is a hungry
thing — you pine for more of it. To be a soul-winner is the happiest thing
in the world. With every soul you bring to Christ, you get a new heaven
upon earth. But who can conceive the bliss which awaits us above! Oh,
how sweet is that sentence, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!" Do you
know what the joy of Christ is over a saved sinner? This is the very joy
which we are to possess in heaven.
Yes, when He mounts the throne, you
shall mount with Him. When the heavens ring with "Well done, well
done," you shall partake in the reward; you have toiled with Him, you
have suffered with Him, you shall now reign with Him; you have sown
with Him, you shall reap with Him; your face was covered with sweat like
His, and your soul was grieved for the sins of men as His soul was, now
shall your face be bright with heaven's splendour as is His countenance,
and now shall your soul be filled with beatific joys even as His soul is. December 20 |